# xarray.coding.strings.EncodedStringCoder

### *class* xarray.coding.strings.EncodedStringCoder(allows_unicode=True)[[source]](https://github.com/pydata/xarray/blob/main/xarray/coding/strings.py#L49-L99)

Transforms between unicode strings and fixed-width UTF-8 bytes.

#### \_\_init_\_(allows_unicode=True)[[source]](https://github.com/pydata/xarray/blob/main/xarray/coding/strings.py#L52-L53)

### Methods

| [`__init__`](#xarray.coding.strings.EncodedStringCoder.__init__)([allows_unicode])   |                                                   |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|
| `decode`(variable[, name])                                                    | Convert a decoded variable to an encoded variable |
| `encode`(variable[, name])                                                    | Convert an encoded variable to a decoded variable |