Avoiding email harvesters via Email script

[PSWorx]

I was wondering... (probably posting this in the wrong place no doubt)

To avoid email harvesters nabbing my clients emails would it be benneficial for me to create a script which when a user clicks an email link i.e.

where id represents a number associated to an address in a database table -> emails.php?id=1

and is then redirected to a page with the appropriate header output to initiate the default mail client with the desired email address?

If its worth it, how would i setup the headers to perform such an action (Ive already employed a contact form on the website but think its essential that end users/customers have access to actual/legit emails so as to send mail via their own mail clients/method)

I was considering the option of a script which utilises the GD extension to display the address' as an image on the page, however i would still require the above mentioned to be able to send the emails when a user clicks the link.

TIA

[patrapp]

I've solved the email harvesting problem by using a form on our website.
This is the code for the form:

<form action="contactdirector.php" method="POST">


<?php
$ipi = getenv("REMOTE_ADDR");
$httprefi = getenv ("HTTP_REFERER");
$httpagenti = getenv ("HTTP_USER_AGENT");
?>

<input type="hidden" name="ip" value="<?php echo $ipi?>" />
<input type="hidden" name="httpref" value="<?php echo $httprefi?>" />
<input type="hidden" name="httpagent" value="<?php echo $httpagenti?>" />

Your Name: <br />
<input type="text" name="name" size="35" />
<br />
Your Email:<br />
<input type="text" name="email" size="35" />

<br />

Comments:
<br />
<textarea name="comments" rows="4" cols="40"></textarea>
<br />
<input type="submit" value="Send Mail" />

</form>

<!-- ---------------------------------------------- -->
And this is the php it posts to:

<?php

$myemail = "[e-mail]";

if(!$email == "" && (!strstr($email,"@") ¦¦!strstr($email,".")))
{
echo "<h2>Use Back - Enter valid e-mail</h2>\n";
$badinput = "<h2>Feedback was NOT submitted</h2>\n";
}
if(empty($name) ¦¦ empty($email) ¦¦ empty($comments )) {
echo "<h2>Use Back - fill in all fields</h2>\n";
}
echo $badinput;

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

$subject = $attn;

$comments = stripcslashes($comments);

$message = " $todayis [EST] \n

Message: $comments \n
From: $name ($email)\n

";

$from = "From: $email\r\n";

if (($ccopy == "ccyes") && ($email!= ""))
mail($email, $subject, $message, $from);

if ($myemail!= "")
mail($myemail, $subject, $message, $from);

if ($ccx!= "")
mail($ccx, $subject, $message, $from);

?>

<p class="centered_data">Message received on:<br />
<?php echo $todayis?>
<br />
Thank You, <?php echo $name?>! <br />
( <?php echo $email?> )
<br />
<br />
<br />

Your message:</p>
<p class="centered_data"><table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="15">
<tr>
<td>
<p><?php $commentsout = str_replace("\r", "<br/>", $comments);
echo $commentsout;?> </p>
<br />
</td>
</tr>
</table></p>
<br />

<p class="centered_data">Thank you for your comments!</p>

<!-- ---------------------------------------------- -->

Because the php page sits on the server, the email address listed in the code is not visible to the outside world.

Hope this helps. I'm new at this, but have found this works for me.

[PSWorx]

Ive used a method very similar to the one you have posted on the website which loads in the chosen departments email address from a db and process the post data prior to email sending, i was looking for something that would still load the users default mail client (i.e. when clicking a mailto:link) but i dont want to broadcast/show the address on screen or within the html.

I know there to be javascript encrypters so on etc but at the end of the day once someone has reversed the workings and found the method used to encrypt, that renders it useless as far as those harversters go that are dynamic enough to decrypt address'

I made a script which again loads emails dynamically from a database from a given ID in a GET request URL and simply populates the header function to redirect/perform the actions of the mailto: a href link but was unsure as to weather harvesters would pick up on this or not?

Any more suggestions/comments would be appreciated.

[skinter]

Put the email address in a js file and don't use normal text. (IE, hex values or entities), then have it print out <a href="mailto:etc, etc.. and call it on the page like email(); .

That's what I did, and to this day I haven't had spam in my inbox.

js file should look something like this (or different, if you like):

function email()
{
var name = "encode-this-with-entities+hex(before@)"; /*this isn't readable*/
var domain = "same-with-this(domain)"; /*ditto*/
var rname = "normal-text"; /*this is*/
var rdomain = "example&#46;com"; /*hide the dot if you feel it is too vulnerable*/

document.write ( '<a href=\"mailto:' + name + '%40' + domain + '\">');
document.write ( rname + '&#64;' + rdomain + '<\/a>');
}