Welcome to the Treehouse Community

Want to collaborate on code errors? Have bugs you need feedback on? Looking for an extra set of eyes on your latest project? Get support with fellow developers, designers, and programmers of all backgrounds and skill levels here with the Treehouse Community! While you're at it, check out some resources Treehouse students have shared here.

Looking to learn something new?

Treehouse offers a seven day free trial for new students. Get access to thousands of hours of content and join thousands of Treehouse students and alumni in the community today.

Start your free trial

PHP Build a Basic PHP Website (2018) Enhancing a Form Setting an Error Message Variable

How can I modify the code to make the email subject readable?

Here is Alena's code and if I use this code, I get a message with unreadable subject on gmail. My mother tongue is Japanese and I wrote the subject in Japanese. Please help me.

<?php

if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST") {
  $name = trim(filter_input(INPUT_POST,"name",FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING));
  $email = trim(filter_input(INPUT_POST,"email",FILTER_SANITIZE_EMAIL));
  $category = trim(filter_input(INPUT_POST,"category",FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING));
  $title = trim(filter_input(INPUT_POST,"title",FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING));
  $format = trim(filter_input(INPUT_POST,"format",FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING));
  $genre = trim(filter_input(INPUT_POST,"genre",FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING));
  $year = trim(filter_input(INPUT_POST,"year",FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING));
  $details = trim(filter_input(INPUT_POST,"details",FILTER_SANITIZE_SPECIAL_CHARS));

if ($name == "" || $email == "" || $category == "" || $title == "") {
    $error_message = "Please fill in the required fields: Name, Email, Category and Title";
}
if (!isset($error_message) && $_POST["address"] != "") {
    $error_message = "Bad form input";
}

require("inc/phpmailer/class.phpmailer.php");

$mail = new PHPMailer;

if (!isset($error_message) && !$mail->ValidateAddress($email)) {
    $error_message = "Invalid Email Address";
}

if (!isset($error_message)) {
    $email_body = "";
    $email_body .= "Name " . $name . "\n";
    $email_body .= "Email " . $email . "\n";
    $email_body .= "Suggested Item\n";
    $email_body .= "Category " . $category . "\n";
    $email_body .= "Title " . $title . "\n";
    $email_body .= "Format " . $format . "\n";
    $email_body .= "Genre " . $genre . "\n";
    $email_body .= "Year " . $year . "\n";
    $email_body .= "Details " . $details . "\n";

    $mail->setFrom($email, $name);
    $mail->addAddress('treehouse@localhost', 'Alena');     // Add a recipient

    $mail->isHTML(false);                                  // Set email format to HTML

    $mail->Subject = 'Personal Media Library Suggestion from ' . $name;
    $mail->Body    = $email_body;

    if($mail->send()) {
        header("location:suggest.php?status=thanks");
        exit;
    }
    $error_message = 'Message could not be sent.';
    $error_message .= 'Mailer Error: ' . $mail->ErrorInfo;
}

}

$pageTitle = "Suggest a Media Item";
$section = "suggest";

include("inc/header.php"); 
?>

<div class="section page">
  <div class="wrapper">
    <h1>Suggest a Media Item</h1>
    <?php if (isset($_GET["status"]) && $_GET["status"] == "thanks") {
        echo "<p>Thanks for the email! I&rsquo;ll check out your suggestion shortly!</p>";
    } else {
        if (isset($error_message)) {
            echo "<p class='message'>".$error_message . "</p>";
        } else {
            echo "<p>If you think there is something I&rsquo;m missing, let me know! Complete the form to send me an email.</p>";
        }
    ?>
    <form method="post" action="suggest.php">
        <table>
        <tr>
            <th><label for="name">Name (required)</label></th>
            <td><input type="text" id="name" name="name" /></td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <th><label for="email">Email (required)</label></th>
            <td><input type="text" id="email" name="email" /></td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <th><label for="category">Category (required)</label></th>
            <td><select id="category" name="category">
                <option value="">Select One</option>
                <option value="Books">Book</option>
                <option value="Movies">Movie</option>
                <option value="Music">Music</option>
            </select></td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <th><label for="title">Title (required)</label></th>
            <td><input type="text" id="title" name="title" /></td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <th><label for="format">Format</label></th>
            <td><select id="format" name="format">
                <option value="">Select One</option>
                <optgroup label="Books">
                    <option value="Audio">Audio</option>
                    <option value="Ebook">Ebook</option>
                    <option value="Hardback">Hardback</option>
                    <option value="Paperback">Paperback</option>
                </optgroup>
                <optgroup label="Movies">
                    <option value="Blu-ray">Blu-ray</option>
                    <option value="DVD">DVD</option>
                    <option value="Streaming">Streaming</option>
                    <option value="VHS">VHS</option>
                </optgroup>
                <optgroup label="Music">
                    <option value="Cassette">Cassette</option>
                    <option value="CD">CD</option>
                    <option value="MP3">MP3</option>
                    <option value="Vinyl">Vinyl</option>
                </optgroup>
            </select></td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <th>
                <label for="genre">Genre</label>
            </th>
            <td>
                <select name="genre" id="genre">
                    <option value="">Select One</option>
                    <optgroup label="Books">
                        <option value="Action">Action</option>
                        <option value="Adventure">Adventure</option>
                        <option value="Comedy">Comedy</option>
                        <option value="Fantasy">Fantasy</option>
                        <option value="Historical">Historical</option>
                        <option value="Historical Fiction">Historical Fiction</option>
                        <option value="Horror">Horror</option>
                        <option value="Magical Realism">Magical Realism</option>
                        <option value="Mystery">Mystery</option>
                        <option value="Paranoid">Paranoid</option>
                        <option value="Philosophical">Philosophical</option>
                        <option value="Political">Political</option>
                        <option value="Romance">Romance</option>
                        <option value="Saga">Saga</option>
                        <option value="Satire">Satire</option>
                        <option value="Sci-Fi">Sci-Fi</option>
                        <option value="Tech">Tech</option>
                        <option value="Thriller">Thriller</option>
                        <option value="Urban">Urban</option>
                    </optgroup>
                    <optgroup label="Movies">
                        <option value="Action">Action</option>
                        <option value="Adventure">Adventure</option>
                        <option value="Animation">Animation</option>
                        <option value="Biography">Biography</option>
                        <option value="Comedy">Comedy</option>
                        <option value="Crime">Crime</option>
                        <option value="Documentary">Documentary</option>
                        <option value="Drama">Drama</option>
                        <option value="Family">Family</option>
                        <option value="Fantasy">Fantasy</option>
                        <option value="Film-Noir">Film-Noir</option>
                        <option value="History">History</option>
                        <option value="Horror">Horror</option>
                        <option value="Musical">Musical</option>
                        <option value="Mystery">Mystery</option>
                        <option value="Romance">Romance</option>
                        <option value="Sci-Fi">Sci-Fi</option>
                        <option value="Sport">Sport</option>
                        <option value="Thriller">Thriller</option>
                        <option value="War">War</option>
                        <option value="Western">Western</option>
                    </optgroup>
                    <optgroup label="Music">
                        <option value="Alternative">Alternative</option>
                        <option value="Blues">Blues</option>
                        <option value="Classical">Classical</option>
                        <option value="Country">Country</option>
                        <option value="Dance">Dance</option>
                        <option value="Easy Listening">Easy Listening</option>
                        <option value="Electronic">Electronic</option>
                        <option value="Folk">Folk</option>
                        <option value="Hip Hop/Rap">Hip Hop/Rap</option>
                        <option value="Inspirational/Gospel">Insirational/Gospel</option>
                        <option value="Jazz">Jazz</option>
                        <option value="Latin">Latin</option>
                        <option value="New Age">New Age</option>
                        <option value="Opera">Opera</option>
                        <option value="Pop">Pop</option>
                        <option value="R&B/Soul">R&amp;B/Soul</option>
                        <option value="Reggae">Reggae</option>
                        <option value="Rock">Rock</option>
                    </optgroup>
                </select>
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <th><label for="year">Year</label></th>
            <td><input type="text" id="year" name="year" /></td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <th><label for="name">Additional Details</label></th>
            <td><textarea name="details" id="details"></textarea></td>
        </tr>
        <tr style="display:none">
            <th><label for="address">Address</label></th>
            <td><input type="text" id="address" name="address" />
            <p>Please leave this field blank</p></td>
        </tr>
        </table>
        <input type="submit" value="Send" />
    </form>
    <?php } ?>
  </div>
</div>

<?php include("inc/footer.php"); ?>

2 Answers

I added "$mail->CharSet = 'UTF-8';"

thank you