# Mac OS Roma to UTF-8 (Kconv | Iconv\]

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/mac-os-roma-to-utf-8-kconv-iconv/76524>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [December 26, 2005, 8:38pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/mac-os-roma-to-utf-8-kconv-iconv/76524 "2005-12-26T20:38:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/4bbf92/32.png) [@unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/unknown)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2005, 8:38pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/mac-os-roma-to-utf-8-kconv-iconv/76524/1 "2005-12-26T20:38:20Z")

</div>

i’ve a small test using rubyaeosa-0.2.3, works great if i let the output  
“as is”.

In that case, according to SubEthaEdit (a MacOS X editor) the output  
string is encoded in MacOS Roman.

Because i’ll use the output in an xml form i need to translate to UTF-8.

if i make use of Kconv#toutf8 i get japanese (presumably) chars :

René (true char “é” output “as is” = MacOS Roman)  
Ren (if i use Kconv#toutf8)  
Anaïs (true char “é” output “as is” = MacOS Roman)  
"A"n"a\<ï and s replaced by a “japanese” char\> (use of Kconv#toutf8)

also if i make use of Iconv.new(‘MACROMAN’, ‘UTF-8’).iconv(str)

i get an error message :  
AddressBook2vCardXml.rb:32:in `iconv’: “\216” (Iconv::IllegalSequence)

for the first accentuated string (the “é” of René).

here is my script :  
`
require ‘osx/aeosa’
require ‘kconv’
require ‘iconv’`

def album\_list  
result = OSX.do\_osascript %{  
tell application “Address Book”  
set a to first name of people  
set b to last name of people  
{a,b}  
end tell  
}  
firstName = result[0].map {|i| i.to\_rbobj }  
lastName = result[1].map {|i| i.to\_rbobj }  
return firstName.map {|i| [i,lastName.shift] }  
end

aFile = File.new(“AddressBook.xml”, “w”)  
album\_list.each do |f,l|  
aFile.puts “#{f} #{l}” // output “as is”

# aFile.puts “#{f.toutf8} #{l.toutf8}” // use Kconv#toutf8

# fu = Iconv.new(‘MACROMAN’, ‘UTF-8’).iconv(f) // use of Iconv

# lu = Iconv.new(‘MACROMAN’, ‘UTF-8’).iconv(l) // use of Iconv

# aFile.puts “#{fu} #{lu}” // use of Iconv

end

notice also that, if i do the encoding conversion using command line by  
:

> iconv -f MACROMAN -t UTF-8 AddressBook.xml \> AddressBook-UTF-8.xml

“AddressBook.xml” being the output of my Ruby script, i get  
“AddressBook-UTF-8.xml” correctly encoded !!!

may be that’s the only solution for the time being ?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/4bbf92/32.png) [@unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/unknown)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2005, 10:19am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/mac-os-roma-to-utf-8-kconv-iconv/76524/2 "2005-12-27T10:19:41Z")

</div>

> Because i’ll use the output in an xml form i need to translate to UTF-8.

Not necessarily. Just make sure that the encoding is specified in your  
XML prolog:

\<?xml version="1.0" encoding="Shift\_JIS" ?\>

> also if i make use of Iconv.new(‘MACROMAN’, ‘UTF-8’).iconv(str)
> 
> i get an error message :  
> AddressBook2vCardXml.rb:32:in `iconv’: “\216” (Iconv::IllegalSequence)
> 
> for the first accentuated string (the “é” of René).

That’s because the parameters are in the wrong order. They should be  
given as (to, from). Your example is therefore trying to convert  
_from_ UTF-8 _to_ Mac Roman, which is why the é is illegal.

Try this instead:

utf8\_str = Iconv.new(‘UTF-8’, ‘MacRoman’).iconv(mac\_str)

e.g.  
$KCODE = ‘u’  
require ‘iconv’  
Iconv.new(‘UTF-8’, ‘MacRoman’).iconv(“Ren\216”) # =\> “René” [in UTF-8]

Paul.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/4bbf92/32.png) [@unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/unknown)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2005, 12:08pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/mac-os-roma-to-utf-8-kconv-iconv/76524/3 "2005-12-27T12:08:00Z")

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Paul B. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> That’s because the parameters are in the wrong order.

ok, thanks very much, that’s working right nox !!!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/4bbf92/32.png) [@unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/unknown)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2005, 2:50pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/mac-os-roma-to-utf-8-kconv-iconv/76524/4 "2005-12-27T14:50:57Z")

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removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid (Une bévue) writes:

> also if i make use of Iconv.new(‘MACROMAN’, ‘UTF-8’).iconv(str)

You got the encodings in the wrong order here. It’s TO, FROM.

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**Author:** ![unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/4bbf92/32.png) [@unknown](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/unknown)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2005, 3:00pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/mac-os-roma-to-utf-8-kconv-iconv/76524/5 "2005-12-27T15:00:03Z")

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Christian N. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> You got the encodings in the wrong order here. It’s TO, FROM.

you’re right thanks )))