Wrong characters

Juha

hi everybody,

I've just installed Apache, PHP (CGI) and MySQL for my Win98 SE PC. After fiddling around for a bit, I got it working correctly, except for this problem:

I get incorrect characters in my browser (IE 6) when running my PHP scripts which retrieve data from MYSQL tables. MySQL shows scandinavian characters correctly, however, when using MYSQL from dos.

Is this problem due to my Apache or PHP settings, or what? I'd appreciate any help or links which clarify the matter. I haven't made any changes to these settings yet, so all progs are running with default language settings.

I have set my win98 to use scandinavian characters.

Cheers,
Juha

daveyboy

Have you checked that you're sending the right encoding meta headers? Also, you should run htmlentities() on any text you want to output - that will convert special characters like äüö to $auml; $uuml; $ouml; etc. so the browser will display 'em correctly.

NOTE: in the special chars above, I have used $ instead of &, to stop the forum just displaying äüö again.

Juha

hi,

and thanks for your answer. I noticed that this problem actually went away when I used a PHP script to insert data into MYSQL tables.

So it seems this thing arises only when I inserted data in MYSQL directly through the MYSQL dos console.

I'll experiment with this a bit more.

I the meantime, I tried to look up the things you adviced in your post but wasn't able to get anywhere. I am a complete newbie, so programming and prog. languages aren't exactly something I am familiar with, sorry! Could you please explain further or point out a resource where I could read more myself.

By the way I am in the process of bying a good book about PHP programming, could you folks recommend me one?

Cheers,
Juha

Juha

hi,

and thanks for your answer. I noticed that this problem actually went away when I used a PHP script to insert data into MYSQL tables.

So it seems this thing arises only when I inserted data in MYSQL directly through the MYSQL dos console.

I'll experiment with this a bit more.

By the way I am in the process of bying a good book about PHP programming, could you folks recommend me one?

Cheers,
Juha

Juha

uhh, sorry for the double thread!
Juha

zalath

Hm, are you perhaps finnish (your name implies that you are)? if so, there's a good translated book (the title is in english) but it will get you started in PHP/MySQL. It's called 'PHP Trainer kit'.

After that, all you need is php.net or the php chm reference.

Juha

Thanks, I will look it up.

Juha

hi again, found it: it's by IT PRESS and costs a whopping 55 euros.

Better be a good one at that price.

I generally tend to favour non-finnish books since finnish books are horribly over-priced (well, compared with english ones, at least).

Is this a translation or an original? That's another problem with finnish versions, It's easier for me to read this kind of jargon in english, as the computers progs are in english too.

Juha

daveyboy

Beginning PHP4 by Wrox is great. Costs about 50 Euros, too, though. Most fat programming books do.