Php mail error in beginner's application

[Chikwado]

Good day administrator

Please the below php function objects is not working in my server.
I'm on window 8.1 x86, xampp 3.2, php 7.2 and trying to send email using the below function object

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mail()

I installed mail client 'thunderbird' and it's working, I have installed mail client 'squirrelmail' and it's working. Now, the php mail() function is not working. Why?
Below are my code:

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<?php
$to = 'recipients@email-address.com';
$subject = 'Hello from XAMPP!';
$message = 'This is a test';
$headers = "From: your@email-address.com\r\n";
if (mail($to, $subject, $message, $headers)) {
 echo "SUCCESS";
} else {
 echo "ERROR";
}


[Nobbie]

Now, the php mail() function is not working. Why?

Because Thunderbird, Squirrelmail etc. are Mailclients in order to receive Emails.

For the mail()-function you need to setup a Mailserver instead (see php.ini), which does not receive Emails, but send them. You must either specify an SMTP Server in php.ini or specify a Program like "sendmail", which can send Emails. PHP cannot send Emails, it can only pass the credentials and arguments of mail()-function to the Server or Email Program.

Unfortunately, the SMTP configuration of PHP is very outdated and does not apply the option of configuring a Login (User, Password) for a SMTP Server. But nowadays, all SMTP Servers are protected via login, formerly (many years ago) SMTP where free and without login. You can only assign SMTP to localhost and create your own local SMTP server (using Mercury Mail). But this is a very sophisticated task. And it does not work mostly, as more or less all Email providers block Emails from private IPs due to SPAM problems.

Xampp delivers a fake sendmail.exe (see your installation), you can apply this program in php.ini as SendMail program. It comes with a configuration file sendmail.ini, there you can apply a known public SMTP Server for your Emails (like Google or GMX). Your Emails then are send via GMX or Google.

Sending Emails via PHP from your private PC is a sophisticated task. It does not work out of the box. Remember that you had to specify SMTP Servers and UserID, Password in Thunderbird as well in order to send Emails.

[Chikwado]

Thanks for reply
I have uncommented this line:

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sendmail_path = "\"C:\xampp\sendmail\sendmail.exe\" -t"
   

in php.ini. Also edited sendmail.ini I have edited it as

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smtp_server=smtp.localhost
smtp_port=25
smtp_ssl=auto
error_logfile=error.log
auth_username=thunderbird@localhost
auth_password=thunder@bird&33


Still not able to send email in server.
Please what are the next settings that I should create?

[Nobbie]

You applied localhost as SMTP server. But you did not install any SMTP server. That does not work. You should apply a known SMTP server, like you did in Thunderbird.