How Can I Safely Create Directories with UTF-8 Filenames in PHP?

Utilizing PHP Filesystem Functions with UTF-8 Strings

In PHP, handling UTF-8 strings while working with filesystem functions can pose challenges. Consider the following scenario:

$dir_name = "Depósito";
mkdir($dir_name);

In this example, an attempt is made to create a folder named "Depósito." However, when viewed in Windows Explorer, the folder's name appears as "Depósito," with non-UTF-8 characters distorted.

Solution: Urlencoding UTF-8 Strings

To resolve this issue, the recommended approach is to urlencode the string before using it with filesystem functions. Urlencoding ensures that all characters are converted into a valid format.

$dir_name_encoded = urlencode("Depósito");
mkdir($dir_name_encoded);

By urlencoding the string, the non-UTF-8 characters are converted into their encoded counterparts, allowing the folder to be created with the correct name.

Considerations

While urlencoding is an effective solution, it introduces some considerations:

• The encoded filename must not exceed 255 characters.
• If multiple UTF-8 representations exist for a character (e.g., using combining characters), normalization may be necessary for consistency.
• Alphabetical sorting using standard functions requires decoding the filenames and using UTF-8 aware sorting algorithms.

Alternative Solutions (Less Desirable)

Other less desirable solutions include:

• ISO-8859-1 Compatibility: Limit filename characters to those that can be represented in ISO-8859-1. Use utf8_decode() to convert UTF-8 strings before using them with filesystem functions and utf8_encode() to convert the file entries returned by scandir.

Caveats:

• This method may fail if any non-ASCII bytes are present in the filename.
• Windows may use different encodings in different locales, requiring the use of more complex conversion functions.

Transliteration:

In cases where UTF-8 compatibility is essential, consider using transliteration to convert non-ASCII characters into equivalent ASCII characters that are compatible with the target filesystem.

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