@@ -318,7 +318,7 @@ GSList *strs = NULL, *it;
     gchar *raw, *p;
     guint num, i, count = 0;
 
-    if (get_all(win, prop, obt_prop_atom(OBT_PROP_STRING), 8,
+    if (get_all(win, prop, OBT_PROP_ATOM(STRING), 8,
                 (guchar**)&raw, &num))
     {
         p = raw;
@@ -350,7 +350,7 @@ gchar *raw;
     gchar *str;
     guint num;
 
-    if (get_all(win, prop, obt_prop_atom(OBT_PROP_UTF8), 8,
+    if (get_all(win, prop, OBT_PROP_ATOM(UTF8), 8,
                 (guchar**)&raw, &num))
     {
         str = g_strndup(raw, num); /* grab the first string from the list */
@@ -370,7 +370,7 @@ GSList *strs = NULL, *it;
     gchar *raw, *p;
     guint num, i, count = 0;
 
-    if (get_all(win, prop, obt_prop_atom(OBT_PROP_UTF8), 8,
+    if (get_all(win, prop, OBT_PROP_ATOM(UTF8), 8,
                 (guchar**)&raw, &num))
     {
         p = raw;
@@ -408,16 +408,47 @@ XChangeProperty(obt_display, win, prop, type, 32, PropModeReplace,
                     (guchar*)val, num);
 }
 
+void obt_prop_set_string_locale(Window win, Atom prop, const gchar *val)
+{
+    const gchar *s[2] = { val, NULL };
+    obt_prop_set_strings_locale(win, prop, s);
+}
+
+void obt_prop_set_strings_locale(Window win, Atom prop,
+                                 const gchar **strs)
+{
+    gint i, count;
+    gchar **lstrs;
+    XTextProperty tprop;
+
+    /* count the strings in strs, and convert them to the locale format */
+    for (count = 0; strs[count]; ++count);
+    lstrs = g_new0(char*, count);
+    for (i = 0; i < count; ++i) {
+        lstrs[i] = g_locale_from_utf8(strs[i], -1, NULL, NULL, NULL);
+        if (!lstrs[i]) {
+            lstrs[i] = g_strdup(""); /* make it an empty string */
+            g_warning("Unable to translate string '%s' from UTF8 to locale "
+                      "format", strs[i]);
+        }
+    }
+
+
+    XStringListToTextProperty(lstrs, count, &tprop);
+    XSetTextProperty(obt_display, win, &tprop, prop);
+    XFree(tprop.value);
+}
+
 void obt_prop_set_string_utf8(Window win, Atom prop, const gchar *val)
 {
-    XChangeProperty(obt_display, win, prop, obt_prop_atom(OBT_PROP_UTF8), 8,
+    XChangeProperty(obt_display, win, prop, OBT_PROP_ATOM(UTF8), 8,
                     PropModeReplace, (const guchar*)val, strlen(val));
 }
 
-void obt_prop_set_strings_utf8(Window win, Atom prop, gchar **strs)
+void obt_prop_set_strings_utf8(Window win, Atom prop, const gchar **strs)
 {
     GString *str;
-    gchar **s;
+    const gchar **s;
 
     str = g_string_sized_new(0);
     for (s = strs; *s; ++s) {

@@ -225,8 +225,12 @@ 
 void obt_prop_set32(Window win, Atom prop, Atom type, gulong val);
 void obt_prop_set_array32(Window win, Atom prop, Atom type, gulong *val,
                           guint num);
+void obt_prop_set_string_locale(Window win, Atom prop, const gchar *val);
 void obt_prop_set_string_utf8(Window win, Atom prop, const gchar *val);
-void obt_prop_set_strings_utf8(Window win, Atom prop, gchar **strs);
+void obt_prop_set_strings_locale(Window win, Atom prop,
+                                 const gchar **strs);
+void obt_prop_set_strings_utf8(Window win, Atom prop,
+                               const gchar **strs);
 
 void obt_prop_erase(Window win, Atom prop);
 
@@ -254,10 +258,10 @@ (obt_prop_set32(win, OBT_PROP_ATOM(prop), OBT_PROP_ATOM(type), val))
 #define OBT_PROP_SETA32(win, prop, type, val, num) \
     (obt_prop_set_array32(win, OBT_PROP_ATOM(prop), OBT_PROP_ATOM(type), \
                           val, num))
-#define OBT_PROP_SETS(win, prop, val) \
-    (obt_prop_set_string_utf8(win, OBT_PROP_ATOM(prop), val))
-#define OBT_PROP_SETSS(win, prop, strs) \
-    (obt_prop_set_strings_utf8(win, OBT_PROP_ATOM(prop), strs))
+#define OBT_PROP_SETS(win, prop, type, val) \
+    (obt_prop_set_string_##type(win, OBT_PROP_ATOM(prop), val))
+#define OBT_PROP_SETSS(win, prop, type, strs) \
+    (obt_prop_set_strings_##type(win, OBT_PROP_ATOM(prop), strs))
 
 #define OBT_PROP_ERASE(win, prop) (obt_prop_erase(win, OBT_PROP_ATOM(prop)))
 

@@ -1978,7 +1978,7 @@ visible = g_strdup_printf("%s - [%s]", data, _("Not Responding"));
         g_free(data);
     }
 
-    OBT_PROP_SETS(self->window, NET_WM_VISIBLE_NAME, visible);
+    OBT_PROP_SETS(self->window, NET_WM_VISIBLE_NAME, utf8, visible);
     self->title = visible;
 
     if (self->frame)
@@ -2010,7 +2010,7 @@ visible = g_strdup_printf("%s - [%s]", data, _("Not Responding"));
         g_free(data);
     }
 
-    OBT_PROP_SETS(self->window, NET_WM_VISIBLE_ICON_NAME, visible);
+    OBT_PROP_SETS(self->window, NET_WM_VISIBLE_ICON_NAME, utf8, visible);
     self->icon_title = visible;
 }
 

@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ if (ob_rr_theme == NULL)
                     ob_exit_with_error(_("Unable to load a theme."));
 
                 OBT_PROP_SETS(RootWindow(obt_display, ob_screen),
-                              OB_THEME, ob_rr_theme->name);
+                              OB_THEME, utf8, ob_rr_theme->name);
             }
 
             if (reconfigure) {

@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ OBT_PROP_SET32(RootWindow(obt_display, ob_screen),
                    NET_SUPPORTING_WM_CHECK, WINDOW, screen_support_win);
 
     /* set properties on the supporting window */
-    OBT_PROP_SETS(screen_support_win, NET_WM_NAME, "Openbox");
+    OBT_PROP_SETS(screen_support_win, NET_WM_NAME, utf8, "Openbox");
     OBT_PROP_SET32(screen_support_win, NET_SUPPORTING_WM_CHECK,
                    WINDOW, screen_support_win);
 
@@ -385,7 +385,7 @@ names[i] = g_strdup(it->data);
 
         /* set the root window property */
         OBT_PROP_SETSS(RootWindow(obt_display, ob_screen),
-                       NET_DESKTOP_NAMES, names);
+                       NET_DESKTOP_NAMES, utf8, names);
 
         g_strfreev(names);
     }
@@ -1162,7 +1162,7 @@ 
         /* if we changed any names, then set the root property so we can
            all agree on the names */
         OBT_PROP_SETSS(RootWindow(obt_display, ob_screen), NET_DESKTOP_NAMES,
-                       screen_desktop_names);
+                       utf8, screen_desktop_names);
     }
 
     /* resize the pager for these names */