UTF8 text shows ???? when queried from db

Question

When i enter this code and call it from database it show the text as Question marks instead or letters, the are arabic letters , so UTF8 should work but i don't know whit won't now.

<?php
header("Content-Type: application/json; charset=UTF-8");

$server   = "";
$username = "";
$password = "";
$database = "";

$con = mysql_connect($server, $username, $password) or die ("Could not connect: " . mysql_error());
mysql_select_db($database, $con);

$sql = "SELECT * FROM events WHERE id='1' ";
$result = mysql_query($sql) or die ("Query error: " . mysql_error());

$records = array();

while($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) {
    $records[] = $row;
}

mysql_close($con);

print_r($records);

?>

it shows this as result

Array
(
    [0] => Array
        (
            [id] => 1
            [event] => ????? ?????
            [speaker] => ???? ???????
            [area] => ???????
            [place] => ???? ??????
            [addr] => ??? ???? ????????
            [datefrom] => 2012-10-05
            [dateto] => 
            [timefrom] => 19:26:27
            [timeto] => 
        )

)

Try adding this before your current query: `mysql_query("SET NAMES 'utf8'");`. — bfavaretto, Oct 05 '12 at 17:41
Encoding issues. The encoding used to save data in DB differs from the one used by PHP to show data. — Alfabravo, Oct 05 '12 at 17:41
Also, consider modifying your code to use [PDO](http://php.net/manual/en/book.pdo.php) instead of the `mysql_*` functions, which are being deprecated. — bfavaretto, Oct 05 '12 at 17:42
[Handling Unicode Front To Back In A Web App](http://kunststube.net/frontback/) — deceze, Oct 06 '12 at 02:29

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Oct 05 '12 at 17:42

0

Check that your database also uses UTF-8:

SHOW CREATE DATABASE `your_db_name`

How did you insert your data?

And also verify that your web server is well configured (to use UTF8).

answered Oct 05 '12 at 17:42

mbarthelemy

12,465
4
41
43

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 05 '12 at 18:34

0

You need to set utf8 collation on the column where you store utf8:

rowname varchar(100) COLLATE utf8_unicode_ci NOT NULL,

...and also the connection is important (see answer from Roger Ng)

answered Oct 05 '12 at 18:34

Niko Sams

4,304
3
25
44

Roger Ng · Answer 3 · 2012-10-06T02:26:22.017

-1

Here is the code to set the connection between client and database to UTF-8

$con = mysql_connect($server, $username, $password) or die ("Could not connect: " . mysql_error());
mysql_select_db($database, $con);

mysql_query('SET NAMES utf8');
mysql_query('SET CHARACTER_SET_CLIENT=utf8');
mysql_query('SET CHARACTER_SET_RESULTS=utf8');

$sql = "SELECT * FROM events WHERE id='1' ";
$result = mysql_query($sql) or die ("Query error: " . mysql_error());

Put these codes before you start your SQL statement.

edited Oct 06 '12 at 02:26

answered Oct 05 '12 at 17:46

Roger Ng

771
11
28

I have updated my answer. Put it after the `mysql_connect()` and before the `mysql_query($sql)`. – Roger Ng Oct 06 '12 at 02:27
Use `mysql_set_charset`, not a `SET NAMES` query. See http://stackoverflow.com/a/12720360/476. – deceze Oct 06 '12 at 02:28
thanks but i already put it there it worked, but I'm just asking if there is any other way inter of putting it on every page ?? – BiGHeaD Oct 06 '12 at 09:20
2

i used mysql_set_charset('utf8', $con); it worked just fine, Thanks @deceze & roger – BiGHeaD Oct 06 '12 at 09:33
@BiGHeaD mysql_set_charset('utf8', $con); works for me. Thanks! – Johnny Lim Apr 04 '13 at 12:02

UTF8 text shows ???? when queried from db

3 Answers3