# Copying length field value **URL:** \ **Category:** Support\ **Created:** [May 13, 2023, 12:42pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/copying-length-field-value/60957 "2023-05-13T12:42:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MarianG](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@MarianG](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/MarianG)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 12:42pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/copying-length-field-value/60957/1 "2023-05-13T12:42:17Z")
Hi, I have a short question. I would like to copy (Ctrl+C) a value from the Length field. Due to earlier information (from 2010) this field was a read only field. Is it still a case? Regards Marian ---
**Author:** ![LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/c6cbf5/32.png) [@LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LyricsLover)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 12:51pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/copying-length-field-value/60957/2 "2023-05-13T12:51:46Z")
> [@MarianG](#): > > ...read only field. > Is it still a case? Yes. "All [technical information fields](https://docs.mp3tag.de/format/#technical-information) begin with an underscore `%_` and are read-only." `%_length%` and `%_length_seconds%` are two of this technical information fields. Why would you like to copy this information? ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 1:53pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/copying-length-field-value/60957/3 "2023-05-13T13:53:30Z")
For the sake of completeness I would like to add that some programs write %length% as tag field. See also here: > **[Tag Field Mappings – Mp3tag Documentation](https://docs.mp3tag.de/mapping/#length)** > > Overview of all available tag fields, their names in Mp3tag, and how they are mapped to the internal structures of the different tag formats. Mp3tag is the universal Tag Editor. but this field is just a field with arbitrary contents and usually does not get updated if the header information for \_LENGTH changes. You can edit the field LENGTH which is not read-only. It is not quite clear why this field slipped into the standard. ---
**Author:** ![LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/c6cbf5/32.png) [@LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LyricsLover)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 2:00pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/copying-length-field-value/60957/4 "2023-05-13T14:00:42Z")
As the Mp3tag documentation says, LENGTH (without %\_) will be mapped to the tag TLEN The description for TLEN according to the [standard](https://web.archive.org/web/20220525235101/https://id3.org/d3v2.3.0) is: > The 'Length' frame contains the length of the audiofile in milliseconds, represented as a numeric string. ---
**Author:** ![MarianG](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@MarianG](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/MarianG)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 7:26pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/copying-length-field-value/60957/5 "2023-05-13T19:26:38Z")
Thanks all for your answers. ---
**Author:** ![MarianG](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@MarianG](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/MarianG)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 7:27pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/copying-length-field-value/60957/6 "2023-05-13T19:27:50Z")
I like copy the value to my Db. ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2023, 7:40pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/copying-length-field-value/60957/7 "2023-05-13T19:40:32Z")
Wouldn't an export with an export script and an import into the > [@MarianG](#): > > Db be much easier? The link to the technical information comes from the context of the export scripts. A good way to exchange data between the files and a database would be a csv file or a file with tabulator characters as separator between the fields works in many cases.. ---
**Author:** ![MarianG](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@MarianG](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/MarianG)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2023, 12:06pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/copying-length-field-value/60957/8 "2023-05-14T12:06:01Z")
Thanks, I used csv export. But since the value of the Length field in seconds, I had to open the csv file in Excel and "customise" the value to [HH:MM:SS] format. Once more thanks for your support. ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2023, 12:24pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/copying-length-field-value/60957/9 "2023-05-14T12:24:22Z")
> [@MarianG](#): > > and "customise" the value t OK - but isn't this a problem of the accepting application and its configuration? I still think that the export way goes quicker than copy&paste of indvidual values. ---
**Author:** ![MarianG](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@MarianG](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/MarianG)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2023, 7:33pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/copying-length-field-value/60957/10 "2023-05-14T19:33:45Z")
If I was starting a new database, I am pretty sure that you are right. Unfortunatelly a have an old database and have to append many records. And I do not a common fiels, which I can use to update query. I am a pensioner, so I have a lot of time. 😀 ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2023, 7:38pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/copying-length-field-value/60957/11 "2023-05-14T19:38:35Z")
Life is short. You could ease the copy&paste process if you set in the column definition %\_length% as VALUE and as FIELD. This makes the field editable and therefore easier to copy but does not change the value in the file. ---
**Author:** ![MarianG](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@MarianG](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/MarianG)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 12:00pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/copying-length-field-value/60957/12 "2023-05-15T12:00:39Z")
Thanks, it solve my problem 😃 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://community.mp3tag.de/uploads/default/original/2X/c/ce7035d426cb755a7916793326d23b465222a407.png) [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 12:01pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/copying-length-field-value/60957/13 "2023-06-14T12:01:11Z")
This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.