rake db:create encoding error with postgresql

Question

I'm importing an existing rails project that I was working on into my new arch linux system, I already installed all gems and postgresql correctly, but I having some issues when runing:

rake db:create 

I get the following error

PGError: ERROR:  new encoding (UTF8) is incompatible with the encoding of the template database (SQL_ASCII) HINT:  Use the same encoding as in the template database, or use template0 as template. : CREATE DATABASE "System_test" ENCODING = 'unicode' 

I created manually the database with the correct encoding and the migrations worked well, but I can run the

rake db:test:clone 

command because It tries to create a database and I don't suppose to create manually the databases either. So, someone knows to fix this?

greetings

EDIT: here's my database.yml

development:   adapter: postgresql   encoding: unicode   database: System_development   pool: 5   username: forellana   password:  test: &test   adapter: postgresql   encoding: unicode   database: System_test   pool: 5   username: forellana   password:  cucumber:   <<: *test 

and here's the complete output of the command

(in /home/fespinoza/Workspace/TLI) PGError: ERROR:  new encoding (UTF8) is incompatible with the encoding of the template database (SQL_ASCII) HINT:  Use the same encoding as in the template database, or use template0 as template. : CREATE DATABASE "System_test" ENCODING = 'unicode' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/abstract_adapter.rb:207:in `rescue in log' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/abstract_adapter.rb:199:in `log' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/postgresql_adapter.rb:493:in `execute' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/postgresql_adapter.rb:572:in `create_database' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/railties/databases.rake:92:in `rescue in create_database' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/railties/databases.rake:39:in `create_database' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/railties/databases.rake:33:in `block (2 levels) in <top (required)>' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:636:in `call' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:636:in `block in execute' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:631:in `each' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:631:in `execute' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:597:in `block in invoke_with_call_chain' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/rubies/ruby-1.9.2-p180/lib/ruby/1.9.1/monitor.rb:201:in `mon_synchronize' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:590:in `invoke_with_call_chain' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:583:in `invoke' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2051:in `invoke_task' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2029:in `block (2 levels) in top_level' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2029:in `each' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2029:in `block in top_level' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2068:in `standard_exception_handling' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2023:in `top_level' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2001:in `block in run' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2068:in `standard_exception_handling' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:1998:in `run' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/bin/rake:31:in `<top (required)>' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/bin/rake:19:in `load' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/bin/rake:19:in `<main>' Couldn't create database for {"adapter"=>"postgresql", "encoding"=>"unicode", "database"=>"System_test", "pool"=>5, "username"=>"forellana", "password"=>nil} PGError: ERROR:  new encoding (UTF8) is incompatible with the encoding of the template database (SQL_ASCII) HINT:  Use the same encoding as in the template database, or use template0 as template. : CREATE DATABASE "System_development" ENCODING = 'unicode' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/abstract_adapter.rb:207:in `rescue in log' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/abstract_adapter.rb:199:in `log' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/postgresql_adapter.rb:493:in `execute' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/postgresql_adapter.rb:572:in `create_database' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/railties/databases.rake:92:in `rescue in create_database' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/railties/databases.rake:39:in `create_database' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/railties/databases.rake:35:in `block (2 levels) in <top (required)>' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:636:in `call' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:636:in `block in execute' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:631:in `each' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:631:in `execute' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:597:in `block in invoke_with_call_chain' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/rubies/ruby-1.9.2-p180/lib/ruby/1.9.1/monitor.rb:201:in `mon_synchronize' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:590:in `invoke_with_call_chain' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:583:in `invoke' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2051:in `invoke_task' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2029:in `block (2 levels) in top_level' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2029:in `each' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2029:in `block in top_level' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2068:in `standard_exception_handling' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2023:in `top_level' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2001:in `block in run' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2068:in `standard_exception_handling' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:1998:in `run' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/gems/rake-0.8.7/bin/rake:31:in `<top (required)>' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/bin/rake:19:in `load' /home/fespinoza/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180/bin/rake:19:in `<main>' Couldn't create database for {"adapter"=>"postgresql", "encoding"=>"unicode", "database"=>"System_development", "pool"=>5, "username"=>"forellana", "password"=>nil} 

Answer 1

To fix this in Rails, I've found that you can simply add the following line to each section (development/production etc.) of your database.yml file:

template: template0 

See ActiveRecord/ConnectionAdapters/PostgreSQL/SchemaStatements#create_database for other options.

Answer 2

The main problem here is that your template database (template1) has been created with an ASCII encoding and you're telling PostgreSQL to create the new database with UTF8 encoding. Needless to say, it's not particularly pleased about that. What you can do is erase your template1 database and re-create it using these instructions. This can also be a problem when your hosting provider hasn't properly set the locale. You can read more about fixing your missing locales.

I found all of this info through this post about Fixing PostgreSQL's default encoding on Ubuntu 9.10