textEncode

Typefunction
DictionaryLCS
LibraryLiveCode Script
Syntax
textEncode(<stringToEncode>, <encoding>)
Summary

Converts from text to binary data.

Introduced7.0
OSmac, windows, linux, ios, android
Platformsdesktop, server, mobile
Parameters
NameTypeDescription
stringToEncode

Any string, or expression that evaluates to a string.

encoding

the encoding to be used - "ASCII" - "UTF-16" - "UTF-16BE" - "UTF-16LE" - "UTF-32" - "UTF-32BE" - "UTF-32LE" - "UTF-8" - "CP1252"

"ISO-8859-1": Linux only
"MacRoman": OS X only
"Native": ISO-8859-1 on Linux, MacRoman on OS X, CP1252 on Windows
Example
textEncode("A","UTF16")
put textEncode(field "output","UTF-8") into tOutput
put tOutput into url ("file:output.txt")
Values
NameTypeDescription
return

Returns the stringToEncode as binary data.

RelatedFunction: textDecode, textEncode
Description

Converts from text to binary data.

The textEncode function takes text, and returns it as binary data, encoded with the specified encoding.

It is highly recommended that any time you interface with things outside LiveCode (files, network sockets, processes, etc) that you explicitly textEncode any text you send outside LiveCode and textDecode all text received into LiveCode. If this doesnt happen, a platform-dependent encoding will be used (which normally does not support Unicode text).

It is not, in general, possible to reliably auto-detect text encodings so please check the documentation for the programme you are communicating with to find out what it expects. If in doubt, try UTF-8.