Why is it recommended to use mailer classes instead of the mail() function for sending emails in PHP, especially for beginners?

Using mailer classes instead of the mail() function is recommended for sending emails in PHP, especially for beginners, because mailer classes offer more features, better error handling, and easier configuration options. Mailer classes simplify the process of sending emails and provide better security measures to prevent spamming. Additionally, they offer better support for attachments, HTML emails, and SMTP authentication. 

// Example of using PHPMailer library to send an email
require 'PHPMailer/PHPMailer.php';
require 'PHPMailer/Exception.php';

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

$mail = new PHPMailer();
$mail->isSMTP();
$mail->Host = 'smtp.example.com';
$mail->SMTPAuth = true;
$mail->Username = 'your-email@example.com';
$mail->Password = 'your-email-password';
$mail->SMTPSecure = 'ssl';
$mail->Port = 465;

$mail->setFrom('your-email@example.com', 'Your Name');
$mail->addAddress('recipient@example.com', 'Recipient Name');
$mail->Subject = 'Subject of the Email';
$mail->Body = 'Body of the Email';

if(!$mail->send()) {
    echo 'Message could not be sent. Mailer Error: ' . $mail->ErrorInfo;
} else {
    echo 'Message has been sent';
}

Keywords

mailer classes mail() function sending emails PHP beginners

Related Questions