# Actions
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions/3988
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [November 1, 2006, 11:01pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions/3988 "2006-11-01T23:01:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2006, 11:01pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions/3988/1 "2006-11-01T23:01:07Z")
I've been using mp3tag for over a year and am delighted with it... but one thing still puzzles me: why using an Action am I allowed to edit tags etc. but not to import tags from a taglist files, set filenames from tags etc.?
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### Author:  [@Sebastian\_Mares](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Sebastian_Mares)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2006, 6:58am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions/3988/2 "2006-11-02T06:58:52Z")
Actually, you can set filenames from tags by using a Format value action with \_FILENAME as field and %artist% - %title% for example as format string. Importing from text on the other side is not possible.
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### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions/3988/3 "2006-11-15T16:58:00Z")
Neat - thanks!
And do you know a way of getting an Action to set %album artist% and %artist% from a pathname such as
albumartist/album/track title.wma
?
Thanks.
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### Author:  [@dano](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/dano)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2006, 6:14pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions/3988/4 "2006-11-15T18:14:53Z")
_Action type:_ **Guess values**
_Source format:_ **%\_parent\_directory%\%\_directory%**
_Guessing pattern:_ **%album artist%\%artist%**
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### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2006, 8:30pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions/3988/5 "2006-11-15T20:30:53Z")
Excellent! Thanks Dano.
> _Guessing pattern:_ **%album artist%\%artist%**
Suggestion: It would be really good for the Help to reveal that such richeness is allowed. It says just "Source format string" and mentions only that "one tag field" may be used.
> %\_parent\_directory%
Where can I find this stuff out for myself? I see no mention of that placeholder in the Help. Thanks.
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### Author:  [@dano](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/dano)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2006, 10:11pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions/3988/6 "2006-11-15T22:11:24Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Where can I find this stuff out for myself? I see no mention of that placeholder in the Help. Thanks.
[https://docs.mp3tag.de/format](https://docs.mp3tag.de/format)
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### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2006, 10:22pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions/3988/7 "2006-11-15T22:22:00Z")
That's for "Placeholders for export configurations" not Actions.
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### Author:  [@dano](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/dano)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2006, 10:33pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions/3988/8 "2006-11-15T22:33:07Z")
They work in almost every place of the program.
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### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2006, 11:03pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions/3988/9 "2006-11-15T23:03:27Z")
Meaning that the same list of placeholders applies whereever placeholders are allowed?
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2006, 7:13am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions/3988/10 "2006-11-16T07:13:15Z")
Almost. Just try it out 🙂
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### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2006, 9:58am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions/3988/11 "2006-11-16T09:58:35Z")
Thanks.
Suggestion for improvement: add to Help a list of the placeholders allowed in format strings.
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:19pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/actions/3988/12 "2026-02-09T12:19:58Z")