Mail

Send emails directly from your forms using PHP's native mail() function or SMTP.

Configuration

Add mail configuration to your Flick setup:

$config = [
    'services' => [
        'mail' => [
            'fromAddress' => 'noreply@example.com',
            'fromName' => 'My App',  // Optional
            'mailer' => [
                'transport' => 'mail'  // or 'smtp'
            ]
        ]
    ]
];

$form = new Flick($config);

PHP mail() Transport

The simplest option. Uses your server's built-in mail function:

'mailer' => [
    'transport' => 'mail'
]

SMTP Transport

Connect directly to an SMTP server for reliable delivery. Only transport and host are required:

'mailer' => [
    'transport' => 'smtp',
    'host' => 'smtp.example.com',
]

Defaults:

Option	Default	Description
port	587	SMTP port
encryption	'tls'	'tls' / 'starttls', 'ssl', or 'none' / '' — see below
username	''	Auth skipped if empty
password	''	Auth skipped if empty
timeout	30	Connection timeout in seconds
verifyPeer	true	Verify the server's TLS certificate
allowInsecureAuth	false	Permit sending credentials over an unencrypted connection

What encryption accepts:

Value	Behavior
'tls' or 'starttls'	STARTTLS, required — the send fails rather than quietly falling back to plaintext
'ssl'	Implicit TLS from the first byte, usually port 465
'none' or ''	No encryption at all. Only for a local mail catcher — never over a network

Leave it out, or set it to null, and you get 'tls'. Anything else throws an InvalidArgumentException when the mailer is built, so a typo fails loudly instead of quietly sending in the clear.

Full example with authentication:

'mailer' => [
    'transport' => 'smtp',
    'host' => 'smtp.example.com',
    'port' => 587,
    'encryption' => 'tls',
    'username' => 'your-username',
    'password' => 'your-password'
]

Local development (Laravel Herd, Mailpit, etc.):

'mailer' => [
    'transport' => 'smtp',
    'host' => '127.0.0.1',
    'port' => 2525,
    'encryption' => '',  // Disable TLS for local testing
]

Common SMTP settings:

Provider	Host	Port	Encryption
Gmail	smtp.gmail.com	587	tls
Outlook	smtp.office365.com	587	tls
Yahoo	smtp.mail.yahoo.com	587	tls

---

Basic Usage

Send a Simple Email

if ($form->mail->send('user@example.com', 'Hello!', 'This is the message body.')) {
    $form->successMessage('Email sent!');
} else {
    $form->errorMessage('Failed to send email.');
}

With Options

$form->mail->send('user@example.com', 'Hello!', 'Message body', [
    'fromAddress' => 'custom@example.com',
    'fromName' => 'Custom Sender',
    'cc' => 'copy@example.com',
    'bcc' => 'hidden@example.com',
    'replyTo' => 'reply@example.com',
    'priority' => true  // Mark as high priority
]);

Multiple Recipients

$form->mail->send(
    ['user1@example.com', 'user2@example.com'],
    'Team Update',
    'This message goes to everyone.'
);

---

Send Form Data

Automatically format and send form submissions:

if ($form->submitted()) {
    $request = $form->request('Name[required], Email[required, email], Message[required]');

    if ($form->ok()) {
        $form->mail->sendFormData(
            'admin@example.com',
            'New Contact Form Submission',
            $request
        );
    }
}

This sends a plain-text body like the following, plus an HTML version with the same fields laid out in a table:

Name: John Doe
Email: john@example.com
Message: Hello, I have a question...

Exclude Fields

Hide sensitive or unnecessary fields:

$form->mail->sendFormData('admin@example.com', 'Contact Form', $request, [
    'exclude' => ['_token', 'honeypot', 'password']
]);

---

HTML Emails

Send both plain text and HTML versions (multipart/alternative):

$form->mail->send(
    'user@example.com',
    'Welcome!',
    'Welcome to our site. Thanks for signing up!',  // Plain text fallback
    [
        'html' => '<h1>Welcome!</h1><p>Thanks for signing up!</p>'
    ]
);

Simple Variables

Use {{ variable }} placeholders with the data option:

$form->mail->send(
    $request['email'],
    'Order Confirmation',
    'Hi {{ name }}, your order #{{ order_id }} is confirmed.',
    [
        'html' => '<h1>Thanks, {{ name }}!</h1><p>Order #{{ order_id }} confirmed.</p>',
        'data' => [
            'name' => $request['name'],
            'order_id' => '12345'
        ]
    ]
);

---

Methods

send()

Send an email message.

$form->mail->send(
    string|array $to,
    string $subject,
    string $body,
    array $options = []
): bool

Parameter	Type	Description
$to	string|array	Recipient email address(es)
$subject	string	Email subject line
$body	string	Plain text message body
$options	array	Additional options (see below)

Options:

Option	Type	Description
html	string	HTML version of the email
data	array	Variables for {{ placeholder }} replacement
fromAddress	string	Override sender address
fromName	string	Override sender name
cc	string|array	Carbon copy recipient(s)
bcc	string|array	Blind carbon copy recipient(s)
replyTo	string	Reply-to address
priority	bool	Mark as high priority

Returns: true on success, false on failure.

sendFormData()

Send formatted form data as an email.

$form->mail->sendFormData(
    string|array $to,
    string $subject,
    array $formData,
    array $options = []
): bool

Parameter	Type	Description
$to	string|array	Recipient email address(es)
$subject	string	Email subject line
$formData	array	Key-value pairs from form submission
$options	array	Same as send(), plus exclude

Additional Option:

Option	Type	Description
exclude	array	Field names to omit from the email

---

Complete Example

<?php
require 'vendor/autoload.php';

$form = new Flick\Flick([
    'services' => [
        'mail' => [
            'fromAddress' => 'noreply@myapp.com',
            'fromName' => 'My App',
            'mailer' => [
                'transport' => 'smtp',
                'host' => 'smtp.example.com',
                'port' => 587,
                'encryption' => 'tls',
                'username' => $_ENV['SMTP_USER'],
                'password' => $_ENV['SMTP_PASS']
            ]
        ]
    ]
]);

$form->create('Name, Email, Phone, Message|textarea');

if ($form->submitted()) {
    $request = $form->request('
        Name[required, min:2],
        Email[required, email],
        Phone[phone],
        Message[required, min:10]
    ');

    if ($form->ok()) {
        // Send notification to admin
        $sent = $form->mail->sendFormData(
            'admin@myapp.com',
            'New Contact Form Submission',
            $request
        );

        // Send confirmation to user
        $confirmed = $form->mail->send(
            $request['email'],
            'We received your message',
            "Hi {{ name }},\n\nThank you for contacting us. We'll respond within 24 hours.",
            ['data' => ['name' => $request['name']]]
        );

        if ($sent && $confirmed) {
            $form->successMessage('Message sent! Check your email for confirmation.');
        } else {
            $form->errorMessage('Sorry, your message could not be sent.');
        }
    }
}

$form->create('Name, Email, Phone, Message|textarea');

---

Upgrading to Pro

Need more from your email setup? Flick Pro adds:

• File Attachments - PDFs, images, CSVs with fluent API
• 6+ Transport Providers - SendGrid, Mailgun, Amazon SES, Postmark, Mailjet, Mailtrap
• Advanced Templates - File-based templates with conditionals (@if), nested data access, raw HTML output

// Pro: Attachments
$form->mail
    ->attach('/path/to/invoice.pdf')
    ->send('customer@example.com', 'Your Invoice', 'Attached is your invoice.');

// Pro: SendGrid transport
'mailer' => [
    'transport' => 'sendgrid',
    'key' => 'your-api-key'
]

Get Flick Pro →