Comcast.net email blocks "PHP mail() function" Need Solution?

[abqdavid]

ComCast.net will not allow the "PHP mail() function"
Is there any way to get around a server that blocks the "PHP mail() function"?

I have a quiz in a Joomla Module called "Mad Blanks".
When the test is completed there are three "sessions" available and also the last page itself. I want to send this data to a ComCast.net email address.
Is there a way to get around them blocking my script?

Here is the final script that gathers the prior three Sessions and emails this data:

[:nextcategory:0:]

<expression:overall_percentage>[:average:{[:mostrecentlookup@scodata1,8,userorsession:]}:{[:mostrecentlookup@scodata1,9,userorsession:]}:{[:mostrecentlookup@scodata1,10,userorsession:]}:{[:percentage_correct:]}:]</expression>

<expression:report_for_display_and_emailing>

<p style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 14pt;"> You have completed all 4 parts. Your overall percentage for all 4 parts is [:expression:overall_percentage:] %.</p>

<p>Here is a report about the questions you did not answer correctly:</p>

[:comment:<start>:] Retrieve and display wrong answers from the previous parts [:comment:<end>:]

[:mostrecentlookup@scodata2,8,userorsession:]
[:mostrecentlookup@scodata2,9,userorsession:]
[:mostrecentlookup@scodata2,10,userorsession:]

[:comment:<start>:] Display wrong answers from the current (4th of 4) part [:comment:<end>:]

[:each:answer:<start>:][:<start_incorrect>:]<p style="font-size: 11pt;">Your answer to <br> [:quot:][:name:][:quot:] was [:quot:][:user_response:][:quot:]. <br> The correct response was 
[:quot:][:correct_value:][:quot:].</p>[:<end_incorrect>:][:each:answer:<end>:]

<p style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 14pt;"> THANK YOU! </p>

</expression>


[:comment:<start>:] Display the report in the web browser [:comment:<end>:]
[:expression:report_for_display_and_emailing:]

[:comment:<start>:] Send the report in an email [:comment:<end>:]
[:email:from{[e-mail];Leroy}:to{[e-mail]}:cc{[e-mail]}:subject{Edu Quiz Score}:body{<div>Report for [:user_full_name:] ([:user_name:]) [:user_email:]</div>[:expression:report_for_display_and_emailing:]}:html_mode{1}:]

David

[bradgrafelman]

abqdavid;10996749 wrote:

ComCast.net will not allow the "PHP mail() function"
Is there any way to get around a server that blocks the "PHP mail() function"?

You mean Comcast blocks incoming mail generated by the mail() function?

If so, then that's impossible. There is no way to tell whether a given message was generated using PHP's mail() function.

abqdavid;10996749 wrote:

I want to send this data to a ComCast.net email address.
Is there a way to get around them blocking my script?

Yeah, find out what they're actually blocking (again, see above) and fix the underlying issue behind that.

EDIT:

abqdavid;10996749 wrote:

Here is the final script that gathers the prior three Sessions and emails this data:

What script? All you've shown us is some template code that gets parsed by... something?... which then, presumably, sends an e-mail.

[abqdavid]

My apologies for the miscommunication. The "template code" does send the email and data. I have set it to send to "HOTMAIL". It worked.

I have looked on several forums regarding this problem.
Several people posted how they spoke with ComCast tech support who said they block PHP email() Function. This is how I ended up at this conclusion.

If the email is going through to other accounts, I would assume the problem is not on my end? Am I assuming wrong here? Correct me if I'm wrong?

Any help is very appreciated.

David

[bradgrafelman]

abqdavid;10996758 wrote:

The "template code" does send the email and data.

No it doesn't - it just defines some template. That template itself doesn't actually do anything - something else has to parse that template and actually do the sending of the e-mail.

abqdavid;10996758 wrote:

Several people posted how they spoke with ComCast tech support who said they block PHP email() Function.

Two possibilities come to mind:

1. The support rep was talking about hosted websites using Comcast to send mail, in other words they're saying that you can't run a website on their servers and use PHP's mail() command to send mail.

2. The support rep had no idea what he/she was talking about. (No surprise here given the number of "technical support representatives" which are really nothing more than idiots reading from a prompt and clicking Yes/No response buttons. 😉)

abqdavid;10996758 wrote:

If the email is going through to other accounts, I would assume the problem is not on my end? Am I assuming wrong here?

Just because you've managed to get through the spam filters of one domain doesn't mean you're guaranteed to do the same for the filters of another domain. In fact, it doesn't even mean you'll get through those same filters tomorrow or next week.

Like I said, I would try to figure out why your e-mails are getting blocked by Comcast. See if Comcast is providing "bounce" messages that explain why the message was rejected, or perhaps see if Comcast support would be willing to investigate why your messages are getting blocked.

Without seeing the actual PHP code (not template text which, again, doesn't do anything at all) that sends the e-mail, I can only throw out random suggestions, such as:

1. Don't use user-supplied e-mail address in the 'From' header, or, if you do, supply an e-mail address on the domain from which you are sending the e-mails in the form of a 'Sender' header.

2. Try to send an e-mail to yourself so that you can view the raw headers of the message. Post those headers here for us to see.

3. Make sure your message doesn't "look" like spam by ensuring all of the most common e-mail headers are set, such as: MIME-Version, Content-Type, Content-Encoding, Reply-To (optional).

4. Make sure your domain has a valid SPF record that permits your outgoing mail server to send mail on behalf of your domain. Creating a record for a domain that does not have one at all can also help improve your chances of making it past spam filters.

EDIT: Also forgot...
[indent]5. Make sure your domain isn't on any RBLs (here is one place to do this).[/indent]