{"id":3612,"date":"2019-02-13T17:47:32","date_gmt":"2019-02-13T12:17:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/?p=3612"},"modified":"2026-10-07T14:55:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T09:25:14","slug":"create-contact-form-with-php","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/create-contact-form-with-php\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create a Contact Form with PHP"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Post Date:<\/strong> February 13, 2019
Last Updated:<\/strong> October 07, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A contact form allows website visitors to send enquiries or messages directly to the website owner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this guide, we will explain how to create a simple contact form using HTML and PHP. The form will collect the visitor’s name, email address, and telephone number and send the submitted information to a specified email address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prerequisites<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before creating the contact form, make sure you have the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PHP-Enabled Web Server<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your website must be hosted on a server with PHP support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mail Configuration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The server must have a properly configured mail-sending service. Depending on your hosting environment, PHP’s mail()<\/code> function may require additional mail server configuration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Basic PHP and HTML Knowledge<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Basic knowledge of HTML forms and PHP will help you understand and customize the example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Implementation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Create the Contact Form<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Create an HTML file, such as contact.html<\/code>, and add the following form:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<form name=\"contactform\" method=\"post\" action=\"send_form_email.php\">\n    <table width=\"1000px\">\n        <tr>\n            <td valign=\"top\">\n                <label for=\"first_name\">First Name *<\/label>\n            <\/td>\n            <td valign=\"top\">\n                <input type=\"text\" name=\"first_name\" maxlength=\"50\" size=\"30\" required>\n            <\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n\n        <tr>\n            <td valign=\"top\">\n                <label for=\"email\">Email Address *<\/label>\n            <\/td>\n            <td valign=\"top\">\n                <input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" maxlength=\"80\" size=\"30\" required>\n            <\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n\n        <tr>\n            <td valign=\"top\">\n                <label for=\"telephone\">Telephone Number<\/label>\n            <\/td>\n            <td valign=\"top\">\n                <input type=\"tel\" name=\"telephone\" maxlength=\"30\" size=\"30\">\n            <\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n\n        <tr>\n            <td colspan=\"2\" style=\"text-align:center\">\n                <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\">\n            <\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n    <\/table>\n<\/form>\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
The form submits the entered information to send_form_email.php<\/code> using the POST<\/code> method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 2: Create the PHP Email Handler<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Create a file named:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
send_form_email.php\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Add the following PHP code:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<?php\n\n$email_to = \"example@email.com\";\n$email_subject = \"Enquiry Form\";\n\n$first_name = trim($_POST['first_name'] ?? '');\n$email_from = trim($_POST['email'] ?? '');\n$telephone = trim($_POST['telephone'] ?? '');\n\nif ($first_name === '' || $email_from === '') {\n    exit('Please complete all required fields.');\n}\n\nif (!filter_var($email_from, FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL)) {\n    exit('Please enter a valid email address.');\n}\n\n$first_name = htmlspecialchars($first_name, ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8');\n$telephone = htmlspecialchars($telephone, ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8');\n\n$email_message  = \"First Name: \" . $first_name . \"\\n\";\n$email_message .= \"Email: \" . $email_from . \"\\n\";\n$email_message .= \"Telephone: \" . $telephone . \"\\n\";\n\n$headers  = \"From: \" . $email_from . \"\\r\\n\";\n$headers .= \"Reply-To: \" . $email_from . \"\\r\\n\";\n$headers .= \"X-Mailer: PHP\/\" . phpversion();\n\nif (mail($email_to, $email_subject, $email_message, $headers)) {\n    echo \"Thank you for contacting us.\";\n} else {\n    echo \"Unable to send your message. Please try again later.\";\n}\n\n?>\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Replace:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
example@email.com\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
with the email address where you want to receive the enquiries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 3: Configure the Email Address<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Update the following line:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$email_to = \"example@email.com\";\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$email_to = \"sales@domain.com\";\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
The submitted form details will then be sent to the configured address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 4: Test the Contact Form<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Open the contact form in your browser and enter sample information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n