SEO

I have many tables like the table Person:below, in mysql database.

person_id, first_name,last_name, mi, gb_first_name, gb_last_name, b5_first_name, b5_last_name, gender, dob

where different columns storing strings in different encodings. At anytime, a web user can switch the language and the application will get the values in the right columns to generate web pages. The purpose of Multi-language tables is to make multilanguage dynamic content management easier for web applications. For example, to add a person record, the user enter the English name, then switch the session language to gb2312, enter the Chinese name in gb2312, and then switch the session language to big5, enter the name in big5. And then commit the data into the database. The whole thing sounds complicated but can be treated as a pattern and let a framework to take care of those and the code can be as clean as a single language app. I actually have the framework that works well for me with mysql database.

I didn't do anything about language encoding in mysql database, it just worked for me. At least with english, gb2312 and big5 altogether in a table like table Person above. I noticed that (english, gb2312, big5, Jp) cannot work together (where jp is any kind of japaness language encoding). My approach seems fine with most western languages

So after all such experimental work, I still don't know how to make a real multi language web app such that the languages are switchable within the same session.

Any suggestions? Any web application known to be able to solve the problem? Thanks

Are all of your fields using the UTF8 character set? I think that's
necessary.

We use UTF8 and have stored Chinese characters successfully using UTF8 with
a PHP web application. (At least, they look right to me - I don't know
Chinese at all.)

Regards,

Jerry Schwartz
Global Information Incorporated
195 Farmington Ave.
Farmington, CT 06032

860.674.8796 / FAX: 860.674.8341


> -----Original Message-----
> From: YL [mailto:elim@pdtnetworks.net]
> Sent: Friday, May 04, 2007 10:19 AM
> To: mysql@lists.mysql.com
> Subject: multilanguage web application with mysql database?
>
> I have many tables like the table Person:below, in mysql database.
>
> person_id, first_name,last_name, mi, gb_first_name,
> gb_last_name, b5_first_name, b5_last_name, gender, dob
>
> where different columns storing strings in different
> encodings. At anytime, a web user can switch the language and
> the application will get the values in the right columns to
> generate web pages. The purpose of Multi-language tables is
> to make multilanguage dynamic content management easier for
> web applications. For example, to add a person record, the
> user enter the English name, then switch the session language
> to gb2312, enter the Chinese name in gb2312, and then switch
> the session language to big5, enter the name in big5. And
> then commit the data into the database. The whole thing
> sounds complicated but can be treated as a pattern and let a
> framework to take care of those and the code can be as clean
> as a single language app. I actually have the framework that
> works well for me with mysql database.
>
> I didn't do anything about language encoding in mysql
> database, it just worked for me. At least with english,
> gb2312 and big5 altogether in a table like table Person
> above. I noticed that (english, gb2312, big5, Jp) cannot work
> together (where jp is any kind of japaness language
> encoding). My approach seems fine with most western languages
>
> So after all such experimental work, I still don't know how
> to make a real multi language web app such that the languages
> are switchable within the same session.
>
> Any suggestions? Any web application known to be able to
> solve the problem? Thanks
>

>
> I have many tables like the table Person:below, in mysql database.
>
> person_id, first_name,last_name, mi, gb_first_name, gb_last_name,
> b5_first_name, b5_last_name, gender, dob
>
> where different columns storing strings in different encodings.


All the strings/fields etc. need to be in the *same* encoding - UTF-8

Only UTF-8 can handle all languages.

At anytime, a web user can switch the language and the application will get
> the values in the right columns to generate web pages. The purpose of
> Multi-language tables is to make multilanguage dynamic content management
> easier for web applications. For example, to add a person record, the user
> enter the English name, then switch the session language to gb2312,


gb2312 is an encoding - not a language.

enter the Chinese name in gb2312, and then switch the session language to
> big5,


big5 is an encoding - not a language

enter the name in big5. And then commit the data into the database. The
> whole thing sounds complicated but can be treated as a pattern and let a
> framework to take care of those and the code can be as clean as a single
> language app. I actually have the framework that works well for me with
> mysql database.
>
> I didn't do anything about language encoding in mysql database, it just
> worked for me. At least with english, gb2312 and big5 altogether in a table
> like table Person above. I noticed that (english, gb2312, big5, Jp) cannot
> work together (where jp is any kind of japaness language encoding). My
> approach seems fine with most western languages
>
> So after all such experimental work, I still don't know how to make a real
> multi language web app such that the languages are switchable within the
> same session.
>
> Any suggestions? Any web application known to be able to solve the
> problem? Thanks


Everything needs to be in UTF-8.
- the database
- application logic
- and all web interfaces.

Forget about big5, gb2312, shift_jis etc!

Also, web forms submit content in the encoding of the web page. So make sure
your http content-type header is set to UTF-8 for all web pages.

I'm not sure what technology you're using - php/java etc?
By default, most web servers/applications serve content as
ISO-8859-1encoding - which only works for western European languages. -
unless you specifically tell it otherwise.

In a JSP for example, you need to put this directive at the top of a page:
<%@ page contentType="text/html;charset=UTF-8" pageEncoding="UTF-8" %>


This article is useful -
http://java.sun.com/developer/techni...set/index.html
even if you're not using Java technology.

~mm