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P4 Server Administration Documentation | 2025.2

# Unicode mode

The P4 Server can run in Unicode mode to convert from Unicode representation on the server to the character set of the clients and triggers A script to customize server behavior when specific conditions are met. that communicate with the server. The following are converted:

- File names or directory names that contain Unicode characters.
- P4 Server identifiers, such as group names and user names.
- Specifications, such as changelist descriptions or jobs, that contain Unicode characters.

- unicode files and metadata, which are converted to the character set configured on the user’s computer.

An additional benefit of Unicode mode is that the P4 Server verifies that the Unicode files and metadata contain valid UTF-8 characters.

## Additional considerations

In general, setting the server in Unicode mode automatically configures the appropriate rendering for each client, independently of the platform where it runs. However, there are some cases in which you might also need configure the client.

In addition to affecting the client, Unicode settings also affect trigger scripts that communicate with the server. If you use triggers, make sure they are consistent with the character set used by the server.

All p4d error and info logs are in UTF-8 format for a server in Unicode mode. Therefore, you need an UTF-8 console or editor to properly render this log information.

Converting a server to Unicode mode is a one-way operation. You cannot revert a Unicode server to its previous state.

## When not to use Unicode mode

If you only need to manage text files that contain Unicode characters, do not run your server in Unicode mode. Instead, assign the P4 Server `utf16` file type to text files that contain Unicode characters.

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