Question about the mail function

[Jakotsu]

Hi,
I'm using the mail function to send an email, but it does not use the "from" address that I specify in the last parameter, instead it uses the address set on php.ini... is there a way to specify my own address, that is, overriding the address set in PHP.INI?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[eelixduppy]

You could use ini_set to change the value, since sendmail_from is php_ini_all:

[url=http://www.php.net/ini-set]ini_set[/url]("sendmail_from","[e-mail]");

[Jakotsu]

Well, for some reason that function does not work... notice that I don't own the server, I only have an account in there with limited space and bandwidth.

[eelixduppy]

You should not need to own the server for that function to work. That is, unless your host disabled that function (might want to check with your host). Are you getting any errors?

[dublinmike]

Some configurations require the email address you are sending from to actually exist as a mailbox in your account (rightly so!), i.e. if you have just 1 address setup in your account [e-mail] and try to send from [e-mail] using the mail function, it can reject it on the grounds that [e-mail] doesn't exist...

[jatar_k]

try setting all headers

$headers .= "From: some company <$email>\n";
$headers .= "Return-Path: $email\n";
$headers .= "Reply-To: $email\n";

I have had some issues with this in the past and can't remember whoch one of the above fixed it but one of them should

[Jakotsu]

Thanks! Indeed I had to set the headers this way:

<?php
$to = '[e-mail]';
$subject = 'the subject';
$message = 'hello';
$headers = 'From: [e-mail]' . "\r\n" .
'Reply-To: [e-mail]' . "\r\n" .
'X-Mailer: PHP/' . phpversion();

mail($to, $subject, $message, $headers);
?>

Thanks again.