How to Install PHPMailer in Visual Studio Code?

How to install PHPMailer in visual studio code? If you’re working on a PHP project and need to send emails, PHPMailer is a powerful library to consider. It simplifies the process of sending emails using PHP, supporting various methods like SMTP and integrating seamlessly with email services. This guide will walk you through the process of how to install PHPMailer in visual Studio Code (VS Code).

How to Install PHPMailer in Visual Studio Code? Step-by-Step Guide

Step-1: Prerequisites

Before we start, confirm that you have the following:

• PHP Installed: Make sure PHP is installed on your system. You can verify this by running php -v in terminal.
• Composer Installed: Composer is a dependency manager for PHP that makes it easy to install libraries like PHPMailer. You can check if it’s installed by running composer—v.
• Visual Studio Code: Download and install VS Code from Visual Studio Code’s website if you haven’t already.

Step-2: Setting Up Your Project

1. Create a New Folder:
   • Open VS Code.
   • Create a new folder for your PHP project or open an existing one.
2. Open the Terminal in VS Code:
   • Open the top menu & select Terminal > New Terminal.
   • This opens the integrated terminal within VS Code.

Step-3: Install PHPMailer Using Composer

1. Initialize Composer:
   • Navigate to your project folder in the terminal.
   • Run the command:
     • composer init
   • Following the prompts to set-up your composer.json file.
2. Install PHPMailer:
   • Run the following command to install PHPMailer:
     • composer require phpmailer/phpmailer
   • This will download PHPMailer and its dependencies into the vendor directory of your project.
3. Verify Installation:
   • After installation, check the composer.json file to confirm the addition of PHPMailer.
   • You should see an entry like:
     • “require”: {
       “phpmailer/phpmailer”: “^6.8”
       }

Step-4: Include PHPMailer in Your Project

1. Autoload File:
   PHPMailer uses Composer’s autoloader. Include autoload file in your PHP script:
   require ‘vendor/autoload.php’;
2. Create a Test Script:
   Create a new PHP file, e.g., send_email.php, in your project folder.
   Add the following code to set up & send an email using PHPMailer:

<?php
use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\PHPMailer;
use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\Exception;

require ‘vendor/autoload.php’;

$mail = new PHPMailer(true);

try {
// Server settings
$mail->SMTPDebug = 2; // Enable verbose debug output
$mail->isSMTP(); // Send using SMTP
$mail->Host = ‘smtp.example.com’; // Set the SMTP server to send through
$mail->SMTPAuth = true; // Enable SMTP authentication
$mail->Username = ‘[email protected]’; // SMTP username
$mail->Password = ‘your_password’; // SMTP password
$mail->SMTPSecure = PHPMailer::ENCRYPTION_STARTTLS; // Enable TLS encryption
$mail->Port = 587; // TCP port to connect to

// Recipients
$mail->setFrom(‘[email protected]’, ‘Your Name’);
$mail->addAddress(‘[email protected]’, ‘Recipient Name’); // Add a recipient

// Content
$mail->isHTML(true); // Set email format to HTML
$mail->Subject = ‘Test Email Subject’;
$mail->Body = ‘This is a test email using PHPMailer.’;

$mail->send();
echo ‘Message has been sent’;

} catch (Exception $e) {
echo “Message could not be sent. Mailer Error: {$mail->ErrorInfo}”;
}

Step-5: Run Your Script

1. Start a Local Server:
   • Use PHP’s built-in server to run your script. In the terminal, navigate to your project folder and execute:
   • php -S localhost:8000
   • This starts a local server at http://localhost:8000.
2. Execute the Script:
   • Open a browser and navigate to http://localhost:8000/send_email.php.
   • If configured correctly, you should see a success message indicating the email has been sent.

Step-6: Debugging and Tips

1. Check SMTP Details:
   • Ensure you use the correct SMTP host, port, username, and password for your email provider.
2. Enable Less Secure Apps (if needed):
   • Some email providers require enabling access for less secure apps to use SMTP. Check your email provider’s documentation.
3. Error Handling:
   • PHPMailer provides detailed error messages. Use these to debug issues.
4. Install Extensions:
   • Install PHP-related extensions in VS Code, such as PHP IntelliSense, for better coding support.

Conclusion

How to install PHPMailer in visual studio code? By following these steps, you’ve successfully installed and configured PHPMailer in Visual Studio Code. This setup allows you to send emails from your PHP application efficiently. Whether for password resets, notifications, or newsletters, PHPMailer simplifies email functionality in PHP projects.