php send mail to both parties POST collected email address

Question

This is probably an easy question but I am not sure the proper syntax.

I am sending an email to my client - but my client also wants that person to receive the emails once they hit submit.

Currently its a POST php form and it works fine - but need to include the POST-email address that was entered into the form.

$from_email = $_POST['emailAddress'];

$to = 'owen@gmail.com';

AND I have mail($to, $subject, $message, $header..

So how do I rewrite the code:

$to = 'owenpiccirillo@gmail.com';

to have also send to the email submitted in the form? because this works.

$to = 'owen@gmail.com, whatever@aol.com';

but this doesnt work....

$to = 'owen@gmail.com' .  $from_email;

Thanks in advance -O

Additionaly, you could sanitize the email address using a filter: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3722831/does-phps-filter-var-filter-validate-email-actually-work — James P., Sep 11 '13 at 16:52

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Sep 11 '13 at 16:45

2

You need a comma and space in the $to concatenation:

NOT

$to = 'owen@gmail.com' . $from_email; 
// results in 'owen@gmail.comwhatever@aol.com'

but THIS

$to = 'owen@gmail.com, ' . $from_email; 
// results in 'owen@gmail.com, whatever@aol.com'

answered Sep 11 '13 at 16:45

bubba

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Sep 11 '13 at 16:46

If this works:

$to = 'owen@gmail.com, whatever@aol.com';

then what exactly is the issue? The reason this doesn't work:

$to = 'owen@gmail.com' .  $from_email;

is because there's no comma separating the values. So it would evaluate to:

$to = 'owen@gmail.comwhatever@aol.com';

which isn't a valid email address.

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Sep 11 '13 at 16:49

This is because the . is concatenating the two addresses together. So if you do an echo or print_r you would see something like this:

owen@gmail.comwhatever@aol.com

You need to add a comma:

// Value will be injected into the string with double quotes.
$to = "owen@gmail.com, $from_email";

Alternatively, you can use CC and BCC to send copies.

3 Answers3