Various UTF encodings
The UTF options that Sublime Text offers:
Those options represent various Unicode encodings available when saving a file in Sublime Text. Here's a breakdown of each encoding option:
Default
Right now, I don't know what I use exactly as default. I guess it's plain UTF-8 with Unix style line endings. For MySQL, this becomes more complicated.
UTF-8
This is a variable-width encoding that can represent every character in the Unicode character set. It's widely used and supports backward compatibility with ASCII. Suitable for most text files and web-related content.
UTF-8 with BOM (Byte Order Mark)
The BOM is a special marker at the beginning of a Unicode file that indicates its encoding. Some applications use this marker to identify the file as UTF-8 encoded. It's not always necessary but can help in scenarios where the encoding might be misinterpreted.
UTF-16
A fixed-width encoding that uses either two or four bytes to represent each character. Supports the entire Unicode character set. Less commonly used compared to UTF-8 due to larger file size and less ASCII compatibility.
UTF-16 LE (Little Endian)
UTF-16 encoding that stores the least significant byte first. Commonly used in Windows environments.
UTF-16 BE (Big Endian)
UTF-16 encoding that stores the most significant byte first. Less common than UTF-16 LE.
UTF-16 LE with BOM
UTF-16 Little Endian encoding with a Byte Order Mark. Similar to UTF-8 with BOM, the BOM helps identify the file's encoding.
UTF-16 BE with BOM
UTF-16 Big Endian encoding with a Byte Order Mark. Also includes the BOM to indicate the encoding.
Example: Robots.txt
For text files, especially those like robots.txt, the commonly used and recommended option is UTF-8 without BOM. It's widely supported, efficient, and compatible with various systems and applications. The BOM (UTF-8 with BOM, or UTF-16 with BOM) might not be necessary for such files but can be used for specific compatibility requirements.