httpwebwitch - 3:46 pm on Jul 14, 2010 (gmt 0)

Final note:
The program I use to browse my MySQL database shows everything looking like "óóó", and there's no option (that I can find in the menus or help) to display it in a readable way.

But, a similar program on my Macbook does allow you to "view as UTF8", so even though I know the stored data is multi-byte encoded, you get to see the readable characters.

It is prudent to be sure what is really happening when you use such an app for editing data. When you type "ééé" directly into the field in your GUI, is it being stored properly? You'll know it's not if your web page shows "????" or that funny diamond-shaped or empty rectangle character...

best wishes, hww