PHP Mail: Sending Plaintext & HTML Emails with mail() and PHPMailer

Sending automated emails is essential for web applications—including sending user registration welcome messages, password reset links, order invoices, and examination notifications. PHP provides the built-in mail() function for basic email dispatch. In this guide, you will learn how to configure plain text and rich HTML emails, and understand why modern production systems rely on authenticated SMTP via PHPMailer.

The Built-in mail() Function Syntax

mail(to, subject, message, headers, parameters);

• to: Recipient email address (e.g. "student@example.com").
• subject: Email subject line (cannot contain newline characters).
• message: The message body (lines should not exceed 70 characters and use \r\n).
• headers: Optional headers such as From:, Reply-To:, and Content-Type:.

1. Sending a Simple Plain Text Email

<?php
    $to = "student@example.com";
    $subject = "Veewom Portal: Semester Exam Schedule Released";
    $message = "Dear Student,\n\nYour BCA semester IV examination timetable is now live.\n\nRegards,\nExam Controller";
    $headers = "From: noreply@veewom.com\r\n" .
               "Reply-To: support@veewom.com\r\n" .
               "X-Mailer: PHP/" . phpversion();

    if (mail($to, $subject, $message, $headers)) {
        echo "Email sent successfully.";
    } else {
        echo "Mail delivery failed. Please verify local SMTP configuration.";
    }
?>

2. Sending Rich HTML Emails with Styling

To send formatted HTML emails with styled headers, tables, and buttons, specify the text/html MIME content type:

<?php
    $to = "student@example.com";
    $subject = "Welcome to Veewom Learning Academy";

    // HTML Message Body
    $message = "
    <html>
    <head>
        <title>Welcome to Veewom</title>
    </head>
    <body style='font-family: Arial, sans-serif; background-color: #f8fafc; padding: 20px;'>
        <div style='max-width: 600px; background: #ffffff; padding: 20px; border-radius: 8px; border: 1px solid #cbd5e1;'>
            <h2 style='color: #4F5D95;'>Welcome to Veewom Academy!</h2>
            <p>Congratulations on enrolling in the <b>PHP 8 Master Class</b>.</p>
            <p><a href='https://veewom.com/php/' style='background: #4F5D95; color: #ffffff; padding: 10px 18px; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 4px; display: inline-block;'>Go to Learning Dashboard</a></p>
        </div>
    </body>
    </html>
    ";

    // Always set content-type when sending HTML email
    $headers = "MIME-Version: 1.0" . "\r\n";
    $headers .= "Content-type:text/html;charset=UTF-8" . "\r\n";
    $headers .= "From: Veewom Portal <notifications@veewom.com>" . "\r\n";

    mail($to, $subject, $message, $headers);
?>

Why Modern Production Uses PHPMailer with Authenticated SMTP

BCA / CS University Exam Corner

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