Converting from iso-8859-1 to utf8 or utf8mb4

Modern sites should use UTF8 or UTF8MB4
Please note: This is technical content suitable only for individuals with software development skills; it is not intended for general Zen Cart users. Work with your developer if this is beyond your knowledge and capabilities.

Do I need to convert to UTF-8?

Short answer: yes.

Modern databases can handle “multibyte characters” such as emojis. Older databases cannot.

If your customers enter emoji symbols in order-comments or contact-us emails, it may trigger errors on your store resulting in unexpected results and lost details. Sometimes spammers use these symbols in an effort to trip up your store with error logs and wasted CPU processing.

Also, older database structures don’t handle non-english characters as well as utf8 does, which is why utf8 has been the international “standard” for many years.

What does my store currently use?

Since Zen Cart v1.5.0 all new sites create database tables with the UTF8 character-set.
Since Zen Cart v1.5.6 all new sites create database tables with the UTF8MB4 character-set.

If your site was created from an older version, your database might still contain older database structures that don’t support modern multibyte characters.

To change the database to utf8mb4, use the instructions below.

Who cares about modern multibyte characters?

You do!

  • Your customer might use an emoji in the comments field:
Please deliver as fast as possible! 😄
  • Your customer might have an accent or other special character in their name or address.
Katrín Tanja Davíðsdóttir

In some cases, data entry like this can cause corruption (or worse, a white screen during an order) if you’re not using utf8mb4.

To change the database to utf8mb4, use the instructions below.

Pre-Conversion to UTF8

If your database contains a mix of latin1 and utf8, it is sometimes helpful to pre-convert your database to entirely utf8 before attempting the move to utf8mb4. Use the plugin Convert Zen Cart Database Conversion Tool to do this.

Converting to UTF8MB4:

1. Converting the database

Use this plugin to convert your data to UTF8 (AFTER MAKING AND TESTING A DATABASE BACKUP):

Convert Zen Cart Database Conversion Tool

If you encounter errors converting certain tables due to bad data in them, simply fix the bad data and then re-run the script. While a full list of possible database-problems is beyond the scope of this article, common bad-data issues might include the following:

The converter gives nicely formatted error output that allows you to isolate any issues.

Database Conversion issue

2. Configuring your store

You must also update your PHP files to indicate your UTF-8 intentions.

If you installed your site NEW since v1.5.0 or newer, then the following are ALREADY done for you.
But, if you UPGRADED from a version prior to 1.5.0, then you will need to double-check each of the following:

a. Check each of the following files to be sure that if a define for CHARSET is present that it is defined as utf-8. (If no define for CHARSET is present, skip that file and check the next one).

For Zen Cart 1.5.8 and above:

  • /admin/includes/languages/lang.english.php
  • /admin/includes/languages/lang.OTHER_LANGUAGE_NAME.php (if any)
  • /includes/languages/lang.english.php
  • /includes/languages/TEMPLATE_NAME/lang.english.php (if any)
  • /includes/languages/lang.OTHER_LANGUAGE_NAME.php (if any)
  • /includes/languages/TEMPLATE_NAME/lang.OTHER_LANGUAGE_NAME.php (if any)

For older versions of Zen Cart:

  • /admin/includes/languages/english.php
  • /admin/includes/languages/OTHER_LANGUAGE_NAME.php (if any)
  • /includes/languages/english.php
  • /includes/languages/TEMPLATE_NAME/english.php (if any)
  • /includes/languages/OTHER_LANGUAGE_NAME.php (if any)
  • /includes/languages/TEMPLATE_NAME/OTHER_LANGUAGE_NAME.php (if any)

b. Check your configure.php files:

  • /admin/includes/configure.php
  • /includes/configure.php

If they have a define for DB_CHARSET, make sure it is set to utf8 without the dash (not utf-8). (It may not be present: if so, that’s fine, go to the next file.)

(Remember, the configure.php files are most likely set to read-only on your server, so you’ll need to change their permissions on the server to be writable before you can save the changes you’re making.)

Prior versions of the database converter

Older versions of the convert such as utf8mb4-conversion.php and latin1-to-utf8-conversion.php are deprecated and no longer recommended.

Some notes on older versions of the database converter are maintained for those who used it in the past.



Still have questions? Use the Search box in the upper right, or try the full list of FAQs. If you can't find it there, head over to the Zen Cart support forum and ask there in the appropriate subforum. In your post, please include your Zen Cart and PHP versions, and a link to your site.

Is there an error or omission on this page? Please post to General Questions on the support forum. Or, if you'd like to open a pull request, just review the guidelines and get started. You can even PR right here.
Last modified October 28, 2024 by Scott Wilson (bf2b50ec).