Why Does json_encode() Sometimes Lose UTF-8 Characters When Encoding Database Rows in PHP?

UTF-8 Character Encoding Issues with json_encode()

In PHP, handling UTF-8 character encoding can be challenging, especially when working with databases and JSON encoding. One common issue arises when trying to JSON-encode an array containing database rows that have accented characters. Despite the documentation claiming json_encode() supports UTF-8, some characters may be lost or appear as null values during the encoding process.

To resolve this issue, an alternate approach is needed. Instead of directly encoding the array of rows, create an empty array and populate it with encoded values row by row. Here's an example:

<code class="php">// Create an empty array for the encoded resultset
$rows = array();

// Loop over the db resultset and put encoded values into $rows
while($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) {
  $rows[] = array_map('utf8_encode', $row);
}

// Output $rows
echo json_encode($rows);</code>

In this updated code:

1. An empty array ($rows) is initialized to hold the encoded result set.
2. The rows are iterated, and each row is passed through array_map() to encode its individual values.
3. The encoded values are stored in the $rows array.
4. Finally, the encoded $rows array is JSON-encoded and outputted.

This approach ensures that all UTF-8 characters are properly encoded before the final JSON encoding, resolving the issue where some characters were being lost or appearing as null in the original code.

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