Validating E-mail Addresses
Common typos and user errors I’ve found in distribution lists. My understanding is these were largely populated by users entering e-mail addresses in forms, then either purchasing a product or indicating correspondence with them was allowed. Lists ranged in size from approximately 100–25,000 addresses.
Summary
- Syntax mistakes can be detected when the form data is validated.
- Syntax can could be corrected automatically.
- A manually maintained corrections dictionary would help typos.
- Others can only be corrected manually.
- Some are impossible to put right, such as completely omitting the domain name
Syntax
"at the start and end<at the start and>at end/instead of@@@instead of@@(normal space before@symbol) instead of@.@instead of@@.instead of@@instead of.,instead of.;instead of./instead of.-instead of.- Missing
.before TLD - Missing
@between address parts
Unexpected Format
Name "name@domain.tld"instead of plain address.Name <name@domain.tld>instead of plain address.,and;separate multiple addresses. (Multiple non-adjacent@detect this?)@detect this?)- Multiple addresses might not be separated. (One or more TLDs before
@detect this?)
Human Error
- Missing TLD
- Missing domain name
- Confused order of domain names and TLDs
- Incorrect TLD for that account’s domain name
- Incorrect order of multi-level ccTLDs
- Putting the ccTLD in the domain
- Ending with a generic TLD instead of a ccTLD