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PHP

Aaron HARPT
Aaron HARPT
19,845 Points
Posted by Aaron HARPT
Aaron HARPT
19,845 Points

PHPMailer question

I am having an issue with PHPMailer. Here is my specific error message: "Message could not be sent.Mailer Error: Could not instantiate mail function."

Here is the appropriate code:

<?php


  if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST") {
  $name = trim(filter_input(INPUT_POST,"name",FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING));
  $email = trim(filter_input(INPUT_POST,"email",FILTER_SANITIZE_EMAIL));
  $message = trim(filter_input(INPUT_POST,"message",FILTER_SANITIZE_SPECIAL_CHARS));


  // form validation

  if ($name == "" || $email == "" || $message == "") {
    echo "Please fill in all the required fields: Name, Email, Message";
    exit;
  }

if ($_POST["address"] != "") {
  echo "Bad form input";
  exit;
}

require("inc/phpmailer/class.phpmailer.php");

$mail = new PHPMailer;

// make sure email is valid
if (!$mail->ValidateAddress($email)) {
  echo "Invalid Email Address";
  exit;
}

// $mail->IsSMTP();

  // echo "<pre>";
  $email_body = "";
  $email_body .= "Name " . $name . "\n";
  $email_body .= "Email " . $email . "\n";
  $email_body .= "Message " . $message . "\n";
  // echo $email_body;
  // echo "</pre>";

  // sending email
  $mail->setFrom($email, $name);
  // Name is optional
  $mail->addAddress('<email address>', '<name>');

// Set email format to HTML
  $mail->isHTML(false);

  $mail->Subject = 'Comments regarding Website from ' . $name;
  $mail->Body    = $email_body;

  if(!$mail->send()) {
      echo 'Message could not be sent.';
      echo 'Mailer Error: ' . $mail->ErrorInfo;
      exit;
  }




  header("location:contact.php?status=thanks");
  }
?>

Thanks, Aaron

Zachary Vacek
Zachary Vacek
3,265 Points
Zachary Vacek
Zachary Vacek
3,265 Points

Looks like this was posted a few weeks ago, but it looks like the message is not sending because you haven't added an email address and name for the message to be sent to.

You have:

$mail->addAddress('<email address>', '<name>');

You need to include an email address and name for the message to be sent to. Try:

$mail->addAddress('treehouse@localhost', 'Alena');

Hope that helps!

1 Answer

Aaron HARPT
Aaron HARPT
19,845 Points
Aaron HARPT
Aaron HARPT
19,845 Points

I actually do have an email and name inserted in my code, but removed them when I posted the code. After working on it some more, here is what my current code looks like:

<?php

// turning on output buffering
ob_start();

  if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST") {
  $name = trim(filter_input(INPUT_POST,"name",FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING));
  $email = trim(filter_input(INPUT_POST,"email",FILTER_SANITIZE_EMAIL));
  $message = trim(filter_input(INPUT_POST,"message",FILTER_SANITIZE_SPECIAL_CHARS));


  // form validation

  if ($name == "" || $email == "" || $message == "") {
    $error_message = "Please fill in all the required fields: Name, Email, Message";
  }


// Test: remove this comment
// checking to make sure error_message is not set and that spam honeypot field is blank
// end of where to remove
if (!isset($error_message) && $_POST["address"] != "") {
  $error_message = "Bad form input";
}

// requiring phpmailer file
require("inc/phpmailer/class.phpmailer.php");


// new PHPMailer object
$mail = new PHPMailer;

// make sure error_message is not set and that email is valid
if (!isset($error_message) && !$mail->ValidateAddress($email)) {
  $error_message = "Invalid Email Address";
}


if (!isset($error_message)) {

  // $mail->IsSMTP();

    // echo "<pre>";
    $email_body = "";
    $email_body .= "Name " . $name . "\n";
    $email_body .= "Email " . $email . "\n";
    $email_body .= "Message " . $message . "\n";
    // echo $email_body;
    // echo "</pre>";

    // sending email
    $mail->setFrom($email, $name);

  // setting the name and email address of the person receiving the email
    // Name is optional
    $mail->addAddress('aaron.harpt@gmail.com', 'Aaron Harpt');

  // Set email format to HTML.  Decide if want it true or false.
    $mail->isHTML(false);

  // Email subject
    $mail->Subject = 'Comments regarding Website from ' . $name;
  // Email Body
    $mail->Body    = $email_body;
  // sending the email
    if ($mail->Send()) {
      // redirecting to thank you message
      header("location:contact.php?status=thanks");
      exit;
        $error_message = 'Message could not be sent.';
        $error_message .= 'Mailer Error: ' . $mail->ErrorInfo;
      }

    }
  }
?>

// some content....



<?php
          if (isset($_GET["status"]) && $_GET["status"] == "thanks") {
            ?>
            <?php
              echo "<div class='col-sm-4 col-xs-12'>";
              echo "<h1 id='h1-thanks'>Thank You</h1>";
              echo "<p id='p-thanks'>Thank you for contacting us. We will be in contact shortly.</p>";
              echo "</div>";
            ?>
            <?php
          } else {
          ?>


// more content....

<?php
          if (isset($error_message)) {
            echo "<p id='error-message'>" . $error_message . "</p>";
          } else {
            echo "<p>Please complete the form below.</p>";
          }
          ?>

Currently, when I fill out the form and click submit, I get a blank page, and the url stays at the current page and does not redirect to the thank you message? Also, what do you use to develop with PHP (MAMP, other)?