Special characters from txt file

Question

I am downloading a text file from ftp, with common ftp library.

The problem is when i read the file into an array line by line, it doesnt take characters such as æøå. Instead it just show the "?" character.

Here is my code

  FileInputStream fstream = openFileInput("name of text file");
  BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(fstream, "UTF-8"));
  String strLine;

  ArrayList<String> lines = new ArrayList<String>(); 

  while ((strLine = br.readLine()) != null)   {
      lines.add(strLine);
  }

  String[] linjer = lines.toArray(new String[0]);

  ArrayList<String> imei = new ArrayList<String>(); 

  for(int o=0;o<linjer.length;o++)
  {
      String[] holder = linjer[o].split(" - ");
      imei.add(holder[0] + " - " + holder[2]);
  }

  String[] imeinr = imei.toArray(new String[0]);

I have tried to put UTF-8 in my inputstreamreader, and i have tried with a UnicodeReader class, but with no success.

I am fairly new to Java, so might just be some stupid question, but hope you can help. :)

Answer 1

There is no reason to use a DataInputStream . The DataInputStream and DataOutputStream classes are used for serializing primitive Java data types ("serializing" means reading/writing data to a file). You are just reading the contents of a text file line by line, so the use of DataInputStream is unnecessary and may produce incorrect results.

FileInputStream fstream = openFileInput("name of text file");
//DataInputStream in = new DataInputStream(fstream);
BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(fstream, "UTF-8"));

Professional Java Programmer Tip : The foreach loop was recently added to the Java programming language. It allows the programmer to iterate through the contents of an array without needing to define a loop counter. This simplifies your code, making it easier to read and maintain over time.

for(String line : linjer){
  String[] holder = line.split(" - ");
  imei.add(holder[0] + " - " + holder[2]);
}

Note: Foreach loops can also be used with List objects.

Answer 2

I would suggest that the file may not be in UTF-8. It could be in CP1252 or something, especially if you're using Windows.

Try downloading the file and running your code on the local copy to see if that works.

Answer 3

FTP has two modes binary and ascii. Make sure you are using the correct mode. Look here for details: http://www.rhinosoft.com/newsletter/NewsL2008-03-18.asp