Prestashop test mail works but cannot send custom e-mails via PHP

[ericRed]

As the title says, I can send a test e-mail via the Prestashop admin panel, but when I try to send a custom e-mail by code using the PHP mail() function it always returns false. I've tried the simplest code:

    $to = '[email protected]';
    $subject = 'the subject';
    $message = 'hello';
    $headers = 'From: [email protected]' . "\r\n" .
                       'Reply-To: [email protected]' . "\r\n" .
                       'X-Mailer: PHP/' . phpversion();

    if(mail($to, $subject, $message, $headers)){
        echo "oh yeah";
    }
    else{
        echo "oh no!";
    }

It returns false. What am I doing wrong?

 

I really appreciate any help you can provide.

Edited June 3, 2014 by ericRed (see edit history)

[bellini13]

you should not use the mail function directly, as it bypasses the email settings you have configured in Prestashop, and instead attempts to use the mail functions defined by your host in the php configuration, which may or may not be valid.

 

Instead you need to use Prestashop Mail::Send function. 

[ericRed]

Thank you for your input; I'll keep it in mind for future projects. As for the problem I had, I think I solved it by setting the From parameter in the mail header as a (fictional) e-mail with the same domain name as the shop itself. Anyhow, it works as intended now so I'll leave it as is.