# Fully qualified versus relative path in format string **URL:** \ **Category:** Support\ **Created:** [June 11, 2023, 5:11pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/fully-qualified-versus-relative-path-in-format-string/61240 "2023-06-11T17:11:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rayw](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/3d9bf3/32.png) [@rayw](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/rayw)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 5:11pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/fully-qualified-versus-relative-path-in-format-string/61240/1 "2023-06-11T17:11:14Z")
I'm trying to move files to folders based on artist and album names but the new filename is always relative to the current file location and not a fully qualified path from the root of the drive. Assuming that files will be moved from and to the same drive is acceptable. My file structure is: \ .....My Music\ ..........Album Artist 1\ ...............(Year) Album A\ ....................Track - Title.mp3 ..........John E. Guitarplayer\ ...............(2023) Hit Songs\ ....................001 - Happy Song.mp3 ..........Album Artist 3\ ...............(Year) Album C\ ....................Track - Title.mp3 ..........Unsorted Tracks\ ...............Title.mp3 ..........Other files\ ...............New Music Files\ ....................Target File.mp3 I use mp3tag to load correct tag information then use a format string to rename and move the files to appropriate folders: Current Directory: G:\My Music\Other Files\New Music Files File: Target File.mp3 AlbumArtist: John E. Guitarplayer Year: 2023 Album: Hit Songs Track: 002 Title: Sad Song \My Music%albumartist%(%year%) %album%$num(%track%,3) - %title% I'm expecting to get: \ .....My Music\ ..........John E. Guitarplayer\ ...............(2023) Hit Songs\ ....................001 - Happy Song.mp3 ....................002 - Sad Song.mp3 ..........Other files\ ...............New Music Files\ Instead, I get: \ .....My Music\ ..........John E. Guitarplayer\ ...............(2023) Hit Songs\ ....................001 - Happy Song.mp3 ..........Other files\ ...............New Music Files\ ....................My Music\ .........................John E. Guitarplayer\ ..............................(2023) Hit Songs\ ...................................002 - Sad Song.mp3 A new path is created in the original folder even though my format string begins with a backslash. It works the same with or without the leading backslash. This works fine if I specify the drive letter: G:\My Music%albumartist%(%year%) %album%$num(%track%,3) - %title% But I can't be sure what letter Windows might assign each time I mount a removeable drive. Is there a way to reference the "current drive" in a format string? This also works but I'd have to assume I'd never be more than 10 levels deep in the file structure: ....................\My Music%albumartist%(%year%) %album%$num(%track%,3) - %title% It's not very elegant but gets the job done until I find myself 11 or more levels deep. Then, God knows where the file may be relocated to. Is there a better way to handle this? ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 5:18pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/fully-qualified-versus-relative-path-in-format-string/61240/2 "2023-06-11T17:18:29Z")
> [@rayw](#): > > But I can't be sure what letter Windows might assign each time I mount a removeable drive. Is there a way to reference the "current drive" in a format string? You could retrieve that letter plus the colon with `$left(%_path%,2)` ---
**Author:** ![rayw](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/3d9bf3/32.png) [@rayw](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/rayw)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 5:39pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/fully-qualified-versus-relative-path-in-format-string/61240/3 "2023-06-11T17:39:19Z")
That works. Thanks. I guess there's no way to just refer to the root of the current drive? ---
**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:** [June 11, 2023, 5:45pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/fully-qualified-versus-relative-path-in-format-string/61240/4 "2023-06-11T17:45:28Z")
Show me a way with OS means or the command line syntax and that would be the solution. I wonder why that short piece of scripting isn't fit for your special requirements. BTW: if you assign a drive letter manually, then Windows usually remembers that. It should be a letter that is usually not reached by the automatic drive letter assignment, e.g. `J` would be a letter that is probably not used by USB devices. So your external drive should be registered by its hardware identifier and then always get the same drive letter. ---
**Author:** ![rayw](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/3d9bf3/32.png) [@rayw](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/rayw)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 6:40pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/fully-qualified-versus-relative-path-in-format-string/61240/5 "2023-06-11T18:40:01Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#): > > Show me a way with OS means or the command line syntax and that would be the solution. > I wonder why that short piece of scripting isn't fit for your special requirements. That code does work. I was just thinking in terms of the commands mkdir, chdir and rmdir and how the leading backslash on a directory name determines where the action occurs. No matter where I am on a drive, the command > md \newfolder will create a new directory named newfolder in the root of the drive while > md newfolder will create a new directory IN the current directory. I don't know how that relates to the scripting engine in mp3tag but that's where I was coming from. $left(%\_path%,2) works fine and I've already added it to my format strings. So thanks again for that. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://community.mp3tag.de/uploads/default/original/2X/c/ce7035d426cb755a7916793326d23b465222a407.png) [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2023, 6:40pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/fully-qualified-versus-relative-path-in-format-string/61240/6 "2023-07-11T18:40:13Z")
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