Mysql - Mysql2::Error: Incorrect string value:

Question

So I built a scraper and am pulling in some objects. The issue is some are foreign languages and it is tripping the mysql db up a bit. This is the error I got. Any idea what I can do with this? Thanks!

Mysql2::Error: Incorrect string value: '\xC5\x8Dga, ...' for column 'description' at row 1: INSERT INTO sammiches (country, created_at, description, image, name, updated_at) VALUES ('Japan', '2013-05-03 01:17:06', 'A hot dog bun stuffed with fried noodles, frequently topped with pickles, such as beni shōga, with mayonnaise', '/wiki/File:Yakisoba_sandwich_by_kaex0r.jpg', 'Yakisoba-pan', '2013-05-03

Answer 1

This can also be triggered if the string you're trying to insert has invalid UTF-8 byte sequences. For example, in ruby you can remove any invalid characters using

string_with_invalid_sequences.encode('utf-8', 'binary', invalid: :replace, undef: :replace, replace: '')

String#scrub can be used in ruby 2.1 onwards

string_with_invalid_sequences.scrub