# Format String struture ? Rename folder and files files ?
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-string-struture-rename-folder-and-files-files/11038
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [October 31, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-string-struture-rename-folder-and-files-files/11038 "2010-10-31T19:28:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@sept2010](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/sept2010)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-string-struture-rename-folder-and-files-files/11038/1 "2010-10-31T19:28:15Z")
Hi guys,
Here is a example structure of one of my albums before tagging with discogs.
Album:
VA\_-\_Hed\_Kandi\_The\_Mix\_Summer\_2008-3CD-2008-LiR
Tracks:
101 - Adele - Cold Shoulder (Out Of Office Remix).mp3
..
104 - Syke'n'Sugarstarr Pres. CeCe Rogers - No Love Lost (Extended Mix)
..
309 - ATFC & Ghostcopy - Don't Look Back
--
I tagged the album and files with discogs. Getting the following information
Artist:
Adele
Title:
Cold Shoulder (Out Of Office Remix) 1-10
Album Artist:
Various (added this myself)
Album:
Hed Kandi The Mix: Summer 2008
Disc:
1
Year:
2008/07
Publisher:
Hed Kandi Records
I tagged with this command
VA\_-_%publisher%-%album%_%year%\%discnumber%$num(%track%,2)-$lower(%artist%_-_%title%)
Result:
\VA\_-_Hed Kandi Records-Hed Kandi The Mix Summer 2008\_200807\101-adele_-\_cold shoulder (out of office remix) 1-01.mp3"
Wanted result:
\VA\_-_Hed\_Kandi\_Records-Hed\_Kandi\_The\_Mix\_Summer\_2008\_2008.07\101-adele_-_cold\_shoulder_(out\_of\_office\_remix)\_1-01.mp3"
So I want to replace " " with "\_". And for artist and songs containing "&" "´" ...etc, I haven´t figure out any solution for this either ?
The same is then discogs is getting year result in 2008/07. How do you solve this ?
Is is possible to create an .nfo, .m3u and .sfv at the same time ??
Regards
Magnus
---
### Author:  [@pone](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/pone)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-string-struture-rename-folder-and-files-files/11038/2 "2010-10-31T19:59:00Z")
> [@sept2010](#):
>
> I tagged with this command
>
> VA\_-_%publisher%-%album%_%year%\%discnumber%$num(%track%,2)-$lower(%artist%_-_%title%)
>
> Result:
> \VA\_-_Hed Kandi Records-Hed Kandi The Mix Summer 2008\_200807\101-adele_-\_cold shoulder (out of office remix) 1-01.mp3"
>
> Wanted result:
> \VA\_-_Hed\_Kandi\_Records-Hed\_Kandi\_The\_Mix\_Summer\_2008\_2008.07\101-adele_-_cold\_shoulder_(out\_of\_office\_remix)\_1-01.mp3"
>
> So I want to replace " " with "\_". And for artist and songs containing "&" "´" ...etc, I haven´t figure out any solution for this either ?
>
> The same is then discogs is getting year result in 2008/07. How do you solve this ?
[https://docs.mp3tag.de/scripting](https://docs.mp3tag.de/scripting)
these are the things you need:
for replacement of " " with "_":
$replace(string, ,_)
for replacement of invalide filename characters:
$validate(filename,\_)
for shortening the year to four diggits.
$num(%year%,4)
i think this would be your command:
$validate($replace(VA\_-_%publisher%-%album%_$num(%year%,4)\%discnumber%$num(%track%,2)-$lower(%artist%_-_%title%), ,_),_)
you know that you can also format directory names without creating and moving all files in a new directory?
action: Format Value
field: _DIRECTORY
format string: $validate($replace(VA_-_%publisher%-%album%_$num(%year%,4), ,_),_)
combine this with format filename in a action group:
action: Format Value
field: _FILENAME
format string: $validate($replace(%discnumber%$num(%track%,2)-$lower(%artist%_-_%title%), ,_),\_)
will save you some time
---
### Author:  [@sept2010](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/sept2010)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-string-struture-rename-folder-and-files-files/11038/3 "2010-10-31T21:49:17Z")
Thx a lot pone!!
This really helped me out a lot. Saved me lot of time. The more I look into mp3tag the more I see the potensial.
Gonna take a look at the link you sent me 🙂
Is there any built in function for handling .nfo and .m3u ?
Regards
Magnus
---
### Author:  [@pone](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/pone)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-string-struture-rename-folder-and-files-files/11038/4 "2010-11-02T23:16:04Z")
> [@sept2010](#):
>
> Is there any built in function for handling .nfo and .m3u ?
You can create playlists and with export also nfo files.
But if you think of importing information from these files into your audiofiles, rather not.
If you rename them to .txt files, you could use the Text File - Tag converter, but:
- you could use that to name your audiofiles as they are listed in a .m3u file, but it's much easier to create a new .m3u file acording to the existing file names.
- you can get only the tracknames out of .nfo files (the ones which are typically spreaded with so called scene releases). for that you have to delete all information before the tracknames.
Mp3Tag Text File - Tag converter can only convert text when each line represents one audiofile.
---
### Author:  [@sept2010](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/sept2010)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-string-struture-rename-folder-and-files-files/11038/5 "2010-11-04T20:11:40Z")
All right thx. I´ll give it a try.
> [@pone](#):
>
> You can create playlists and with export also nfo files.
>
> But if you think of importing information from these files into your audiofiles, rather not.
>
> If you rename them to .txt files, you could use the Text File - Tag converter, but:
>
> - you could use that to name your audiofiles as they are listed in a .m3u file, but it's much easier to create a new .m3u file acording to the existing file names.
> - you can get only the tracknames out of .nfo files (the ones which are typically spreaded with so called scene releases). for that you have to delete all information before the tracknames.
>
> Mp3Tag Text File - Tag converter can only convert text when each line represents one audiofile.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:22pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-string-struture-rename-folder-and-files-files/11038/6 "2026-02-09T12:22:39Z")