checking messages sent with mail()

[Giobibo]

I use the following code to send e-mails with PHP:

if(@mail(....))
{
//Send OK
} else {
//Send Bad
}

But how can I verify that a message was really sent (in case of "Sent
OK)?
I mean, mail() "returns TRUE if the mail was successfully accepted
for delivery", but this is not a guarantee that the message left the
server (i.e. was sent).
How can I check that?
Of course I already tried to send e.mailto my.self and works but how
can I check any exception or error?

Thank you very much for your reply.
Gio

[CountScubula]

"Giobibo" <gi*****@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:ms********************************@4ax.com...

I use the following code to send e-mails with PHP:

if(@mail(....))
{
//Send OK
} else {
//Send Bad
}

But how can I verify that a message was really sent (in case of "Sent
OK)?
I mean, mail() "returns TRUE if the mail was successfully accepted
for delivery", but this is not a guarantee that the message left the
server (i.e. was sent).
How can I check that?
Of course I already tried to send e.mailto my.self and works but how
can I check any exception or error?

Thank you very much for your reply.
Gio

Specify a return path, and check the return account, either by pop'ing the
box or by having a script filter any email to that account.

--
Mike Bradley
http://www.gzentools.com -- free online php tools

[Giobibo]

On Wed, 17 Mar 2004 09:17:32 GMT, "CountScubula"
<[e-mail]> wrote:

Specify a return path, and check the return account, either by pop'ing the
box or by having a script filter any email to that account.

Thank you very much for your reply.

Please could you give more details, I do not understand what does
mean:

"pop'ing the box" or "a script filter any email to that account"

Thanks again
Gio

[Drazen Gemic]

There is no convinient way to check reception, unless you are able
to check recipient account, what has been suggested in one of the
answers.

There is one thing that you can do. mail() function connects to uotgoing
server and expects it to deliver the message. Perhaps you can find a way
to ensure that message issent without queing, which is, I belive,
possible with sendmail, and some other mail servers on UNIX systems, or you
can open use sockets to:

- query DNS to determine the mail host for recipients domain
- send message via SMTP

I think that sendmail ha switches for sending message without queue-ing,
and you should pipe the message to standard input of sendmail process.
I don't know right now what the command switches are, you will have to
check sendmail documentation.

--
Ask yourself: are you ready for the enterprise ?

[CountScubula]

"Giobibo" <gi*****@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:57********************************@4ax.com...

On Wed, 17 Mar 2004 09:17:32 GMT, "CountScubula"
<[e-mail]> wrote:

Specify a return path, and check the return account, either by pop'ing thebox or by having a script filter any email to that account.

Thank you very much for your reply.

Please could you give more details, I do not understand what does
mean:

"pop'ing the box" or "a script filter any email to that account"

Thanks again
Gio

Ok, when you use the mail() command, php is not sending the mail, but rather
passing it to the local mailer. (i am assuming sendmail/linux)

If the email can not be deliverd, it is sent back to the Return-path:
email@address , this can be your valid email address, and you will get all
the email that can not be sent. or you can also do these things:

1) Have the email address have its own email box, and you can pop it, by
this I mean, you can log in and check it with a mail client or a php script.

2) when the email arrives to this email adress, have sendmail pass it to a
php script, and have that script look it over and see why it came back.

I have sent up a AOL mailing listserver, for a client, and all the mail that
bounces back goes into a server, and that server checks why it was not
deliverd, if it was becouse the user doesnt exist, then it removes them from
the database, if there mailbox was full, it tries to redeliver at another
time. and so on....
As someone pointed out you can try a direct deliver, I have written a
framework for this, it is really simple to use, and you will know if the
mail was sent, and if not, you will have a good indication of why.

http://www.gzentools.com/snippetview...l&v=mxmail.php
--
Mike Bradley
http://www.gzentools.com -- free online php tools