UBB.threads PHP Forum Software Community Forums UBB.threads Version 7/8 Support Windows-1252 characters instead of utf8

I brought this issue up before, but it's still bugging us. I have written a sql query that cleans them up, so keeping them out of the forums is no longer an issue. But, I'd like to figure out the cause, if I could, so we can find a permanent solution.

Today, one of our moderators pointed out that another forum was suffering from the same issue. Since you won't have access to that particular forum, I'm posting the actual post here.
I asked if the poster was a member of that forum, and he said he was not but pointed out that that forum developer had a bug report on it and had found a solution.
I was surprised because I assumed that if this problem reared its ugly head in two entirely different software bases that the problem was not likely the forum software's fault.

However, it looks like this might be an issue with php coding. So, I'm posting it here in the hope that it might be helpful.


Is it possible that this is an issue with php coding? Have any other UBB forum owners experienced this issue?

I greped for strip_tags and found several instances of it in the UBB code. I have no idea if that means anything.

Please note that while we are on mysql 8.0, we are still using php 7.4.

I guess you are talking about people that copy paste from say windows notepad or word that has been advised not to do?
Even though we know members still do it

I really don't know, but I don't think so.

I checked your discussion links and they are all from about 2010, nearly 15 years ago. thats a lot of time to be sitting on their database without properly upgrading it from Windows-1252 to UTF-8, which is internet standard.

in 2012, two years after the linked posts were created, Windows-1252's usage was only 1.5% across the internet


2024. less than 0.3% usage
source: https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/en-windows1252



further reading here
https://www.ubbcentral.com/forums/u...ging-from-iso-8859-1-to-utf-8#Post263058
a guide on how to manually convert your database here
https://www.ubbcentral.com/forums/u...an-we-finally-switch-to-utf-8#Post255103


ubbt 7.7.4 introduces a conversion tool
https://www.ubbcentral.com/forums/u...ue/7-7-4-changelog-discussion#Post263542

directions on how to use this built in conversion tool is further down in that thread here:
https://www.ubbcentral.com/forums/u...re-7-7-4-changelog-discussion#Post263563

You mean you have not converted the database to utf8mb4 yet?
If true no wonder the question

I updated the db to utf8mb4 a few months ago. More recently, the db was upgraded to 8.0, and I have confirmed that all tables are utf8mb4. Yet the problem persists.





There are four databases. The test db is a leftover that I should probably drop. It's the one that's inlatin1_swedish_ci 1

What does this setting show for your forums?
CP -> Master Settings -> Paths & Databases -> Databases Tab -> "MySQL Full Unicode Support (utf8mb4)"

The screenshot is attached.

It looks like the links he's posted links are to XenForo forum software from 2010. Not UBB.threads.

he also mentioned that he updated his forums to utf8mb4 a few months ago (in 2024) but has not said how.
https://www.ubbcentral.com/forums/u...52-characters-instead-of-utf8#Post266154

@BaldEagle, when you updated your database, did you just change the collation, or did you actually change the data as well, by using UBB.thread's built in conversion upgrade tool (available since UBBT 7.7.4)

I used the conversion tool provided by the UBB software.