# Format Value action deletes multiple fields with same name (2026)

**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-value-action-deletes-multiple-fields-with-same-name-2026/70913
**Category:** Mac
**Created:** [March 21, 2026, 12:39am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-value-action-deletes-multiple-fields-with-same-name-2026/70913 "2026-03-21T00:39:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 4

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### Author: ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2026, 10:55am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-value-action-deletes-multiple-fields-with-same-name-2026/70913/4 "2026-03-21T10:55:35Z")

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That you don't know this function and stumbled over it still does not mean it is a bug.  
There are functions to avoid the behaviour that you noticed and there are a lot of threads that deal with multi-value fields and the way to treat them.  
e.g. here:

> [@replace 'Bonobo\\\\Andrew Ashong' with 'Andrew Ashong' in artist](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-bonobo-andrew-ashong-with-andrew-ashong-in-artist/15285):
>
> Help I am stuck How do I setup an Action to 'replace with regular expression' for replace Bonobo\\Andrew Ashong with Andrew Ashong in Artist?? !!! the '\\' characters are defeating me !!! I have tried 'Bonobo\\' \> ' ' to get rid of them but no luck. The '' is a special character and using '' in front should change it to a literal. Hence I need four '' like this '\\'. It doesn't work so I must have not understood correctly. Thanks mark

If you want to insist that the documentation does not say it, then see this explanation about "Replace:

> Replaces the given **Original** string from the selected **Field** with the **Replace** string. If the replacement string is empty, the original string is removed.

It says "Field" and not "Fields" or "type of field".  
Already the failure to replace the `\\` should have triggered a warning for you.

If you want to avoid such problems in the future, do not use multi-value fields (which are evaluated by only very few players anyway) but use a single field with a separator that is not interpreted to split up the fields.  
The semicolon that you chose in the initial run of the (failing) replace action may be a good approach.  
In short: surprising behaviour is not necessarily buggy behaviour.

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_[View the full topic](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-value-action-deletes-multiple-fields-with-same-name-2026/70913)._