# Artist & featuring formatting
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/artist-featuring-formatting/12818
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [December 15, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/artist-featuring-formatting/12818 "2011-12-15T19:31:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ni.va](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ni.va)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/artist-featuring-formatting/12818/1 "2011-12-15T19:31:25Z")
Hi
I recently discovered how Win7 windows explorer uses Artist field to show Contributing Artists separately. so I formatted the Artist field to Artist separated by "/". Like:
ARTIST: **Benny Benassi/Kelis/APL/Jean-Baptiste**
& now I want to use this field in file names formatted like: (in tags - filenames Dialog)
**Benny Benassi Ft. Kelis, APL & Jean-Baptiste**
in my collection there are tracks that have from 1 to 4 contributing artists & I want this to work with all of them as follow:
Artist: A
Output: A
Artist: A/B
Output: A Ft. B
Artist: A/B/C
Output: A Ft. B & C
Artist: A/B/C/D
Output A Ft. B, C & D
Artist: A/B/C/D/E
Output: A Ft. B, C, D & E
Would it be possible Guys??
Thanks 😃
---
### Author:  [@stevehero](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/stevehero)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2011, 1:27am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/artist-featuring-formatting/12818/2 "2011-12-17T01:27:14Z")
> [@ni.va](#):
>
> .....& I want this to work with all of them as follow:
>
> Artist: A
> Output: A
>
> Artist: A/B
> Output: A Ft. B
>
> Artist: A/B/C
> Output: A Ft. B & C
>
> Artist: A/B/C/D
> Output A Ft. B, C & D
>
> Artist: A/B/C/D/E
> Output: A Ft. B, C, D & E
I'm only on my fone atm but I will try and help.
Try this (You have to put these in one single action group for this to work:)
If you want the FILENAME format:
%artist% - %title%
Action #1 (MUST BE TOP ACTION)
Format field: \_FILENAME
Format : %artist%
For: Benny Benassi _NO ACTION NEEDED_
Action #2
For: Benny Benassi/Kelis
Exp: ^(.+)/(.+)$
Replace: $1 Ft. $2
Action #3
For: Benny Benassi/Kelis/APL
Exp: ^(.+)/(.+)/(.+)$
Replace: $1 Ft. $2 & $3
Action #4
For: Benny Benassi/Kelis/APL/Jean-Baptiste
Exp: ^(.+)/(.+)/(.+)/(.+)$
Replace: $1 Ft. $2, $3 & $4
Action #5
For: Benny Benassi/Kelis/APL/Jean-Baptiste
Exp: ^(.+)/(.+)/(.+)/(.+)/(.+)$
Replace: $1 Ft. $2, $3, $4 & $5
Action #6 (MUST BE BOTTOM ACTION)
Format field: \_FILENAME
Format : %\_filename% - %title%
Test on a small amount of files first.
---
### Author:  [@ni.va](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ni.va)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/artist-featuring-formatting/12818/3 "2011-12-17T19:55:58Z")
Thanks It worked but with some small changes (figured out by looking through Help file)
😃
> [@](#):
>
> If you want the FILENAME format:
> %artist% - %title%
>
> Action #1 (MUST BE TOP ACTION)
> Format field: \_FILENAME (I used a costum field ("NEW"))
> Format : %artist%
>
> Action #2
> Exp: ^([^/]+)/([^/]+)$
> Replace: $1 Ft. $2
>
> Action #3
> Exp: ^([^/]+)/([^/]+)/([^/]+)$
> Replace: $1 Ft. $2 & $3
>
> Action #4
> Exp: ^([^/]+)/([^/]+)/([^/]+)/([^/]+)$
> Replace: $1 Ft. $2, $3 & $4
>
> Action #5
> Exp: ^([^/]+)/([^/]+)/([^/]+)/([^/]+)/([^/]+)$
> Replace: $1 Ft. $2, $3, $4 & $5
>
> Action #6 (MUST BE BOTTOM ACTION)
> Format field: \_FILENAME
> Format : %\_filename% - %title%
EDIT: Sep 8 2013:
I Actually figured out the better solution.
I edited this post to avoid pumping up an old thread.
So my new solution is:
> [@](#):
>
> If you want the FILENAME format:
> %artist% - %title%
>
> Action #1 (MUST BE TOP ACTION)
> Format field: \_FILENAME (I used a costum field ("NEW"))
> Format : %artist%
>
> Action #2
> Exp: ^([^/]+)/([^/]+)
> Replace: $1 Ft. $2
>
> Action #3
> Exp: ([^/]+)/([^/]+)$
> Replace: $1 & $2
>
> Action #4
> Replace:
> Original:"/" (Without quotes)
> With:", " (Without quotes)
>
> Action #5 (MUST BE BOTTOM ACTION)
> Format field: \_FILENAME
> Format : %\_filename% - %title%
>
> And if you used a custom field like me:
>
> Action #6
> Remove fields:"new" (Without quotes)
>
> or if you want to have the featuring part after title the Actions 5 & 6 replace with:
>
> Action #5/1
> Guess Values:
> Source format: %new%
> Guessing pattern: %new% Ft. %ft%
>
> Action #5/2
> Format field: \_FILENAME
> Format : %new% - %title% (Ft. %ft%)
>
> Action #6
> Remove fields:"new;ft" (Without quotes)
>
> Also you can summarize the whole actions into one format string to use in the "tags - filenames" Dialog:
>
> Format String:
> $replace($regexp($regexp(%artist%,'^([^/]+)/([^/]+)','$1 Ft. $2'),'([^/]+)/([^/]+)$','$1 & $2'),/,', ') - %title%
Hope this would help somebody...
---
### Author:  [@stevehero](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/stevehero)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/artist-featuring-formatting/12818/4 "2011-12-17T21:57:02Z")
> [@ni.va](#):
>
> Thanks It worked but with some small changes (figured out by looking through Help file)
> 😃
good to see your getting a grasp of reg exp.
The e.g (.+)/(.+) is basically the same outcome because (.+) searches everything UNTIL it meets '/' so saying find everything exept '/' until '/' reads basically the same. 🙂
---
### Author:  [@ni.va](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ni.va)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2011, 7:17am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/artist-featuring-formatting/12818/5 "2011-12-18T07:17:07Z")
> [@stevehero](#):
>
> good to see your getting a grasp of reg exp.
>
> The e.g (.+)/(.+) is basically the same outcome because (.+) searches everything UNTIL it meets '/' so saying find everything exept '/' until '/' reads basically the same. 🙂
from what I tried with my files, the e.g (.+)/(.+) matches "A/B/C" taking "A/B" for the first part & "C" for the second.
---
### Author:  [@dano](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/dano)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2011, 8:04am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/artist-featuring-formatting/12818/6 "2011-12-18T08:04:26Z")
It's not the same. (.+)/ searches until the last / char
Here's a good explanation:
[Watch Out for The Greediness](http://www.regular-expressions.info/repeat.html)
---
### Author:  [@stevehero](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/stevehero)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2011, 9:52am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/artist-featuring-formatting/12818/7 "2011-12-18T09:52:43Z")
As ive said im on me fone so didnt have a chance to test the action first. My bad.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:23pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/artist-featuring-formatting/12818/8 "2026-02-09T12:23:31Z")