# Importing spreadsheet to tag releases?
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/importing-spreadsheet-to-tag-releases/52033
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [February 19, 2021, 2:06am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/importing-spreadsheet-to-tag-releases/52033 "2021-02-19T02:06:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@SpiffyJUNIOR](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/SpiffyJUNIOR)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2021, 2:06am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/importing-spreadsheet-to-tag-releases/52033/1 "2021-02-19T02:06:03Z")
Hi, new here. As the title states, I was wondering how i would take the information from a spreadsheet and input it into the fields for the releases I have. You can look at the spreadsheet [here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bSiL94FE-UKxN7BTYkO0h43WusA71AUOiQgA0oaw_pg/edit?usp=sharing).
Previously, I tried exporting a .CSV and inputting the data into it manually. However I ran into issues with semicolon's and even when copying and pasting it into a plaintext file, mp3tag would fail to parse some lines.
So my question is such: Is there a way, (possibly via a script?) that would let it directly fetch and input the metadata from the spreadsheet i made?
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2021, 5:34am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/importing-spreadsheet-to-tag-releases/52033/2 "2021-02-19T05:34:52Z")
> [@SpiffyJUNIOR](#):
>
> Previously, I tried exporting a .CSV
You would have to do some post-processing to get rid of semicoli or commas that are part of the text. Otherwise it would also not work if your re-imported that file into the spreadsheet program.
So, if you can, export the data to a file in which the field separator is a unique character and never part of the data.
This could be a file with the tab character as separator.
Process this file with a word processor that is capable of replacing the tab character with a printable character e.g. the pipe |.
Then save this a plain text file and use the pipe as field separator for the import with MP3tag.
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### Author:  [@dano](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/dano)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2021, 9:29am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/importing-spreadsheet-to-tag-releases/52033/3 "2021-02-19T09:29:06Z")
You don't have to replace the tab character. You can import directly with it.
You just have to create your import string with a text editor and paste it in the Mp3tag format string field because pressing Tab in Mp3tag doesn't insert the tab char.
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2021, 9:33am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/importing-spreadsheet-to-tag-releases/52033/4 "2021-02-19T09:33:35Z")
> [@dano](#):
>
> You just have to create your import string with a text editor
Which still means that you have to use an intermediate program.
Alternatively, if the spreadsheet program allows to define a separator other than the standard comma or semicolon, it could be a single step if one defines a printable but unique separator character which then could be used for the MP3tag import.
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### Author:  [@SpiffyJUNIOR](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/SpiffyJUNIOR)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2021, 6:20am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/importing-spreadsheet-to-tag-releases/52033/5 "2021-02-20T06:20:40Z")
Tried that, but now it's failing to parse any of the lines in my .txt file.
Using this format string: `%_PATH% / %_FILENAME% / %ALBUM% / %ALBUMARTIST% / %ARTIST% / %ARTISTCOUNTRY% / %CATALOGNUMBER% / %COMMENT% / %COMPOSER% / %DISCNUMBER% / %DISCTOTAL% / %EDITION% / %GENRE% / %LABEL% / %ORIGINALDATE% / %TITLE% / %TOTALDISCS% / %TRACK% / %YEAR%`
[I HATE TAGGING.txt](https://community.mp3tag.de/uploads/short-url/byCSuno0D7qEKNoBGopWTvlHKRW.txt) (197.3 KB)
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2021, 9:23am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/importing-spreadsheet-to-tag-releases/52033/6 "2021-02-20T09:23:58Z")
as far as I can see, you do not fill every column/field that you intend to fill.
e.g. the file with "Everything\_Now (continued)" is lacking at least 7 fields, e.g. no discnumber and no catalogue number.
You have to supply data for every field that you name in the format string.
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### Author:  [@SpiffyJUNIOR](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/SpiffyJUNIOR)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2021, 5:17am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/importing-spreadsheet-to-tag-releases/52033/7 "2021-02-22T05:17:51Z")
This worked perfectly, thank you! One last question: Is there a way to tag by album rather than per track?
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2021, 5:28am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/importing-spreadsheet-to-tag-releases/52033/8 "2021-02-22T05:28:03Z")
> [@SpiffyJUNIOR](#):
>
> Is there a way to tag by album rather than per track?
I don't really understand.
THe data gets aligned by the filename. The filename could be anything. That we humans consider tracks to belong to one album is just our sense of ordering.
In fact, the same data for the field ALBUM may be the final result of importing the data - so the album might be detectable only afterwards.
But, of course: if you only select the files that you say belong to an album, you may tag by album.
Or what did you have in mind?
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### Author:  [@SpiffyJUNIOR](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/SpiffyJUNIOR)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2021, 12:21am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/importing-spreadsheet-to-tag-releases/52033/9 "2021-02-24T00:21:07Z")
Thank you for the answer.
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [March 26, 2021, 12:21am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/importing-spreadsheet-to-tag-releases/52033/10 "2021-03-26T00:21:23Z")
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