This is How to Add Multiple Recipients to Your WordPress Email with PHP Mailer
As a WordPress developer, you may often need to send emails to multiple recipients from your website. This could be for various reasons, such as sending a newsletter, notifying users of new content, or forwarding a contact form submission to multiple team members.
In this blog post, we'll explore how you can easily add multiple recipients to your WordPress emails using the built-in wp_mail()
function and the PHP Mailer library.
Understanding the wp_mail()
Function
The wp_mail()
function is a WordPress-specific function that allows you to send emails from your WordPress site. It's a wrapper around the PHP mail()
function, but it also adds some WordPress-specific functionality, such as the ability to use the $headers
parameter to set custom headers.
The wp_mail()
function takes four parameters:
$to
: The email address(es) of the recipient(s). This can be a single email address or an array of email addresses.
$subject
: The subject of the email.
$message
: The body of the email.
$headers
: Any additional headers to include in the email, such as the From
or Reply-To
headers.
Adding Multiple Recipients
To add multiple recipients to your WordPress email, you can pass an array of email addresses to the $to
parameter of the wp_mail()
function.
Here's an example:
if(!isset($hasError)) {
$emailTo = array($contact_email, $contact_email2);
$subject = $subject;
$body = "Name: $name \n\nEmail: $email \n\nMessage: $comments";
$headers = 'From <'.$emailTo.'>' . "\r\n" . 'Reply-To: ' . $email;
wp_mail($emailTo, $subject, $body, $headers);
$emailSent = true;
}
In this example, the $emailTo
variable is an array that contains two email addresses: $contact_email
and $contact_email2
. When you pass this array to the $to
parameter of the wp_mail()
function, the email will be sent to both recipients.
It's important to note that the $headers
parameter in this example includes the From
header, which is set to the value of the $emailTo
array. This ensures that the email appears to be from the email addresses in the $emailTo
array, rather than just the first email address in the array.
Using PHP Mailer to Add Multiple Recipients
While the wp_mail()
function is a convenient way to send emails from your WordPress site, it can be limited in its functionality. If you need more advanced email features, such as the ability to attach files or send HTML emails, you may want to use the PHP Mailer library instead.
PHP Mailer is a popular open-source library that provides a more robust email sending solution than the built-in PHP mail()
function. It's also compatible with WordPress, so you can use it to send emails from your WordPress site.
Here's an example of how to use PHP Mailer to send an email to multiple recipients:
if(!isset($hasError)) {
// Instantiate the PHPMailer class
$mail = new PHPMailer();
// Set the email properties
$mail->From = $email;
$mail->FromName = $name;
$mail->AddAddress($contact_email);
$mail->AddAddress($contact_email2);
$mail->Subject = $subject;
$mail->Body = "Name: $name \n\nEmail: $email \n\nMessage: $comments";
// Send the email
if($mail->Send()) {
$emailSent = true;
} else {
$hasError = true;
}
}
In this example, we first instantiate the PHPMailer
class. We then set the various email properties, such as the From
and FromName
headers, and the Subject
and Body
of the email.
To add multiple recipients, we use the AddAddress()
method of the PHPMailer
class, passing in the email addresses of the recipients.
Finally, we call the Send()
method to send the email. If the email is sent successfully, we set the $emailSent
variable to true
. If there's an error, we set the $hasError
variable to true
.
Advantages of Using PHP Mailer
While the wp_mail()
function is a convenient way to send emails from your WordPress site, there are several advantages to using the PHP Mailer library instead:
- More Robust Functionality: PHP Mailer provides a more robust set of features than the
wp_mail()
function, including the ability to send HTML emails, attach files, and customize the email headers in more detail.
- Better Error Handling: PHP Mailer provides more detailed error reporting than the
wp_mail()
function, making it easier to troubleshoot issues with your email sending.
- Compatibility with Third-Party Services: PHP Mailer is compatible with a wide range of third-party email services, such as Gmail, Sendgrid, and Amazon SES, making it easier to integrate your WordPress site with these services.
- Customizable: PHP Mailer is highly customizable, allowing you to configure the email sending process to your specific needs.
Conclusion
In this blog post, we've explored how to add multiple recipients to your WordPress emails using both the built-in wp_mail()
function and the PHP Mailer library. By using these techniques, you can easily send emails to multiple recipients from your WordPress site, whether it's for a contact form submission, a newsletter, or any other purpose.
Remember, when sending emails from your WordPress site, it's important to follow best practices for email security and deliverability, such as using a valid email address in the From
header and properly sanitizing user input to prevent email injection attacks.
If you're looking to take your email sending to the next level, be sure to check out Flowpoint.ai, a web analytics tool that can help you identify technical issues on your website that may be impacting your email deliverability and conversion rates. Flowpoint.ai uses AI-powered recommendations to help you fix these issues and improve your overall website performance.
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