json_encode (mysql database|table charset utf8)

Question

In my code json_encode($result) isn't working but if I print_r($result) it will output. Now I know this is simply a charset encoding problem and I know the many different ways in php to convert the output to UTF8, but my question is more related to why my output is not UTF8 to begin with when both my database and table are UTF8?

function conn(){
    $dsn = 'mysql:host=localhost;dbname=classicmodels';
    $username = '*******';
    $password = '*******';
    $options = array(PDO::MYSQL_ATTR_INIT_COMMAND => 'SET NAMES utf8'); 
    $db = new PDO($dsn, $username, $password, $options);
    $db->setAttribute(PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE, PDO::ERRMODE_WARNING);
    return $db;
 }

$db = conn();
$stmt = $db->prepare($query);
$stmt->execute();
$result = $stmt->fetchAll(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);
print_r($result) //outputs fine
//echo json_encode($result);

The print_r($result) output looks like:

Question: If both my db/table are UTF8 why does my output from the database in php not already in UTF8 format?

`header('Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8');` add this to your page and check — Saty, Apr 15 '16 at 07:06
@Saty still doesn't work, it shouldn't be a header problem though since it's `json_encode` which is whats failing which is before it outputs it back over the wire. — Jordan Davis, Apr 15 '16 at 07:08
The encoding with which your data is retrieved from the database depends on the ***connection encoding*** (implicitly) defined when you connect to your database. MySQL converts data on the fly to that encoding. Also see [Handling Unicode Front To Back In A Web App](http://kunststube.net/frontback/) — deceze, Apr 15 '16 at 07:38
@deceze good to know that it does depend on the connection encoding, but I already have that in my connection `$db->setAttribute(PDO::MYSQL_ATTR_INIT_COMMAND,'SET NAMES UTF8');` and it still doesn't work. — Jordan Davis, Apr 15 '16 at 07:39
Then a) give full details on the database connection establishment and b) a sample of the string you expect and a sample of how it's actually encoded with `echo bin2hex($str)`. — deceze, Apr 15 '16 at 07:43
@deceze it's not a string its an array, so you want me loop through the array and `bin2hex` the values? — Jordan Davis, Apr 15 '16 at 07:59
No, just pick one, show us what string you expect, and show us what its actual `bin2hex` value is. — deceze, Apr 15 '16 at 08:07
@deceze I got it, I copied over connection options wrong, answer the question. — Jordan Davis, Apr 15 '16 at 08:30

score -1 · Answer 1 · answered Apr 15 '16 at 07:34

-1

print_r(json_encode($result)); will work. echo(json_encode($result)); will not work.Because it is a json array,arrays can not print by using echo

answered Apr 15 '16 at 07:34

Jasmel Pc

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and i quote -"Returns a string containing the JSON representation of value. " http://php.net/manual/en/function.json-encode.php – Jordan Davis Apr 15 '16 at 07:36
I've `echo`'d json_encode many times works fine, the encoding function breaks because the charset of one of the array values isn't UTF8 – Jordan Davis Apr 15 '16 at 07:37

json_encode (mysql database|table charset utf8)

1 Answers1