Email contact forms are a great way to add some visitor interaction to your website.
The best HTML can do for you in this area is a mailto email link. This isn’t very user friendly, especially if your visitor uses webmail, and not an email client app. It also makes you an easy target for spammers and their “bots”.
With a some HTML, a little PHP, and some CSS to make it appealing, you can craft an email form that gets site more feedback, less spam, and even make it look more professional.
Let’s get started
First, paste this HTML in the spot you want the form:
<form class="email" action="mailer.php" method="post"> <p>Name:</p> <input type="text" name="name" /> <p>E-mail:</p> <input type="text" name="email" /> <p>Subject:</p> <input type="text" name="subject" /> <p>Message:</p> <textarea name="message"></textarea></p> <input class="send" type="submit" value="Send"> </form>
Now let’s add the PHP and make it do something. As you can see in the first line of HTML, it’s pointing a document called mailer.php. Let’s make that file. If you want to name it something else, or put it in a different directory/folder, just alter the address accordingly.
Create a new text file in your editor. Paste in this:
<?php
/* Set e-mail recipient */
$myemail = "YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS";
/* Check all form inputs using check_input function */
$name = check_input($_POST['name'], "Enter your name");
$subject = check_input($_POST['subject'], "Enter a subject");
$email = check_input($_POST['email']);
$message = check_input($_POST['message'], "Write your message");
/* If e-mail is not valid show error message */
if (!preg_match("/([\w\-]+\@[\w\-]+\.[\w\-]+)/", $email))
{
show_error("E-mail address not valid");
}
/* Let's prepare the message for the e-mail */
$message = "
Name: $name
E-mail: $email
Subject: $subject
Message:
$message
";
/* Send the message using mail() function */
mail($myemail, $subject, $message);
/* Redirect visitor to the thank you page */
header('Location: thanks.html');
exit();
/* Functions we used */
function check_input($data, $problem='')
{
$data = trim($data);
$data = stripslashes($data);
$data = htmlspecialchars($data);
if ($problem && strlen($data) == 0)
{
show_error($problem);
}
return $data;
}
function show_error($myError)
{
?>
<html>
<body>
<p>Please correct the following error:</p>
<strong><?php echo $myError; ?></strong>
<p>Hit the back button and try again</p>
</body>
</html>
<?php
exit();
}
?>
Save that as mailer.php.
If you’ve never messed with PHP, the looks can be pretty intimidating, but I’ll go over the basics of what all that means.
First you’ll see I’ve written your email address in all caps. Delete that and enter the email you’d like it to deliver to. It then checks to see if what the user has put in the form fits the criteria. If not, it asks them to properly add their name or email etc. Next, it prepares the inputted data to be sent to the email address you just provided at the top. Then, if the email is sent successfully, it redirects the visitor to another page on your website. You can just create a page saying the email was sent successfully and you’ll get back as soon as possible or something and put it’s URL there. The last part is what generates the error message if the data wasn’t entered correctly.
Your form is complete. It processes data input by a visitor and sends it to your inbox.
But it is a little ugly.
Doctor it up by adding some CSS
You’ll probably want to edit this to match your design, but here’s a little style to get you started:
form.email p {
font-size: 15px;
padding: 0 0 10px 0;
margin: 0;
}
form.email input, form.email textarea {
font-family: Arial;
font-size: 15px;
margin: 0 0 20px 0;
}
form.email input {
background: #f5f5f5;
padding: 5px;
border: 1px solid #bbb;
border-radius: 5px;
}
form.email textarea {
background: #f5f5f5;
padding: 5px;
border: 1px solid #bbb;
border-radius: 5px;
width: 400px;
height: 250px;
}
form.email input.send {
color: #fff;
background: #222;
border: #000;
padding: 10px 25px 10px 25px;
cursor: pointer;
}
In fact, for the Send button, you could use one of the background graphics I made specially for this type of thing.
You now have all the knowledge necessary to get started building your own PHP driven email contact form. If you’ve done so, and are still bringing in spam, but looking for a fix, you’re in luck. The very next post on Code Chirps will show you how to add a captcha!
Note:
PHP is a server-side language, so this form will only work on a web server unless you have MAMP or similar software running on your computer.
*Update: Professional installation
Due to a large amount of people commenting having problems getting this form running on their websites, I am now offering professional installation for just $49. This includes up to 5 custom fields and a custom graphic matching your current design for the “Send” button. For more information, contact me here.
If you enjoyed this article, why not share it with your friends? I’d appreciate it.
How to add a captcha! Oh man. I’m going to read that very carefully. Tried to do that a couple months ago and got SO confused. Google’s tutorial wasn’t very helpful.
I hope this will be more helpful.
Great post.. Very helpful for beginners as well as others..Thanks for sharing this..Keep posting such useful articles..Cheers!!
Thanks, and you’re welcome. I’ll be trying to do just that!
Ok maybe someone or maybe someone can not help me. But I can not get this darn php to work for nothing. I have deleted it from my server and copied and changed the email again. And then uploaded it to my server. Maybe someone can figure this out cause I can not figure it out. I have tried for 3 hours and now I am saying enough is enough till I get some help with this Thanks.
I’m sorry it’s not working.
I replied to your email – I’ll try to help you get this going! 
You are a star mate! Thanks!
Thanks for sharing I have no idea of PHP, needed a PHP form script , but u provided the css decorating code too. U made my work easy…
million thanks man
GoodLuck
You are the best. You deserve a hug and more.
God bless you.
This is a great article and very helpful. Can you show us how to add a captcha to this code?
Cheers!
Yeah, I show how to do that in the next post!
http://codechirps.com/how-to-add-a-completely-custom-captcha-to-any-web-form/
You’re great!
This is very helpful to me. Thanks a million sooo much! ^___^
Very handy indeed !
Just wondering, I want to add an adres that people OPTIONAL can fill in.
I can add the adres thing, but now it will always be checked and gives an error when not filled in..
Any help with that?
Removing the lines of PHP that verify the address it should do the trick.
delete:
$email = check_input($_POST['email']);
and:
/* If e-mail is not valid show error message */
if (!preg_match(“/([\w\-]+\@[\w\-]+\.[\w\-]+)/”, $email))
{
show_error(“E-mail address not valid”);
}
First of all thanks for the quick reply !
But I think I didn’t make myself clear..
I want to add an optional home-adres (and telephone number). The email, name and message are obligated, so that works fine as it is.
This is what I tried : (translated in Dutch but it will be clear)
In the PHP :
$message = ”
Naam : $naam
E-mail : $email
Adres : $adres
Telefoonnummer : $telefoon
Boodschap : $boodschap
“;
In the HTML :
They don’t come in the mail though, I’m guessing that’s because they are not in the checklist on the PHP (on top), but when they ARE in the checklist they are no longer an option, but are obligated and that’s just what I don’t want.
I hope this makes any sense, not a native english speaker.
Ah I found it on http://myphpform.com .
Thanks again though for your fine explanation of making the form !
Just wanted to say YES IT WORKED!! Thank you
I have just joined 1and1, they are terrible. Dont have time to help their customers. I am new to php and I have got my form ready but is not working. 1n1 FAQ suggest i must change a few codes on formmail.pl which ive done.
this is the big problem:
I am using easyphp on windows, please help. A form like yours would be lovely lol
Hi Daniel,
great post but im having some issues with the final step of linking the html to the php script. I am using mamp and have set up a folder in the mamp directory called ht docs the code is as follows:
form class=”email” action=”Applications/MAMP/htdocs/mailer.php” method=”post”>
When i press send this is what i get:
The requested URL /Applications/MAMP/htdocs/mailer.php was not found on this server.
any idea what im doing wrong?
regards
Adam
This just means the path in the link to the PHP file in the HTML file is incorrect. If both files are in the same directory, all you need is ‘mailer.php’. Otherwise write the path starting from the directory in which the file you’re linking from exists. If it is outside that directory, you put ../ to go up a directory.
ok thank you it all works fine now apart from the messages do not send to the $myemail variable? As in i dont recieve any email once someone has filled out the form?
Great article!
Short, clear and super useful!
Thanks dude
Hi I did what you said above. But I get the error 500 code
when I send:
500 error
What does it mean?
Document not found — the requested file was not found on the server. Possibly because it was deleted, or never existed before. Often caused by misspellings of URLs.
I am very not into programming scripts, just wonder what went wrong
500 error simple means the file wasn’t found, just like it says on the 500 error page. Check your links and make sure you have the correct names and paths in your linked documents.
I got the same problem. I double and triple checked the path. here is a glimpse of my directory tree:
_webber
├── contact-us.html
├── css
│ └── …
├── images
│ └── …
├── pageElements
│ └── …
├── scripts
│ └── mailer.php
and here is the line in HTML:
I don’t understand what the problem is. BTW, I do like how easy to follow your tutorial is and the way the form looks with the css, very clean. I made a few mods though
I got this issue fixed by contacting support (I use cpanel on my hostgator account). It was a permissions issue. I am still waiting for a response as to what permissions are needed, but I thought I would post here in case others have similar problems.
Thank you very much for this tutorial.
I could make my contact form working with your help.
I had a problem since 2 days and I couldn’t solve it before.
Thanks again.
Jose
This is a great tutorial thanks alot! Please, can you tell me where to put the CSS code? In the mail.php or the HTML code?
Greetings.
The CSS can be placed in the section of the HTML file or a separate .css file that can be linked to in the section of the HTML file.
Hi there,
I don’t know much about php, just some html, css and js…
I tried this easy solution you kindly share with us but anytime I send the data (press the send button) I get redirect on the mailer.php page, which it’s what I guess it’s supposed to happend, but I display the html part:
Please correct the following error:
Hit the back button and try again
I’m sure I’m making some very easy and stupid mistake, little help..?
Thanks Daniel for this awesome tutorial! I love it!
1 question however, if you wanted to convert this to show email validation error messages on the same page (like above the text fields) instead of on another page, how would you do that?
Thanks man!
That is certainly possible and something you see a lot, but that would require some much more complicated PHP than is used here and you’d have to start from the ground up rather than working off this form.
i got this error msg
Notice: Undefined index: name in C:\wamp\www\mailer.php on line 14
please help me to resolve it
not working!
after activating send button, nothing happens
it says it cant find the file but there it is
just copy the address line or push f5!!!
mailer.php in same file with index.php btw
There might be a few problems that you might have.
Do you have as it like on line 1 of the html?
And on the php file make sure that is saved as mailer.php.
Also check here to make sure that this line is also correct on the .php file.
$email = check_input($_POST['email']);
Make sure that the input($POST['email']; and the method=”post” in the html file. That has to be exactly like that for the php and the html file to work together.
That is all I can come up with unless Daniel might have another suggestion.
so should there be an underscore or not?
($_POST['email])
or
($POST['email'])
???
It sounds as if your link is incorrect. Ensure that you include action=”mailer.php” at the beginning of your HTML form tag. It should fine it as long as you have the PHP file named correctly and in the same folder as your HTML file.
Thanks for the tutorial!
What would the code (HTML and php) look like if I wanted to add a radio button to the form?
Brilliant tutorial. Here I thought it’d be a nightmare trying to create something like this.
I do have one, major issue though.
I have it up and running. If a field is not valid it displays the proper error message. And when it’s perfect, it redirects them to the correct page. But it never actually sends the email. I tried both my yahoo and gmail on the off chance it’d be sent to spam. But I haven’t received any of the dummy emails I sent to myself. You wouldn’t have an idea why, would you?
it doesnt seem to work. ive done everything, the page refreshes when you click submit but no emails get through.
The page shouldn’t be refreshing, it should be directing you to mailer.php. Have you checked your file paths and names/links?
I have the same problem! It doesn’t seem to work. no emails get through.
Do you also need a mail server installed on your server to use an email contact form on your website?
No, it only requires PHP running.
Thanks for this, dude. This is fantastic. By far the most straightforward tutorial on this that I’ve come across.
I get this error message upon trying to send a test message.
Warning: Cannot modify header information – headers already sent by (output started at /home/content/33/10547133/html/contact.php:6) in /home/content/33/10547133/html/contact.php on line 41
I have only modified a few minor things on both html and php (ie names of forms and such) I did use DW spryboxes if that matters.
ok an update. The emails are being sent (every test message I sent came through, only the redirect seems to be broken. Still needing help with that
Hmm, strange. All I can say would be to double-check your links, names, and paths to the files involved.
Respected admin! i m facing difficulty in mail connection.please check the code and fix the error. i will be very thankful to you for this kindness.
if(isset($_POST["submit"])){
$txtname = $_POST['txtname'];
$txtPN = $_POST['txtPN'];
$txtEmail = $_POST['txtEmail'];
$txtAdd = $_POST['txtAdd'];
$txtMarbleName = $_POST['txtMarbleName'];
$txtSize = $_POST['txtSize'];
$txtThickness = $_POST['txtThickness'];
$txtAmount = $_POST['txtAmount'];
$textAreaMessage = $_POST['textAreaMessage'];
$headers = “From: mohmandms.eu5.org” . “\r\n” .
“CC: somebodyelse@example.com“;
$message.=’
Name: “.$txtname.”
Phone No: “.$txtPN.”
Email: “.$txtEmail.”
Address: “.$txtAdd.”
Marble Name: “.$txtMarbleName.”
Marble Size: “.$txtSize.”
Thickness “.$txtThickness.”
Amount: “.$txtAmount.”
Message: “.$textAreaMessage;
ini_set(‘localhost’,’25′);
mail(‘khan_ge68@yahoo.com’,'Online Order Record’,$message,$headers);
echo “alert(‘Information Send’)
window.location.href=’onlineOrder.html’;”;
What exactly seems to be the problem?
I am a php beginner but everything seems to be correct but when I press submit it loads to the php file?
If PHP isn’t running on your server/computer it will simply load the file. You’ll need to put it on a server or install MAMP/WAMP.
My problem after trying the code is i get the error 405…
Can I know what seems to be the problem?
Getting an Error 405 sounds like it’s a problem with your server settings. Try contacting your hosting tech support.
ok. thank you, I’ll try that
Hi,
I have a problem with your script.
In my inbox, the email address is not display, just “Nobody”
How to improve that?
tanks
I do not know where it would be getting “Nobody” from… Elaborate?
It’s simple, the email address written in the “form” not desplay… display a defaul hosting email from the site where is hosted.
Oh, yes, unfortunately that is the default “from” address for the PHP mail function to display.
How I resolve it?
Doesn’t work for me
I’ve only changed $myemail field and uploaded to my server,
script didn’t work
Did it work for you before any edits?
Hi there, just went through your tutorial and everything seems to of worked ok, apart from no emails are coming through, help!
Hi there,
I have the same problem. Did you ever get your fixed?
The first to try would be make sure you have your email address written down in the PHP file correctly and then make sure it’s not coming in as spam.
yes it is coming in as spam!! how can i stop that?
We are really at the mercy of your email service’s spam filter here, but if you mark it as “not spam” emails from this address should show up in your inbox in the future.
Is there a way to change who the email is from? It appears it is pulling the server name. How would I change it to make it come from the sender’s email address?
Thank you for the form!
Yes, that’s the default action of the PHP mail function.
I have the same question. When I receive the email, the ‘From’ address is MyUsername@MyHost.com.
Could I change the ‘From’ address to the email submitted in the form?
Hi there,
I uploaded the code and it progresses to the page i want like it has sent however no emails have been received. How can i fix this?
Have you verified your email address in the PHP and also checked in your email’s spam filter?
I am also building a contact form that has a dropdown menu and the user can choose a topic from the dropdown to contact about. how can i adapt the code to allow the information from the drop down to be sent in the email as well as the other details?
This is my form Service Request
Name
Email Address
Service
Intruder Alarms
CCTV Systems
Access Control
Fire Alarm Systems
Analytics
Door Entry
Integrated Systems
Monitoring
Give your
a ‘name’. Then in the PHP call up that name using $ like the other items are.
Hi Daniel,
THANK YOU FOR THIS TUTORIAL. It has come really handy and worked perfectly on my site. However, one small issue. I don’t like the way {myError} is being displayed on a separate page, and have to ‘hit back’.
Could you shed some light on:
1. How to make the error message pop up on the same Contact Page/Email Form or displayed above the error point (e.g. Enter valid email) instead of loading a whole new page.
2. Display all the errors (if available) at once instead of the current one-by-one.
Much appreciate.
John Sande (Nairobi, Kenya)
These are good questions, but would require some more complicated PHP and are a whole other tutorial in themselves.
Hi Daniel,
Thanks a lot for this pretty tutorial. i copied your code and i write down my email address, but when i submit the form i got the thanks page that the mail is sent.
But when ich ckeck my email i find nothing even in spam.
I will be thankful if you make some suggestions.
Best wishes.
knowhow
All I can say is that the form does work – I don’t know where the problem might be without looking it over myself.
I changed the sum – just to be different…
In the HTML:
Message:
What is:3 + 4 =
(and yes this is in a table format)
In the php:
if (!preg_match(“|7|”, $captcha))
{
show_error(“You failed the security sum.”);
}
and now it no-longer works… any ideas as to why???
It appears you used the letter “l” on either side of your captcha answer resulting in “l7l”. These need to be a forward slash – “/7/”.
i uploaded my contact form to my server, and the form does redirect me to the “thanks” page but I’m not getting any emails at all.
Hi Daniel can i post you my code because i still cant solve the problem?
regards
Adam
Is it exactly what you copied from here or did you edit it when the problem started?
is it edited but i think its virtually the same as yours. Im just not getting any emails i have tried using 2 different email addresses but still no luck.
Could it be an issue with mamp?
If it’s processing the PHP I wouldn’t think so. Do you have a web server you could try it on?
i think it is processing the PHP because it takes me to the thank you page. I dont at the moment im trying to get a contact form working to i can put my website online. Im really not sure whats wrong with it.
Awesome tutorial, thanks! I have this loaded on my server at http://www.mullerbrazil.com/myvaccine. The email sends, but instead of redirecting to the thank you page, I am getting the following error:
Warning: Cannot modify header information – headers already sent by (output started at /home/content/91/9712091/html/myvaccine/mailer.php:12) in /home/content/91/9712091/html/myvaccine/mailer.php on line 44
All I updated was the email address. Any ideas?
Actually I got it. How would I go about including a dropdown menu of US states? I am including a home address section.
Thanks!
Great! This page may be helpful for that: http://www.w3schools.com/tags/tag_select.asp