# \[F\] Actions creating empty tag fields unnecessarily
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/f-actions-creating-empty-tag-fields-unnecessarily/6674
**Category:** Fixed Bugs
**Tags:** bug-fixed
**Created:** [April 21, 2008, 4:47am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/f-actions-creating-empty-tag-fields-unnecessarily/6674 "2008-04-21T04:47:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Oblio](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Oblio)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2008, 4:47am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/f-actions-creating-empty-tag-fields-unnecessarily/6674/1 "2008-04-21T04:47:38Z")
I noticed when running actions on a tag field if the field does not exist in the tag, the action will create the field anyway with nothing in it!
Actions such as Replace or Case Conversion seem to imply that they will affect only existing fields whereas Format Value you would imagine will always result in a field being written.
Should some actions only write to the field if the tag already contains that particular field to prevent the empty fields being created?
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2008, 7:37pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/f-actions-creating-empty-tag-fields-unnecessarily/6674/2 "2008-04-28T19:37:14Z")
This sounds like a good idea too me.
Can you give an example of such an action?
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### Author:  [@Oblio](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Oblio)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2008, 4:22am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/f-actions-creating-empty-tag-fields-unnecessarily/6674/3 "2008-05-01T04:22:48Z")
These actions should only affect existing fields and not create empty fields in the tag
Case conversion
Convert codepage
Replace
Replace with regular expression
e.g. Replace "The" =\> "the" in comment field. Run on a group of files. Any file which didn't already have a comment field will now have an empty comment field.
Maybe its not such a big deal?
> [@Florian](#):
>
> This sounds like a good idea too me.
>
> Can you give an example of such an action?
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### Author:  [@dano](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/dano)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/f-actions-creating-empty-tag-fields-unnecessarily/6674/4 "2008-05-01T21:31:55Z")
An empty tag field is displayed, but no actual tag field is created. Some visual bug.
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### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [May 2, 2008, 8:37am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/f-actions-creating-empty-tag-fields-unnecessarily/6674/5 "2008-05-02T08:37:39Z")
> Maybe its not such a big deal?
Big enough. Here on a 10K-track set it caused bloat of files and massive bloat of the backup.
Anyone know a workaround? Extended Tags won't show the tag for me to delete it.
> [@dano](#):
>
> An empty tag field is displayed, but no actual tag field is created. Some visual bug.
I get the reverse - no display (see [/t/6737/1](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/6737/1) but yes tag (see same).
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### Author:  [@dano](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/dano)
#### Post date: [May 2, 2008, 10:35am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/f-actions-creating-empty-tag-fields-unnecessarily/6674/6 "2008-05-02T10:35:54Z")
> [@chrisjj](#):
>
> I get the reverse - no display (see [/t/6737/1](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/6737/1) but yes tag (see same).
That is a different case.
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [May 2, 2008, 1:50pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/f-actions-creating-empty-tag-fields-unnecessarily/6674/7 "2008-05-02T13:50:16Z")
> [@Oblio](#):
>
> These actions should only affect existing fields and not create empty fields in the tag
OK. Thanks for reporting, I'll fix it to the next release (though the empty fields are not written to the tags).
Kind regards,
Florian
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### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2008, 8:26pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/f-actions-creating-empty-tag-fields-unnecessarily/6674/8 "2008-05-03T20:26:18Z")
> [@dano](#):
>
> That is a different case.
How so? It can arise just as Oblio reports.
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### Author:  [@Oblio](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Oblio)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2008, 2:36am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/f-actions-creating-empty-tag-fields-unnecessarily/6674/9 "2008-05-07T02:36:29Z")
> [@dano](#):
>
> An empty tag field is displayed, but no actual tag field is created. Some visual bug.
I noticed that visual glitch too but that is not what I am reporting. I have 100s of files with empty TIT3 tags to prove it!
It seems to only happen if action is part of an action group but I am having trouble replicating the issue. Will report back if I can narrow it down.
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### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2008, 6:27pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/f-actions-creating-empty-tag-fields-unnecessarily/6674/10 "2008-05-07T18:27:27Z")
> [@Oblio](#):
>
> It seems to only happen if action is part of an action group
I thought actions had to be!
> [@](#):
>
> but I am having trouble replicating the issue.
FWIW the recipe here (V2.41) is simply
1 Load an mp3 having no CJJTEMP tag
2 Convert Actions with an Action Group containing one Action:
Replace "CJJTEMP": "a" -\> "a" (case-sensitive comparison)
Now the file has an empty CJJTEMP tag. Every time.
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### Author:  [@Oblio](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Oblio)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2008, 3:47am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/f-actions-creating-empty-tag-fields-unnecessarily/6674/11 "2008-05-09T03:47:40Z")
> [@chrisjj](#):
>
> Now the file has an empty CJJTEMP tag. Every time.
Not quite
What I am seeing is this. After the action is run, the extended tags dialog shows the empty field but it is not written into the tag yet. If you OK out of the extended tags dialog the tag is updated - the empty field disappears and is not written into the tag. However if you cancel out of the extended tags dialog and then click save button the empty field disappears from the extended tags dialog but is written into the tag.
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### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2008, 11:55am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/f-actions-creating-empty-tag-fields-unnecessarily/6674/12 "2008-05-12T11:55:18Z")
> After the action is run, the extended tags dialog shows the empty field but it
> is not written into the tag yet.
Confirmed.
> However if you cancel out of the extended tags dialog and then click save
> button the empty field disappears from the extended tags dialog but is written into the tag.
Confirmed - my recipe needs a final Save to be correct.
Nice catch Oblio!
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2008, 6:02pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/f-actions-creating-empty-tag-fields-unnecessarily/6674/13 "2008-06-06T18:02:44Z")
> [@Florian](#):
>
> OK. Thanks for reporting, I'll fix it to the next release (though the empty fields are not written to the tags).
This is now fixed in the latest [Development Build](http://developer.mp3tag.de) Mp3tag v2.41a.
Kind regards,
Florian
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2018, 1:59pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/f-actions-creating-empty-tag-fields-unnecessarily/6674/14 "2018-12-28T13:59:37Z")
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