Sending e-mail from PHP using an e-mail list from a MySQL table

[Freedom-n-Democrazy]

I'm setting up a newsletter thing for my website.

 

I have a newsletter table in MySQL:

+----------------+------+--------+

| email          | mens | womens |

+----------------+------+--------+

| test2@test.com |    1 |      1 |

| test1@test.com |    1 |      0 |

+----------------+------+--------+

 

I am using a HTML form and this PHP code I learn't from the manual, which sends out e-mail's.

PHP:

if ($_POST['newsletter'] == 'Mens') {

$to = '';

$subject = $_POST['subject'];

$body = $_POST['body'];

$header = 'From: Me Someone <me@someone.com>';

mail($to, $subject, $body, $header);

}

 

What I want to do with the above code is send out an e-mail to all the e-mails in my MySQL database that are tagged '1' under mens.

 

How would I go about doing this? I'm guessing I will have to use a MySQL query in the $to = ''; that goes something like this:

$to = '$query (select from `newsletters` where `email` = 1');

?

[Freedom-n-Democrazy]

Hold up, trying:

 

select email from newsletters where mens = 1;

[Freedom-n-Democrazy]

Damn! Whats wrong with this?

 

$to = ($query (select email from newsletters where mens = 1));

 

EDIT: Also tried this but fail:

 

$query = "select email from newsletters where mens = 1";
mysql_query ($query);
$to = $query;

 

EDIT:

 

Also set, but fail:

mysql_query ($to);

[Buddski]

You have to actually execute the query.

$sql = "SELECT `email` FROM `newsletters` WHERE `mens` = 1";
$sql_query = mysql_query($sql);

 

Then its just a matter of iterating over the results and sending out the emails.. Or join the results together and send 1 email to all recipients.

[TOA]

Your main problem was you weren't calling the mysql_query function, and you needed quotes around your sql string. You also would have gotten a resource id error because you needed to deal with the result accordingly. Try this

 

$sql = 'select email from newsletters where mens = 1';
$result = mysql_query($sql);
while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) {
   $to[] = $row['email'];
}
$tostring = implode(';', $to); // had a comma in here should be semi-colon to separate email addresses

 

*Edit*

 

You have to actually execute the query.

$sql = "SELECT `email` FROM `newsletters` WHERE `mens` = 1";
$sql_query = mysql_query($sql);

 

Then its just a matter of iterating over the results and sending out the emails.. Or join the results together and send 1 email to all recipients.

 

Beat me to it. My example joins them together

[Freedom-n-Democrazy]

Cool guys, thanks.

I'm not using the following code, but its still not working.

 

<?php

$link = mysql_connect('localhost', 'testusr', 'testpw');

mysql_select_db('testdb', $link);

if ($_POST['newsletter'] == 'Mens') {

	$query = "select email from newsletters where mens = 1";
	$result = mysql_query($query);
	while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) {
		$to[] = $row['email'];
	}
	$tostring = implode(';', $to);
	$subject = $_POST['subject'];

	$body = $_POST['body'];

	$header = 'From: Me Someone <me@someone.com>';

	mail($to, $subject, $body, $header);

}

echo 'Done.';

mysql_query ($query);

mysql_close($link);

?>

[TOA]

Can you be more specific? 

 

I made a typo when I posted it, the comma in the implode should be a semi-colon. But we need more details

 

Edit: also, use $tostring instead of $to in the mail function

[Buddski]

You are or you arent using that code? Im a little confused.. If you ARE using that code.. you are giving the "to" parameter of the mail function an array..

 

You either need to use the $tostring as defined earlier or change this line

mail($to, $subject, $body, $header);

to

mail(join(',',$to), $subject, $body, $header);

 

DevilsAdvocate: you were right the first time.. Its a comma to separate emails in the mail() function

[TOA]

DevilsAdvocate: you were right the first time.. Its a comma to separate emails in the mail() function

 

Ah, so it is! Should have trusted the gut

[Freedom-n-Democrazy]

Sorry for the slow response, my net is capped at 72kbps until the end of the months, and thats kiloBITS!!!  :'(

 

The code worked fine, thanks guys the help was really appreciated! The only problem I have is that when the mail is received, I can see all the e-mail addresses it was sent to. Is it possible to stop this? I'm guessing with some sort of loop or something. To be honest that is beyond me and just an educated guess, but I am all ears on advice how to go about achieving it.

[Buddski]

You will have to create a loop and iterate over the $to array that you created and just let the mail chug.

[Freedom-n-Democrazy]

WOW LOL

 

What does that mean? lol sorry bro I've only been using PHP for a month and I'm not that 1337 yet. haha

Could you please give me an example of those terms you used so I have an understanding of their logic?

[Freedom-n-Democrazy]

I'm guess something like:

 

foreach ($email as $tostring);
mail($tostring, $subject, $body, $header)};

 

?

[Buddski]

Wrap a foreach loop around the mail function.

foreach ($to as $email) { 
   mail($email, $subject, $body, $header);
}

 

Or you could do it straight out of the database where the $to array is generated.. Either way.

 

// Version 1 //
while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) {
$to[] = $row['email'];
}
$subject = $_POST['subject'];
$body = $_POST['body'];
$header = 'From: Me Someone <me@someone.com>';
foreach ($to as $mail) {
mail($mail, $subject, $body, $header);
}

// Version 2 //
$subject = $_POST['subject'];
$body = $_POST['body'];
$header = 'From: Me Someone <me@someone.com>';
while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) {
mail($row['email'], $subject, $body, $header);
}

[Freedom-n-Democrazy]

I noticed $tostring = implode(';', $to); is missing from version 1 and 2. Is that correct.?

[TOA]

I noticed $tostring = implode(';', $to); is missing from version 1 and 2. Is that correct.?

 

Correct. What he gave you will complete the script after your query.

[Freedom-n-Democrazy]

Fantastic!

 

Thanks guys so much for your help, especially you Buddski!

 

Wow PHP is such an amazing product. Every day I continue to get blown away how powerful it is!

 

Coming from a bit of a Python background, I use to fear PHP... but now I see it as the most awesome thing to come along since I found Linux!

 

Thanks again guys! I hope you enjoy your days!

[TOA]

 

Thanks guys so much for your help, especially you Buddski!

 

 

Shafted! All because he kept beating me to the punch 

 

Kidding. Glad it helped