why @ before functions

Question

What does adding @ before a function do? I've seen this in some scripts

example:

$connect = @mysql_connect('localhost', 'root', 'password');
 instead of
$connect = mysql_connect('localhost', 'root', 'password');

Answer 1

It suppresses any errors that might happen inside the function. Documentation here.

All things considered, this is not recommended as it can lead to some sneaky bugs.