On the attached image, I have selected all the columns, but in reality, I want to select the content of ONE column only - say, Composer, or Artist, in order to come up with a similar drop-down list as I have already achieved with the Genre column.
I'm wondering whether this can be done by using Filter, or whether there is another leger de main that achieves the same result?
Many thanks, as ever! W
You can not select the content of a single column in the Mp3tag File List.
But you can sort by a single column, by clicking on the column header, like COMPOSER, ARTIST oder TITLE. The sort order will be indicated by a small arrow up or down in the middle of the clicked column header.
What exactly would you like to achieve?
Drop-down lists are only available for tag in the tag panel. You can only define custom value lists for elements in the tag panel.
If you select several files, then you will see in the tag panel that the display for the individual fields either displays the data that is shared by all the files or switch to <keep>.
If you then enter (new) data in a tag panel element and save it, then this data will be written to all the selected files for that field.
This is a close as you get to editing the data that is displayed in columns in the file list.
Thanks!
What I want to achieve is as follows:
When I was first working on the Genre column, I decided that that field needed the following entries, in order to present a drop-down list whenever I add a new mp3 track.
I can sort, for example, the Composer field into alphabetical order, as you mention. But then what I want to do is to save the contents in, say, a notepad file. I can then sort through the composers' names, delete or amend any duplicates, then hopefully import the corrected contents back into the Composer field, as I did with the Genre field, so that, when adding a new mp3, I know exactly how to add the composer's name (which totally correct spelling, accents and format), from a similar dropdown list.
I would then intend doing the same with the Artist field, to arrive at a similar dropdown list for adding new artists 'correctly', in terms of spelling etc, as before.
In addition to @ohrenkino's explanation, maybe this small animated GIF can show you how the <keep> function in the Tag Panel works:
In the first step I select every of the 8 tracks of the first album one by one.
Then I select the first 3 tracks together.
Then I change the ARTIST in the Tag Panel for this 3 tracks and save this change.
Then I additionally select the 4th track (previously not changed).
This way you can see, when and how this <keep> functionality works.
As soon as your selection of tracks contains different values (artist names, titles, album names) the <keep> entry in the affected tag appears in the Tag Panel and you get an automatically filled drop down box with all CURRENT entries.
You can then choose one of this entries or enter a new one by yourself.
As soon as you press the blue Save icon in the toolbar (or Ctrl + S) the changes will be applied to the selected tracks
Please try it by yourself (maybe on some copies of test tracks) and let us know if you need additional informations.
As fas as I understand, this
is not necessary anymore, if you follow the above work flow.
Hint:
You can right click on the above AniGif and open it in a new Browser Tab. This way you can better read the content in a bigger size. Or you can download the picture to your device and watch it with your preferred GIF viewing software.
If you want to edit the list in an external editor, you would have to use the import and export functions like you did for Genre.
As has been said in this thread:
All the tag panel fields behave in the same way in respect to custom list entries.
Hi,
Many thanks for your suggested modus operandi!
I did start to try it, and providing it in .gif format was a great help to my understanding!
But I didn't find it very intuitive to use, so I would like to return to a suggestion made previously by ohrenkino:
'MP3tag has a sample export script for csv output.
As the scripts are plain text files, you can edit them with any plain text editor and adapt them according to your needs'.
Looking at the documentation, it would seem that I use 'Export'. Would you be able to give me a simple 'blow-by-blow' walk through using 'Export' to enable me to save the 'Artist' and the 'Composer' fields separately as editable plain text files? Just what to put, and where, would be great!
It would be much easier if you started with the already existing description and get used to the export function, editing a script and what to see in the output as I do not feel that I could anything substantial to the description in the documentation:
If you then get stuck with a particular problem then it will be much more effective to discuss that problem than to offer a suggestion and you do not know what to do with it, e.g. this would create an alphabetic list of artists for all the selected files in which each name appears only once:
$filename(artists.txt,utf-8)
$loop(%artist%,1)%artist%
$loopend()
I export a collection of files as a csv, usually using this script, similar to the one provided
$filename(csv,utf-16)"Title";"Artist";"Composer";"Album";"Track";"Year";"Length";"Size";"Last Modified";"Path";"Filename"
$loop(%_folderpath%)"%title%";"%artist%";"%composer%";"%album%";"%track%";"%year%";"%_length_seconds%";"%_file_size%";"%_file_mod_date%";"%_folderpath%";"%_filename_ext%"
$loopend()
I'm asked to choose a filename and at the end of the export, Mp3tag asks if I want to load the file.
I have set Windows 10 so csv defaults to use Libreoffice, but openoffice and excel are valid alternatives.
Why a spreadsheet? Because I can export multiple fields one per column; and because I know a lot about spreadsheet scripting, and can happily work through the table one column at a time. And I can use search/replace or text formulae more flexibly than in Mp3tag.
I then use taxt file to tag to import revised data, and I have a nifty way of creating that from the spreadsheet.
PS if sorting data, make sure you always sort the whole table otherwise tags will no longer match, file for file; and make sure the table is sorted back into the same order as you use in mp3tag. I find it's best if both are sorted by directory then filename.
Hi, what a fantastically helpful answer, in words that I can understand!
As you say, you know a great deal about spreadsheet scripting, while I can just about get around an Excel file. And, I have to say, once I see '%' etc, I am out of my comfort zone.
I tried some of your ideas on a small section of my complete database, and, export via the html_standard configuration, was very happy with seeing a list like this.
I have given up the notion of wanting to populate any other fields than Genre, which I've done already. I don't think it's ultimately worth my time going down the road of wanting to fill the Artist and Composer fields respectively, any more.
When adding a new CD, and its constituent mp3 tracks, it's just as easy to see how I've spelt artists or composers, but checking something I've already catalogued, with the same names.
However, what would be good, if it were possible is to produce a list similar to the one above, but with the following fields only:
Album Title Artist Composer Genre
Perhaps this involves creating a bespoke export configuration, but, if it's a word document, then it leaves it self open to editing, and I could also refer to it, if I wanted to know how I'd referred previously to a particular artist, or composer.
If that's doable, then perhaps you could kindly give me a nod in the right direction!
Many thanks for going to such great lengths to try and help me achieve what I'd like to do!
But, I'm now happy with the status quo, and it's Poweramp that's really the 'face' of Mp3 Tag in displaying and playing my extensive CD collection across a number of different devices. Thank you, in anticipation, Wolksby
I can nod into the direction of this suggestion of an export script:
What I cannot releave you off: you have to incorporate that somehow into your configuration.
And how to create a new export script is described in the already linked section in the documentation.
Unfortunately, you do not tell us what you have tried in respect to creating a new export script - as this would be the easiest approach to get a list of names of artists or composers.
Getting stuff from Mp3tag to a spreadsheet:
Copy/paste just the code below. It's compressed to avoid unwanted blank lines in the spreadsheet
$filename(csv,utf-16)"Title";"Artist";"Composer";"Album";"Genre"
$loop(%_folderpath%)$loop(%_filename_ext%)"%album%";"%title%";"%artist%";"%composer%";"%Genre%"
$loopend()$loopend()
Explanation
we are creating a csv file in utf-16 mode, allowing for existing accented characters
$filename(csv,utf-16)
create a row containing 5 column headings
"Album";"Title";"Artist";"Composer";"Genre"
Go through the selected tracks, folder by folder
$loop(%_folderpath%)
Within each folder go throught each track in filename order
$loop(%_filename_ext%)"
create a row containing 5 fields
"%album%";"%title%";"%artist%";"%composer%";"%Genre%"
next track please
$loopend()
next folder please
$loopend()
this will work no matter how many tracks are currently selected in mp3tag
NOTE I use ; semicolon as the separator between columns rather than the usual comma. I find spreadsheets sometimes get confused if there are commas within fields as well as commas separating fields, and sometimes splits data in the wrong place.
When you use file, export, you get a list of formats. Each is a plain text file called for example csv.mte and on my system they're stored in a folder C:\Users\Derek\AppData\Roaming\Mp3tag\export
Your system will have a similar setup, and this might reassure you that changing these files isn't dangerous. I have told my computer always to use notepad++ when opening mte files.
But you can use the file-export panel to duplicate the csv file, so you can edit a safe copy without destroying the original. The new file will appear in the same system folder.
Note Word files allow you to type plain text, but when you save them, doc files are illegible to Mp3tag. Best to use notepad or notepad++
I usually export %_folderpath% and %_filename_ext% as well. It makes my life a LOAD easier when I'm ready to transfer data back into Mp3tag, because I can make sure the spreadsheet is sorted back in folder/file order; I can click headings in Mp3tag to make sure both match up. Otherwise tags will end up on the wrong track.
Finished editing?
In the spreadsheet, you can select all of one column, paste it into a blank notepad++ file and save it somewhere memorable. I then use convert - textfile-tag, I find the filename, and under format string I use the field I'm working on eg %genre%
I usually preview so I can scan proposed changes to see if they make sense. Then I click OK to make the changes.
When I use a spreadsheet I often make changes to multiple columns, and there's a way of creating a text file for that (in one go). Or you can copy one column at a time, changing to a different field.
Depending on your intentions, this way will also copy all the duplicate names to that text file.
A dedicated export like the one I suggested with
$filename(artists.txt,utf-8)
$loop(%artist%,1)%artist%
$loopend()
would export every name only once and - if that is the purpose - would create an alphabetically sorted list of all the different names in the selected files without duplications.
Such a list could then be imported as user-defined list for the tag field with Manage...
Hi. ohrenkino
What I am describing is a way of doing corrections to multiple fields, and I find that using formulae in Excel allows me to detect and correct 'mistakes' a little more easily than in Mp3tag alone. But recent changes to Mp3tag include a wealth of new features, and my understanding of its scripting languages has improved, so I find I use a spreadsheet much less.
I agree, if the purpose is to prepare a list, ready to import into an Mp3 drop-down, your suggested script is useful. I am going to play with
$filename(composers.txt,utf-8)
$loop(%composer%,1)%composer%
$loopend()
I maintain a collection of something like 400,000 tracks and many of the early ones have missing or error-strewn fields. the field I find missing most commonly is composer.
I am trying to the best of my ability to follow two steps of most helpful instructions from two support members, and, while I'm beginning to understand what I'm doing in principle, I still need a little further guidance in actually carrying it off!
This is what I want to achieve:
To produce a text_taglist export of just TWO columns in my list - namely ARTIST and COMPOSER - and for these two columns to be shown both alphabetically, and with No duplicates, which can then be incorporated into their respective drop-down list in the Tag Panel.
I am using the separate mp3s from just one CD in my collection, to keep things simple - for me, that is!
Here is the initial screenshot:
As you can see, I use just SIX Columns, but require only TWO to appear in my Export
After having clicked the Export button, this is what I see, and where I select the text_taglist option.
Currently, as you can see, firstly all entries appear in the Artist, rather than one, without duplications
Secondly, the Composer List doesn't appear, except as being tacked on to the track title, enclosed between two [brackets]. This results from the fact that I was shown how to append the composers' name to each title using Convert, which was a featured I wanted. This, of course, is of no use in terms of creating an index of composers' names.
Going back to the previous screen, where the Export screen is open, I did wonder whether clicking the Edit button, or double-clicking on the tag_taglist, would allow me to enter into some dialogue where I would be able to edit the Export configuration, so that only two columns are exported.
But neither the Edit button nor clicking the tag-taglist line would open up any such dialogue.
At this point, may I emphasize that I have no working knowledge of scripting or otherwise:
I'm guessing that:
$filename(composers.txt,utf-8)
$loop(%composer%,1)%composer%
$loopend()
might export a single column, that of Composer, and without any duplications?
If that were the case, would it simply be a matter of adding on the same script, but substituting 'artists' and 'artist' respectively?
Even if this were something like the 'final solution' where do I include this script, and what moves to follow, to get there.
I feel I am getting closer, and hope that, with the help of two such experts like yourselves, I might one day achieve my aim. Many thanks, in anticipation, W
The result shows, that you have not created your own export-script but chosen a predefined general export-script without editing it any further. Export scripts are plain text files, that you have to edit with a suitable text-editor.
Best you start a new export-script with the new-icon, give it a name (i.e. "composerlist"), click "ok" and the editor of your system that is standard for text-files opens..
Copy
$filename(composers.txt,utf-8)
$loop(%composer%,1)%composer%
$loopend()
to the clipboard.
Then mark all displayed text in the editor and paste from the clipboard and save the file composerlist.mte as shown.
Now you have a new export-script shown in the menue.
Hi @poster,
Many thanks for your contribution! I do understand that, as of yet, I haven't created my own export-script, but am simply using a pre-defined one, hence no change.
I went back to the Export screen and add a new configuration name, assigning it my three initials (PRB)
But, even though I had created a new entry, attempting to 'edit' it gave me no more options than to rename it.
But it's your next instruction that I couldn't really understand:
Then mark all displayed text in the editor and paste from the clipboard and save the file composerlist.mte as shown.
When I opened the PRB Configuration, this was what I saw:
If this did work on one CD's worth of MP3s, would it not take an age to do this for each successive CD?
PS I'm trying my very best to keep up! Thanks again!
How did you go back to the "Export screen"?
If I open a new export script, something completely different happens - and the resulting prompt to edit the new export script looks like this:
Also, you may notice that the plain text editor in my setup shows the complete filename prb.mte - whereas you only have "new export file" without any extension.
So: what have you done?
