Email validation

[big_nath]

Hi,

I'm sorry this is a newbie question i'm sure, but I can't get it right.

I have the below code for my email contact form, but I want to put in validation to reduce spam. I have tried various methods I have found online, but I am simply struggling to understand it all.

I am a total php newbie.

<?php
$field_name = $_POST['name'];
$field_email = $_POST['email'];
$field_phone = $_POST['phone'];
$field_message = $_POST['textarea'];

$mail_to = '[e-mail]';
$subject = 'Message from a site visitor '.$field_name;

$body_message = 'From: '.$field_name."\n"; 
$body_message .= 'Phone: '.$field_phone."\n";
$body_message .= 'E-mail: '.$field_email."\n";
$body_message .= 'Message: '.$field_message;

$headers = 'From: '.$field_email."\r\n";
$headers .= 'Reply-To: '.$field_email."\r\n";

$mail_status = mail($mail_to, $subject, $body_message, $headers);

if ($mail_status) { ?>
	<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">
		alert('Thank you for the message. We will contact you shortly.');
		window.location = 'contact-us.html';
	</script>
<?php
}
else { ?>
	<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">
		alert('Message failed. Please, send an email to [e-mail]');
		window.location = 'contact-us.html';
	</script>
<?php
}
?>

[bradgrafelman]

Welcome to PHPBuilder!

For one, your code has a parse error (hence why the color coding goes horribly wrong). Note the missing single quote to end the string here:

$mail_to = '[e-mail];

You should also be getting a PHP error message; if you aren't, then you need to enable display_errors (for development environment) or log_errors (for production environment) and set error_reporting to E_ALL (or better).

But an even bigger problem is that you didn't describe what the problem is and/or ask any questions. So... what is your question? 🙂

Once you figure out your question, make sure you try to clearly define what it is you're asking. For example, "email validation" is a bit ambiguous; are you asking how can you verify that a given e-mail address appears to be a valid address (e.g. according to the RFC specifications for what an e-mail address should look like)? If so, then the answer would be [man]filter_var/man with the FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL filter.

[big_nath]

Thanks for the response bradgrafelman.

The error with the missing single quote, doesn't exist in the actual php file. It was a typo when I changed the email address. But thanks for pointing it out.

I realise after reading my original post it is unclear to what my proplem actually is.

I actually want to ammend the php i am using to include email validation and possibly telephone number validation.

I have been looking at filter_var(), but I don't understand where it needs to be. I have absolutely no experience of php and it is totally new to me.

[bradgrafelman]

big_nath;10997877 wrote:

The error with the missing single quote, doesn't exist in the actual php file. It was a typo when I changed the email address.

Ah, I see; I edited your original post to remove that typo.

big_nath;10997877 wrote:

I actually want to ammend the php i am using to include email validation and possibly telephone number validation.

I already addressed e-mail validation, but for telephone numbers... you'll have to be much more specific as far as what you consider a valid telephone number.

For example, to me, "[phone]" is a perfectly valid phone number, as is "011-81-3-5448-2111".

big_nath;10997877 wrote:

I have been looking at filter_var(), but I don't understand where it needs to be.

Okay, so what is your best guess? Would it make sense to try and validate data after you've already used it to send the e-mail? If not, then you've already eliminated roughly half of the script.

The real answer is: it "needs" to be wherever you "need" it to be.