Phoca Forum

Hello Phoca team,

After using Phoca Guestbook for several years on 2.5 and 3.5 Joomla versions i am now running into an error that i cannnot explain or solve.
When a user leaves a message the following error is shown:

Attentie
The following From address failed: ber*************.nl : MAIL FROM command failed,Sender address is not valid for your login. Check your email program settings. ,551,SMTP server error: MAIL FROM command failed Detail: Sender address is not valid for your login. Check your email program settings. SMTP code: 551SMTP server error: MAIL FROM command failed Detail: Sender address is not valid for your login. Check your email program settings. SMTP code: 551

The email address mentioned is the address to whom the notification email should be sent. I am using SMTP mail with the same account as before. Other SMTP actions work with the same account credentials.
Can you hint me on a probable cause ?
Version info: Guestbook 3.0.5 , PHP 5.6.27 , Joomla 3.6.4.
URL to test this : http://test.omroepzendermuseum.nl/gastenboek

Best regards,
Bernard.

EDIT
I had to disable the leave message possibiliy on the test website and the live site as the error of Phoca (apparantly using the addressee in the FROM field) is detected as a spam attempt by the used email server leading to a block of all email from the webserver/website. A very annoying situation. Does anyone on this forum have a clue how to work this out ????? Probably the error got introduced after the update of Joomla 3.5.1 to 3.6.4 ?????

Hi, Phoca Guestbook uses the Joomla! email feature, so in fact the email is sent from your Joomla! site with setting of Joomla! Email parameters in Joomla! Global Configuration.

But testing now, with latest Joomla! 3.6 and get no such problem, everything is working OK for me? Yes, there were some changes regarding email settings in Joomla! in latest version but if you are able to send text email from Global Configuration, then such email should be sent successfully by Phoca Guestbook too

Jan

Hello Jan,
Exactly as you did describe i expected everything to work. Yesterday i did a try again and promply blocked the whole webserver again from sending email. Block is cleared again now so just now i did a try of the Joomla contact form again which is using the same mail function as Phoca does. The email is send with the correct email in the from field thus causing no problem.

Earlier the provider was so kind to send me an extract from the mailserver log file, i would like to share it with you without changing it but am reluctant to place it on the forum in the open. Can i send it directly to you ?

Hi, sent PM

Hello Jan, did sent the info to your info address.

Ok, answered.

Hello Jan,
To give some info in this thread: GB Uses the mailfrom and fromname that a user who leaves a message enters in the concerned fields. When the mailfrom field is not used in the message form GB takes it from the notification user that is selected in the options of GB.
When the mailserver however is not accepting a mailfrom address outside the domain of the website (a type of spam protection i guess) this email will be dropped and in my case the whole webserver got blacklisted by the mailserver.

I have changed the helper phocaguestbookemail.php in the following way:
Added two declarations : $confmailfrom= $app->getCfg( 'mailfrom' ); and $conffromname= $app->getCfg( 'fromname' );
These will take the mailfrom and fromname from the Joomla configuration made under settings/server tab email settings.
Changed the call to : return JFactory::getMailer()->sendMail($confmailfrom, $conffromname, $email, $subject, $message, false, null, null, null, null, null);

Now the email is accepted by the mailserver. One abnormal thing however, the mail is sent twice , exactly the same. Any idea where this can come from ?

Best regards,
Bernard.

Hi,

One abnormal thing however, the mail is sent twice , exactly the same. Any idea where this can come from ?

The email can be sent from two different places:
backend --> Components --> Phoca Guestbook --> Control Panel --> Options --> General --> Send Email
&
backend --> Menus --> Your menu with link to Phoca Guestbook Components --> Your link to Phoca Guestbook Components --> Menus: Edit Item --> Advanced --> Send Email
Just delete one of them.

Kind regards,
Benno

Hallo Benno,
Thanks for your answer, it is right to the point. Before posting here i did some documentation reading (as adviced) and in https://www.phoca.cz/documents/3-phoca-g ... l-settings the last two lines gave me the idea that BOTH settings need to be applied. I deleted the param via the menu and now i get one notification mail.

So my problem is solved now but i have changed in your files which is not the best way to work when updates arrive for Guestbook. Do you have any idea if you will address this issue later on ?

Regards,

Bernard.

Hi, what do you mean with "I have changed in your files"?

Jan