Runtime Configuration

The behaviour of these functions is affected by settings in php.ini.

**Mail configuration options**
Name	Default	Changeable	Changelog
mail.add_x_header	"0"	PHP_INI_PERDIR	Available since PHP 5.3.0.
mail.log	NULL	PHP_INI_PERDIR	Available since PHP 5.3.0. (PHP_INI_SYSTEM\|PHP_INI_PERDIR)
mail.force_extra_parameters	NULL	PHP_INI_PERDIR	Available since PHP 5.0.0. (PHP_INI_SYSTEM\|PHP_INI_PERDIR)
SMTP	"localhost"	PHP_INI_ALL
smtp_port	"25"	PHP_INI_ALL	Available since PHP 4.3.0.
sendmail_from	NULL	PHP_INI_ALL
sendmail_path	"/usr/sbin/sendmail -t -i"	PHP_INI_SYSTEM

For further details and definitions of the PHP_INI_* modes, see the Where a configuration setting may be set.

Here's a short explanation of the configuration directives.

mail.add_x_header bool

Add X-PHP-Originating-Script that will include UID of the script followed by the filename.

mail.log string

The path to a log file that will log all mail() calls. Log entries include the full path of the script, line number, To address and headers.

mail.force_extra_parameters string

Force the addition of the specified parameters to be passed as extra parameters to the sendmail binary. These parameters will always replace the value of the 5th parameter to mail(), even in safe mode.

SMTP string

Used under Windows only: host name or IP address of the SMTP server PHP should use for mail sent with the mail() function.

smtp_port int

Used under Windows only: Number of the port to connect to the server specified with the SMTP setting when sending mail with mail(); defaults to 25. Only available since PHP 4.3.0.

sendmail_from string

Which "From:" mail address should be used in mail sent from PHP under Windows. This directive also sets the "Return-Path:" header.

sendmail_path string

Where the sendmail program can be found, usually /usr/sbin/sendmail or /usr/lib/sendmail. configure does an honest attempt of locating this one for you and set a default, but if it fails, you can set it here.

Systems not using sendmail should set this directive to the sendmail wrapper/replacement their mail system offers, if any. For example, » Qmail users can normally set it to /var/qmail/bin/sendmail or /var/qmail/bin/qmail-inject.

qmail-inject does not require any option to process mail correctly.

This directive works also under Windows. If set, smtp, smtp_port and sendmail_from are ignored and the specified command is executed.

User Contributed Notes

elitescripts2000 at yahoo dot com

2 years ago


On Ubuntu 13.04, not sure of the other Distros. 

If you simply uncomment the default:

sendmail_path = "sendmail -t -i"

Your mail() functions will all fail.  This is because, you should place the FULL PATH (i.e.  /usr/sbin/sendmail -t -i ) 

The documentation states PHP tries it's best to find the correct sendmail path, but it clearly failed for me.

So, always enter in the FULLPATH to sendmail or you may get unexpected failing results.

As a secondary note:  Those that just want to ENFORCE the -f parameter, you can do so in php.ini using: 

mail.force_extra_parameters = -fdo_not_reply@domain.tld

You can leave the sendmail path commented out, it will still use the defaults  (under UNIX  -t -i options which if you look them up are very important to have set)....

But, now there is no way to change this, even with the 5th argument of the mail() function.  -f is important, because if NOT set, will be set to which ever user the PHP script is running under, and you may not want that.

Also, -f  sets the Return-Path:  header which is used as the Bounce address, if errors occur, so you can process them.  You you can not set Return-Path: in mail() headers for some reason... you could before.  Now you have to use the -f option.

phpnote-mail at revmaps dot no-ip dot org

3 months ago


setting return path:

 Return-path header does not work because it is not part of smtp. 

 on *nix -f may be set on the mail command 
alternatively 
 some MTAs accept mbox-style "From " header on the first header line 
note: no colon after "From" , must be the first header line
or  you may be able to re-configure you MTA to interpret return-path headers

 -f is the most reliable method but it may mean that you can't set any other command-line option due to shell escaping problems.

also note that email formatting requirements differ between windows and everything else. sendmail expects only \n line-endings

mike dot castrodemaria at gmail dot com

2 years ago


You can set on apache2 a "per domain" default address in apache conf VirtualHost section too.

Juste add : php_admin_value sendmail_path "/usr/sbin/sendmail -t -i -fno-reply@php.net -Fno-reply" 

change to your own email choice instead no-reply@php.net .

I hope this helps,
Mike

A Austin

3 years ago


For linux you can over-ride the default "From" for the outgoing emails by including in php.ini this line:

sendmail_path = "/usr/sbin/sendmail -t -i -f fromMe@blah.com"

The path should work for most linux installations.

blueshibuyadream at gmail dot com

3 years ago


On Darwin OS such as OSX (current one: 10.8.3) you need to add a specific command and option to the sendmail_path constant if you have downloaded and installed a mamp with a stack.

Indeed you can see the required libraries for PHP, Apache, MySQL in "common/lib" folder. The problem is when you run an external command using these libraries, for example "sendmail". It could be a problem if it gets the stack libraries and not the system ones (different versions, etc). 

The "env -i" command clean the Stack environment variables and run "sendmail" with the system libraries.

Hope this helps.

Robert

5 years ago


Despite what this page says about the "SMTP" and "smtp_port" settings being used only under Windows, all Drupal sites use these settings to send email, regardless of which OS they're running in.

rgdobie at conwave dot com dot au

3 years ago


Under Windows, I found sendmail_from needed to be a valid email address which has been defined on the mail server being addressed.