Help needed with str_replace in email script

kayb91

I've been pulling my hair out over this problem for weeks. I've tried every thing I can think of but the problem still persists. Hopefully someone will have an answer for me.

Part of the project that I'm working on is a script which emails every user in the database, using the mail() function. Using mysql_fetch_array, I'm able to email every user, no problem.

The problem I'm facing is I've programmed to script to replace strings like ~firstname~ and ~lastname~ with the users actual first and last names, using str_replace.

If I email the user individually, it works fine. The problem is with mailing to all users. When mailing via a web form, the strings are replaced with only the 1st users information. For example, let's say the first users name is Bob Smith. Everyone gets the email with "Bob Smith" either in the subject or body.

However, If I use the strings in the actual code, each person gets the mail with their correct name. For example:
$subject = "~firstname~ ~lastname";

Hopefully this is enough information and someone knows what I'm doing wrong as I am out of possible solutions.

Thanks!
Kayb

kwylez

If might be more beneficial if you could add the code that you are working with.

kayb91

Thanks, that's not a bad idea. Here is the code I'm trying to work with:

<?php
$result = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM user order by id desc");
$num_rows = mysql_num_rows($result);
$a_row = "";
while($a_row = mysql_fetch_array($result)) {
$id = $a_row['id'];
$contact = $a_row['contact'];

$subject = stripslashes($subject);
$subject = str_replace("\"", "%quotes%", $subject);
$subject = str_replace("~firstname~",['firstname'],$subject);
$subject = str_replace("~lastname~",$a_row['lastname'],$subject);
$message = stripslashes($message);
$message = str_replace("~firstname~",$a_row['firstname'],$message);
$message = str_replace("~lastname~",$a_row['lastname'],$message);
$message = str_replace("~joined~",$a_row['joined'],$message);
$message = str_replace("~userid~",$a_row['userid'],$message);
$message = str_replace("~referred~",$a_row['referred'],$message);
$message = str_replace("~ssn~",$a_row['ssn'],$message);
$message = str_replace("~deletedstatus~",$a_row['deletedstatus'],$message);

At this point it goes on to the headers, from etc.. on to mail. The problem is somewhere in this code. Could it possibly be somewhere in the form I'm using which does not define arrays?

kwylez

I am making a few assumptions about the table structure but hopefully this will help. Remeber that if you are mailing all the users that your
To: and Cc: fields could be long as hell. I don't know that will be a problem for php. It shouldn't but i don't know how many people you are
emailing at time or if the mail() function is called once for every user or once with just lots of Cc's.

$select_sql = "SELECT * from user ORDER BY id desc";
$result = mysql_query($select_sql)
$num_rows = mysql_num_rows($result);
$subject = "Message to Users";#is the subject a field in the db or do you define it?
while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($result)) {

$subject = stripslashes($subject);
$subject .= str_replace("\"", "%quotes%", $subject);
$subject .= str_replace("~firstname~",stripslashes($row['firstname']),$subject);
$subject .= str_replace("~lastname~",stripslashes($row['lastname'],$subject);
$message = "~firstname~\n";
$message .= "~lastname~\n";
$message .= "~joined~\n";
$message .= "~userid~\n";
$message .= "~referred~\n";
$message .= "~ssn~\n";
$message .= "~deletdstatus~\n";
$message .= str_replace("~firstname~",stripslashes($row['firstname'],$message);
$message .= str_replace("~lastname~",stripslashes($row['lastname'],$message);
$message .= str_replace("~joined~", $row['joined'],$message);
$message .= str_replace("~userid~",($row['userid'],$message);
$message .= str_replace("~referred~",$row['referred'],$message);
$message .= str_replace("~ssn~",$row['ssn'],$message);
$message .= str_replace("~deletedstatus~",$row['deletedstatus'],$message);
mail($to, $subject, $message) or die("Mail failed: ".mysql_error());

...etc

#NOTE#
I few things about your above code. Some of the variables weren't defined/declared. I don't know if you just didn't include them in this post or what.
They are $subject, and $message. $subject = stripslashes($subject) and $message = stripslashes($message). I will assume that $message is taken from the database thought i don't see how that is possible. Also you didn't concatenate those variables. Just include '$variable_name .='. Also you didn't declare 'who' the email is going to...once again you might have included that in the rest of the code. I hope that this helps. If it is possible to send me the whole code then I would be able to probably come up with a cleaner way of doing this, but i am working on a lot of assumptions here so im sure that my code is flawed somewhere, but maybe it might give you some insight.

kwylez

I forgot to close the stripslashes() so be sure that you do that.

kayb91

Hi kwylez,

I really appreciate your help. I am rather new to php and this seems to be the only thing that is giving me such a problem. I still have been unable to figure anything out. I am using 2 separate pages for this particular script, and have copied the entire code here. As I said, if I just use the script without the form, the correct information goes out to each user. With the form, it only goes out with the first users information in the array, but goes to all users.

<tr>
  <td width="100%" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
  <p align="center"><p align="center"><font color="#6C7DBF"><br><br>
  EMail All Members</font></p>
  <p align="center"><font color="#6C7DBF"><html>

<form name="form1" method="post" action="send.php">
<table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="5" cellpadding="0" height="8">
<tr>
<td height="2" class="btext" colspan="7"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td height="2" class="btext" colspan="7">
<div align="center">
Subject:<br><input type="text" name="subject" size="45">
<br>
Message:<br><textarea name="message" cols="45" rows="15" wrap="PHYSICAL"></textarea>
<br>
<input type="submit" name="submit" value="send now">

</form>

</body>
</html>

</font></p>
<?php
include("foot.php");
?>

/////////////// end of page......... begin next page/////////////////////

<?php

$result = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM user order by id desc");
$num_rows = mysql_num_rows($result);
$a_row = "";
while($a_row = mysql_fetch_array($result)) {
extract($a_row);
$id = $a_row['id'];
$contact = $a_row['contact'];
$firstname = $a_row['firstname'];

$subject = stripslashes($subject);
$subject = str_replace("\"", "%quotes%", $subject);
$subject = str_replace("~firstname~",$firstname,$subject);
$subject = str_replace("~lastname~",$a_row['lastname'],$subject);
$message = stripslashes($message);
$message = str_replace("~firstname~",$firstname,$message);
$message = str_replace("~lastname~",$a_row['lastname'],$message);
$message = str_replace("~joined~",$a_row['joined'],$message);
$message = str_replace("~userid~",$a_row['userid'],$message);
$message = str_replace("~referred~",$a_row['referred'],$message);
$message = str_replace("~ssn~",$a_row['ssn'],$message);
$message = str_replace("~deletedstatus~",$a_row['deletedstatus'],$message);

$from = "me";
$fromemail = "me@mydomain.com";
$headers = "From: \"$from\" <$fromemail>\n" .
"MIME-Version: 1.0\n" .
"Content-Type: text/plain\n" .
"Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit\n" .
"Return-Path: $fromemail\n";
mail($contact, $subject, $message, $headers)
or print "Could not send mail";
}
echo "<center>Successfully sent to all $num_rows Members!";

<?php
include("foot.php");
?>
////////////////////////////////////// I've left out some non important pieces of code, such as open mysql and close, because that isn't relevant to the issue.

I appreciate any help I can get.

Thanks,
Kayb