string utf8_encode (string data)
This function encodes the string data to UTF-8, and returns the encoded version. UTF-8 is a standard mechanism used by Unicodefor encoding wide character values into a byte stream. UTF-8 is transparent to plain ASCII characters, is self-synchronized (meaning it is possible for a program to figure out where in the bytestream characters start) and can be used with normal string comparison functions for sorting and such. PHP encodes UTF-8 characters in up to four bytes, like this:
Table 1. UTF-8 encoding
| bytes | bits | representation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 0bbbbbbb |
| 2 | 11 | 110bbbbb 10bbbbbb |
| 3 | 16 | 1110bbbb 10bbbbbb 10bbbbbb |
| 4 | 21 | 11110bbb 10bbbbbb 10bbbbbb 10bbbbbb |