# Directory Structure Help
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/directory-structure-help/63261
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [December 31, 2023, 3:28am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/directory-structure-help/63261 "2023-12-31T03:28:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Jiggerpine](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Jiggerpine)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2023, 3:28am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/directory-structure-help/63261/1 "2023-12-31T03:28:55Z")
I apologize if this has been asked before. I tried several types of searches but none related to my question. I tried to use an well known online AI but ever since the last update it has become totally useless.
It suggested the following but it did not work:
`$if($eql(%albumartist%,Various Artists),COMPILATION,$if($eql($regexp($left($if2(%albumartistsort%,#), 1), '^[A-Za-z]$'),1),$upper($left($if2(%albumartistsort%,#), 1)),#))`
Basically, I am trying to create a high level directory. If the %albumartist% is "Various Artists" then the directory should be "Compilation", otherwise if the first character of the %albumartistsort% field is a letter than use that letter in uppercase, otherwise, if not a letter, use "#" as the directory.
Where I am stuck is how to check whether the first character of %albumartistsort% is a letter or not. The online AI suggested using a regexp but it's not working.
TIA
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2023, 7:48am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/directory-structure-help/63261/2 "2023-12-31T07:48:55Z")
Before you start with a complicated expression - why not use a filter and then treat the cases individually?
e.g.
%albumartist% IS "Various Artists"
should filter all the files that are part of a compilation.
Then you see whether you have to rename the files or the folders to get your directory structure.
To filter for non-alphabet characters, try
`NOT "$left(%artist%,1)" MATCHES "[A-Z]"`
or the other way round: for alphabetic characters:
`"$left(%artist%,1)" MATCHES "[A-Z]"`
I would assume that it happens once in a lifetime of a file that it gets moved to a new folder structure. So the interactive process should be much easier to handle.
To rename a folder/file, try:
`$ifgreater($strstr(ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ,$left(%artist%,1)),0,$left(%artist%,1),#)`
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### Author:  [@Jiggerpine](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Jiggerpine)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2023, 5:56pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/directory-structure-help/63261/3 "2023-12-31T17:56:24Z")
Upon further reflection and finally figuring out how the regex expression worked I managed to get it working. Here is the solution that worked for me.
`$if($eql(%albumartist%,Various Artists),Compilation,$if($eql($regexp($left(%albumartistsort%,1),'^[A-Za-z]$',YES,1),YES),$left(%albumartistsort%,1),#))`
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2024, 5:56pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/directory-structure-help/63261/5 "2024-01-30T17:56:31Z")
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