mail() parameter problem

[Rich_B]

My pages stopped working when the latest version of php took over a while ago. With help from you guys I managed to update it and get it working again. All was fine until I came to enable email received confirmations this week.

The code below works, however, because the parameter

"[e-mail]"

is hard coded in to the mail()

mail("[e-mail]", $subject, $message, $from, "[e-mail]");

all the emails we receive have a from address of our own email address. So when the email received confirmation goes out, WE get the confirmation it was received not the person that actually sent it using our website.

heres the full coding:

<?php
$isformvalid = true;
$isspamfree = true;
if((!$_POST['visitormail'] == "" && (!strstr($_POST['visitormail'],"@") || !strstr($_POST['visitormail'],"."))) || (empty($_POST['visitor'])) || (empty($_POST['visitormail'])) || (empty($_POST['notes'])) || (empty($_POST['dobday']) || empty($_POST['dobmonth']) || empty($_POST['dobyear'])) ) {

$isformvalid = false;
include('emailerror.php');
   /* calls  emailerror page insert if any field is invalid */
}

else {
include('isspam.php'); }
	/* spam filters - calls spam filter check before proceeding any further */



if($isspamfree == true) {

$todayis = date("l, F j, Y, g:i a") ;

$subject = "Repeat prescription request";

$from = $_POST[visitormail];

$notes = stripcslashes($_POST['notes']);

$dob = $_POST['dobday'].$_POST['dobmonth'].$_POST['dobyear'];

/* phpinfo(INFO_VARIABLES); displays all variable values test if needed*/

$message = "$todayis [EST] \n

From: $_POST[visitor] ($_POST[visitormail])\n
DOB: $dob \n

Medication: $notes \n



Additional Info : IP = $_POST[ip] \n
Browser Info: $_POST[httpagent] \n
Referral : $_POST[httpref] \n
";

}

if(($isformvalid == true) && ($isspamfree == true)) {
"From: $_POST[from]\r\n";
mail("[e-mail]", $subject, $message, $from, "[e-mail]");
include('formcorrect.php');
   /* calls form correct page insert */
}
?>

Previously i didnt use the "optional" header and parameter, however when the latest version of php came out a while back i had to use them otherwise the email wasnt sent.
I tried replacing the hard coded parameter of our own email address to $from so that the emails we receive correctly show as being from the sender, but when i do this the email doesnt get sent.

I checked all the variables to make sure they contain the correct entries (such as the senders email address in the $from) which they do.
They also display correctly in the CONTENT of the email we receive in $message.

Can someone please advise how i get the emails we receive to correctly show the senders email address in the from header field rather than our own addess?

[sandthipe]

this is certainly possible. check out the PHP manual page for the mail() fx. it will tell you everything you need to know about using the built-in mail feature of PHP. alternatively, you may consider using phpMailer - a pre-built PHP class that makes emails ridiculously simple in PHP. Here's that link: http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.mail.php

[halojoy]

My guess is
$from =

if(($isformvalid == true) && ($isspamfree == true)) {

$from = "From: $_POST[from]\r\n"; // just a guess

mail("[e-mail]", $subject, $message, $from, "[e-mail]");

But if my guess was right,
what is this $from doing here?

$subject = "Repeat prescription request";

$from = $_POST[visitormail];

[Rich_B]

halojoy,
i can see what your saying about re-assigning the variable in to $from, the only thing is i can already see that $from does contain the correct senders email address submitted with my form?

sandthipe,
ill have a read through thanks to see if i can figure out what is going on. Im not about to change the function completely for a pre-written one though as ive built in a lot of features specific to our needs in this one.

If anyone has any thoughts please fire away.

[Rich_B]

anyone?

[Rich_B]

what im basically looking for is to change that last (so-called) optional parameter from -f [e-mail] to the string that i know IS assigned to my variable $from

will -f $from work? Im working on the live website so cant afford to get it wrong.

[Rich_B]

This bit seems to be describing the problem (taken from halojoys link)

Setting an envelope-sender address avoids mail bounces annoying your system administrator.

If your mail cannot be delivered, it will be rejected to the address specified as the "SMTP-envelope-from" (or the "envelope sender" or "return path", depending on the terminology you like to use )

If you do not explicitly set an envelope-from address then PHP will default to the php.ini setting which - if you have not set this yourself - could be nobody@[your-ISP-domain] or anonymous@[your-ISP-domain], for example.

To avoid bothering the person at that address - or indeed, if you are wondering why you are not receiving mail rejections yourself - you should use the "-f" option in the <$additional_parameters> argument to set a valid address.

(and, by the way: If you do this, but you do not set a From: address in the <$additional_headers> argument then PHP will set a default From: address of "From: Nobody <your-envelope-sender-setting>". ).

this last line seems to address the problem, problem is.. I AM setting a From: address in the additional header?