XF 1.1 Members not getting email notices from watched threads

[Wildcat Media]

I had a small number of complaints about users not receiving email notices of watched threads. While looking through the server error logs, I'm now finding mail transport errors that point to this problem:

Zend_Mail_Transport_Exception: Unable to send mail. mail() [<a href='function.mail'>function.mail</a>]: Bad parameters to mail() function, mail not sent. - library/Zend/Mail/Transport/Sendmail.php:137
Generated By: LordThanos1969, Today at 7:59 PM
Stack Trace
#0 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/Zend/Mail/Transport/Abstract.php(348): Zend_Mail_Transport_Sendmail->_sendMail()
#1 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/Zend/Mail.php(1194): Zend_Mail_Transport_Abstract->send(Object(Zend_Mail))
#2 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/Mail.php(177): Zend_Mail->send()
#3 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/Mail.php(152): XenForo_Mail->sendMail(Object(Zend_Mail))
#4 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/Mail.php(204): XenForo_Mail->send('Takicat@msn.com', 'TakiJones', Array, '', '', '')
#5 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/Model/ThreadWatch.php(234): XenForo_Mail->queue('Takicat@msn.com', 'TakiJones')
#6 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/DataWriter/DiscussionMessage/Post.php(108): XenForo_Model_ThreadWatch->sendNotificationToWatchUsersOnReply(Array, NULL, Array)
#7 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/DataWriter.php(1399): XenForo_DataWriter_DiscussionMessage_Post->_postSaveAfterTransaction()
#8 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/ControllerPublic/Thread.php(504): XenForo_DataWriter->save()
#9 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/FrontController.php(310): XenForo_ControllerPublic_Thread->actionAddReply()
#10 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/FrontController.php(132): XenForo_FrontController->dispatch(Object(XenForo_RouteMatch))
#11 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/index.php(13): XenForo_FrontController->run()
#12 {main}

Error Info
Zend_Mail_Transport_Exception: Unable to send mail. mail() [<a href='function.mail'>function.mail</a>]: Bad parameters to mail() function, mail not sent. - library/Zend/Mail/Transport/Sendmail.php:137
Generated By: apple-richard, Today at 9:08 PM
Stack Trace
#0 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/Zend/Mail/Transport/Abstract.php(348): Zend_Mail_Transport_Sendmail->_sendMail()
#1 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/Zend/Mail.php(1194): Zend_Mail_Transport_Abstract->send(Object(Zend_Mail))
#2 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/Mail.php(177): Zend_Mail->send()
#3 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/Mail.php(152): XenForo_Mail->sendMail(Object(Zend_Mail))
#4 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/Mail.php(204): XenForo_Mail->send('ptortoise@comca...', 'bumbletort', Array, '', '', '')
#5 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/Model/ThreadWatch.php(234): XenForo_Mail->queue('ptortoise@comca...', 'bumbletort')
#6 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/DataWriter/DiscussionMessage/Post.php(108): XenForo_Model_ThreadWatch->sendNotificationToWatchUsersOnReply(Array, NULL, Array)
#7 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/DataWriter.php(1399): XenForo_DataWriter_DiscussionMessage_Post->_postSaveAfterTransaction()
#8 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/ControllerPublic/Thread.php(504): XenForo_DataWriter->save()
#9 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/FrontController.php(310): XenForo_ControllerPublic_Thread->actionAddReply()
#10 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/FrontController.php(132): XenForo_FrontController->dispatch(Object(XenForo_RouteMatch))
#11 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/index.php(13): XenForo_FrontController->run()
#12 {main}

Error Info
Zend_Mail_Transport_Exception: Unable to send mail. mail() [<a href='function.mail'>function.mail</a>]: Bad parameters to mail() function, mail not sent. - library/Zend/Mail/Transport/Sendmail.php:137
Generated By: Bill, Yesterday at 5:12 PM
Stack Trace
#0 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/Zend/Mail/Transport/Abstract.php(348): Zend_Mail_Transport_Sendmail->_sendMail()
#1 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/Zend/Mail.php(1194): Zend_Mail_Transport_Abstract->send(Object(Zend_Mail))
#2 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/Mail.php(177): Zend_Mail->send()
#3 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/Mail.php(152): XenForo_Mail->sendMail(Object(Zend_Mail))
#4 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/Mail.php(204): XenForo_Mail->send('Roland.Stauber@...', 'rjstauber', Array, '', '', '')
#5 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/Model/ThreadWatch.php(234): XenForo_Mail->queue('Roland.Stauber@...', 'rjstauber')
#6 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/DataWriter/DiscussionMessage/Post.php(108): XenForo_Model_ThreadWatch->sendNotificationToWatchUsersOnReply(Array, NULL, Array)
#7 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/DataWriter.php(1399): XenForo_DataWriter_DiscussionMessage_Post->_postSaveAfterTransaction()
#8 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/ControllerPublic/Thread.php(504): XenForo_DataWriter->save()
#9 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/FrontController.php(310): XenForo_ControllerPublic_Thread->actionAddReply()
#10 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/library/XenForo/FrontController.php(132): XenForo_FrontController->dispatch(Object(XenForo_RouteMatch))
#11 /usr/www/users/shtv/xfmain/index.php(13): XenForo_FrontController->run()
#12 {main}

Any ideas?

(I removed the "request state" for privacy reasons, but can send it to XF staff if they need it for troubleshooting.)

 

[Digital Doctor]

You hit your limit on emails you are allowed to send ?

 

[Digital Doctor]

Are you using GoDaddy ?
http://xenforo.com/community/threads/confirmation-email-problem.25355/

 

[Wildcat Media]

You hit your limit on emails you are allowed to send ?

No, we have a dedicated server, and have no limit.

And...friends don't let friends use GoDaddy.

 

[Wildcat Media]

Should add this. A user is getting emails for threads he starts, but for other watched threads, he is not getting notices.

My email address is correct in the profile. I have received an email notification for this thread which I started but not for the watched threads which were started from other members.

 

[Digital Doctor]

http://xenforo.com/community/search...mail+Bad+parameters+to+mail()+function&o=date

Jake suggested this

What language does your forum use?

After reading Mike's link this appears to be a server problem in which case you should contact Godaddy. People in that thread have also posted some ways to avoid the error. Suggestions include:

1) Remove variables from the subject line. This one doesn't make sense to me.

2) Remove non-English characters from the subject line.

3) Limit the subject to 40 characters for non-English languages.

So to avoid the error you need to edit the email subject phrases:

Admin CP -> Appearance -> Search Phrases

Search for phrases containing "_subject", as well as this specific phrase:

reply_to_watched_thread_x

That covers all email subjects.

 

[Wildcat Media]

I'd read through that--nothing applies from what I can tell. We're English only. But even if someone inputs an extended character, it should not make the email system bomb out. I'd file that under a bug report.

 

[Digital Doctor]

Other forums seem to have the problem as well.

 

[Digital Doctor]

Alot of people don't know if you don't check a thread after one alert .... you stop getting alerts.
To restart getting the alerts ... they have to revisit the thread.
ie. go to all the threads here ...
http://xenforo.com/community/watched/threads

 

[Wildcat Media]

Not just forums either--it seems to be Zend-specific, as I've seen a couple of CMS systems listed in the Google search I did.

A little regex would filter out characters, but...where to put it? And we don't even know if that's the problem.

Pretty sad that a minor input like that would make it fail. I've written a lot of backends in my day for sites, and have had to make them as "user-proof" as possible.

 

[Wildcat Media]

Alot of people don't know if you don't check a thread after one alert .... you stop getting alerts.
To restart getting the alerts ... they have to revisit the thread.
ie. go to all the threads here ...
http://xenforo.com/community/watched/threads

That's a possibility as well. I still remember that from vB--I think it worked similarly. You'd only get the one alert to prompt you back to the thread, but once you did, you'd get another alert the next time someone replied. We had the forum on vB 3.7 previously, so they should be used to the same behavior in XF as well.