Email Return-Path can not be configured

[dexus]

Will anything ever happend about Return-Path mail header...? WHMCS really need to allow us to set Return-Path, and to be able to send valid emails. This is something that is being requested for 5+ years and still nothing. Why?

 

Please allow us to configure "Return-Path" in WHMCS configuration, so WHMCS can send valid emails.

 

This is really a serious issue.

[WHMCS Nate]

Hi there,

 

This forum is specifically designed for bug reports, not additions of functionality. As such I am moving this thread to the technical issues and questions section.

 

Have a great day,

 

Nate C

[dexus]

Email sent by php mail function, that don't have "Return-Path" set can not be DKIM signed. This is a serious bug in WHMCS.

 

Beside that "Return-Path" must be configurable, because we don't want all bounce emails back to the same email address, and to our help desk.

 

This is really important feature that has been requested for years, and it's really easy to implement for 30 minutes, but it's completely ignored by WHMCS development team for 5+ years.

 

We are really desperate after 5 years of waiting for this option in WHMCS. Every software that send email and consider email sending important part of the app, like WHMCS really should, have this option for years.

 

Please do something about this.

[WHMCS John]

Hi,

We welcome suggestions for new features in our feature request system at: http://requests.whmcs.com

Feel free to search for this suggestion and vote it up. If it doesn't exist then please do create a new feature request.

[dexus]

Thanks for suggestion, but that will probably require another 5 years of waiting.

 

Return-Path is basic and required mail header, and every other software that send email on this planet have this configurable. Why is so hard to understand basic email header structure and just add this simple option that needs 15 minutes of development time, and instead you suggest to wait another 5 years to collect votes for this.

[dexus]

I have now suggested this as a new feature...

 

https://requests.whmcs.com/responses/configurable-return-path-email-header

 

I hope it will get some attention soon, but it's still a shame that WHMCS don't understand the basic email header structure and really important feature that should be implemented few years ago.

[brian!]

if you're using PHP Mail() to send your emails, you could try editing the class.phpmailer.php file..

 

/includes/classes/PHPMailer/class.phpmailer.php ~ line 89...

 

    /**
    * The Sender email (Return-Path) of the message.
    * If not empty, will be sent via -f to sendmail or as 'MAIL FROM' in smtp mode.
    * @type string
    */
   public $Sender = 'bounce@domain.com';

replace the email address above with your bounce email address and it will add it to your email headers:

 

Return-path: <bounce@domain.com>

[dexus]

Already tried that long time ago. It doesn't work. I have no idea why and what did they do there, so we can't even modify that parameter in the class directly, because WHMCS somehow override it, probably just with empty string. We could probably do that directly in the createHeader function, but that would be very ugly solution.

[brian!]

Already tried that long time ago. It doesn't work.

are you sure?

 

I tried it before posting.. I made the above changes and resent an invoice - the return-path was shown in the email headers... using v5.3.11

[dexus]

Sorry, I just noticed the difference. I never tried changing the $Sender variable, I think I changed only $ReturnPath variable.

 

We have multiple email templates with different "from" addresses, so we can't really override the "sender". We have to set only ReturnPath without altering From field, but that didn't work with $ReturnPath variable.

[brian!]

Sorry, I just noticed the difference. I never tried changing the $Sender variable, I think I changed only $ReturnPath variable.

I tried changing that return-path value first too... as you say, it does nothing.

 

We have multiple email templates with different "from" addresses, so we can't really override the "sender". We have to set only ReturnPath without altering From field, but that didn't work with $ReturnPath variable.

for me, it doesn't change the "From" address, all it does is add a return-path line in the header - the "From" address remains the same as defined in the email template... I tested using a Gmail address as the "sender" (aka return-path)... it does change the "envelope-from" address, but everything else appears untouched.

[dexus]

I have just tried to change $Sender as you suggested and it really works. I also tried changing $ReturnPath only variable again, and that really does not work, but $Sender works great and it does not alter From field as I expected, and I don't see any other issues with it, email is now DKIM signed, so for now it looks like this is a solution.

 

Thank you...

[brian!]

I have just tried to change $Sender as you suggested and it really works.

 

Thank you...

my pleasure!

 

remember to check, when updating WHMCS in the future, whether the above file has been updated as it will overwrite the changes you have just made.

[dexus]

remember to check, when updating WHMCS in the future, whether the above file has been updated as it will overwrite the changes you have just made.

 

Yes, of course. We already have a lot of customisations in WHMCS, where ever it was possible, so we have just added one more thing to upgrade checklist.