# Format value, creating 2 subfolders: unexpected behavior (SOLVED)

**URL:** <https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-value-creating-2-subfolders-unexpected-behavior-solved/46862>\
**Category:** Support\
**Created:** [October 26, 2019, 12:46am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-value-creating-2-subfolders-unexpected-behavior-solved/46862 "2019-10-26T00:46:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![incifinci](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/incifinci/32/6526_2.png) [@incifinci](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/incifinci)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2019, 12:46am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-value-creating-2-subfolders-unexpected-behavior-solved/46862/1 "2019-10-26T00:46:22Z")

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**The initial path** is:  
D:\Art\05. Ferrante And Teicher - Popi.flac

**My goal:**  
`D:\Art\` **`Ferrante And Teicher\Midnight cowboy\`** `05. Ferrante And Teicher - Popi.flac`  
(because %artist%: Ferrante And Teicher; %album%: Midnight cowboy)

**I tried** to achieve it in one step, with **an action group**.  
_Action No.1:_  
Type: Format value  
Field: \_DIRECTORY  
Format string:  
%\_directory%$if($and($grtr($len(%albumartist%),0),$not($strcmp(%albumartist%,%\_directory%))),$validate(%albumartist%,),)  
_Action No.2:_  
Type: Format value  
Field: \_DIRECTORY  
Format string:  
%\_directory%$if($and($grtr($len(%album%),0),$not($strcmp(%album%,%\_directory%))),$validate(%album%,),)

**The result** , instead of expected:  
`D:\Art\` **`Ferrante And Teicher\`** (no files)  
`D:\Art\` **`Midnight cowboy\`** `05. Ferrante And Teicher - Popi.flac

All right. **I have tried the following** :

- Two separate actions, instead of 1 action group
- The same, using Refresh file view button between the 2 actions
- The same, using Ctrl+T between the 2 actions
- Formating filename, instead of directory: \_FILENAME will $if($and($grtr($len(%album%),0),$not($strcmp(%album%,%\_directory%))),$validate(%album%,),)%\_filename\_ext%
- Again with action group, formating \_DIRECTORY in the first, and \_FILENAME in the second action (combined two variants)

**The only working solution: restarting Mp3tag** between 2 separate actions.

Is this a bug, or programming inevitability?  
Is there a solution to achive my goal in one step, without restarting?  
Thanks to anyone in advance.

(Conditions: Win7x64hun, standard Mp3tag installation in C:, **without using Library function**.)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![incifinci](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/incifinci/32/6526_2.png) [@incifinci](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/incifinci)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2019, 1:43am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-value-creating-2-subfolders-unexpected-behavior-solved/46862/2 "2019-10-26T01:43:11Z")

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All right, the topic may be deleted. Now it seems to work -- i do not know, how and why. Works my initial variant, the action group. Windows pops up a notification: "A célmappa a forrásmappa egyik almappája:" (The destination folder is a subfolder of the source folder), i click Escape, and that is all. ( **Before** clicking Escape, the planned folder structure is already ready.)

In fact, the seemingly unnecessary pop-up window will remain, but that is not a big problem.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://community.mp3tag.de/uploads/default/original/2X/c/ce7035d426cb755a7916793326d23b465222a407.png) [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2019, 1:56am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/format-value-creating-2-subfolders-unexpected-behavior-solved/46862/3 "2019-11-25T01:56:21Z")

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