I use the php mail function to end mails from my websites. One one site the mail function (mail() ) no longer works.
This is a generic example of what I usually use that no longer works:

<?php
$to = "someone@example.com";
$subject = "Test mail";
$message = "Hello! This is a simple email message.";
$from = "someonelse@example.com";
$headers = "From:" . $from;
mail($to,$subject,$message,$headers);
echo "Mail Sent.";
?>


The host staff are at a loss as to what to do. Is there any other variant that you guru's can show me to get form data to me. Please any and all help will be appreciated.

Your generic example looks ok, so the problem is likely to do with configuration (or other server issue).
What is the error message you are getting?

If your normal mail function is failing, use smpt to send mail. I have done it before and it is yet to fail.
If you download this script ehm phpmailer5 - it is a library that helps you to send all sorta php mails - direct, smtp and it even supports attachment sef.

Beaf:

Your generic example looks ok, so the problem is likely to do with configuration (or other server issue).
What is the error message you are getting?

There is no error message, everything works fine, just no mail is sent. The hosts wrote a small script themselves called testmail.php, Same thing no error message but no mail.

*dhtml:

If your normal mail function is failing, use smpt to send mail. I have done it before and it is yet to fail.
If you download this script ehm phpmailer5 - it is a library that helps you to send all sorta php mails - direct, smtp and it even supports attachment sef.

Thanks I will search for it.

Johndoe100:

There is no error message, everything works fine, just no mail is sent. The hosts wrote a small script themselves called testmail.php, Same thing no error message but no mail.

I'll go with *dhtml's solution.

However, if you wish to press further; it is certainly a configuration problem, most likely with host config. Check /var/log/maillog for the log files; hints to the issue will be recorded there. Also, use the mail() function with a conditional statement, so that you can take action if it returns false (its a boolean).

The built-in mail() function isn't very reliable.
Go smtp like dhtml said.

The phpmailer5 can be found here - http://sourceforge.net/projects/phpmailer/files/phpmailer%20for%20php5_6/
If you are still having issues let us know. And dont forget to read your server logs. It might be a good idea to tell us the kind of server you are using. Is it plesk, cpanel, linux, or what server? Each of them have their peculiarities

Hi,

Still on it, got this phpmailer from the web, but can anyone tell me if this ending is correct?

// Finally Send the Mail
if(!$mail->Send())
{
echo "Mailer Error: " . $mail->ErrorInfo;
}
else
{
echo "Message sent Successfully!";
}

?>

The error message I get is :

Parse error: syntax error, unexpected $end in /home/xxxxx/public_html/mailer.php on line 53

Line 53 is the ?>

I still don't know if it is saying the mail was not sent or the mail was sent.

Look through the whole script to see
if there's any un-closed bracket or brace.

I forgot to ask you if your server has been upgraded to php5. If your server is running php4 there will be issues. There is phpmailer4 also - if you search the web.
I am assuming that everyone has migrated to 5. I used a php4 server a few months time, i was almost nuts with debugging, then it occured to me to verify the server.

You see the sort of reason I preach that people should leave PHP? The language was based on a Perl hack and from then till now it has been based on only hack upon hack, whereas other languages are well planned with set goals of issues they hope to clear up and concepts they to improve the life of the developer.

The only things going for PHP are that it is free and easy to learn. No other language would cause such grief over a mail script, PHP is so "easy" that you need to be a prof in C when things really go wrong.

Please people, take up Scala, Python, Ruby etc if free is what you want.

Phuck PHP.

Every language has its strength and weaknesses. I can use quite a good number of languages, i only use PHP because that is what most of the web programmers around me use, and all the companies i consult for use PHP. I migrated for asp to php way back for this very same reason.

If i should change environs, i can change language, it does not matter to me what language i actually use, it is the bucks that is important.

beaf, you need help with php? pls take classes and stop nagging.

OP, take another a look at your variable $end.
Hmmm, php sucks? and one of the Worlds largest social networks runs on php? Tell Mr. Mark or the over 600 million fb users that.

There is phpmailer4 also - if you search the web.
I am assuming that everyone has migrated to 5. [img]http://www.demama.info/g.php[/img]

Number_One:

OP, take another a look at your variable $end.
Hmmm, php sucks? and one of the Worlds largest social networks runs on php? Tell Mr. Mark or the over 600 million fb users that.

Facebook runs on C++.
PHP is merely used as a templating engine.

PHP is a great tool to make money. So many ways to make money with php, whether it is a pirated language or not is of secondary important.
Now, where is this poster? Make we wrap this up o jare, see as them dey derail this thread.

Beaf:

You see the sort of reason I preach that people should leave PHP? The language was based on a Perl hack and from then till now it has been based on only hack upon hack, whereas other languages are well planned with set goals of issues they hope to clear up and concepts they to improve the life of the developer.

The only things going for PHP are that it is free and easy to learn. No other language would cause such grief over a mail script, PHP is so "easy" that you need to be a prof in C when things really go wrong.

Please people, take up Scala, Python, Ruby etc if free is what you want.

Phuck PHP.

^^^ the most ignorant comment I've read lately. BTW, Ruby is easier to learn than PHP.

^
Who is talking about difficulty? I am am talking about PHP being a hack and having no design from its inception. It has remained a hack and will always be a hack. It is what thay call, "anywhere bele face."
How does difficulty make one language better than the other? Why jump into a discussion like a clown, sir?

Please, allow folk who know what they are talking about to speak, before wearing your arse over your mouth. Make an argument in support of PHP or fault what I have said, if you cannot, then sit down and learn. Anything short is basically being silly.

Beaf:


How does difficulty make one language better than the other? Why jump into a discussion like a clown, sir?

Please, allow folk who know what they are talking about to speak, before wearing your arse over your mouth. Make an argument in support of PHP or fault what I have said, if you cannot, then sit down and learn. Anything short is basically being silly.

I might be silly but now listen and learn:

PHP v1 was a hack by the original creator of the language (correctly so, from Perl); post PHP 3 (after Zend took over the language), it saw a rewrite. PHP v4 was php first attempt at [native] OOP, but still very much hack-y. And PHP 5 was a major, major step-up with native OOP support and of course still with backwards compatibility. And then, in PHP v 5.3 my personal favorite feature (in languages that support them) was added: "function callbacks/anonymous" even your dear Ruby doesn't have that!

Now I can do things like function sample (String this, function(this)(){ }) { //do stuff }

But those aside, don't forget importantly that PHP was designed to be a language catering to the web -- very important, PHP is designed from ground up as a web language.

Now to the subject of your ignorance (which is not an offense). You are still thinking of the "original" PHP created by R. Lerdorf, then that WAS a hack, and if you're still running a version of PHP less that 5, then I'm sorry --

^
What a load of bullshiit. Is the mailer we are talking about not from the library, which itself remains a hack? Is it the inclusion of function callbacks that have made it crap? Its like you just talk out of your arse for fun. Even something as simple as a mailer in the library is phucked and nearly impossible to debug. How many languages outside of PHP have such id!otic mailers?
Some random quotes from the creator of PHP, Rasmus Lerdorf. No wonder the language has the characteristics of tragedy.

PHP is about as exciting as your toothbrush. You use it every day, it does the job, it is a simple tool, so what? Who would want to read about toothbrushes?

http://www.sitepoint.com/article/phps-creator-rasmus-lerdorf/2

The following are on an mp3 you can download at the identical link thats below each of them:

I was really, really bad at writing parsers. I still am really bad at writing parsers.

http://itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail3298.html

We have things like protected properties. We have abstract methods. We have all this stuff that your computer science teacher told you you should be using. I don't care about this crap at all.

http://itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail3298.html

There are people who actually like programming. I don't understand why they like programming.

http://itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail3298.html

I'm not a real programmer. I throw together things until it works then I move on. The real programmers will say "Yeah it works but you're leaking memory everywhere. Perhaps we should fix that." I’ll just restart Apache every 10 requests.

http://itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail3298.html

Even a language like JavaScript has design documents and is even registered with Ecma (as are the likes of C# and Office Open XML). What are the standards for PHP? Where are the design documents for its various releases? Please nobody reply if you have nothing to back up your words, I really hate foolishness.

^

Beaf:

^
What a load of bullshiit. Is the mailer we are talking about not from the library, which itself remains a hack? Is it the inclusion of function callbacks that have made it crap? Its like you just talk out of your arse for fun. Even something as simple as a mailer in the library is phucked and nearly impossible to debug. How many languages outside of PHP have such id!otic mailers?

Clearly, you know little about PHP. By the way, the PHP E. Lerdorf wrote is not the same as what PHP is today, so your random quotes from Lerdorf are nonsensical. And just to back up your foolishness I will give you a few links:

PHP Docs/Design guidelines: http://php.net/docs.php

Beautiful frameworks built on PHP (that shames Rails in performance and scalability):
Symfony: http://www.symfony-project.org/doc/1_4/
Zend (the current maintainer of the PHP project): http://framework.zend.com/
Zend Community: http://www.zend.com/en/community/
CakePHP: http://cakephp.org/

And yes, for serious developers (who aren't whining on debugging a PHP Mailer, wtf?):
PHP Build: http://www.phing.info/trac/


Sidenote: Are you seriously quoting Sitepoint, seriously, like seriously?

^
You sound like a baby seeking for notice. Please don't engage me again, I like to converse with intelligent people.
How does any of the links you posted show that PHP is a designed language?

I don't like talking for the sake of it. If cannot show a single design document for PHP , then phuck off and stop wasting my time.

I can't imagine a sensible developer pointing out frameworks when they have been challenged to produce a design document. Did you learn at Alaba market?
This is the same way you came in noisily and pathetically failed the the brain test I set here with some stup!d JavaScript entry. I really think you are a fool. Ecma (ECMA-334) and ISO (ISO/IEC 23270:2006) are standards for C#, what is the standard for PHP outside cut and nail? That is the challenge you need to meet, don't show me cakephp like you are a two year old coder seeing their first wonder. Bring out PHP's design document or admit that you are an id!ot who argues about what he doesn't know.

PROVIDE A DESIGN DOCUMENT OR PHUCK OFF.

Beaf:

,
I don't like talking for the sake of it. If cannot show a single design document for PHP , then phuck off and stop wasting my time.

I can't imagine a sensible developer pointing out frameworks when they have been challenged to produce a design document. Did you learn at Alaba market?
[/b]This is the same way you came in noisily and pathetically failed the the brain test I set here with some stup!d JavaScript entry. I really think you are a fool. Ecma (ECMA-334) and ISO (ISO/IEC 23270:2006) are standards for C#, what is the standard for PHP outside cut and nail? That is the challenge you need to meet, don't show me cakephp like you are a two year old coder seeing their first wonder. Bring out PHP's design document or admit that you are an id!ot who argues about what he doesn't know.

[b]PROVIDE A DESIGN DOCUMENT OR PHUCK OFF.

^ There are varying levels of ignorance demonstrated in your statement(s), and that's ok, so let's break things done and answer your question(s).

No. I cannot produce a Standardized doc from bodies like ISO, or EMCA Int. for PHP, the same way I cannot for HTML, Actionscript, F#, or heck Ruby (whose standards isn't approved yet!), sh#t Unix shell/bash , and hundreds of other languages. In fact, there are only few, few languages that have "official" spec has blessed by the gods at these places.

Actually, wtf is your point with a language not having a design doc from these bodies? One BIG argument against standardization is how much it can stifle innovation and I can solidly argue, if langauges had to be officially blessed to be usable the internet will be so dead today or non-existent (considering how much Google/Facebook and co.) are spending in lobbying against "governing" the internet. And in fact, that is the problem HTML 5 is facing in getting a final spec from W3C, bigger companies (read: Microsoft) are trying to push proprietary features into standards and of course, anyone wanting to extend has to deal with licensing and what not (read: IBM vs. Microsoft).

Who can argue that languages without a published docs aren't doing fine without them. I'm imaging someone is drooling over Fortran's ISO spec, yea? maybe you? Or COBOL's? Languages designer's time is better spent improving the language and writing solid documentations, but I digress.

Of course in most languages there are the blessed dictators that dictate what happens to the future of the languages, there is always that Linus T., for nor it's Zend Corp. for Linux (with the two Co-founders being the demi-gods). But then, standardization is a topic for idle academics to crack over (and I know this 1st hand, at least in case of W3C) and for greedy corps and and their lawyers to droll over; working dev'ers just wuna get sh!t done.

But before you tried to deviate the point of your stating that: PHP is a language that was "hacked" together I'm sure admitting your ignorance is in order. I won't name call, I'd leave that to kids like you, but when you're ready to learn PHP, the documentation is here:

http://www.php.net/manual/en/

I personally prefer:
http://dochub.io/#php/


Sidenote: I reference framworks in light of the quibs with mailers, using a framework abstract a lot of common patterns in the problem domain (in PHP's case, web)

Beaf:

Facebook runs on C++.
PHP is merely used as a templating engine.

oh! tell me more friend. so facebook runs on C++ and not PHP
you sound like a complete novice. do your research pls

webdezzi:

oh! tell me more friend. so facebook runs on C++ and not PHP
you sound like a complete novice. do your research pls

Though @Beaf is a PHP novice as you rightly stated, I will slightly agree with him on this, Facebook actually does run on C++, and their many other services done with Erlang, Java, etc. HOWEVER, Facebook in-fact is compiling [legacy] PHP into Optimized C++ (code is written in PHP and compiled into C++) through a project they created called "HipHop for PHP" (https://github.com/facebook/hiphop-php).

I think the compiling part is where @Beaf got it wrong. Most of Facebook's code base is on the LAMP stack, web servicing on a large scale like FB, scaling is very difficult with dynamically-typed language, so they've developed a few of there own technologies to overcome the shortcoming (same argument holds for Google/Python).

Case in point if you're browsing FB from a computer, you'd hardly notice any reference to php but on there mobile platform you'd notice their legacy .php?, littered everywhere.

delomos:

^ There are varying levels of ignorance demonstrated in your statement(s), and that's ok, so let's break things done and answer your question(s).

No. I cannot produce a Standardized doc from bodies like ISO, or EMCA Int. for PHP, the same way I cannot for HTML, Actionscript, F#, or heck Ruby (whose standards isn't approved yet!), sh#t Unix shell/bash ,  and hundreds of other languages. In fact, there are only few, few languages that have "official" spec has blessed by the gods at these places.

With that admission, you can now shut up.

It is either you provide evidence of a formal design process for PHP that stops simple things like mail scripts phucking up where they shouldn't or you SHUT THE HELL UP, cos you are not answering the simple demand to prove that PHP is not cut and nail.

Prive it or phuck off. Other languages have functional and design specs that one can easily grab hold of. Show the one for PHP, instead of arguing stup!dly. Surely, it can't be that difficult if one exists?

--Beaf scratches head--

By the way, if you don't know where to get the spec for HTML, then I've got to wonder if you learnt your trade at Alaba market. F# has a well known spec, Actionscript is as phucked as PHP. Where is the spec for PHP, fool?

@delomos

Have you ever heard about software design?

Beaf: where is the technical/design document for PHP?
delomos: ahh! Oga me! Check these opensource projects na, Symfony, Zend, Zend, CakePHP! O bad gan! PHP Build? Bad boys ni o!

www.nairaland.com/attachments/180447_ROTFLMAO_gif3d0c775232c7f27cf80592785b9635b6

You are an id!ot indeed. The matter in question is a software design issue, which you have no clue about (hence your mention of some open source projects as evidence that PHP is well designed). But I am not surprised, PHP attracts most cut and nail "developers," because it is cut and nail. You are like many illiterates who think that talking loudly covers up their rank stup!dity.

It is a design problem that the PHP mailer is phucked, or simply put; it is phucked because PHP does not follow software design principles, it is based on hack over hack. Like you, it is cut and nail, kpanda, counterfeit, fake.

How do you ask someone who claims to know even the abc of programming to provide evidence that PHP follows a formal design process, and they reply by pointing out open source projects like Symfony, Zend, Zend, CakePHP? Unu go take laf kill armed robber o!!!

Even worse, you pointed at PHP Build. Sir, what is so great about compiling source code?
Your reply is hilarious though, cos it reminds of some well known loud illiterates who took great pride in misfiring very loudly and foolishly in public (like someone we know). Remember governor Barkin Zuwo of Kano? lol!
A press man asked Barkin Zuwo about [b]mineral [/b]development in Kano state and the man went:

Mineral? We get am po flenty mineral! Flenty, flenty! "In my state, we get am po panta, we get am po mirinda, we get am po danta cola, sina cola, we get am po coke!"

What about Adedibu? He was asked how he would stop the never ending student's unrest of the day if he became the governor of Oyo State?  "Aaah! Aaah!" students rest ke?! How can they rest when they are mofing from lekshure room to shase girls and reading in the night? Students can nefa rest nau!"

Tell me why the PHP mailer is so phucked if there is no design flaw. How dat one take konsain CakePHP?
Prove that you can trap errors from the PHP mailer exactly as you would from any other common function; that will show practically that there is a design standard behind all PHP functions. Anything short, is an id!ots game (you seem to have perfected that quite well ).

Anyways, foolishness sef na talent. Carry go! Nutin do you!

webdezzi:

oh! tell me more friend. so facebook runs on C++ and not PHP
you sound like a complete novice. do your research pls

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. You guys are simply hilarious!

Very ludicrous indeed, generally is is said that one shouldn't wrestle with a pig because getting dirty is fun for the pig (which explains your rather interesting avatar) but I won't mind giving you the benefit of enjoyment here.

Let me outline the questions you've raise in the course of this discuss and expose your ignorance for what it is:

1. Is PHP hacked or cut and nail?
No. And I've started my reasons in previous comments, read that. You clearly know your arguments hold no water hence you're beating that dead horse of yours.

2. Have you ever heard about software design?
Yes, very much. The topic in question here is programming language design, can you tell the difference?

3. PHP does not follow software design principles,
See my response to question 2.

4. Even worse, you pointed at PHP Build. Sir, what is so great about compiling source code?
PHing Is Not GNU make. And any serious developer is familiar with Apache Ant, can you see what I'm referring to? Most likely not, but then there's a website called google.com.

5. Tell me why the PHP mailer is so phucked if there is no design flaw.
I can't tell, I didn't write PHPMailer, that will be a question for Jim Jagielski, the current maintainer of the project. Why does PHPmailer being f__ked have anything to do with PHP, it's not part of PHP's core, or the language -- PHP has it's own mail(); PHPmailer is a software written with PHP to extend it's native function -- will you say because Wordpress is f!!ked it has anything to do with PHP as a language?

6. PHP is merely used as a templating engine (for facebook),
Ok, I think I already answered this below. PHP, Phyton, Ruby, in fact most dynamic language are great for templating, in facebook's case saying *merely* is a gross understatement.

7. Actionscript is as phucked as PHP,
Urg. I trapped you into my trick question. If you believe Javascript is spec'ed under ECMA (which it's not, directly), you need to believe that Actionscript is too because, Javscript, JScript and Actionscript are all forms on ECMAScript which is spec by Ecma Int. Sorry, I know you can't help your ignorance and arrogance.

8. How do you ask someone who claims to know even the abc of programming to provide evidence that PHP follows a formal design process, and they reply by pointing out open source projects like Symfony, Zend, Zend, CakePHP?
See my P.S. in the previous response.

9. Remember governor Barkin Zuwo of Kano?
No. and I don't care for your phony story.

10. I don't know whether to laugh or cry,
Cry, but why ,

Even your highly C++ has it's design problem, you can read the quote by B. Stroustrup (the language designer), "The Problem with C++": http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2007/01/the-problem-with-c.html. There is no perfect language, there never will be as long as it's human beings that are designing them.

Now you can continue crying.

^
Where is the PHP design doc to prove that it is not cut and nail? Why is it so hard for you to produce na? Instead you produce CakePHP and mystifying volumes of foolishness?
Mr Barkin Zuwo!

Dude, Barkin Zuwo proves that you are not the first to be a misfiring id!ot. Lamidi Adedibu takes the proof further; when the man was asked about student welfare in UI Ibadan, and how he hoped to better their lot, he went:
Aahh! Is di case wit students! In UI of Benin, UI of Lagos, UI of Ilorin, UI of Ife, UI of kano. . .



There is something obvious thats missing at the link below, I wonder what it is? Hmmmm!
http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_tc_browse.htm?commid=45202

[size=14pt]Where is the PHP design document or anything to do with standards? Provide it or phuck off, fool.[/size]