# mysql_set_charset

(PHP 5 >= 5.2.3)

mysql_set_charset — Sets the client character set

Warning

This extension was deprecated in PHP 5.5.0, and it was removed in PHP 7.0.0. Instead, the MySQLi or PDO_MySQL extension should be used. See also MySQL: choosing an API guide and related FAQ for more information. Alternatives to this function include:

- mysqli_set_charset()
- PDO: Add `charset` to the connection string, such as `charset=utf8`

### Description

mysql_set_charset ( string `$charset` [, resource `$link_identifier` = NULL ] ) : bool

Sets the default character set for the current connection.

### Parameters

`charset`

  A valid character set name.

`link_identifier`

  The MySQL connection. If the link identifier is not specified, the last link opened by mysql_connect() is assumed. If no such link is found, it will try to create one as if mysql_connect() had been called with no arguments. If no connection is found or established, an `E_WARNING` level error is generated.

### Return Values

Returns `TRUE` on success or `FALSE` on failure.

### Notes

> Note:

> This function requires MySQL 5.0.7 or later.

> Note:

> This is the preferred way to change the charset. Using mysql_query() to set it (such as `SET NAMES utf8`) is not recommended. See the MySQL character set concepts section for more information.

### See Also

- Setting character sets in MySQL
- » List of character sets that MySQL supports
- mysql_client_encoding() - Returns the name of the character set