mysqli_sql_exception: Incorrect string value

[Guldstrand]

Can someone please help me with the following error:

Uncaught mysqli_sql_exception: Incorrect string value: '\xE3\x12N\x1C\xE3\xA0...' for column `trptreg`.`users`.`secret`

I've searched and tried everything, but i still get the above error when i try to save a hash in MySQL.
Here is the column "secret":
 

secret varchar(30) CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_bin NOT NULL

 

[requinix]

"Incorrect string value" means you're trying to insert data that isn't valid for the column. In your case, the column is defined as utf8mb4 (aka UTF-8) but your string is not UTF-8.

If the value is binary data then do not use VARCHARs in the first place. Those are for character data. Use VARBINARY instead.
https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/8.0/en/binary-varbinary.html

Either that, or you aren't supposed to be inserting raw binary data but either hex digits or a base-64 encoded version of the data...

[Guldstrand]

9 hours ago, requinix said:

"Incorrect string value" means you're trying to insert data that isn't valid for the column. In your case, the column is defined as utf8mb4 (aka UTF-8) but your string is not UTF-8.

If the value is binary data then do not use VARCHARs in the first place. Those are for character data. Use VARBINARY instead.
https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/8.0/en/binary-varbinary.html

Either that, or you aren't supposed to be inserting raw binary data but either hex digits or a base-64 encoded version of the data...

VARBINARY was the solution. ☺️