# actions with extension filter not working on mp3 files
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions-with-extension-filter-not-working-on-mp3-files/12731
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [November 25, 2011, 10:54am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions-with-extension-filter-not-working-on-mp3-files/12731 "2011-11-25T10:54:06Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@rungumprun](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/rungumprun)
#### Post date: [November 25, 2011, 10:54am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions-with-extension-filter-not-working-on-mp3-files/12731/1 "2011-11-25T10:54:06Z")
I have several actions that have worked for well over a year, until the last few weeks. The common element to the failing actions is that they fail to act on mp3 files. Similar actions for detecting and taking action on flac files still work.
This is what I use to detect mp3 files that no longer seems to work:
$if($eql('mp3',$lower(%\_extension%)),%artist%,)
If I eliminate the extension dependency in a failing action, mp3 files are successfully changed by Mp3tag. That's not a long term solution because it's a pain to manually filter what the original action does. I've tried deleting and re-entering the actions with such filters to see if there was some kind of corruption in my saved actions, but that dd not change anything.
Any ideas? My mp3 files do not appear to have any issues that I can see or hear.
I'm using V2.49a. thanks.
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [November 25, 2011, 12:04pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions-with-extension-filter-not-working-on-mp3-files/12731/2 "2011-11-25T12:04:15Z")
> [@rungumprun](#):
>
> ...
>
> $if($eql('mp3',$lower(%\_extension%)),%artist%,)
Of course, I could not find anything suspicious.
But: you could create a column in the files list that has that expression as VALUE.
You could then try to find out where the value is not as expected.
Also I am not quite sure whether it could be necessary to enter a double apostrophe after the comma in "%artist%,".
Sorry, just guessing
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### Author:  [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)
#### Post date: [November 25, 2011, 12:28pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions-with-extension-filter-not-working-on-mp3-files/12731/3 "2011-11-25T12:28:29Z")
> [@rungumprun](#):
>
> ... $if($eql('mp3',$lower(%\_extension%)),%artist%,) ...
This expression works without failure.
You have to check the context for failures.
DD.20111125.1429.CET
---
### Author:  [@rungumprun](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/rungumprun)
#### Post date: [November 25, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions-with-extension-filter-not-working-on-mp3-files/12731/4 "2011-11-25T15:44:39Z")
My stupidity was the cause. I tried this in a single action:
$if($eql('mp3',$lower(%\_extension%)),%artist%,)
$if($eql('flac',$lower(%\_extension%)),%artist%,)
when I should have been doing this:
$if($eql('mp3',$lower(%\_extension%)),%artist%,$if($eql(flac',$lower(%\_extension%)),%artist%,)
)
Thanks
---
### Author:  [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)
#### Post date: [November 25, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions-with-extension-filter-not-working-on-mp3-files/12731/5 "2011-11-25T19:04:28Z")
> [@rungumprun](#):
>
> ... I should have been doing this:
> $if($eql('mp3',$lower(%\_extension%)),%artist%,$if($eql(flac',$lower(%\_extension%)),%artist%,))
> ...
This gives the same result ...
**$if($or($eql($lower(%\_extension%),'mp3'),$eql($lower(%\_extension%),'flac')),%ARTIST%,)**
... or this too ...
**$ifgreater($strstr('mp3-flac-',$lower(%\_extension%)'-'),0,%ARTIST%,)**
... but for what is it good?
DD.20111125.2110.CET
---
### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:23pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions-with-extension-filter-not-working-on-mp3-files/12731/6 "2026-02-09T12:23:27Z")