[Resolved] Code or Config problem??

[luds]

I have a function that should notify a user of a new password.

the function is...

<?php
function notify_password($userName, $passwd)
// notify the user that their password has been changed
{
    if (!($conn = db_connect()))
      return false;
    $result = mysql_query("select email from client_details
                            where userName='$userName'");
    if (!$result)
    {
      return false;  // not changed
    }
    else if (mysql_num_rows($result)==0)
    {
      return false; // userName not in db
    }
    else
    {
      $email = mysql_result($result, 0, 'email');
      $from = "From: [email][e-mail][/email] \r\n";
      $mesg = "Your Sorensen password has been changed to $password \r\n"
              ."Please change it next time you log in. \r\n";


  if (mail($email, 'Sorensen login information', $mesg, $from))
    return true;      
  else
    return false;     
}
} 

?>

and it's called from this...

    <?php
  require_once("user_fns.php");
  echo '<h3 align="center">Resetting password</h3>';

  //creating short variable name
  $userName = $_POST['userName'];

  if ($passwd=reset_password($userName))
  { 
    if (notify_password($userName, $passwd))
      echo 'Your new password has been sent to your email address.';
    else
      echo 'Your password could not be mailed to you.'
           .' Try pressing refresh.';
  }
  else
    echo 'Your password could not be reset - please try again later.';

   do_html_url('index.php', 'Login');

?>

When I enter a username from the sample db I get the message
'Your password could not be mailed to you.'
.' Try pressing refresh.'

I've replaced all the "return false" statements with "error 1, error 2, etc" to try and locate where it's going wrong, but i still get that same message.

Could it possibly be something in the php ini file... or my apache config ?????

I'm just using my home pc at the mo as a testing server (set to localhost) and the email addy in notify_passward() is fictitious (although replacing it with mine makes no difference!)

Any thoughts, suggestions and ideas would be very welcome! :¬)

THanks in advance

luds

[laserlight]

<?php
// notify the user that their password has been changed
function notify_password($userName, $passwd)
{
	if (!($conn = db_connect()))
		return false;
	$result = mysql_query("SELECT `email` FROM `client_details`
		WHERE `userName`='$userName'");

if (!$result || mysql_num_rows($result) == 0)
{
	return false;  // not changed, or userName not in db
}
else
{
	$email = mysql_result($result, 0, 'email');
	//use \r\n to separate, so let's leave it out for a single header
	$from = "From: [email][e-mail][/email]";
	$mesg = "Your Sorensen password has been changed to {$password} \r\n"
		. "Please change it next time you log in. \r\n";

	return mail($email, 'Sorensen login information', $mesg, $from);
}
}
?>

I suspect that adding the \r\n sequence after the header, with no other header to follow, could have caused the mail sending to fail.

[luds]

Thanks laserlight...but.... no joy I'm afraid :¬(

[laserlight]

I've replaced all the "return false" statements with "error 1, error 2, etc" to try and locate where it's going wrong, but i still get that same message.

Didnt notice that earlier, I assume mail() failed.

Let's try again:

<?php
// notify the user that their password has been changed
function notify_password($userName, $passwd)
{
    if (!($conn = db_connect()))
        return "error: database connection";
    $result = mysql_query("SELECT `email` FROM `client_details`
        WHERE `userName`='$userName'");

if (!$result)
{
    return "error: database query";
}
elseif (mysql_num_rows($result) == 0)
{
	return "error: number of rows";
}
else
{
    $email = mysql_result($result, 0, 'email');
    $from = "From: [email][e-mail][/email]";
    $mesg = "Your Sorensen password has been changed to {$password} \r\n"
        . "Please change it next time you log in. \r\n";

    if (mail($email, 'Sorensen login information', $mesg, $from))
    	return "mail sent ok;
    else
    	return "mail sending failed";
}
}
?>

And a modified standalone version of the main script:

<?php
require_once("user_fns.php");

if (!empty($_GET['user']))
	$userName = $_GET['user'];
else
	die("No username stated");

if (!empty($_GET['pass']))
	$passwd = $_GET['pass'];
else
	die("No password stated");

echo notify_password($userName, $passwd);
?>

Basically, using this test script, you just use a query string such as:
?user=myname&pass=newpass
to test

[luds]

Thanks Laserlight :¬)

Now, when the username is entered I get the "
'Your new password has been sent to your email address.'....

Unfortunately, if I enter a false userName.... I still get the same message.... and a correct userName gives the same message... but doesn't arrive!

Haven't the time to use the 2nd script now... am too tired!... but I will do tomorrow.

Many thanks again for your help and patience

luds :¬)

[laserlight]

Remember, what I gave was a test.

From the test, you need to make deductions that will help you correct your actual script.

[luds]

Hi Laserlight!

Ok... built a simple userName/passwd input form... and ran the script....

got "error: number of rows"......

made

$result = mysql_query("SELECT `email` FROM `client_details` 
        WHERE `userName`='$userName'"); 

into

$result = mysql_query("SELECT email FROM client_details 
        WHERE userName='$userName'"); 

which gets me past that stage of the function and to the final part of it.

Now I'm getting and error message
"Warning: mail(): Failed to connect to mailserver at "localhost" port 25, verify your "SMTP" and "smtp_port" setting in php.ini or use ini_set() in C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache2\htdocs\user_auth_fns.php on line 194
mail sending failed"

line 194 is:

   if (mail($email, 'Sorensen login information', $mesg, $from))

These are my phpinfo() settings for smtp:

sendmail_from admin@localhost admin@localhost
sendmail_path no value no value
SMTP localhost localhost
smtp_port 25 25

Could you please tell me if these are correct??

Many Thanks :¬)

luds

[laserlight]

Do you even have a mailserver installed on your local computer?

[luds]

hmmm.... would you believe me if I said that I didn't realise that I needed one? blush

Never even occured to me that I did!

Eventually the site will be hosted somewhere that has.. but I'm just running apache on my pc for testing.....

Gods.. feel silly now! lol

Okaaaaaay..... so I suppose the solution is to find a freeware mailserver.... I've just done a quick search and found 'JAMES' from Apache? Will that be ok?

THanks again

luds

UPDATE!
from what I can find, it's possible to send email using mail() by routing it through the ISP that you normally use...

Not that it's working for me, of course! lol

in the ini file the example settings that I've seen are

SMTP = smtp.hotmail.co.uk (your ISPs SMTP server)
sendmail_from = [e-mail]

Anyone used or added any other settings to make mail() work??

[luds]

ok....

ran a test script for mail() with the ini file having the settings changed as I wrote above...

<?php 
mail("[e-mail]", "Test email message", "my name") 
?>

put it in the browser and it was off like a shot!!!

Sooooo i guess that the php ini file settings are ok!!!

But as for why the above mail() isn't working.... well that's got me stumped!.... but ain't giving up on it..... yet! lol

Must be something to do with

Unfortunately, if I enter a false userName.... I still get the same message.... and a correct userName gives the same message... but doesn't arrive!

luds

[luds]

All present and correct!!! 😃

After much wailing and gnashing of teeth it works!!

Many many thanks, laserlight for all your help... it was very much appreciated!

btw... the thing that was ultimately stopping the email being sent was....... a missing </form> tag!!!!!!!!!!

Only took me a day to spot the omission!!! lol.. too concerned with the php side I suppose!! lol

Thanks again

Luds
🙂