Why do you declare this message as an error message?
This is not an error message, but just a status message.
And ... in this case the status message tells the truth.
There have been no real tag-fields formatted.
There have been no files renamed.
ad 1.
To rename resp. move a folder, it is enough just to select one file in the folder.
You can also select all the files in the folder, Mp3tag behaves tolerant.
ad 4.
In the Mp3tag system of principles, procedures, conventions, rules and terms ...
there exist two pseudo-tag-fields resp. system variables basically to be read only:
%_DIRECTORY%, %_PARENT_DIRECTORY%
(with the surrounded percent signs they look like ordinary tag-fields).
%_DIRECTORY% provides the name of the home folder of the files.
%_PARENT_DIRECTORY% provides the name of the folder, one step above the home folder of the files.
For renaming or moving a folder Mp3tag provides the pseudo tag-field _DIRECTORY, which can be written.
The homonymity is something you have to respect carefully.
Using the pseudo tag-field _DIRECTORY you can change all parts of the entire folder path.
ad 8.
If you want to use the tag-field YEAR only when it contains any value (note the special function of the square brackets !!!), then the correct format string looks like ...
%ALBUM%[' '$left(%YEAR%,4)]
If you want to see square brackets around the 4-digit year number, then the correct format string looks like ...
%ALBUM%' ['$left(%YEAR%,4)']'
If you want to use the tag-field YEAR only when it contains any value (note the special function of the square brackets !!!) and if you want to see square brackets around the 4-digit year number, then the correct format string looks like ...
%ALBUM%[' ['$left(%YEAR%,4)']']
ad 9.
Opening the "Utils" dialog is not required.
For what the dialog is good, that can be explained another time.
DD.20130109.2007.CET