# Create unique directories for artists

**URL:** <https://community.mp3tag.de/t/create-unique-directories-for-artists/18250>\
**Category:** Support\
**Created:** [September 18, 2016, 12:04pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/create-unique-directories-for-artists/18250 "2016-09-18T12:04:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mARCtHOMAS](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@mARCtHOMAS](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mARCtHOMAS)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 12:04pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/create-unique-directories-for-artists/18250/1 "2016-09-18T12:04:44Z")

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Cheers, defined an action for creating directories/sub-directories and moving files to the new directories. Type of action: Format tag field. Field \_directory -\> string: \\WDMYCLOUDMIRROR\Public\Shared Music\CLAS\%artist%\%album%

Usually the action works fine. All my tags are made in same format. But from time to time it creates one directory for all artists. even if there several artists available. I.e Mozart, Liszt, Beethoven and so on. Tags are still fine, but all files are moved to directory Mozart.... If I run the action again, it moves all of them to Liszt. Strange behaviour - any idea, what I made wrong?

Regards

mARCtHOMAS

Answer might be in german or english - many thanks in advance and apologies for my ignorance ![:rolleyes:](https://community.mp3tag.de/uploads/default/original/1X/3a79e8b0b7d169b30216785521d7c6f4f895c421.gif ":rolleyes:")

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**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:** [September 18, 2016, 12:13pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/create-unique-directories-for-artists/18250/2 "2016-09-18T12:13:47Z")

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> [@mARCtHOMAS](#):
>
> ... Format tag field. Field \_directory -\> string: \\WDMYCLOUDMIRROR\Public\Shared Music\CLAS\%artist%\%album%  
> ... but all files are moved to directory Mozart.... If I run the action again, it moves all of them to Liszt. Strange behaviour - any idea, what I made wrong?  
> ...

If you rename a folder (\_DIRECTORY) then all the files in that folder get moved to the new folder location (well, it's only a new name, but still...)

Renaming the folder is only a good idea if all the files in that folder should actually stay there.  
If you want to move individual files to other (new) folders, you have to rename the \_FILENAME to a partially or fully qualified filename.

When you rename a \_DIRECTORY, it is either the first or the last file in that folder that wins (I am never quite sure, which, I think it is the first). This could be the reason for the behaviour you noticed.

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**Author:** ![mARCtHOMAS](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@mARCtHOMAS](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mARCtHOMAS)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 1:23pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/create-unique-directories-for-artists/18250/3 "2016-09-18T13:23:55Z")

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Many, many thanks, works fine! I was pretty sure, that the action is defined well. Purpose: One source directory with several files with different artists. Action: Create new directories - one per artist - and move the files to the new target directories. I am getting old 😃

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**Author:** ![system](https://community.mp3tag.de/uploads/default/original/2X/c/ce7035d426cb755a7916793326d23b465222a407.png) [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 12:26pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/create-unique-directories-for-artists/18250/4 "2026-02-09T12:26:25Z")

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Closed on February 9, 2026, 12:26pm UTC