What potential problems can arise when using utf8_encode() and utf8_decode() in PHP?

When using utf8_encode() and utf8_decode() in PHP, potential problems can arise if the input string is not actually encoded in UTF-8. This can lead to incorrect conversions and unexpected behavior. To avoid these issues, it's important to ensure that the input string is properly encoded in UTF-8 before using utf8_encode() or utf8_decode(). 

// Check if the input string is encoded in UTF-8 before using utf8_encode() or utf8_decode()
$encodedString = mb_check_encoding($inputString, 'UTF-8') ? utf8_encode($inputString) : $inputString;
$decodedString = mb_check_encoding($inputString, 'UTF-8') ? utf8_decode($inputString) : $inputString;

Keywords

utf8_encode utf8_decode character encoding PHP data corruption

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