Problem displaying greek text in forum even with utf8 and polyglot

[iani]

Hello,
I am running a blog based on wp 2.3.2 installed via fantastico on bluehost.com. Texts written in Greek (ελληνικ?) appear as ????. Bluehost support helped me convert the language encoding of the database to utf-8 (which it was not set to!) and I checked wp-config.php for utf-8 too. I then tried installing polyglot and it did not work, tho I followed all the steps. How do I get my blog to support unicode (greek or other characters)? I do not need the pages to switch languages (multilingual blog). All I need is to be able to write mixed languages in one page. Thanks

Iannis Zannos

[moshu]

Usually it is a problem related to automated fantastico installs, which, possibly, got aggravated by your host’s intervention, because it is the collation, not the encoding of the database that causes the issue in 98%.

If you don’t mess with anything – in an out-of-the-box WP blog you can write in any language. Test it:
https://www.transycan.net/blogtest/2005/03/04/font-test/

[iani]

Thanks moshu. That clarifies things. In the meanwhile I found _many_ posts about the same problem and it seems to be the way that fantastico performs one-click installations on hosts: It creates latin1_swedish_ci collated fields in the mysql. Like you say!

So what do you suggest I do?
1. Install my own wp package from scratch, and migrate my blog using this complex procedure:
https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Converting_Database_Character_Sets
2. Try another fantastico installation, after asking help from my host?

Either way, it is going to be time consuming and will require learning about how to handle mysql encodings with phpMyAdmin and how to set details in wp-config.php or other scripts.

Well. This problem seems to be so common – I wonder how one can help provide a solution so that people dont lose so much time after installing their wp with fantastico.
Any hints?

Thanks again!
Iannis

[moshu]

Is this a new blog or an upgrade? Fantastico usually screws them up during the upgrade.

If it is/was an upgrade: do you have a DB backup from before the upgrade?

[iani]

Hello Moshu,

This was not an upgrade. It was a new install done 10 days ago, from Fantastico.
I can download all entries easily using a blogging client on a mac and reupload them automatically from the client to a new database (I have done download – upload before this way). That greatly simplifies the migration procedure. The question remains as to how to install wp on bluehost with the right collation – utf8 – in the database. Should I pursue this with their support and get them to help me with fantastico, or should I perform a manual installation from the latest stable WordPress version files?

Iannis Zannos

[moshu]

No fantastico.
Do it yourself.
I don’t know if blogging clients make it simpler… since people often complain about those, too, and mainly related to encoding!

One thing to clarify: If you do not enforce the collation (read: you delete those lines from the wp-config) you can be happily blog in any language, although at a MySQL version upgrade or a move to different version could cause problems. Otherwise, you don’t need it.

However, in the case of a new install you should NOT have any issues. With a new blog you don’t need to mess with converting the database and all that shit. It means something was screwed up from the start!

Try a brand new manual install. It should work!

[iani]

Moshi, just to let, you know: another longish overseas telephone call with bluehost support and I got a clear answer: They are not willing to change the default Fantastico installation of wordpress because it would take more time than available and is not of critical importance (such as security issues etc). So I will have to do a manual installation.
Iannis

[iani]

Moshu, thanks for answering again. I will look hard for the good quiet moment to undertake the manual installation – or make the moment.
Oh and excuse the typo “Moshi” which is the Japanese for Mozu the Chinese philosopher, I was actually wondering if he was behind your name that’s why it slipped ??

Iannis