Mysql using utf8; so when Rails and Php query records from tables should set encoding=utf8; about Rails refer another article; and the php,first be sure the editor save php file set the encoding utf8; before query,add mysql_query("set names utf8")    
Installing Smarty in Windows This document assumes that your webserver and php5 is running. Download Smarty - http://smarty.php.net Installation - Windows, IIS/Apache, PHP5 Extract files, rename Smarty.x.x.x to smarty (suggest OUTSIDE of your www root!) Example: d:\smarty Run phpinfo.php to find ...