PHP trying to send mail securely - cannot find the PHPMailer class

Question

I started off with the following:

composer require phpmailer/phpmailer

Followed by placing require once

require_once "../vendor/autoload.php";

Then

$mail = new PHPMailer;

That's where PHP has a fatal error:

Fatal error: Class 'PHPMailer' not found

The following is my code: use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\PHPMailer; use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\Exception;

# require php mailer
  require_once "../vendor/autoload.php";

  //PHPMailer Object
  $mail = new PHPMailer;

  $mail->isSMTP();
  $mail->SMTPDebug = 3; 
  $mail->SMTPAuth = true;
  // $mail->SMTPSecure = "ssl";
  $mail->SMTPSecure = "tls";
  $mail->Host = "smtp-relay.gmail.com";
  $mail->Port = "587";
  $mail->Username = "some gmail address";
  $mail->Password = "some password";
  $mail->SetFrom("[email protected]");
  $mail->Subject = $subject;
  $mail->Body = $htmlMessage;
  $mail->AddAddress($recpEmails);
  $mail->Send();

$htmlMessage is a variable containing both plain text and html with mime_boundary but it never gets there as it cannot find PHPMailer.

This is what I have tried to do to fix the issue:

I have created another directory called PHPMailer in the same directory as vendor, this new directory containing the contents of phpmailer/phpmailer/src, but it still cannot find the PHPMailer class.

Do I have to require the PHPMailer.php file as well? I thought that was what the autoload was supposed to do?

Thanks in advance

UPDATE

After @Phil in the comments pointed out that I was missing the use namespace, I have updated the code, which has lead to a new error:

Fatal error: Uncaught exception 'PHPMailer\PHPMailer\Exception' with message 'SMTP connect() failed

I read that $mail->SMTPDebug = 3; gives more details, which revealed the following:

2019-02-11 01:51:57 Connection: opening to ssl://smtp-relay.gmail.com:587, timeout=300, options=array()
2019-02-11 01:51:58 Connection failed. Error #2: stream_socket_client(): SSL operation failed with code 1. OpenSSL Error messages:error:140770FC:SSL routines:SSL23_GET_SERVER_HELLO:unknown protocol [v2018/assets/api/vendor/phpmailer/phpmailer/src/SMTP.php line 327]
2019-02-11 01:51:58 Connection failed. Error #2: stream_socket_client(): Failed to enable crypto [v2018/assets/api/vendor/phpmailer/phpmailer/src/SMTP.php line 327]
2019-02-11 01:51:58 Connection failed. Error #2: stream_socket_client(): unable to connect to ssl://smtp-relay.gmail.com:587 (Unknown error) [v2018/assets/api/vendor/phpmailer/phpmailer/src/SMTP.php line 327]
2019-02-11 01:51:58 SMTP ERROR: Failed to connect to server: (0)
SMTP connect() failed. https://github.com/PHPMailer/PHPMailer/wiki/Troubleshooting

I then read to on another post to change the following settings, which allowed me to see that it was connecting, but it was not accepting my credentials:

$mail->SMTPSecure = "tls";

2019-02-11 02:00:26 SERVER -> CLIENT: 535-5.7.8 Username and Password not accepted. Learn more at535 5.7.8 https://support.google.com/mail/?p=BadCredentials f2sm562482otb.6 - gsmtp
2019-02-11 02:00:26 SMTP ERROR: Password command failed: 535-5.7.8 Username and Password not accepted. Learn more at535 5.7.8 https://support.google.com/mail/?p=BadCredentials f2sm562482otb.6 - gsmtp

I do not know what to do at this point, as I know these are the credentials for my gmail account. Do I have to have a gmail business account or something like that?

One more update

I was using incorrect password. Once I entered the correct password, I began receiving the following message:

2019-02-11 14:33:44 SERVER -> CLIENT: 550-5.7.0 Mail relay denied [172.117.2.44]. Invalid credentials for relay for550-5.7.0 one of the domains in: (as obtained from HELO and MAIL FROM).550-5.7.0 Email is being sent from a domain or IP address which isn't registered550-5.7.0 in your G Suite account. Please login to your G Suite account and550-5.7.0 verify that your sending device IP address has been registered within550-5.7.0 the G Suite SMTP Relay Settings. For more information, please visit550 5.7.0 https://support.google.com/a/answer/6140680#maildenied h192sm1484247qke.14 - gsmtp

Turns out that I have to have a G-Suite account to use smtp-relay.gmail.com. I only have a regular gmail account. When I changed to smtp.gmail.com, then I am back to the bad credentials errors. I will just wait for my G-Suite account to be verified and I will update with the results.

Have you read their simple example? You're missing the use statement for the fully-qualified classname PHPMailer\PHPMailer\PHPMailer — Phil
Thank you @Phil, at least I have a new error - Fatal error: Uncaught exception 'PHPMailer\PHPMailer\Exception' with message 'SMTP connect() failed - I will update the code to reflect — kronus
"I know these are the credentials for my gmail account" → implies you are using a plain password, and that you haven't looked at any other questions. — mario

Sarah Dominguez Perea Sarah Dominguez Perea · Accepted Answer · 2019-02-11T01:49:12

Try to add

use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\PHPMailer;
use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\Exception;

at the top of your file to import the PHPMailer classes.

PHP trying to send mail securely - cannot find the PHPMailer class

UPDATE

One more update

1 Answers