How to Create Directories with UTF-8 Filenames Using PHP Filesystem Functions?

UTF-8 Filenames in PHP Filesystem Functions

Issue:
Creating directory using mkdir with UTF-8 characters results in incorrect display in Windows Explorer due to character encoding issues.

Question:
How can I create directory with UTF-8 characters using filesystem functions in PHP?

Solution:

Preferred Approach: URL Encoding
Urlencode the string intended as the filename. All characters returned by urlencode are valid in filenames on various platforms (NTFS/HFS/UNIX). To retrieve the original filename in UTF-8, simply urldecode the encoded string.

Caveats:

• Resulting filename must be less than 255 characters (or bytes) after URL encoding.
• Ensure proper UTF-8 handling, as combining characters can affect comparisons and file operations.
• Implement UTF-8-aware sorting algorithms for alphabetical sorting.

Alternative (but Less Ideal) Solutions:

String Encoding for Windows:
If using Windows, the PHP filesystem wrapper expects ISO-8859-1 strings. This approach has two options:

1. Using UTF-8 Freely: Non-ASCII characters may appear incorrect outside PHP, as they will be stored as multiple single ISO-8859-1 characters (e.g., ó will appear as ó in Windows Explorer).
2. Restricting to ISO-8859-1 Characters: Use utf8_decode before using UTF-8 strings in filesystem functions, and use utf8_encode to convert filenames obtained from scandir back to UTF-8.

Caveats for Alternative Approaches:

• Potential issues with non-ISO-8859-1 characters or characters that map differently in different locales.
• Use of mb_convert_encoding may be necessary instead of utf8_decode in non-English Windows locales.

Recommendation:
Normalize UTF-8 and consider transliteration for filenames to avoid potential issues and ensure consistent and platform-independent handling of file and directory names.

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