Sending MIME Mail (PHP Cookbook)

17.3. Sending MIME Mail

17.3.1. Problem

You want to send MIME email. For example, you want to send multipart messages with both plain-text and HTML portions and have MIME-aware mail readers automatically display the correct portion.

17.3.2. Solution

Use the Mail_mime class in PEAR:

require 'Mail.php';
require 'Mail/mime.php';

$to = 'adam@example.com, sklar@example.com';

$headers['From'] = 'webmaster@example.com';
$headers['Subject'] = 'New Version of PHP Released!';

// create MIME object
$mime = new Mail_mime;

// add body parts
$text = 'Text version of email';
$mime->setTXTBody($text);

$html = '<html><body>HTML version of email</body></html>';
$mime->setHTMLBody($html);

$file = '/path/to/file.png';
$mime->addAttachment($file, 'image/png');

// get MIME formatted message headers and body
$headers = $mime->headers($headers);
$body = $mime->get();

$message =& Mail::factory('mail');
$message->send($to, $headers, $body);

17.3.3. Discussion

PEAR's Mail_mime class provides an object-oriented interface to all the behind-the-scenes details involved in creating an email message that contains both text and HTML parts. The class is similar to PEAR's Mail class, but instead of defining the body as a string of text, you create a Mail_mime object and call its methods to add parts to the body:

// create MIME object
$mime = new Mail_mime;

// add body parts
$text = 'Text version of email';
$mime->setTXTBody($text);

$html = '<html><body>HTML version of email</body></html>';
$mime->setHTMLBody($html);

$file = '/path/to/file.txt';
$mime->addAttachment($file, 'text/plain');

// get MIME formatted message headers and body
$headers = $mime->headers($headers);
$body = $mime->get();

The Mail_mime::setTXTBody( ) and Mail_mime::setHTMLBody( ) methods add the plaintext and HTML body parts, respectively. Here, we pass in variables, but you can also pass a filename for Mail_mime to read. To use this option, pass true as the second parameter:

$text = '/path/to/email.txt';
$mime->setTXTBody($text, true);

To add an attachment to the message, such as a graphic or an archive, call Mail_mime::addAttachment( ) :

$file = '/path/to/file.png';
$mime->addAttachment($file,'image/png');

Pass the function to the location to the file and its MIME type.

Once the message is complete, do the final preparation and send it out:

// get MIME formatted message headers and body
$headers = $mime->headers($headers);
$body = $mime->get( );

$message =& Mail::factory('mail');
$message->send($to, $headers, $body);

First, you have the Mail_mime object provide properly formatted headers and body. You then use the parent Mail class to format the message and send it out with Mail_mime::send( ) .

17.3.4. See Also

Section 17.2 for sending regular email; Section 17.4 for more on retrieving mail; the PEAR Mail_Mime class at http://pear.php.net/package-info.php?package=Mail_Mime.