---
name: "Mail::Mailer"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "perl-mailtools"
version: "2.22-3"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/Mail::Mailer"
---

# Mail::Mailer(3pm)

send simple emails

## NAME

Mail::Mailer - send simple emails

## INHERITANCE

```
 Mail::Mailer
   is an IO::Handle
```

## SYNOPSIS

```
  use Mail::Mailer;
  use Mail::Mailer qw(mail);    # specifies default mailer
  $mailer = Mail::Mailer->new;
  $mailer = Mail::Mailer->new($type, @args);
  $mailer->open(\%headers);
  print $mailer $body;
  $mailer->close
      or die "couldn't send whole message: $!\n";
```

## DESCRIPTION

Sends mail using any of the built-in methods.  As TYPE argument to **new()**, you can specify any of

- "sendmail"

  Use the `"sendmail"` program to deliver the mail.

- "smtp"

  Use the `"smtp"` protocol via Net::SMTP to deliver the mail. The server to use can be specified in `@args` with

  ```
   $mailer = Mail::Mailer->new('smtp', Server => $server);
  ```

  The smtp mailer does not handle `"Cc"` and `"Bcc"` lines, neither their `"Resent-*"` fellows. The `"Debug"` options enables debugging output from `"Net::SMTP"`.

  \[added 2.21\] You may also use the `"StartTLS => 1"` options to upgrade the connection with STARTTLS.  The same for option `"SSL => 1"`.

  You may also use the `"Auth => [ $user, $password ]"` option for SASL authentication. To make this work, you have to install the Authen::SASL distribution yourself: it is not automatically installed.

- "smtps"

  This option is **deprecated** when you have `"libnet"` 1.28 (2014) and above.

  Use the smtp over ssl protocol via Net::SMTP::SSL to deliver the mail. Usage is identical to `"smtp"`. You have to install Authen::SASL as well.

  ```
   $mailer = Mail::Mailer->new('smtps', Server => $server);
  ```

- "qmail"

  Use qmail's qmail-inject program to deliver the mail.

- "testfile"

  Used for debugging, this displays the data to the file named in `$Mail::Mailer::testfile::config{outfile}` which defaults to a file named `"mailer.testfile"`.  No mail is ever sent.

`"Mail::Mailer"` will search for executables in the above order. The default mailer will be the first one found.

## METHODS

### Constructors

- Mail::Mailer-\>**new**($type, %options)

  The `$type` is one of the back-end sender implementations, as described in the DESCRIPTION chapter of this manual page.  The `%options` are passed to that back-end.

- $obj-\>**open**(HASH)

  The HASH consists of key and value pairs, the key being the name of the header field (eg, `"To"`), and the value being the corresponding contents of the header field.  The value can either be a scalar (eg, `"gnat@frii.com"`) or a reference to an array of scalars (`"eg, ['gnat@frii.com', 'Tim.Bunce@ig.co.uk']"`).

## DETAILS

### ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

- PERL\_MAILERS

  Augments/override the build in choice for binary used to send out our mail messages.

  Format:

  ```
      "type1:mailbinary1;mailbinary2;...:type2:mailbinaryX;...:..."
  ```

  Example: assume you want you use private sendmail binary instead of mailx, one could set `"PERL_MAILERS"` to:

  ```
      "mail:/does/not/exists:sendmail:$HOME/test/bin/sendmail"
  ```

  On systems which may include `":"` in file names, use `"|"` as separator between type-groups.

  ```
      "mail:c:/does/not/exists|sendmail:$HOME/test/bin/sendmail"
  ```

### BUGS

Mail::Mailer does not help with folding, and does not protect against various web-script hacker attacks, for instance where a new-line is inserted in the content of the field.

## SEE ALSO

This module is part of the MailTools distribution, *http://perl.overmeer.net/mailtools/*.

## AUTHORS

The MailTools bundle was developed by Graham Barr.  Later, Mark Overmeer took over maintenance without commitment to further development.

Mail::Cap by Gisle Aas \<aas@oslonett.no\>. Mail::Field::AddrList by Peter Orbaek \<poe@cit.dk\>. Mail::Mailer and Mail::Send by Tim Bunce \<Tim.Bunce@ig.co.uk\>. For other contributors see ChangeLog.

## LICENSE

Copyrights 1995-2000 Graham Barr \<gbarr@pobox.com\> and 2001-2024 Mark Overmeer \<perl@overmeer.net\>.

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself. See *http://www.perl.com/perl/misc/Artistic.html*