# Other Programming > AJAX >  AJAX and special characters

## Yashin_S

hi everyone.

Am trying to get some data (in french) from a database, but the special characters like "é" are getting replaced by question marks. I have been able to find a way in mozilla using 

xmlHttp.overrideMimeType('text/xml; charset=iso-8859-1');

but it is not working in IE7 and IE6.

here are the codes :



```
function showArticles(rubrique)
		{ 
			xmlHttp=GetXmlHttpObject();
			if (xmlHttp==null)
			  {
			  alert ("Your browser does not support AJAX!");
			  return;
			  } 
			var url="displayTable.php";
			url=url+"?r_id="+rubrique;
			xmlHttp.onreadystatechange=stateChanged;
			xmlHttp.open("GET",url,true);
			xmlHttp.send(null);
		}



function stateChanged() 
		{ 
			
			if (xmlHttp.readyState==4)
			{ 
				document.getElementById("dynamicTable").innerHTML=xmlHttp.responseText;
			}
		
		}




function GetXmlHttpObject()
		{
		var xmlHttp=null;
		try
		  {
		  // Firefox, Opera 8.0+, Safari
		  xmlHttp=new XMLHttpRequest();
		  xmlHttp.overrideMimeType('text/xml; charset=iso-8859-1'); //NO CHARACTER PROBLEM IN MOZILLA
		  }
		catch (e)
		  {
		  // Internet Explorer
		  try
		    {
		    xmlHttp=new ActiveXObject("Msxml2.XMLHTTP");
			//xmlHttp.overrideMimeType('text/xml; charset=iso-8859-1'); // THIS DOES NOT WORK, I"VE COMMENTED IT
		    }
		  catch (e)
		    {
		    xmlHttp=new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");
		    }
		  }
		return xmlHttp;
		}
```

----------


## PeejAvery

I have found with AJAX, that if the actual file is not saved in a specific file type, then it can return invalid characters rather than the special characters. Are you sure the file is saved as _iso-8859-1_?

----------


## Yashin_S

Yes. Both my files are saved with iso-8859-1. Shouldn't it have something to do with xmlHttp? because when i override the mime type for mozilla, it works for that browser.

I dont know if anyone knows an alternative to eliminate this problem.

The file sending the request also has special characters in it. They are displayed correctly. 

When i run the file being called individually, it also give the correct characters. The problem is only when the content of the file being called is being passed to the requesting file and displayed in a div. Here the special characters are wrong.

----------


## Yashin_S

Problem solved. It was indeed a problem with charset.

----------


## murthy_akella

We are also facing simliar kind of problem, not able to send the special chars in request. Yashin mentioned that the problem is solved with charset. Can you provide your code here which may help us to solve our issue.

----------


## PeejAvery

The problem is simply crossing character sets. Just make sure that the character set you are attempting to output is the same as the saved file that is being read.

----------

