Simple email issue

SteveH · January 18, 2010

Hello

This has to be one of the simplest PHP scripts I have seen (a contact form). It has two simple files:

<HTML>
<HEAD>
</HEAD>
<BODY>

<form action="/cf.php" method="post">
<p><label for="input-email">Your Email: </label><br/><input type="text" name="email" id="input-email" size="40"/></p>
<p><label for="input-message">Your Message: </label><br/><textarea type="text" name="message" id="input-message" rows="10" cols="40"></textarea></p>
<p><button type="submit" name="submit">Send</button></p>
</form>

</BODY>
</HEAD>

and the PHP processing script called cf.php:

<?php

if (isset($_GET['success'])) {

?><p><span style="color:green;">Message successfully sent.</span> Thank you!</p><?php

} else {

if (!empty($_POST['email']) && !empty($_POST['message'])) {

	$to = 'my_personalAddress@yahoo.com'; 
	$subject = 'Contact from my_site.com';
	$message = $_POST['message']."\r\n\r\nSender IP: ".$_SERVER["REMOTE_ADDR"];
	$headers = 'From: '.$_POST['email']."\r\n".
				'Reply-To: '.$_POST['email']."\r\n";
	mail($to, $subject, $message, $headers);

	header("Location: /cf.php?success"); 

} else {

	?><p><span style="color:red;">Error detected.</span> Please make sure you have filled all fields. Press back button to go back.</p><?php

}

}

?>

Can I ask, please, what might be the reason why emails are not sent (despite the 'success' message).

Thanks

Steve

ShadowIce · January 18, 2010

You would need an email server setup in order to use the mail() function. Been there, done that. Best thing to do would be to buy a .com address that actually has that mail server built into it. That's what I did, and I'll tell ya man, it was the BEST move I've made so far =)

SteveH · January 18, 2010

Hello Shadowice

Thanks for your reply.

I do have a proper domain name and hosting service with an email server.

So, given the above, why would the script I have posted not work?

Thanks.

Steve

ShadowIce · January 18, 2010

Did you echo all ur variables to be SURE that was the problem?

SteveH · January 18, 2010

I didn't Shadowice, how would I do that, please?

Thanks.

Steve

PD: It wouldn't be related to permissions, would it?

oni-kun · January 18, 2010

If I'm not mistaken:

 if (isset($_GET['success'])) {
//...
header("Location: /cf.php?success");

Will cause an infinite loop, You are saying 'IF success = true, go to ?success', and it will go 'if success=true, go to ?success'.

And no, Permissions will not be relevant to mail() unless your MX records for your domain are not set up (May require contact to support department to check)

ShadowIce · January 18, 2010

<?php

if (isset($_GET['success'])) {

   ?><p><span style="color:green;">Message successfully sent.</span> Thank you!</p><?php

} else {

   if (!empty($_POST['email']) && !empty($_POST['message'])) {

      $to = 'my_personalAddress@yahoo.com'; 
      $subject = 'Contact from my_site.com';
      $message = $_POST['message']."\r\n\r\nSender IP: ".$_SERVER["REMOTE_ADDR"];
      $headers = 'From: '.$_POST['email']."\r\n".
               'Reply-To: '.$_POST['email']."\r\n";
      mail($to, $subject, $message, $headers);

      header("Location: /cf.php?success"); 

   } else {

      ?><p><span style="color:red;">Error detected.</span> Please make sure you have filled all fields. Press back button to go back.</p><?php

   }

}

echo "isset::Success: ".isset($_GET['success'])."<br>\n";
echo "Success: ".$_GET['success']."<br>\n";
echo "Email: ".$_POST['email']."<br>\n";
echo "Message: ".$_POST['message']."<br>\n";
echo "To: ".$to."<br>\n";
echo "Subject: ".$subject."<br>\n";
echo "Message: ".$message."<br>\n";
echo "Headers: ".$headers."<br>\n";

?>

SteveH · January 18, 2010

Thanks for your replies again!

OK, I have deleted everything from my cf.php file and copied and pasted exactly what Shadowice posted here (but inserted the my correct email addresses).

The form, incidentally, is here:

http://proofreading4students.com/emailTest.html

Before I came to this forum, I deliberately typed in a wrong email address (missing the @ etc) and I was told to press the back button. Now, with ShadowIce's script, I do not get that - so it is not picking up on errors. But I do not get any server messages or on screen errors.

Thanks.

Steve

ShadowIce · January 18, 2010

did u try turning on error_reporting(E_ALL) ?

Genesis730 · January 19, 2010

Maybe I know what I'm talking about, maybe I don't... but shouldn't it look like this?

<form action="cf.php" method="post"> (Without the /)

oni-kun · January 19, 2010

Maybe I know what I'm talking about, maybe I don't... but shouldn't it look like this?

<form action="cf.php" method="post"> (Without the /)

/ Means document root, so if it is not then for compatibility it should be removed. A valid example would be /usr/home/htdocs/folder/cf.php

SteveH · January 19, 2010

Hello

Many thanks for your posts again.

I have removed this:

echo "isset::Success: ".isset($_GET['success'])."<br>\n";echo "Success: ".$_GET['success']."<br>\n";echo "Email: ".$_POST['email']."<br>\n";echo "Message: ".$_POST['message']."<br>\n";echo "To: ".$to."<br>\n";echo "Subject: ".$subject."<br>\n";echo "Message: ".$message."<br>\n";echo "Headers: ".$headers."<br>\n";

and whether I use:

<form action="[b]/[/b]cf.php" method="post">

or

<form action="cf.php" method="post">

the 'success' screen tells me the message is sent, but it is not received. Aaahh!

Steve

Buddski · January 19, 2010

You are doing the header() call all the time as long as the $_POST['email'] and $_POST['message'] are not empty..

You need to actually TEST the mail function itself...

if (mail($to, $subject, $message, $headers)) {
      header("Location: /cf.php?success"); 
} else {
header("Location: /cf.php?failed"); 
}

SteveH · January 19, 2010

Hello

I have done that, Buddski:

//mail($to, $subject, $message, $headers);
//header("Location: /cf.php?success"); // redirects the sender to success page
//} else {

if (mail($to, $subject, $message, $headers)) {
      header("Location: /cf.php?success");
} else {header("Location: /cf.php?failed");
}

I have completed the simple form and was redirected to the 'success' page after clicking on 'submit'.

The form details should be sent to my own personal address at Yahoo!, but they are not (they are not in my 'Spam' folder, either.

Steve

Buddski · January 19, 2010

You may need have some server settings that need adjusting or your host may not accept the use of the mail() function. (I had that with my old host, it would only allow authenticated mail to be sent)

And as the PHP Manual says

Returns TRUE if the mail was successfully accepted for delivery, FALSE otherwise.

It is important to note that just because the mail was accepted for delivery, it does NOT mean the mail will actually reach the intended destination.

SteveH · January 19, 2010

Hello Buddski

Thanks again.

I'll contact the Web hosting service - I'm very tempted to go back to ASP and Windows!!

Steve

Buddski · January 19, 2010

There are alternatives.. Which are a little more indepth but I have never had an issue with..

PEAR::Mail is a good mail script as it uses an actual SMTP host to send emails..

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