I use mysql5 and utf8 table to store Chinese data. Everything
insert into the utf8 tables though cake can be fetch out by cake fine.
But when I use other database tools (such as MySQL Query Browser) to
query the data which insert by cake will got unreadable characters. I'm
so confuse on it, and serach on the internet. I think there is
something wrong with the mysql connections setting in cake.
    In my controller  I query the MySQL connection setting by  do this

...
$msg = $this->MyModel->findBySql("Show VARIABLES LIKE
'%CHARACTER_SET%';");
// Then set the result varable $msg to display in views
$this->set('msg',$msg);
....

In view:
...
debug($msg);
...

Then I got this result:
Array
(
    [0] => Array
        (
            [VARIABLES] => Array
                (
                    [Variable_name] => character_set_client
                    [Value] => latin1
                )

        )

    [1] => Array
        (
            [VARIABLES] => Array
                (
                    [Variable_name] => character_set_connection
                    [Value] => latin1
                )

        )

    [2] => Array
        (
            [VARIABLES] => Array
                (
                    [Variable_name] => character_set_database
                    [Value] => utf8
                )

        )

    [3] => Array
        (
            [VARIABLES] => Array
                (
                    [Variable_name] => character_set_results
                    [Value] => latin1
                )

        )

    [4] => Array
        (
            [VARIABLES] => Array
                (
                    [Variable_name] => character_set_server
                    [Value] => utf8
                )

        )

    [5] => Array
        (
            [VARIABLES] => Array
                (
                    [Variable_name] => character_set_system
                    [Value] => utf8
                )

        )

    [6] => Array
        (
            [VARIABLES] => Array
                (
                    [Variable_name] => character_sets_dir
                    [Value] => D:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server
5.0\share\charsets\
                )

        )

)

The character_set_client,character_set_results,character_set_connection
is Laten1, and the other is utf8. I think the problem is here. So I
continue the test:

When I query the data in the utf8 table by convert the field to laten1
encoding, I can get the right chinese string. The SQL is:
SELECT CONVERT(myField USING utf8) from myUtf8Table;

How can I change the database connection setting to solve this problem?
Should I modify the core code?

check this:

http://rossoft.wordpress.com/2006/02/11/mysql-and-utf-8/

I had the same problem (with Cyrillic letters), and only/most elegant
solution I found was to modify the core.

Try this: in file "cake/libs/model/dbo/dbo_mysql.php" find function
connect(). Replace these lines:

        if (mysql_select_db($config['database'], $this->connection))
        {
            $this->connected = true;
        }

with this:

        if (mysql_select_db($config['database'], $this->connection))
        {
            mysql_query("SET names utf8");
            $this->connected = true;
        }

I wish there was more elegant solution, without modifying the core.
Perhaps another setting in DATABASE_CONFIG (app/config/database.php),
something like:

    var $default = array('driver'    => 'mysql',
                         'connect'  => 'mysql_connect',
                         'host'     => 'localhost',
                         'login'    => 'user',
                         'password' => 'password',
                         'database' => 'project_name',
                         'charset' => 'utf8',
                         'prefix'    => '');

I think this is a good idea. Why not make a ticket for it in trac?
(https://trac.cakephp.org/)

Thanks for everyone. I have made the ticket for this problem.

I used my AppModel to solve the issue.

function __construct()
        {
                $this->execute("SET NAMES 'utf8'");
                parent::__construct();

        }

2006/4/11, bentrys...@gmail.com <bentrys...@gmail.com>:

--

e> andreas.waidel...@gmail.com
w> http://andreas-waidelich.de

Andreas:
    Is any Model should add  $this->execute("SET NAMES 'utf8'"); ?
   Or only one model is enough?

You just have to do it once in your AppModel (located in your
application's root directory).

my AppModel looks like this:

class AppModel extends Model
{
  function __construct()
  {
    $this->execute("SET NAMES 'UTF8');
    parent::__construct();
  }

2006/4/11, bentrys...@gmail.com <bentrys...@gmail.com>:

--

e> andreas.waidel...@gmail.com
w> http://andreas-waidelich.de

Andreas:
When I add the __construct() function into my model. I got this error:

Fatal error: Call to a member function fetchAll() on a non-object in
D:\php-5.0.4-Win32\PHP_Script\PHP_CAKE\cake\libs\model\model_php5.php
on line 1143

I don't know why.

Can you paste your code, please.

2006/4/11, bentrys...@gmail.com <bentrys...@gmail.com>:

--

e> andreas.waidel...@gmail.com
w> http://andreas-waidelich.de
m> +49.177.423 09 48

If you overwrite the model constructor, then you have to call parent's
one

Have you done parent::__construct () ?

 Thanks Andreas  , I add the code in the model int the model directory,
so it can't work.

Andreas
But I found it can't work. The error

Fatal error: Call to a member function fetchAll() on a non-object in
D:\php-5.0.4-Win32\PHP_Script\PHP_CAKE\cake\libs\model\model_php5.php
on line 1143

will occur though I add you appmodel in my app_model.php in the cake
directory. I think It can't execute any sql statment in model
constructor. Because the database connection hasn't be created. So the
error occur.

You have it in the wrong order.  Do this:

class AppModel extends Model
{
  function __construct()
  {
    parent::__construct();
    $this->execute("SET NAMES 'UTF8');
  }

Thanks for the tip. I've finally gotten my Korean website working with
it as well.

to reduce the number of SET NAMES queries add a static boolean
variable to your AppModel an set it to false. Check the value of the
variable in your constructor and execute SET NAMES only, if it has not
been done before. E.g.

class AppModel extends Model{
        static $utf8IsSet = false;

        function __construct(){
                if(!self::$utf8IsSet) {
                        $this->execute("SET NAMES 'utf8'");
                        self::$utf8IsSet = true;        
                }
                parent::__construct();
        }

--

e> andreas.waidel...@gmail.com
w> http://andreas-waidelich.de

Cake 1.2 now supports this natively.  Just add 'encoding' => 'UTF-8' to
your database configuration and the querying is taken care of
automatically at the database level.

sounds good. looking forward to Cake 1.2.

2006/9/4, nate <nate.ab...@gmail.com>:

--

e> andreas.waidel...@gmail.com
w> http://andreas-waidelich.de
m> +49.177.423 09 48

https://trac.cakephp.org/browser/branches/1.2.x.x

The future is now.