What are the benefits of using a dedicated mail class in PHP for sending emails, as opposed to using the standard mail() function?

Using a dedicated mail class in PHP for sending emails provides more control and flexibility compared to the standard mail() function. It allows you to easily set headers, attachments, and customize the email content. Additionally, dedicated mail classes often handle errors and exceptions more gracefully, making it easier to debug and troubleshoot email sending issues. 

// Example of using PHPMailer library for sending emails

use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\PHPMailer;
use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\Exception;

require 'vendor/autoload.php';

// Instantiation and passing `true` enables exceptions
$mail = new PHPMailer(true);

try {
    //Server settings
    $mail->isSMTP();
    $mail->Host = 'smtp.example.com';
    $mail->SMTPAuth = true;
    $mail->Username = 'your@example.com';
    $mail->Password = 'yourpassword';
    $mail->SMTPSecure = 'tls';
    $mail->Port = 587;

    //Recipients
    $mail->setFrom('from@example.com', 'Your Name');
    $mail->addAddress('recipient@example.net', 'Recipient Name');

    //Content
    $mail->isHTML(true);
    $mail->Subject = 'Subject';
    $mail->Body    = 'This is the HTML message body <b>in bold!</b>';

    $mail->send();
    echo 'Message has been sent';
} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo "Message could not be sent. Mailer Error: {$mail->ErrorInfo}";
}

Keywords

dedicated mail class PHP sending emails standard mail() function benefits

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