Sending E-mail Using a PHP Script

JamesRP

Hi everyone,

First this is pretty much the first script that I've tried to write and I've been doing it "out of the book" for the most part. Ok, pretty much what I'm trying to do is create a simple Staff Application form that guests can fill out and have the submitted information sent to my site's Management e-mail account. I've gotten the actual form working but I don't understand how to send the results via e-mail. Here is what I have so far:

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Final//EN"
        "http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/Wilbur/HTML32.dtd">
<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>Staff Application</title>
<meta name="generator" content="BBEdit 7.1.4">
</head>
<body>

<font size="4" color="black">IBE Staff Application System</font><p>

<font size="1" color="black"><b>All of the currently open staff positions here at Invision Board Essentials
are listed in the drop down menu below. If you are interested please select the position of interest and fill out this form.
Once completed, submit the forum for review. All applications are throughly looked over and the selected
applicants will be contacted via e-mail with further information.</b></font><p>

<form action="handle_form.php" method="post">

Available Staff Positions: <select name="response"><option value="skinning">Resource Team (Skinning Specialist)</option>
<option value="modifications">Resource Team (Modifications Specialist)</option></select>
<font size="2" color="black">
<br />
<b>Full Name:</b> <input type="text" name="name" size="16">
<br />
<b>E-mail Address:</b> <input type="text" name="email" size="16">
<br />
<b>Forums Username:</b> <input type="text" name="username" size="16">
<br />
<b>Qualifications:</b> <textarea name="qualifications" rows="4" cols="30"></textarea>
<br /><p>
<b>How long have you participated in Invision Board Essential's community?</b>
<p>
Less than 1 month <input type="radio" name="title" value="less1month">
1-3 months <input type="radio" name="title" value="1to3month">
Greater than 3 months <input type="radio" name="title" value="3ormore">
</font>
<br /><p>
<input type="submit" name="submit" value="Submit Application">

</form>


</body>
</html>

That's done and working.. 🙂

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Final//EN"
        "http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/Wilbur/HTML32.dtd">
<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>Processing Application</title>
<meta name="generator" content="BBEdit 7.1.4">
</head>
<body>

<?php

// This page receives the data from staffapp.html.

ini_set ('display_errors', 1);

print "Thank you <b>{$_POST['name']}</b> for your application. It will be reviewed shortly.<br />";


// Send the information to Management

mail ('management@ibessentials.com', 'Staff Application', '{$_POST['name']} {$_POST['email']}
{$_POST['qualifications']}');

?>

</body>
</html>

The above is where I am lost, I would like the results to be sent to me via e-mail to the address of management@ibessentials.com with the subject line "Staff Application". I had read something about the mail function but I don't believe that got me very far. Any Ideas?

Thanks! :evilgrin:

Weedpacket

Well, you don't say what the problem is, but from the colours used in the mail() line I can see that you've got some problems with quotes.

'{$_POST['name']} {$_POST['email']}
{$_POST['qualifications']}'

Try just

$_POST['name'].' '.$_POST['email'].' '.$_POST['qualifications']

JamesRP

Thanks a lot but I'm still having my problem... Here, let me explain it a bit more to you, thanks again for the reply nevertheless.

Basically what I'd like to do is have the information a user enters in the form (first quote of coding) sent to an e-mail address by using PHP's ability to send e-mail. I don't know if where I entered the "mail ('management@..." bit is correct and if so how would I get the information from the drop down menu & radio buttons also. Does that help, sorry for any confusion, I'm new to this.

maxxd

Try collecting your data - all the info entered in the form are contained within the $_POST global. (If you're having nothing returned, try $HTTP_POST_VARS). Make sure, tho', that you're telling the from the right action. Usually, I do it up with the html form in the contact.htm page, the form action set to something like "thanks.php", which contains a little "thank you for your interest blah blah" and has the code listed below. Also make sure to set your form method to post. And, because I'm beating a dead horse here, make sure you've named all of your form fields what they're called in the php code (make sure the e-mail field is called "email", name is called "name", etc... Simple, but it's bitten me in the butt more times than I can count...)

Mail code in "thanks.php"...

<?php
$to="email@address.com";
$from = $_POST['email'];
$body=$_POST['name']."\n\r".$_POST['email']."\n\r".$_POST['qualifications'];
$subject="Staff Application";

mail($to, $subject, $body, "From:$from");
?>

This will deliver an e-mail to the addy in the $to variable that places carriage returns between each of the e-mail's main three pieces of body data.

HTH!

housekeeper

<?
$to = "julie@thickbook.com";
$subject = "ZDNet Developer article";
$msg = "I completely understand SMTP servers now!";
$headers = "From: me@mycompany.com\r\nReply-To: someoneelse@mycompany.com";
mail("$to", "$subject", "$msg", "$headers");
echo "finished!";
?>