# format string - inserting character between strings
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-string-inserting-character-between-strings/5373
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [August 29, 2007, 12:20pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-string-inserting-character-between-strings/5373 "2007-08-29T12:20:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@pauleccleston](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/pauleccleston)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2007, 12:20pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-string-inserting-character-between-strings/5373/1 "2007-08-29T12:20:35Z")
hi my question is regarding the filename to tag facility, i currently use the following format string:-
\%genre%\%genre%\%artist%\%album%\%title%
my question is how can i insert a hyphen between the two genre strings?, whenever i try to do this it messes up the string format and looses one of the genre's, so for instance i tried this:-
\%genre% - \%genre%\%artist%\%album%\%title%
but this results in only one genre being displayed in the preview below, im sure it can be done just am at a loss as to what to use to force mp3tag to read it as a normal character.
any help most appreciated!.
paul.
p.s been using mp3tag for years now and it is THE best mp3tag prog full stop!.
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2007, 9:33am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-string-inserting-character-between-strings/5373/2 "2007-09-04T09:33:40Z")
Hi Paul!
There is currently no way of doing this in one step. What you can do is importing the second genre in a temporary field (e.g. %temp%) and copying this value to the actual genre field via a Format value action.
Kind regards,
Florian
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:20pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-string-inserting-character-between-strings/5373/3 "2026-02-09T12:20:28Z")