Email::Valid(3pm) User Contributed Perl Documentation Email::Valid(3pm)NAMEEmail::Valid - Check validity of Internet email addresses
VERSION
version 1.192
SYNOPSIS
use Email::Valid;
my $address = Email::Valid->address('maurice@hevanet.com');
print ($address ? 'yes' : 'no');
DESCRIPTION
This module determines whether an email address is well-formed, and
optionally, whether a mail host exists for the domain.
Please note that there is no way to determine whether an address is
deliverable without attempting delivery (for details, see perlfaq 9).
PREREQUISITES
This module requires perl 5.004 or later and the Mail::Address module.
Either the Net::DNS module or the nslookup utility is required for DNS
checks. The Net::Domain::TLD module is required to check the validity
of top level domains.
METHODS
Every method which accepts an <ADDRESS> parameter may
be passed either a string or an instance of the Mail::Address
class. All errors raise an exception.
new ( [PARAMS] )
This method is used to construct an Email::Valid object. It
accepts an optional list of named parameters to control the
behavior of the object at instantiation.
The following named parameters are allowed. See the individual
methods below of details.
-mxcheck
-tldcheck
-fudge
-fqdn
-allow_ip
-local_rules
mx ( <ADDRESS>|<DOMAIN> )
This method accepts an email address or domain name and determines
whether a DNS record (A or MX) exists for it.
The method returns true if a record is found and undef if not.
Either the Net::DNS module or the nslookup utility is required for
DNS checks. Using Net::DNS is the preferred method since error
handling is improved. If Net::DNS is available, you can modify the
behavior of the resolver (e.g. change the default tcp_timeout
value) by manipulating the global Net::DNS::Resolver instance
stored in $Email::Valid::Resolver.
rfc822 ( <ADDRESS> )
This method determines whether an address conforms to the RFC822
specification (except for nested comments). It returns true if it
conforms and undef if not.
fudge ( <TRUE>|<FALSE> )
Specifies whether calls to address() should attempt to correct
common addressing errors. Currently, this results in the removal
of spaces in AOL addresses, and the conversion of commas to periods
in Compuserve addresses. The default is false.
allow_ip ( <TRUE>|<FALSE> )
Specifies whether a "domain literal" is acceptable as the domain
part. That means addresses like: "rjbs@[1.2.3.4]"
The checking for the domain literal is stricter than the RFC and
looser than checking for a valid IP address, but this is subject to
change.
The default is true.
fqdn ( <TRUE>|<FALSE> )
Species whether addresses passed to address() must contain a fully
qualified domain name (FQDN). The default is true.
Please note! FQDN checks only occur for non-domain-literals. In
other words, if you have set "allow_ip" and the address ends in a
bracketed IP address, the FQDN check will not occur.
tld ( <ADDRESS> )
This method determines whether the domain part of an address is in
a recognized top-level domain.
Please note! TLD checks only occur for non-domain-literals. In
other words, if you have set "allow_ip" and the address ends in a
bracketed IP address, the TLD check will not occur.
local_rules ( <TRUE>|<FALSE> )
Specifies whether addresses passed to address() should be tested
for domain specific restrictions. Currently, this is limited to
certain AOL restrictions that I'm aware of. The default is false.
mxcheck ( <TRUE>|<FALSE> )
Specifies whether addresses passed to address() should be checked
for a valid DNS entry. The default is false.
tldcheck ( <TRUE>|<FALSE> )
Specifies whether addresses passed to address() should be checked
for a valid top level domains. The default is false.
address ( <ADDRESS> )
This is the primary method which determines whether an email
address is valid. It's behavior is modified by the values of
mxcheck(), tldcheck(), local_rules(), fqdn(), and fudge(). If the
address passes all checks, the (possibly modified) address is
returned as a string. Otherwise, the undefined value is returned.
In a list context, the method also returns an instance of the
Mail::Address class representing the email address.
details ()
If the last call to address() returned undef, you can call this
method to determine why it failed. Possible values are:
rfc822
localpart
local_rules
fqdn
mxcheck
tldcheck
If the class is not instantiated, you can get the same information
from the global $Email::Valid::Details.
EXAMPLES
Let's see if the address 'maurice@hevanet.com' conforms to the RFC822
specification:
print (Email::Valid->address('maurice@hevanet.com') ? 'yes' : 'no');
Additionally, let's make sure there's a mail host for it:
print (Email::Valid->address( -address => 'maurice@hevanet.com',
-mxcheck => 1 ) ? 'yes' : 'no');
Let's see an example of how the address may be modified:
$addr = Email::Valid->address('Alfred Neuman <Neuman @ foo.bar>');
print "$addr\n"; # prints Neuman@foo.bar
Now let's add the check for top level domains:
$addr = Email::Valid->address( -address => 'Neuman@foo.bar',
-tldcheck => 1 );
print "$addr\n"; # doesn't print anything
Need to determine why an address failed?
unless(Email::Valid->address('maurice@hevanet')) {
print "address failed $Email::Valid::Details check.\n";
}
If an error is encountered, an exception is raised. This is really
only possible when performing DNS queries. Trap any exceptions by
wrapping the call in an eval block:
eval {
$addr = Email::Valid->address( -address => 'maurice@hevanet.com',
-mxcheck => 1 );
};
warn "an error was encountered: $@" if $@;
CREDITS
Significant portions of this module are based on the ckaddr program
written by Tom Christiansen and the RFC822 address pattern developed by
Jeffrey Friedl. Neither were involved in the construction of this
module; all errors are mine.
Thanks very much to the following people for their suggestions and bug
fixes:
Otis Gospodnetic <otis@DOMINIS.com>
Kim Ryan <kimaryan@ozemail.com.au>
Pete Ehlke <pde@listserv.music.sony.com>
Lupe Christoph
David Birnbaum
Achim
Elizabeth Mattijsen (liz@dijkmat.nl)
SEE ALSO
Mail::Address, Net::DNS, Net::Domain::TLD, perlfaq9
AUTHOR
Maurice Aubrey <maurice@hevanet.com>
COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE
This software is copyright (c) 1998 by Maurice Aubrey.
This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under
the same terms as the Perl 5 programming language system itself.
perl v5.18.1 2013-09-08 Email::Valid(3pm)