email with return path "nobody" rejected

[btimms]

I have a forwarder on a clients email account hosted on my JPC vps to her ISP account at bellsouth which works as expected when sent from other users email accounts. However, a form on the account submits the form data using its script which comes in as expected on her vps account but is rejected at bellsouth when forwarded apparently because the return path is from user nobody@vps.peachtreewebs.com.

Its my understanding that the server adds this return path when when using the standard mail functions.

Any suggestions on getting around this?

Thanks

[Ron]

Is it phpBB version 2.x?

message length filler

[btimms]

No, its just a simple form script using php that sends the form data. I don't have direct access to the script or I would see if I could force the return path somehow.

[Ron]

Yes, the script probably needs to be modified to add the return path. Perhaps the default can be set up in .ini ?? I'm not sure.

For the heck of it, I looked at my modded forum code. Here is how it was modified for phpBB 2.x
2 spots in /path/to/forumroot/includes/emailer.php: (near lines 212 and 227)

find
$result = @mail($to, $this->subject, preg_replace("#(?<!\r)\n#s", "\n", $this->msg), $this->extra_headers);

replace with

$result = @mail($to, $this->subject, preg_replace("#(?<!\r)\n#s", "\n", $this->msg), $this->extra_headers, "-f " . $board_config['board_email']);

I'm going to go look at php.ini see if there's a solution in there.

[Ron]

I find:

mail.force_extra_parameters
and
sendmail_from

That look interesting. Off to google (or php.net)!

[Ron]

Looks like you can set the value (either "-f whateveruser@whateverdomain.com" for mail.force_extra_parameters or just "whateveruser@whateverdomain.com" for sendmail_from) in either place.

[btimms]

Yea, I had found that and I'll fool around with it some. I want to do it to the scripts ini because that will isolate the change to the script whereas doing it to the php.ini will effect all sites.

Thanks

[Gwaihir]

If you want to avoid modifying the third party scritp, you could perhaps wrap it in a script of your own that makes those settings?

[btimms]

I've considered that and may well yet do it. This form and script is an extension to Joomla which I have earlier versions on other sites which have not had the problem. It would simplify my life if I can get this solved at the extension level and the developers are cooperating. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Ron]

I should hope they are cooperating, it is about 5 seconds' worth of coding.