# Delete first character if it'snt a letter o number **URL:** \ **Category:** Support\ **Created:** [April 23, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/delete-first-character-if-itsnt-a-letter-o-number/15678 "2014-04-23T21:25:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bertiepr](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bertiepr](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/bertiepr)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/delete-first-character-if-itsnt-a-letter-o-number/15678/1 "2014-04-23T21:25:15Z")
I need help. Please show me how to delete the first character in ARTIST if the character is not a letter or a number. Thanks !!! ---
**Author:** ![stevehero](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/stevehero/32/337_2.png) [@stevehero](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/stevehero)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 10:57pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/delete-first-character-if-itsnt-a-letter-o-number/15678/2 "2014-04-23T22:57:28Z")
Use this in a **REPLACE WITH REGULAR EXPRESSION** action: FIELD: ARTIST REGEXP: ^[^\w] REPLACE WITH: Leave this blank ---
**Author:** ![DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/detlevd/32/123_2.png) [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 9:49am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/delete-first-character-if-itsnt-a-letter-o-number/15678/3 "2014-04-24T09:49:31Z")
> [@bertiepr](#): > > I need help. Please show me how to delete the first character in ARTIST if the character is not a letter or a number. Thanks !!! **Action .....: Format value Field ......: ARTIST Formatstring: $regexp(%ARTIST%,'\[1\]',)** See also following examples ... **... (not letter) or (number) $regexp('~ - 123 # abc DEF 456 #','[\W\d]',) ==\> 'abcDEF' ... only first character from the left edge $regexp('123 # abc DEF 456 #','^[\W\d]',) ==\> '23 # abc DEF 456 #' ... not (letter or number) $regexp('~ - 123 # abc DEF 456 #','[\W]',) ==\> '123abcDEF456' ... only first character from the left edge $regexp('123 # abc DEF 456 #','^[\W]',) ==\> '123 # abc DEF 456 #' $regexp('-123 # abc DEF 456 #','^[\W]',) ==\> '123 # abc DEF 456 #' $regexp('--123 # abc DEF 456 #','^[\W]',) ==\> '-123 # abc DEF 456 #'** DD.20140424.1439.CEST * * * 1. \W ---
**Author:** ![stevehero](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/stevehero/32/337_2.png) [@stevehero](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/stevehero)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 10:45am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/delete-first-character-if-itsnt-a-letter-o-number/15678/4 "2014-04-24T10:45:09Z")
> [@DetlevD](#): > > Action .....: Format value > Field ......: ARTIST > Formatstring: $regexp(%ARTIST%,'\[1\]',) Maybe you could explain to the OP that there's more than one way to do this task. In this case three. Why try and confuse a newbie to the program any more than is needed. Getting a bit tired of you jumping in after me on any post as if I never posted at all. * * * 1. \W\D ---
**Author:** ![DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/detlevd/32/123_2.png) [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 10:55am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/delete-first-character-if-itsnt-a-letter-o-number/15678/5 "2014-04-24T10:55:31Z")
> [@stevehero](#): > > Maybe you could explain to the OP that there's more than one way to do this task. ... Getting a bit tired of you jumping in after me on any post as if I never posted at all. 'stevehero', I am sorry to bother you with my follow up post. It was linguistically not very clear to me what the open poster really wanted. I only wanted to add possible alternatives. DD.20140424.1455.CEST ---
**Author:** ![stevehero](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/stevehero/32/337_2.png) [@stevehero](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/stevehero)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 5:53pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/delete-first-character-if-itsnt-a-letter-o-number/15678/6 "2014-04-24T17:53:57Z")
> [@DetlevD](#): > > 'stevehero', I am sorry to bother you with my follow up post. > It was linguistically not very clear to me what the open poster really wanted. > I only wanted to add possible alternatives.... No problem, just that that sometimes you jump over me to explain something in a more complicated manner for the OP to understand when there is a straight forward way of doing so. A format action like you show is something you might use for combining multiple functions etc but for this simple task it's a bit much. It took me a while to figure out how to use format and regexps together. Although, like you say it's good reference (for more advanced users). It just would be nice to be acknowledged that's all while not confusing newcomers to much at the same time. ✌ ---
**Author:** ![bertiepr](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bertiepr](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/bertiepr)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 7:43am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/delete-first-character-if-itsnt-a-letter-o-number/15678/7 "2014-04-25T07:43:09Z")
> [@stevehero](#): > > Use this in a **REPLACE WITH REGULAR EXPRESSION** action: > FIELD: ARTIST > REGEXP: \[1\] > REPLACE WITH: Leave this blank Thank's a lot ! * * * 1. ^\w ---
**Author:** ![bertiepr](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bertiepr](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/bertiepr)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 7:43am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/delete-first-character-if-itsnt-a-letter-o-number/15678/8 "2014-04-25T07:43:47Z")
> [@DetlevD](#): > > **Action .....: Format value > Field ......: ARTIST > Formatstring: $regexp(%ARTIST%,'\[1\]',)** > > > > See also following examples ... > > **... (not letter) or (number) $regexp('~ - 123 # abc DEF 456 #','[\W\d]',) ==\> 'abcDEF' ... only first character from the left edge $regexp('123 # abc DEF 456 #','^[\W\d]',) ==\> '23 # abc DEF 456 #' ... not (letter or number) $regexp('~ - 123 # abc DEF 456 #','[\W]',) ==\> '123abcDEF456' ... only first character from the left edge $regexp('123 # abc DEF 456 #','^[\W]',) ==\> '123 # abc DEF 456 #' $regexp('-123 # abc DEF 456 #','^[\W]',) ==\> '123 # abc DEF 456 #' $regexp('--123 # abc DEF 456 #','^[\W]',) ==\> '-123 # abc DEF 456 #'** > > DD.20140424.1439.CEST Thank's a lot ! * * * 1. \W ---
**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, 12:25pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/delete-first-character-if-itsnt-a-letter-o-number/15678/9 "2026-02-09T12:25:00Z")
Closed on February 9, 2026, 12:25pm UTC