Why Does `json_encode` Return an Empty String, and How Can I Fix UTF-8 Encoding Issues?

JSON Encoding and UTF-8 Character Issues

Encountering an empty string return from json_encode may indicate issues with UTF-8 character encoding. This is especially apparent if mb_detect_encoding returns ASCII while json_encode fails.

Solution:

After extensive investigation, the root cause of the issue was identified as improper UTF-8 encoding. To resolve this, you can employ the following recursive function:

function utf8ize($d) {
    if (is_array($d)) {
        foreach ($d as $k => $v) {
            $d[$k] = utf8ize($v);
        }
    } else if (is_string ($d)) {
        return utf8_encode($d);
    }
    return $d;
}

This function iterates through an array, converting all strings to UTF-8 using utf8_encode. By applying json_encode to the output of utf8ize, you can ensure that all characters are properly encoded for JSON serialization.

Note: utf8_encode assumes the input is in ISO-8859-1 encoding. If the encoding is uncertain, consider using iconv or mb_convert_encoding for a more robust conversion mechanism.

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