error using mail()

[rupertbj]

I have the following code:

$to = "[e-mail], [e-mail]";
$subject = "email submission from xxxxx.co.uk";
$content = array ( $title, $name, $surname, "<br>", $address, "<br>", $phone, "<br>", $cemail, "<br>", $message );
$val = implode(" ", $content);
$sender_name = "xxxxx.co.uk - booking submission";
$headers   .= "From: \"".addslashes($sender_name)."\" <".$cemail.">\r\n";
$headers   .= "Reply-To: ".$cemail."\r\n";
$headers   .= "MIME-Version: 1.0\r\n";
$headers   .= "Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\r\n";
$headers   .= "X-Priority: 1\r\n";
$headers   .= "X-Mailer: PHP / ".phpversion()."\r\n";
mail( $to, $subject, $val, $headers ) or print "Error handling message. message not sent.";

and I get this error message:

Notice: Undefined variable: headers in /dir/dir/dir/dir.com/user/htdocs/email.php on line 31

Line 31 is:

$headers   .= "From: \"".addslashes($sender_name)."\" <".$cemail.">\r\n";

The script works. It sends the mail and the From field is correctly displayed in the email.

Any ideas why PHP is saying that $headers is undefined?

Many thanks!
R

[jeffrydell]

R

The problem lies within ".=" ... Because line 31 is the first time you are referring to $headers, you should use "="

.= means append to an existing variable, but before line 31 $headers doesn't exist, so php's error message is saying "append to WHAT? There IS no $headers!"

Hope this helps!

Jeff

[nemonoman]

Well, jeffrydell is right but it is rather common to use the append with a variable not previously defined. Common among us loosey-goosey programmers, anyway, though it seems we're a dying breed.

PHP doesn't mind $variable.='xxx'; but it will give an annoying "NOTICE" if $variable hasn't been initiated.

Fortunately, you can turn those annoying warnings off. See [man]error_reporting[/man]

error_reporting(E_ALL ^ E_NOTICE);
$test1.='this is $test1<BR>';
echo $test1;
error_reporting(E_ALL);
$test2.='this is $test2<BR>';
echo $test2;

returns:

this is $test1

Notice: Undefined variable: test2 in C:\wamp\www\ad2ad\zzz.php on line 6
this is $test2