How to Handle Character Encoding with PDO in PHP?

PDO in PHP: Encoding Handling

In the context of PHP, PDO (PHP Data Objects) offers an object-oriented interface for connecting to databases. When establishing a PDO connection, it's crucial to ensure proper encoding handling for your database.

In MySQL's classic mysql_* API, encoding was set using mysql_set_charset() and mysql_query("SET NAMES 'UTF8'"). With PDO, however, you can set the character set directly within the connection string.

Within the PDO connection string, use the charset parameter as follows:

$connect = new PDO("mysql:host=$host;dbname=$db;charset=utf8mb4", $user, $pass, array(PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE => PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION));

Note that in PHP versions prior to 5.3.6, the charset option was not recognized. If you're utilizing an older PHP version, you'll need to execute a statement manually:

$dbh = new PDO("mysql:host=$host;dbname=$db", $user, $password);
$dbh->exec("set names utf8mb4");

By setting the character set either in the connection string or manually, you ensure that your database communication uses the correct character encoding, preventing any potential encoding issues.

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