Urgent: PHP Email Validation

What is the best way to validate an email address being submitted in a form?

I already have the javascript portion of it for syntactical purposes.

Now I need to know how I can validate the email actually exists or not. SMTP validation I assume, but from what I read, that's a very slow process.

Any suggestions?

Quite urgent...any help please?

Why do you need to validate it exists?
Can't you simply preg_match to validate it's a real email address?

if you preg_match, all it does it validates the format, so a alsdjfalks12313212@yahoo.com would do just fine.

I'm getting random emails from random people with BS information on the forms...I need to stop that from happening.

What about a CAPTCHA?

Yeah, that might be the best way to go.

If there are any other suggestions, please let me know. Or else, I'll go with the Captcha idea.

Thanks

You could require them to reply to an email before the message is sent?

Can't do that because of the fact that the forms are for anonymous people, not required to join or be a member or anything like that.

Captcha is it I think.

Thanks again.

yes , there is a way.....

how ever there is no warranty that the email belongs to that person, so in other words it is impossible to ensure that email is really valid

So what is the way?

man it took me so long come this script.. i am willing to sell it for 50 bucks. if you want it. By paypal.

lol
That doesn't sound very community friendly

I know. but the commutity is one... and the budget is another.. meaning where ever you are you still eay, and pay for stuff.. so many hours of work are more than worth it. so do I. I apologizy if you miss understand the concept.

I understand the concept, but I can't see how something this simple can be thousands of lines of code. Granted some of the most powerful lines are only 2-300 characters...
Check this page out...
It utilizes the command, which verifies whether the domain has the ability to send and receive mail. The php.net resource says it shouldn't be used, but it presents a loophole for its logic.

That was found on the first page of "possible to validate an email exists in php?".