How to Fix \'Incorrect String Value\' Errors When Saving Unicode Strings in MySQL with Django?

Incorrect String Value Error when Saving Unicode Strings in MySQL

When attempting to save unicode strings to Django's auth_user model, an "incorrect string value" error may occur. This is because MySQL has a 3-byte limit on utf-8 characters, while some unicode characters require 4 bytes.

Root Cause:

The error occurs because MySQL cannot store certain unicode characters due to its byte limitations.

Solution:

To resolve this issue:

1. Use utf8mb4 Character Set: Upgrade MySQL to version 5.5 or later, then change your database, table, and columns to use the utf8mb4 character set.
2. Specify Character Set in Django: In your Django settings file, add the following option to specify the utf8mb4 character set:

DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.mysql',
        ...
        'OPTIONS': {'charset': 'utf8mb4'},
    }
}

3. Reduce CharField Length: If you encounter the "Specified key was too long" issue, reduce the max_length of CharFields with indexes by approximately 33%. For example, change from 255 to 191.

Alternatives:

• Switch to PostgreSQL: PostgreSQL supports 4-byte unicode characters without limitations.
• Modify MySQL Configuration: Edit MySQL configuration to remove the byte restriction, but note that this may require additional Django modifications.

It's important to note that by switching to utf8mb4, you'll need to be aware of potential compatibility issues with older versions of MySQL or other applications that may not support the 4-byte limit.

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