Delivery Notification using the mail() function

[bendurber]

Hi,

 

I am using the mail function and want to add a delivery request so that I know the message was delivered.  This functionality is available in MS Outlook and seems to add the following into the message headers: 'Return-Receipt-To: "Name" <email>'.

 

If I replicate this in my php code it doesn't seem to do anything.

 

Any help would be much appreciated

 

Regards

 

Ben

[revraz]

Searching google returned this

 

http://www.phpbuilder.com/columns/equazcion20070502.php3

[cooldude832]

yes you could add a header for it, however not all clients send this receipt back.

[bendurber]

Thanks for the link revraz but unfortunately most email clients don't download the images when the message is opened.

 

cooldude832 what would that header be?  If you request a delivery receipt from Outlook you almost always get a notification dont you?

 

Thanks

 

Ben

[revraz]

Most clients wont send back a receipt either.

 

Thanks for the link revraz but unfortunately most email clients don't download the images when the message is opened.

 

cooldude832 what would that header be?  If you request a delivery receipt from Outlook you almost always get a notification dont you?

 

Thanks

 

Ben

[cooldude832]

Its not a guarantee that is all I am say, find the header of an email with one and just add it to the header of your email

[bendurber]

I have been looking into this a little more and it seems that the delivery notification is bounced from the server and not client program.

 

For instance if I am not logged into my hotmail account and I then send it an email from outlook within a few seconds I get a delivery notification.

 

I cant figure out why requesting a receipt in the email header works for Outlook but not my server side script.

 

Thanks

 

Ben

 

[cooldude832]

if you are mailing stuff like

<?php
$to = "me@stuff.com";
$subject= "Some email";
$body = "test Message";
$headers = "X-Type: 1.0";
if(mail($to,$subjet,$body,$header)){
echo "It worked";
}
else{
echo "It died.";
}
?>

if it gets throguh and echos "it worked" that means you simply didn't have a sytnaxical error in your php, but you could have an invalid header.  The receipeint mail box might report errors, I known my webmail does when I view the full headers.  You shoul be able to see the recievers errors and fix them