# Is it possible to rename/move \_PARENT\_DIRECTORY yet?
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/is-it-possible-to-rename-move-parent-directory-yet/59359
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [December 11, 2022, 7:14am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/is-it-possible-to-rename-move-parent-directory-yet/59359 "2022-12-11T07:14:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Casual\_Tea](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Casual_Tea)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2022, 7:14am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/is-it-possible-to-rename-move-parent-directory-yet/59359/1 "2022-12-11T07:14:14Z")
I've found 2 oldish posts discussing this topic.
[https://community.mp3tag.de/t/parent-directory-in-grossbuchstaben-wandeln/14270](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/parent-directory-in-grossbuchstaben-wandeln/14270)
[https://community.mp3tag.de/t/rename-a-parent-directory-for-multi-disc-albums/17514](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/rename-a-parent-directory-for-multi-disc-albums/17514)
Which both conclude that it was only possible to either rename the \_FILENAME (only moving the selected songs themselves) or \_DIRECTORY (which renames/moves the directory in which the files reside, taking subfolders and other file types with it). Has someone found a way to move/rename the parent directory including all subfolders?
Background:
I'm planning to change my current folder structure for multi-disc albums from:
> **Summary**
>
> \album artist\album [CD 1]\tracknumber title.extension
> \album artist\album [CD 1]\Artwork\Booklet.jpg
> \album artist\album [CD 1]\Box Set Cover.jpg
> \album artist\album [CD 1]\Cover.jpg
> \album artist\album [CD 2]\tracknumber title.extension
> \album artist\album [CD 2]\Artwork\Booklet.jpg
> \album artist\album [CD 2]\Box Set Front.jpg
> \album artist\album [CD 2]\Cover.jpg
to
> **Summary**
>
> \album artist\album\CD1\tracknumber title.extension
> \album artist\album\CD1\Cover.jpg
> \album artist\album\CD2\tracknumber title.extension
> \album artist\album\CD2\Cover.jpg
> \album artist\album\Artwork\Box Set Front.jpg
> \album artist\album\Artwork\Booklet.jpg
To remove redundant images and declog the album folder level.
My current action to rename/move the album folder to my WIP folder is this:
I can change the first action to:
```auto
Format value:
_Directory
Format string:
D:\rips\beets\$validate($regexp(%albumartist%,'^([^;]+)(;? ?)([\w ,-.]+)(.*)',$1$2$3),-)\$validate(%album%,-)\$ifgreater(%disctotal%,1,CD%discnumber%\,)
```
to achieve this change:
\album artist\album [CD 1]\tracknumber title.extension
\album artist\album\CD1\tracknumber title.extension
However, if I were to use that action on a folder that is already in my desired structure, it would only move the CD1 and CD2 folders and their contents. The "Artwork" folder on the same level would not be moved alongside.
Format value actions don't work for \_PARENT\_DIRECTORY and while this action:
```auto
Format value:
_Directory
Format string:
%_folderpath%..\..\$validate(%album%,-)\%_directory%
```
does move the CD1, CD2 etc. folders to the desired new location within an existing file path, it also leaves behind the Artwork folder.
Has anyone found a workaround for this? I'd love to avoid having to manually move the Artwork folder and deleting the remnants.
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2022, 7:23am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/is-it-possible-to-rename-move-parent-directory-yet/59359/2 "2022-12-11T07:23:37Z")
You can only manipulate the current folder \_DRECTORY (which is not the parent folder) to get a new name.
The only way around it would be to get all current folders onto the same level and rename from there.
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2022, 7:07am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/is-it-possible-to-rename-move-parent-directory-yet/59359/4 "2022-12-12T07:07:08Z")
> [@Casual\_Tea](#):
>
> Is there a technical reason for this that I'm not aware of?
I don't know.
I think that even in the Windows Explorer you cannot rename a folder without selecting it - which ist then more or less that what you see in \_DIRECTORY.
Perhaps you can write a tool that uses command shell commands and see if that works
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2022, 6:39am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/is-it-possible-to-rename-move-parent-directory-yet/59359/6 "2022-12-13T06:39:29Z")
> [@Casual\_Tea](#):
>
> \_FOLDERPATH and then feed the output into whatever \_DIRECTORY
And that would then rename only the \_DRIECTORY part (which is the current one) and rename that single folder only - which is more or less what happens at the moment.
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2022, 10:45am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/is-it-possible-to-rename-move-parent-directory-yet/59359/8 "2022-12-13T10:45:20Z")
Even now you can rename the current folder so that it is merged with the folder above it or moved to any other location.
e.g. if you have
Abba\Arrival\CD1
it is no problem to rename the CD1 folder to
Abba\Arrival
If you do that with CD2 as well, then all the files from CD1 and 2 can be found in the folder
Abba\Arrival
If you also have a folder
Abba\Arrival\pictures
and you no rename
Abba\Arrival to
Abba\getting\there
The you will also find
Abba\getting\there\pictures
As the file that was the trigger of the action had
Abba\Arrival as \_DIRECTORY renamed \_DIRECTORY to getting\there.
And this included all the objects that where in that folder, including the pictures folder.
You workflow now would have to simplify the folder structure first, so that the baggage files and folders are on the same level as the audio files and then apply the target naming structure.
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2022, 11:45am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/is-it-possible-to-rename-move-parent-directory-yet/59359/10 "2022-12-13T11:45:47Z")
If you first get all the files onto the same folder level with renaming the \_DIRECTORY and then rename the FILES from there, you would create the subordinate folders.
To me the whole thing proves that any data collection that relies on single objects which then again should be grouped by some criteria should get as much embedded metadata as possible.
The way to spread the files for music, cd and pictures over several folders is bound to be hard to maintain as none of the objects "knows" that there are others that rely on this object and its place in a hierarchy.
I am a strong believer to embed as much metadata as possible - so that this object then becomes independend from all other objects.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:29pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/is-it-possible-to-rename-move-parent-directory-yet/59359/13 "2026-02-09T12:29:59Z")