What are the key differences between using the mail() function and a Mailer class in terms of adhering to RFCs for email formatting and delivery?

When using the mail() function in PHP to send emails, there is a risk of not adhering to RFCs for email formatting and delivery, as the function does not provide robust support for handling headers and attachments properly. To ensure compliance with RFCs and proper email delivery, it is recommended to use a Mailer class, such as PHPMailer or Swift Mailer, which offer more advanced features for creating and sending emails. 

// Example using PHPMailer to send an email with proper formatting and adherence to RFCs

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

require 'vendor/autoload.php'; // Include PHPMailer autoloader

// Create a new PHPMailer instance
$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', 'Sender Name');
    $mail->addAddress('recipient@example.com', 'Recipient Name');

    // Content
    $mail->isHTML(true);
    $mail->Subject = 'Subject';
    $mail->Body = 'Email body content';

    // Send the email
    $mail->send();
    echo 'Email sent successfully';
} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo 'Email could not be sent. Mailer Error: ' . $mail->ErrorInfo;
}

Keywords

mail() function Mailer class RFCs email formatting email delivery

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