mysql utf8 re-import shows meaningless characters

[reza]

Hi
I have installed a fresh zen 1.3.7 with eeasy populate module.
I set colation to utf8-general-ci, because I use arabic and persian characters
I can add all my words in persian and arabic letters into the admin, and they are shows without problem in admin and frontshop.
I can also backup, export and agin import the this database and again works good, but when I export database, the not english characters (so pers and arab) are only some symboles.
these are server info:
Linux
Service Status Click to View
Kernel version 2.6.9-42.0.3.ELsmp
Machine Type i686
Apache version 1.3.37 (Unix)
PERL version 5.8.7
Path to PERL /usr/bin/perl
Path to sendmail /usr/sbin/sendmail
Installed Perl Modules Click to View
PHP version 4.4.4
MySQL version 4.1.21-standard
cPanel Build 10.9.0-RELEASE 10737
Theme cPanel X v2.6.0
Documentation Click to View
cPanel Pro 1.0 (RC36)
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now the problem:
1- when I try to edit this database (for exp. with excel tab-delimited after importing with easy populate, or even edit in notepad or notapad++ and saving in utf8 without bom, utf8, asni , etc, )non of them give me the desired result, it means that all the data that I have edited outside of admin area on the database, and are in non english characters, after importing the database with phpmyadmin, or admin/patch of zen, are shows now in meaningless characters, and mostly so: ????? ????? ??

2- is there any suggestion to use another conection collation in my phpmyadmin than utf8-general-ci for persian language, because I saw utf-persian-ci too, but I didn't want to limit me only to persian so I choosed utf8-general-ci.
can somebody help me, because with this history easy populate etc don't have any sense for my shop.
thanks

[Chuckl]

Since you have no problem with the server and database setup in terms of backing up and restoring, exporting, importing etc. your problem lies in the other tools you are using - Excel, notepad etc are not set to use that character set?

[reza]

thanks chucki
you have semi complete right. why, because when I do an insert or a correction directly in the phpmyadmin in one of the tables' content (let say, for exp. category description) in another language than english, so persian , even if the collation is set to utf8, after inserting, the inserted contents are shown like ??? ???? 5 ???? , you see, I have already read somewhere that phpmyadmin and mysql do something like transformation of the data when they do import and export, and this may be a not solved problem in mysql. but if this was right, again, after direct inserting the data in phpmyadmin, I should get correct characters!!!!
in the case of your idea is correct, do you have any idea, how do I have to set my editors???
thanks

[Chuckl]

Reza, I wouldn't even like to guess. Every time I look at this stuff I find myself falling asleep within 5 minutes. If you just stay with MySQL, the story is as follows:

Firstly we have two system variables:

character_set_server and collation_server. These determine what the server will use and how it sorts data.
Then it has a character_set_client system variable. This is the character set in which client queries are assumed to be formed.
When the server receives the query, it translates it from character set client, to character_set_connection, and collation_connection, which is what it wants to see from connections. Except for string literals that have an embedded introducer like latin1 or utf8.
If you are sorint column values, then collation_connection does not matter, cause columns have their own collation.
Once it has a set of results to the query, it returns it in, of course character_set_results. Clear?
From the client, it is possible to execute a charset utf8 or similar sql statement to set the client and results character sets, and the connection collation
All of the above applies to MySQL5, I have no idea about MySQL4.
Only advice I can give is to get them all the same, just don't ask me how, I think that requires someone who does this for a living.

[reza]

Hi chicki
thanks a lot for your brief explanation, although I have to analyse it again as I am a very very very newbie in this field. anyway, again thanks.
just let me know if you can help me in adding a javascript in the zen pages, I have added my question already in forum, as triple combobox and another javascript in product page.
bye