# Automating Changes to Artist Values
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/automating-changes-to-artist-values/13595
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [June 29, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/automating-changes-to-artist-values/13595 "2012-06-29T14:50:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@gjs1066](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/gjs1066)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/automating-changes-to-artist-values/13595/1 "2012-06-29T14:50:07Z")
I am undertaking a major re-tagging exercise and wish to standardise Artist entries in the format 'Last name, First Name'. At present a huge number of entries are in the format 'First name, Last Name' and I want to change all of these so that. for example, 'John Coltrane' becomes 'Coltrane, John'.
Is there a way I can set up an action to automate this?
---
### Author:  [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2012, 2:56pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/automating-changes-to-artist-values/13595/2 "2012-06-29T14:56:58Z")
> [@bluewammer](#):
>
> ... 'First name, Last Name' and I want to change all of these so that. for example, 'John Coltrane' becomes 'Coltrane, John'.
Read there ...
[Regular Expressions](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/521/27)
[Regular Expressions](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/521/15)
[Multiple value artist tag to multiple value artistsort](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/12599/1)
[Need help with regex for ARTISTSORT](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/12653/1)
Action: Format value
Field: ARTIST
Format string: **$regexp(%ARTIST%,'([^;]+)(\s[^;]+)','$2, $1')**
From:
"Rolling Stones"
To:
" Stones, Rolling"
From:
"John Lewis;Mick Jagger;Ringo Harrison"
To:
" Lewis, John; Jagger, Mick; Harrison, Ringo"
DD.20120629.1914.CEST
---
### Author:  [@gjs1066](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/gjs1066)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2012, 5:56am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/automating-changes-to-artist-values/13595/3 "2012-06-30T05:56:42Z")
> [@DetlevD](#):
>
> Read there ...
> [Regular Expressions](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/521/27)
> [Regular Expressions](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/521/15)
> [Multiple value artist tag to multiple value artistsort](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/12599/1)
> [Need help with regex for ARTISTSORT](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/12653/1)
>
> Action: Format value
> Field: ARTIST
> Format string: **$regexp(%ARTIST%,'([^;]+)(\s[^;]+)','$2, $1')**
>
> From:
> Rolling Stones
> To:
> Stones, Rolling
>
> From:
> John Lewis;Mick Jagger;Ringo Harrison
> To:
> Lewis, John; Jagger, Mick; Harrison, Ringo
>
> DD.20120629.1914.CEST
Many Thanks, DetlevD. Unfortunately at present the Action leaves me with a leading space at the beginning of the new name, which of course means that my control point now puts it at the beginning of the alphabetical sort. I have experimented but can't work out how to amend the format to ensure that there is no leading space in the new name.
---
### Author:  [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2012, 7:01am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/automating-changes-to-artist-values/13595/4 "2012-06-30T07:01:12Z")
> [@bluewammer](#):
>
> Many Thanks, DetlevD. Unfortunately at present the Action leaves me with a leading space at the beginning of the new name, which of course means that my control point now puts it at the beginning of the alphabetical sort. I have experimented but can't work out how to amend the format to ensure that there is no leading space in the new name.
Have a look at the trim functions $trim, $trimLeft, $trimRight to remove surrounding spaces.
Try this ... for only one artist name
**$regexp(%ARTIST%,'([^;]+)\s([^;]+)','$2, $1')**
Try this ... for multiple artist names
**$trimLeft($regexp(%ARTIST%,'([^;]+)(\s[^;]+)','$2, $1'))**
... or ...
**$trimLeft($regexp(%ARTIST%,'([^;]+)\s([^;]+)',' $2, $1'))**
DD.20120630.1120.CEST
---
### Author:  [@gjs1066](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/gjs1066)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2012, 8:39am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/automating-changes-to-artist-values/13595/5 "2012-06-30T08:39:40Z")
That worked fine, DetlevD. It will save me an enormous amount of work. Many Thanks for your help.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:23pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/automating-changes-to-artist-values/13595/6 "2026-02-09T12:23:55Z")