# Field type 'check' shows checkmark when value non-zero
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/field-type-check-shows-checkmark-when-value-non-zero/71982
**Category:** Bug Reports
**Created:** [October 19, 2026, 5:03pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/field-type-check-shows-checkmark-when-value-non-zero/71982 "2026-10-19T17:03:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mr\_bug](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mr_bug)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2026, 5:03pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/field-type-check-shows-checkmark-when-value-non-zero/71982/1 "2026-10-19T17:03:34Z")
If a field such a `COMPILATION` is set to `1`, Mp3tag rightly shows a checkmark in a 'check' field.
If the tag is `0` or missing, no checkmark is shown, as expected (although a way to visually see the difference between zero or missing would be nice).
If the tag is different across tracks, a dash (`-`) is shown instead of a checkmark, as expected.
**Issue:** If the tag has a non-zero value, e.g. `foo` or `2` a checkmark is shown. I think most people wouldn't consider that tag value to be correct, perhaps even if it was `compilation` or `yes`, yet a checkmark still shows. Mp3tag itself has no way to customise what value is written when checking a checkbox; `1` is always written if checked (not a criticism), so users with words as values wouldn't even be using this field type.
Could something be done to help differentiate between `1` and non-zero values and `0` and missing values?
The pragmatic solution for me is to just not use check fields and stick to text fields instead. Check fields only really benefit in terms of UX; it's convenient to simply toggle a checkbox. If check fields had some additional visual state then it could cover these ambiguities. Only when noticing the different visual state would I need to go in and investigate the value of a check field. Alternatively, I could use an action to strip certain tags if not `1`, but actions are done last for me, so up until that moment, a check field may be misrepresenting a `1` value.
The one case where I don't run into these ambiguities is for fields I've defined myself as they're unlikely to be already present in a file with who knows what value.
Thanks.
Mp3tag 3.36.1
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2026, 5:37pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/field-type-check-shows-checkmark-when-value-non-zero/71982/2 "2026-10-19T17:37:05Z")
I think that MP3tag reacts close to the definition of checkboxes.
In most programming languages, UI frameworks, and data models, a checkbox evaluates non-zero values as `true` (checked).
This behavior stems from the core computer science principle of **boolean type coercion** , where `0` is considered "falsy" and any non-zero number (positive or negative) is considered "truthy."
If you set the values in MP3tag with a checkbox, you can be sure that only `0` and `1` would be set.
If the values have been set by other programs or other means to set the values like text input, then you run into the described problems - but that looks to me like not the best UI element to represent the values has been chosen for the purpose.
It could be argued if the checkbox should indicate that a non-boolean value has been found in a field which would make the element invalid for a treatment with a checkbox. The checkbox itself works as designed, I would say.
If you want to clean up the field, a filter might help:
`%compilation% PRESENT AND NOT %compilation% IS 1`
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### Author:  [@Sergius](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Sergius)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2026, 6:59pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/field-type-check-shows-checkmark-when-value-non-zero/71982/3 "2026-10-19T18:59:48Z")
I have a suggestion: it would be great, @Florian, if we could use an "Edit Field" within a "Panel" tag, and define its "type" in such a way that we could program the two possible states of a checkbox (checked or unchecked). This would provide the flexibility needed to adapt this feature to our various programs...
Example:
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### Author:  [@MotleyG](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/MotleyG)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2026, 1:18am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/field-type-check-shows-checkmark-when-value-non-zero/71982/4 "2026-10-20T01:18:32Z")
> [@Sergius](#):
>
> if we could use an "Edit Field" within a "Panel" tag, and define its "type" in such a way that we could program the two possible states of a checkbox (checked or unchecked)
This can effectively already be accomplished by using the list options.
However, this can easily be overridden by using tools such as the Format Value action where the same field can have any other data written to it without the panel.
The suggestion above from @ohrenkino makes it easy to quickly check for values that are not empty or set to 1 that can then be updated as desired.
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### Author:  [@Sergius](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Sergius)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2026, 2:54am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/field-type-check-shows-checkmark-when-value-non-zero/71982/5 "2026-10-20T02:54:21Z")
Thanks for your input, @MotleyG.
If I understand @ohrenkino’s suggestion correctly, one could use the filter...
As you can see in my image above, this option is faster and more visual than using a filter or an "Action"—the latter, incidentally, doesn't seem very well-suited to my needs...
Personally, I would prefer to have this control directly in the Tag Panel, in the form of a simple checkbox. I wouldn't imagine it being too complex for Florian to implement a feature that allows for defining a specific value associated with that checkbox—something that could be configured (i.e., what it should represent when checked or unchecked).
By the way, @MotleyG, do you happen to know for which specific software this checkbox feature was originally added to the Mp3tag Tag Panel?
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### Author:  [@MotleyG](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/MotleyG)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2026, 4:02am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/field-type-check-shows-checkmark-when-value-non-zero/71982/6 "2026-10-20T04:02:10Z")
> [@Sergius](#):
>
> do you happen to know for which specific software this checkbox feature was originally added to the Mp3tag Tag Panel?
Anything where a "flag" is intended to be set. In my case the iTunes Compilation flag. I am sure there are other use cases.
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### Author:  [@Sergius](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Sergius)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2026, 5:09am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/field-type-check-shows-checkmark-when-value-non-zero/71982/7 "2026-10-20T05:09:47Z")
Thanks @MotleyG, for the info...
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### Author:  [@arb](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/arb)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2026, 1:52am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/field-type-check-shows-checkmark-when-value-non-zero/71982/8 "2026-10-21T01:52:34Z")
Just a quicky. [`ITUNESADVISORY`](https://docs.mp3tag.de/mapping/#itunesadvisory) can have `0` for non-explicit, `1` for explicit or `2` for clean.
Non-explicit could easily be empty but having the `0` means it's been manually checked by a human being to be non-explicit with `1` being checked to be indeed explicit.
`2` is the bigger point as it means a media file's been checked to be a clean version of an otherwise _dirty_ song. It means there's potential for more fields to have more distinct values than a simple boolean flag that are still easier to show like a boolean.
Easiest way forward is anything that's not empty but also not `1` _could_ just be changed into a `1` using an Action, otherwise if there's several distinct values to correlate to a tag field like `GENRE`, let alone `ITUNESADVISORY`, use **Custom field values** to define what values should be available in a drop-down menu.
Sorry @mr_bug, I wouldn't call this a bug but I agree there's room for thought towards how a checkmark could represent **Custom field values** in a tiny field size.
Also I didn't know there was more than one checkmark what one shoud I use? ✔✅ ☑ 👍 🖕
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2026, 3:48pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/field-type-check-shows-checkmark-when-value-non-zero/71982/9 "2026-10-23T15:48:50Z")
4 posts were split to a new topic: [Don't use label margin when Tag Panel row only uses fields of type Check](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/dont-use-label-margin-when-tag-panel-row-only-uses-fields-of-type-check/71994)