Character recognition / interpretation

[whole diary]

[PhilWakely]

I'm not sure whether it is just me (or rather my laptop settings), but several posts recently have apparently been infiltrated with gobbledygook...... Is it a case of some devices have different interpretations for the apostrophe (for example)?

For instance, a comment about a pun in the recent post about lost bears gets completely lost by the gobbledygook that replaces the apostrophe!


If it is just me, how is it corrected?

[grahame]

I'm not sure whether it is just me (or rather my laptop settings), but several posts recently have apparently been infiltrated with gobbledygook...... Is it a case of some devices have different interpretations for the apostrophe (for example)?

It's not just you - and I'm very much aware of the issue.  All to do with character sets and database save and restores.   I need to do some clever work to sort it out at some point.

[broadgage]

I have noticed similar, on a standard windows laptop.

[Red Squirrel]

I have noticed similar, on a standard windows laptop.

Everyone sees it the same way, broadgage, regardless of their equipment or internet browser.

[ironstone11]

I'm not sure whether it is just me (or rather my laptop settings), but several posts recently have apparently been infiltrated with gobbledygook...... Is it a case of some devices have different interpretations for the apostrophe (for example)?

It's not just you - and I'm very much aware of the issue.  All to do with character sets and database save and restores.   I need to do some clever work to sort it out at some point.

I had the same problem. Settings for the database and trying to save with utf-8 didn't make any difference.

I don't know if you are using mysql and php, but I eventually discovered that the php statement:-

mysql_set_charset('utf8');

placed before getting any data from the database did the trick.

[grahame]

I had the same problem. Settings for the database and trying to save with utf-8 didn't make any difference.

I don't know if you are using mysql and php, but I eventually discovered that the php statement:-

mysql_set_charset('utf8');

placed before getting any data from the database did the trick.

We are ... and although the solution may be along those lines it's not that simple:
a) We may have double and treble encoding!
b) The software is old open source stuff and gets data all over the place
c) Although the PHP / code is ancient, we're running on a very recent edition of MySQL ... the PHP application says "supports any version of MySQL after 4.xxxx  but of course it was never tested on 5.6.xxxx because that wasn't around at the time.

One of the effects, I'm afraid, of a project that was supposed to live for less that 8 months still running 8 years later!

During my current enforced layup I've been thinking a lot and doing background planning to sort some stuff out. I can't rely on myself to do a clean job with my current muzzy head, but once I'm back to full brain function and have cleared a couple of backlogs, I'll be well fixed to do some things as described at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=16117.0 - which I note drew 0 comments  and more likes than I've ever seen here before.