数据库中的口音

Question

I am creating a database with MySql. I use collation utf8. I use a European language that has accents and special characters like ç.

What is the best way to store text in the database, with or without special characters? For example, should I use différent or diffdifférent (different in French) in the database? (This means, I should convert with htmlspecialcharts before or after I store the text in the database?)

I tried and both ways work well. But is there any reason that makes an option more recommended for any technical reason or any option is ok. I want to be sure now that I begin the database. Later it will be harder to change.

Answer 1

I think you should definitely NOT replace your characters with HTML entities: that is a standard for XML, not for everything!

For instance, if you had to serve JSON for some reason, you would then be forced to XML-decode your text, then serve it as JSON, where UTF-8 characters are encoded in a different way.

Also, converting characters would make your stored strings much less human-readable (thus less human-searchable): Le premier écoquartier d'Île-de-France a été inauguré would be encoded into something absolutely devilish.

Let your MySQL do the hard job, taking care of non-ASCII characters.

Answer 2

Two subjects here.

1. Is necessary/useful to restrict yourself to 7-bit US-ASCII in an application that's powered by UTF-8 and needs characters outside US-ASCII? It's certainly not necessary and I can't imagine a single reason to. It's like saving your videos as uncompressed WAV. In most contexts, 8 bits are here to stay.

2. Is necessary/useful to convert your plain text to HTML in order to store it? You obviously don't need to do it, I can't think of a single benefit and you force yourself into the additional burden of bogus encoding/decoding for any single task like eg searching. HTML is not everything.