are these email addresses visible to bots in this code?

[leafgreen]

Are these email addresses visible to email address harvesters in this code? The following is the first seven lines in one of the .php files of my website.

<?php
include_once("includes/db_connect.php");
include_once("includes/mk_common.php");
//include_once("includes/phpmailer/class.phpmailer.php");
//$contactEmail = '[e-mail]';
$contactEmail = '[e-mail]';

My project manager says:

Since all php files are processed by server when opened, spam bots will not be able to access the php source - instead they will see only the HTML code which is generated by php script. For example, you can view the HTML source of this .php file - it doesn't contain any e-mail addresses.

Is he correct? If not, in this code is the following compatible

yyy@yyy.com

to use in place of [e-mail]?

[surrealillusions]

If the email address is in the html code that is out putted by the browser, then surely the bots will be able to read it?

Do the email address's appear in the source code?

:)

[leafgreen]

If the email address is in the html code that is out putted by the browser, then surely the bots will be able to read it? Do the email address's appear in the source code?

sorry I wasn't clear: The code I quoted above is in the .php file. The email addresses are not visible nor outputted by the browser. The email address are only visible in the .php file source code quoted above.

[surrealillusions]

ahh..they should be ok then.

Thats how email forms work, the email is in the file that process's the form but is never outputted by the browser, and so un-readable by bots.

:)

[leafgreen]

Great Thank you for the confirmation!

[PHP_Chimp]

If you are ever unsure just run the page through a browser and view source.
As sometimes we dont mean to put things in html, but they slip through (an unintentional echo, or putting them in hidden form fields,that are not so hidden when you look at the source). So it is always worth checking.

[leafgreen]

php_chimp, after I got finished chuckling at your nick, I just wanted to Thank you for the simple heads-up. ;)

I guess I could also do a site search with google