# Get a list of all SOLOIST of an album
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/get-a-list-of-all-soloist-of-an-album/12917
**Category:** Export
**Created:** [January 10, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/get-a-list-of-all-soloist-of-an-album/12917 "2012-01-10T19:55:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@LosMintos](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LosMintos)
#### Post date: [January 10, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/get-a-list-of-all-soloist-of-an-album/12917/1 "2012-01-10T19:55:25Z")
Hi all,
another strange question from myside  ... consider an album where a couple of soloists are present (could also be artist or any other tag field). Some tracks don't have any soloist field; others have one or more soloist. A soloist's name can appear on more than one track. An example, four tracks:
```
TRACK=1
ALBUM=Tabula Rasa
TITLE=Fratres
SOLOIST=Gidon Kremer
SOLOIST=Keith Jarrett
TRACK=2
ALBUM=Tabula Rasa
TITLE=Cantus In Memory Of Benjamin Britten
TRACK=3
ALBUM=Tabula Rasa
TITLE=Fratres
TRACK=4
ALBUM=Tabula Rasa
TITLE=Tabula Rasa
SOLOIST=Alfred Schnittke
SOLOIST=Gidon Kremer
SOLOIST=Tatjana Grindenko
```
Now, I would like to get a list of all soloists present on that album, without dublicates. The example would led to:
```
Gidon Kremer, Keith Jarrett, Alfred Schnittke, Tatjana Grindenko
```
What I have so far, is
> [@](#):
>
> $put(s,$loop(%track%)$meta\_sep(soloist,'~')$if(%soloist%,'~',%DUMMY%)$loopend())
There I'm stucked. I don't know how to remove the dublicates and don't know how to put nice separator between the single names.
Could you help?
---
### Author:  [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)
#### Post date: [January 10, 2012, 8:50pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/get-a-list-of-all-soloist-of-an-album/12917/2 "2012-01-10T20:50:27Z")
> [@LosMintos](#):
>
> Hi all, ... Now, I would like to get a list of all soloists present on that album, without dublicates. ... Could you help?
Regarding removing duplicates from comma delimited string list, please read this thread ...
[/t/10616/1](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/10616/1)
**$put(List,$loop(%TRACK%)$meta\_sep(SOLOIST,',')','$get(List)$loopend())**
... collects ...
Alfred Schnittke,Gidon Kremer,Tatjana Grindenko
Keith Jarrett,Gidon Kremer
... to ...
Alfred Schnittke,Gidon Kremer,Tatjana Grindenko,Keith Jarrett,Gidon Kremer,
How to remove duplicate items, see mentioned thread.
DD.20120110.2308.CET
---
### Author:  [@LosMintos](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LosMintos)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/get-a-list-of-all-soloist-of-an-album/12917/3 "2012-01-12T17:52:21Z")
Hi DetlevD,
I expected you to answer --- thank's a lot for your help and patience! However, ...
> [@DetlevD](#):
>
> Regarding removing duplicates from comma delimited string list, please read this thread ...
> [/t/10616/1](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/10616/1)
The difference is, I'm dealing with an export script ... I don't have a tag field ready that contains the list. I have it in a variable ...
> [@DetlevD](#):
>
> **$put(List,$loop(%TRACK%)$meta\_sep(SOLOIST,',')','$get(List)$loopend())**
>
> ... collects ...
> Alfred Schnittke,Gidon Kremer,Tatjana Grindenko
> Keith Jarrett,Gidon Kremer
> ... to ...
> Alfred Schnittke,Gidon Kremer,Tatjana Grindenko,Keith Jarrett,Gidon Kremer,
One has to respect tracks without field SOLOIST. I get
```
Gidon Kremer,Keith Jarrett,,,Alfred Schnittke,Gidon Kremer,Tatjana Grindenko,
```
Using
```
$put(s,','$loop(%track%)$meta_sep(soloist,',')$if(%soloist%,',',%DUMMY%)$loopend())
```
led to
```
,Gidon Kremer,Keith Jarrett,Alfred Schnittke,Gidon Kremer,Tatjana Grindenko,
```
Now the problem. I don't know, how to come up with a solution, if possible. Using
```
$replace($put(s,','$loop(%track%)$meta_sep(soloist,',')$if(%soloist%,',',%DUMMY%)$loopend()),',','KOMMA')
```
gives
```
KOMMAGidon Kremer,Keith Jarrett,Alfred Schnittke,Gidon Kremer,Tatjana Grindenko,
```
We see, the $replace() does not touch the content of variable "s".
As expected,
```
$regexp($put(s,','$loop(%track%)$meta_sep(soloist,',')$if(%soloist%,',',%DUMMY%)$loopend()),'(?:^|,)([^,]*)(.*)(,\1)+(?=,|$)',',$1$2')
```
does nothing and leaves the list unchanged.
Sidenote, inside the export script:
```
$regexp(',aaa,bbb,ccc,bbb,ddd,ccc,eee,fff,GGG,ggg,iii','(?:^|,)([^,]*)(.*)(,\1)+(?=,|$)',',$1$2')
```
works fine and removes the second ',bbb'.
With the other regexp from the linked thread, I got error messages.
So, the question is, how to manipulate the content of a variable (a string stored in a variable)? If possible at all ...
---
### Author:  [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2012, 6:10pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/get-a-list-of-all-soloist-of-an-album/12917/4 "2012-01-12T18:10:44Z")
> [@LosMintos](#):
>
> Hi DetlevD, I expected you to answer --- thank's a lot for your help and patience! However, ... The difference is, I'm dealing with an export script ... I don't have a tag field ready that contains the list. I have it in a variable ...
$put, $puts, [$get] must be written on the 'highest script level'.
These functions do not work when embedded into other functions of the Mp3tag export scripting language.
Beside that I just discovered, that the functions $trim, $trimLeft, $trimRight do not work inside a $put function call.
DD.20120112.2012.CET
Edit.
As LosMintos has pointed out in his following post, my statement about the $get function was not quite right. In fact the $get function can be used within other scripting functions, what makes sense.
But the 'visibility' or 'usability' of functions within functions in the Mp3tag scripting language needs a review in general.
DD.20120112.2317.CET
---
### Author:  [@LosMintos](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LosMintos)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/get-a-list-of-all-soloist-of-an-album/12917/5 "2012-01-12T18:49:01Z")
> [@DetlevD](#):
>
> $put, $puts, $get must be written on the 'highest script level'.
> These functions do not work when embedded into other functions of the Mp3tag export scripting language.
One can sum up stored values by
```
$put(r,$add($get(r1),$get(r2),$get(r3),$get(r4),$get(r5)))
```
where $get is inside $add. This works for me ...
By the way $replace($get(s), ..., ...) does not work.