Why are Question Marks Appearing Instead of Arabic Text When Storing Data in MySQL?

Storing Arabic Data in MySQL Database

Problem:

When attempting to store Arabic text in a MySQL database, question marks ("????") appear instead of the intended characters.

Design of the Table:

CREATE DATABASE mydb
DEFAULT CHARACTER SET utf8
DEFAULT COLLATE utf8_general_ci;

CREATE TABLE `categories` (...);

Observations:

• The database, table, and column are set to use UTF-8 character encoding.
• The data is not being inserted correctly, resulting in question marks.

Solution:

To resolve this issue, ensure that the following steps are followed:

1. Verify Character Settings:

   • Execute the following queries to check the character set and collation settings for the database, table, and column:

     • Database: SELECT default_character_set_name FROM information_schema.SCHEMATA S WHERE schema_name = "schemaname";
     • Table: SELECT CCSA.character_set_name FROM information_schema.TABLES T, information_schema.COLLATION_CHARACTER_SET_APPLICABILITY CCSA WHERE CCSA.collation_name = T.table_collation AND T.table_schema = "schemaname" AND T.table_name = "tablename";
     • Column: SELECT character_set_name FROM information_schema.COLUMNS C WHERE table_schema = "schemaname" AND table_name = "tablename" AND column_name = "columnname";

2. Set UTF-8 Settings Manually (if Needed):

   • If the settings are not set to UTF-8, use the following commands:

     • Database: ALTER DATABASE schemaname CHARACTER SET utf8 COLLATE utf8_general_ci;
     • Table: ALTER TABLE tablename CONVERT TO CHARACTER SET utf8 COLLATE utf8_general_ci;
     • Column: ALTER TABLE tablename MODIFY columnname VARCHAR(n) CHARACTER SET utf8;

3. Insert Arabic Data Manually:

   • Use a tool that supports Arabic text insertion, such as SQLYog or phpMyAdmin.

4. Right-Click Option (if Using SQLYog):

   • Right-click on the database, table, or column and select "Alter".
   • Set the character set to UTF-8 and the collation to UTF-8_general_ci.

By following these steps, the correct Arabic characters will be stored and retrieved from the MySQL database without any question marks.

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