# Action for removing the first X number of characters from field X
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/action-for-removing-the-first-x-number-of-characters-from-field-x/14926
**Category:** General Discussion
**Created:** [July 25, 2013, 5:59pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/action-for-removing-the-first-x-number-of-characters-from-field-x/14926 "2013-07-25T17:59:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@tate13](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/tate13)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2013, 5:59pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/action-for-removing-the-first-x-number-of-characters-from-field-x/14926/1 "2013-07-25T17:59:21Z")
For example: I want to remove the first 4 characters from the Artist title after using the "Filename - Tag" action.
Like this:
"01. Artist"
to:
"Artist"
So how would I create an action for that?
1. To remove the first/last X number of characters.
2. To remove whatever number of characters from a specific point of a field (for example the first three characters after the first four characters)
Thanks! 🙂
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2013, 3:27am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/action-for-removing-the-first-x-number-of-characters-from-field-x/14926/2 "2013-07-26T03:27:51Z")
Several things:
Why do you import the number at all? A mask
%dummy%. %artist%
would only use the string after the dot.
To get rid of the number you can either use an action of the type "Format value" and as format string $mid(%fieldname%,4,$len(%fieldname%))
or an action of the type "replace with regular expression"
Search string: "^\d+. "
(leave out the inverted commas - they should just show you that there is a blank after the dot)
Replace string:
(leave empty)
The $mid-function lets you address more or less any position in a string.