Problem: No headers sent with mail()

[Juul]

Hi,

My hostingprovider just updated to PHP 4.4. Since that time I have problems
using the mail() function in PHP. I can't send headers anymore and my
provider don't know what's wrong.
Here's a sample script:

if (mail("xx*@xxx.com", "test mail", "This is a <B>test</B>!", "From:
yy*@yyy.com (yyy)\r\nContent-type: text/html")) {
print "Sent";
}
else {
print "Not sent";
}
I receive this body-text on xx*@xxx.com:

Content-type: text/html
Message-Id: <20************************@xxx.xxx.com>
Date: Thu, 8 Sep 2005 09:40:02 +0200 (CEST)

This is a <B>test</B>!

Does anybody know what's going wrong?

Regards,
Juul

[Juul]

I mean that the headers are not interpreted by the mailserver but printed
as plain text...

Juul

Op Thu, 8 Sep 2005 10:17:58 +0200 schreef Juul:

Content-type: text/html
Message-Id: <20************************@xxx.xxx.com>
Date: Thu, 8 Sep 2005 09:40:02 +0200 (CEST)

[Ken Robinson]

Juul wrote:

Hi,

My hostingprovider just updated to PHP 4.4. Since that time I have problems
using the mail() function in PHP. I can't send headers anymore and my
provider don't know what's wrong.
Here's a sample script:

if (mail("xx*@xxx.com", "test mail", "This is a <B>test</B>!", "From:
yy*@yyy.com (yyy)\r\nContent-type: text/html")) {
print "Sent";
}
else {
print "Not sent";
}

Had this code worked before?

Try this modification

<?php

if (mail('t********@example.com', 'Test Mail', 'This is a
<b>test</b>','From: Who Dat <fr*******@example.com>'."\nContent-type:
text/html"))
print 'Sent';
else
print 'Not Sent';

?>

What struck me as a possible problem in your original code was the
'From:' sting. The format "yy*@yyy.com (yyy)" doesn't look right. The
correct way is "Name <em***@address.here>"

Ken

[Juul]

Hi Ken,

The script worked fine till the provider updated PHP. You may use
xx*@xxx.com (xxx) as the From header, that shouldn't be a problem.

The real problem I found was the use of \r\n. I tried to use \n only and it
works fine!

Thank you for your help.

Juul

[Manuel Lemos]

Hello,

on 09/08/2005 05:17 AM Juul said the following:

My hostingprovider just updated to PHP 4.4. Since that time I have problems
using the mail() function in PHP. I can't send headers anymore and my
provider don't know what's wrong.
Here's a sample script:

if (mail("xx*@xxx.com", "test mail", "This is a <B>test</B>!", "From:
yy*@yyy.com (yyy)\r\nContent-type: text/html")) {
print "Sent";
}
else {
print "Not sent";
}
I receive this body-text on xx*@xxx.com:

Content-type: text/html
Message-Id: <20************************@xxx.xxx.com>
Date: Thu, 8 Sep 2005 09:40:02 +0200 (CEST)

This is a <B>test</B>!

Does anybody know what's going wrong?

Several things seem to be wrong. The line breaks may not be correct. You
should not sent HTML only messages as many mail systems like Hotmail may
simply discard your message. For sending properly compose HTML messages,
you should compose MIME multipart/alternative messaages that include the
HTML part and an alternative text part.

If you don't know how to do that, you may want to try this MIME message
class. Take a look at the test_simple_html_mail_message.php example:

http://www.phpclasses.org/mimemessage
--

Regards,
Manuel Lemos

PHP Classes - Free ready to use OOP components written in PHP
http://www.phpclasses.org/

PHP Reviews - Reviews of PHP books and other products
http://www.phpclasses.org/reviews/

Metastorage - Data object relational mapping layer generator
http://www.meta-language.net/metastorage.html

[John Dunlop]

Juul wrote:

You may use xx*@xxx.com (xxx) as the From header, that shouldn't be a problem.
Because it gives the impression of working? Sorry, ain't gonna wash
in a technical forum.

I think Ken was right to be suspicious, because afaics

From: fo*@bar.invalid (foo)

is not allowed to be generated under RFC2822.

It is one of the two forms allowed by son-of-RFC1036 though, so you
might find it on Usenet, and that might be where your idea that it
'shouldn't be a problem' comes from.
The real problem I found was the use of \r\n. I tried to use \n only and it
works fine!

What you tried there, what the Manual calls 'a last resort', suggests
the real problem lies with your MTA.

--
Jock

[Tim Roberts]

John Dunlop <us*********@john.dunlop.name> wrote:

Juul wrote:

You may use xx*@xxx.com (xxx) as the From header, that shouldn't be a problem.

Because it gives the impression of working? Sorry, ain't gonna wash
in a technical forum.

I think Ken was right to be suspicious, because afaics

From: fo*@bar.invalid (foo)

is not allowed to be generated under RFC2822.

No, this is specifically allowed by RFC2822, although new implementations
are discouraged from using it.
--
- Tim Roberts, ti**@probo.com
Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.

[John Dunlop]

Tim Roberts wrote:

John Dunlop <us*********@john.dunlop.name> wrote:

From: fo*@bar.invalid (foo)

is not allowed to be generated under RFC2822.

No, this is specifically allowed by RFC2822, although new implementations
are discouraged from using it.

from = "From:" mailbox-list CRLF
mailbox-list = (mailbox *("," mailbox)) / obs-mbox-list
mailbox = name-addr / addr-spec

It can't be a name-addr because there are no greater-/less-than
signs, so that leaves:

addr-spec = local-part "@" domain

No room for comments there.

--
Jock