Encoding has influence on the way WebStorm reads or writes files. If a file has been modified but not yet saved, any changes in encoding affect file writing; if a file has not been modified, then reading is affected. WebStorm suggests specific ways to change encoding of a file according to its type, using the Status bar, or the editor.
| Encoding | Can be changed in |
|---|---|
| File encoding is specified within the file, for example, in XML. | If a file contains explicit encoding declaration, you can change it in the Editor. In this case WebStorm provides code completion. |
| File encoding is defined by BOM. | In this case, you can't change encoding with which WebStorm reads the file, but it is still possible to change encoding for writing such file. |
| UTF characters are detected in the file contents. | WebStorm provides an option that automatically changes file encoding to UTF,
if the file contents can be reasonably interpreted as UTF. This option only works for reading; a file can be saved with any encoding. |
