---
name: "Unicode::UTF8"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "libunicode-utf8-perl"
version: "0.62-3"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/Unicode::UTF8"
---

# Unicode::UTF8(3pm)

Encoding and decoding of UTF-8 encoding form

## NAME

Unicode::UTF8 - Encoding and decoding of UTF-8 encoding form

## SYNOPSIS

```
    use Unicode::UTF8 qw[decode_utf8 encode_utf8];

    use warnings FATAL => 'utf8'; # fatalize encoding glitches
    $string = decode_utf8($octets);
    $octets = encode_utf8($string);
```

## DESCRIPTION

This module provides functions to encode and decode UTF-8 encoding form as  specified by Unicode and ISO/IEC 10646:2011.

## FUNCTIONS

### decode\_utf8

```
    $string = decode_utf8($octets);
    $string = decode_utf8($octets, $fallback);
```

Returns an decoded representation of `$octets` in UTF-8 encoding as a character string.

`$fallback` is an optional `"CODE"` reference which provides a error-handling  mechanism, allowing customization of error handling. The default error-handling  mechanism is to replace any ill-formed UTF-8 sequences or encoded code points  which can't be interchanged with REPLACEMENT CHARACTER (U+FFFD).

```
    $string = $fallback->($octets, $is_usv, $position);
```

`$fallback` is invoked with three arguments: `$octets`, `$is_usv` and  `$position`. `$octets` is a sequence of one or more octets containing the  maximal subpart of the ill-formed subsequence or encoded code point which  can't be interchanged. `$is_usv` is a boolean indicating whether or not  `$octets` represent a encoded Unicode scalar value. `$position` is a  unsigned integer containing the zero based octet position at which the error  occurred within the octets provided to `decode_utf8()`. `$fallback` must  return a character string consisting of zero or more Unicode scalar values.  Unicode scalar values consist of code points in the range U+0000..U+D7FF and  U+E000..U+10FFFF.

### encode\_utf8

```
    $octets = encode_utf8($string);
    $octets = encode_utf8($string, $fallback);
```

Returns an encoded representation of `$string` in UTF-8 encoding as an octet string.

`$fallback` is an optional `"CODE"` reference which provides a error-handling  mechanism, allowing customization of error handling. The default error-handling  mechanism is to replace any code points which can't be interchanged or represented  in UTF-8 encoding form with REPLACEMENT CHARACTER (U+FFFD).

```
    $string = $fallback->($codepoint, $is_usv, $position);
```

`$fallback` is invoked with three arguments: `$codepoint`, `$is_usv` and  `$position`. `$codepoint` is a unsigned integer containing the code point  which can't be interchanged or represented in UTF-8 encoding form. `$is_usv`  is a boolean indicating whether or not `$codepoint` is a Unicode scalar value.  `$position` is a unsigned integer containing the zero based character position  at which the error occurred within the string provided to `encode_utf8()`.  `$fallback` must return a character string consisting of zero or more Unicode  scalar values.Unicode scalar values consist of code points in the range  U+0000..U+D7FF and U+E000..U+10FFFF.

### valid\_utf8

```
    $boolean = valid_utf8($octets);
```

Returns a boolean indicating whether or not the given `$octets` consist of  well-formed UTF-8 sequences.

## EXPORTS

None by default. All functions can be exported using the `":all"` tag or individually.

## DIAGNOSTICS

- Can't decode a wide character string

  (F) Wide character in octets.

- Can't validate a wide character string

  (F) Wide character in octets.

- Can't decode ill-formed UTF-8 octet sequence \<%s\> in position %u

  (W utf8) Encountered an ill-formed UTF-8 octet sequence. \<%s\> contains a  hexadecimal representation of the maximal subpart of the ill-formed subsequence.

- Can't interchange noncharacter code point U+%X in position %u

  (W utf8, nonchar) Noncharacters are code points that are permanently reserved  in the Unicode Standard for internal use. They are forbidden for use in open  interchange of Unicode text data. Noncharacters consist of the values U+nFFFE  and U+nFFFF (where n is from 0 to 10^16) and the values U+FDD0..U+FDEF.

- Can't represent surrogate code point U+%X in position %u

  (W utf8, surrogate) Surrogate code points are designated only for surrogate code  units in the UTF-16 character encoding form. Surrogates consist of code points  in the range U+D800 to U+DFFF.

- Can't represent super code point \\x{%X} in position %u

  (W utf8, non\_unicode) Code points greater than U+10FFFF. Perl's extended codespace.

- Can't decode ill-formed UTF-X octet sequence \<%s\> in position %u

  (F) Encountered an ill-formed octet sequence in Perl's internal representation  of wide characters.

The sub-categories: `"nonchar"`, `"surrogate"` and `"non_unicode"` is only available  on Perl 5.14 or greater. See perllexwarn for available categories and hierarchies.

## COMPARISON

Here is a summary of features for comparison with Encode's UTF-8 implementation:

- •

  Simple API which makes use of Perl's standard warning categories.

- •

  Recognizes all noncharacters regardless of Perl version

- •

  Implements Unicode's recommended practice for using U+FFFD.

- •

  Better diagnostics in warning messages

- •

  Detects and reports inconsistency in Perl's internal representation of  wide characters (UTF-X)

- •

  Preserves taintedness of decoded `$octets` or encoded `$string`

- •

  Better performance ~ 600% - 1200% (JA: 600%, AR: 700%, SV: 900%, EN: 1200%,  see benchmarks directory in git repository)

## CONFORMANCE

It's the author's belief that this UTF-8 implementation is conformant with  the Unicode Standard Version 6.0. Any deviations from the Unicode Standard  is to be considered a bug.

## SEE ALSO

- Encode

  - \<http://www.unicode.org/\>

  ## SUPPORT

### BUGS

Please report any bugs by email to `"bug-unicode-utf8 at rt.cpan.org"`, or  through the web interface at \<http://rt.cpan.org/Public/Dist/Display.html?Name=Unicode-UTF8\>.  You will be automatically notified of any progress on the request by the system.

### SOURCE CODE

This is open source software. The code repository is available for public  review and contribution under the terms of the license.

\<http://github.com/chansen/p5-unicode-utf8\>

```
    git clone http://github.com/chansen/p5-unicode-utf8
```

## AUTHOR

Christian Hansen `"chansen@cpan.org"`

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright 2011-2017 by Christian Hansen.

This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as the Perl 5 programming language system itself.
