Email Error: Data not accepted.

[rbobzin]

I have tried dozebs of search terms, read countless postings in dozens of forums (some several times), and dug through so many php files I have "<?" signs spinning around my head. But I can't find the reason nor solution to the fact that all of a sudden the site I'm working on can't send emails.

What's worse - I know the answer is going to be something really dumb!

Anyway, until a couple weeks ago, all emails were sending out just fine. Then I uploaded the site to our new host's server and, since the client's domain had not yet transferred over, I figured email coming from sales@hisdomain wouldn't work, so turned it off in Admin.

I then added several modules (Super Orders 2.0, Admin profiles, Sales Reports and Export Shipping Info) to the site, made a bunch of override changes, upgraded from 1.3.7 to 1.3.7.1, had host install SSL certificate, and turned SSL on in the 2 configure files, and basically got the site ready to go "live". Until I turned send emails back on in Admin, that is!

First I got "Email Error: Data not accepted." from the checkout-confirmation. I noticed in Super Orders that the [mailto] link in the order details page was blank - that is, no email address - and figured this was the problem. Also saw that in Super Orders "edit contact info" window that there was no customer info, just billing name, address, etc. Went to phpMyAdmin and looked at orders and, sure enough, all the fields starting with "customers_" were blank. I spent most of the day checking file by file for differences in mod files, my overrides, 1.3.7 vs. 1.3.7.1, and if all SQL patches had worked properly. Then I uninstalled the "Add'l Customers Fields" mod - which has been a very annoying source of problems and complete waste of time from day one - and thought maybe all was now OK.

So I entered more orders, but still got "Email Error: Data not accepted." I did notice that the orders file now showed data in the customers_ fields, so I guess that problem was fixed but also not the cause of the email problem. Then I created a new customer account - and got the error again in the new account confirmation email!

OK, I said, it's got to be an email config issue and I can fix this - I tried every email transport method available with every conceivable Admin email setting for each - nope. I then downloaded all the files from the server, set them back up on localhost, and configured email to work like it always had so well before - nothing.

What I also don't get is that the email archive says the account creation confirmation email was indeed sent, although the order confirmation emails were not.

I'm stumped - no clue what to do next. And the really frustrating thing is that this is the only thing keeping the site from going "live". Grrr!

Is there anybody who might be able to shed some light on this? I would really appreciate it.

[DrByte]

If it's making it into the email-history, then any delivery problems are happening on the mailserver.
If it's being rejected with an error, the archive should never see it.

Some things to try:
1. setup a fresh Zen Cart install into another folder along with another database. Use the appropriate email address during installation.
Be sure to install the demo data.

2. Test the emails
- turn on email archiving, but touch as few other email settings as possible
- Create a test account - does the email send?
- Make a purchase- do you get the email?
- Ensure you have the right transport method, if the emails aren't getting through

3. Once it's all working, review the email settings in the "new" site, and set things up to match in the "old" site.


Now, if your problem is between your localhost setup and your live server, and your concern is related to live-server processing of email, then you should be doing all this on the live server, in order to configure its settings properly.

Remember, keep as many defaults as possible, only changing things with a specific purpose in mind.
The issue should only be the transport method (and SMTP settings if you're using them), and maybe the line-ending mode.

The "Data not accepted" message should actually be "SMTP Error: Data not accepted." ... which suggests that it's only appearing when using one of the SMTP transport methods.


Other debugging:
a. create a new file: /includes/extra_datafiles/email_debug.php and put the following in it:

<?php  define('EMAIL_SYSTEM_DEBUG','5'); ?>

Upload it to your server, and test sending an email.
Report back with the results ... could be a lot of ugly/confusing stuff on-screen...

b. other email troubleshooting tips:
http://www.zen-cart.com/wiki/index.p...Email_Problems

[rbobzin]

Thanks, I'll try that now. In the meantime, to make things even more confusing, when I turn Admin->Email Options->Send emails to "false", I can send emails from Admin->Tools->Send email, but when it's set to "true", I get the error!

This is truly driving me nuts, and I very much appreciate your quick and productive response.

I'll let you know...

[DrByte]

to make things even more confusing, when I turn Admin->Email Options->Send emails to "false", I can send emails from Admin->Tools->Send email, but when it's set to "true", I get the error!

If you have Send Emails set to "false", you'll see no errors because it just aborts the sending process silently. That feature is mainly intended for techies who are doing backups or testing someone's database and don't want emails to be sent during testing, esp on a live shop.
That's why you get no error when it's set to false.

[rbobzin]

Hi Doc,

I set up new demo store (with products) on remote server, turned on email archiving, created new account, placed new order and ... received all the emails I could ever want!

I then copied each demo store's email options exactly to the real site's email options, placed a new order, and got this error after clicking on "confirm order":

Email Error: Could not instantiate mail function. Please check Admin->Configuration->Email Options->Email Transport.

For some reason, I think it has to do with the fact that on the real site the orders table has no data in the various "customer_xxx" fields (no clue why!) and so, when the email module sends info to the server's email program, there's nothing in the "To:" field so the server rejects it. But I'm only guessing here.

How do I check the results of your email_debug.php file?

Thanks!

[DrByte]

For some reason, I think it has to do with the fact that on the real site the orders table has no data in the various "customer_xxx" fields (no clue why!) and so, when the email module sends info to the server's email program, there's nothing in the "To:" field so the server rejects it. But I'm only guessing here.

That would definitely be a problem, and that's where you should be spending your time fixing things.

How do I check the results of your email_debug.php file?

There is no email_debug.php file. If you have archiving enabled, then your emails are stored in the database. You can view those with phpMyAdmin or using the Email Archive Manager contribution in the downloads area.

[rbobzin]

In your first response, you told me to create that file and upload it to includes/extra_datafiles, which I did. Then you said the results might be "ugly". I was asking how I could see the results.

I'm digging into the blank email address problem. I think it has to do with one of 2 mods - Add'l Customers Fields (what a disaster!) or Super Orders 2.0. No responses from their support forums, and whatever fixes were suggested in previous posts for what might have been the same or similar problem were tried without success.

OK, I'm digging...

[DrByte]

In your first response, you told me to create that file and upload it to includes/extra_datafiles, which I did. Then you said the results might be "ugly". I was asking how I could see the results.

Sorry, I completely missed that. Not enough sleep.

Setting the email debug level using that method "should" cause all the communications between your server and your mailserver to be show on-screen when an email is sent.
It's possible that it may only affect SMTP mode, and not other transport methods.

[rbobzin]

OK, I get it. Now for the $64m question:

I have very carefully installed modules and copied some overrides from the real site to the demo site, and so far all is working great. In fact, it looks like the Add'l Cust Fields was indeed the culprit (although, to be fair, it could have been the many edits I made to that mod due to constant bugs, updates, etc.) Thank God I found a way to work without it!

Because of these many mod edits, and many with overrides, etc., I think the safest way to produce a good working site is to use the new demo site instead of the original real site. I have a pretty good idea which files to copy over, and how, but I'm worried about the db tables. The only critical data needed from the (let's now say "old" and "new") old site is the categories, subcategories, and products data. You think it's OK to use phpMyAdmin's export/import routines to copy the relevant files from old site's db over to new? Looking at the tables, it seems I really only need the 2 category tables, and the dozen or so products files. Or are these files linked to a bunch of other files to such an extent that this would not be a good idea?

Your call, and I think I'll get this site done! Thanks again.

[DrByte]

If you're comfortable using phpMyAdmin to manage and manipulate database content, then this grouped database schema doc may help you extract the data you're looking for:
http://www.zen-cart.com/wiki/index.p...a#Product_Info

I hope none of the mods you tested have made structural changes to the tables you plan to transfer...