0

This may be an odd question but I'm looking for a definitive answer once and for all.

I've been doing some research on TXT records and how they work, but I haven't been able to find out for sure. Everything I've read suggests that the presence of a TXT record would never interfere with the mail delivery of a contact form, but can anyone confirm this for me?

Is there any type of TXT record that would prevent a contact form from working? Or any situation in which the presence of a TXT record would prevent a contact form from working?

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Thanks for the replies! I'll add some context, since it is a fairly vague question. A TXT record was added to the domain to verify ownership. It has DZC as the host and random characters as the value. The site developer is now saying that that TXT record is breaking the contact form. To my knowledge, a TXT record like that wouldn't interfere with anything as it's sole purpose is to verify ownership. I'm now trying to find out for certain whether or not it's possible that what he's saying is true.

It seems much more likely that the contact form issue is caused by something else, but I'd like to rule this out for sure. However I understand if maybe it's not possible to do that with certainty.

Improve this question
6
  • There’s so much that could go wrong when a contact form tries to communicate with a mail server that a bad TXT record would be pretty far down my list of possible troubleshooting points.
    – Mikael H
    Jun 14, 2019 at 20:28
  • 2
    The answer to "Is there any way that <X> could prevent <Y> from working?" is almost certainly "Yes", no matter what X and Y are. To assert otherwise is very difficult -- much like proving a negative. If you could provide some context as to what it is about a TXT record that you think is breaking a contact form, or some examples, we'll be more able to help.
    – Doug Deden
    Jun 14, 2019 at 20:59
  • @DougDeden You're right, context might help. I've edited the question to include some context.
    – JLW
    Jun 14, 2019 at 21:38
  • 3
    The scenario you’re describing seems unlikely unless the code behind that contact form is looking for that specific TXT record and expecting a different value. Could you have the developer describe in more detail why they believe in this specific cause of the problem? Also, are they the developer of the entire web service including the contact form - in which case they can be expected to know what it does that could be interfered with by the DNS record - or is the form a third-party plugin of some sort?
    – Mikael H
    Jun 14, 2019 at 21:54
  • 2
    Agreed, your developer needs to provide a much more detailed explanation. What has been posted here so far doesn't do anything to explain the problem or point to a solution.
    – Michael Hampton
    Jun 14, 2019 at 22:21

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
4

If TXT record contains an SPF record then it definitely can break mail delivery.

Improve this answer
0

Everything is possible. A TXT record is just text stored in the DNS, a human or a machine can read it and process it.

So, if you want, you can create a contact form or a script that will perform this check and look for a specific TXT value before doing something.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.