# It's possible "filter" the list of songs?
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/its-possible-filter-the-list-of-songs/12535
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [September 23, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/its-possible-filter-the-list-of-songs/12535 "2011-09-23T15:54:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@pepeillo001](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/pepeillo001)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/its-possible-filter-the-list-of-songs/12535/1 "2011-09-23T15:54:58Z")
I would like to filter the songs or artist with some requeriments, for example: all the songs that the artist were: Paul Simon, is possible to do it?
Greetings. Pachu.
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2011, 4:00pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/its-possible-filter-the-list-of-songs/12535/2 "2011-09-23T16:00:36Z")
You can use the syntax for variables in MP3tag, e.g.:
%artist% HAS "Paul Simon"
You open the filter input box with F3. It appears at the bottom of the window.
You can find more variables if you press the arrow button on the right of the filter text box.
The filter understands the operators
MATCHES
IS
HAS
Please write these words always in UPPER CASE.
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### Author:  [@pepeillo001](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/pepeillo001)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2011, 6:36am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/its-possible-filter-the-list-of-songs/12535/3 "2011-10-01T06:36:09Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> You can use the syntax for variables in MP3tag, e.g.:
> %artist% HAS "Paul Simon"
> You open the filter input box with F3. It appears at the bottom of the window.
> You can find more variables if you press the arrow button on the right of the filter text box.
> The filter understands the operators
> MATCHES
> IS
> HAS
> Please write these words always in UPPER CASE.
Thanks. I will try it.
---
### Author:  [@pepeillo001](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/pepeillo001)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2011, 9:37am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/its-possible-filter-the-list-of-songs/12535/4 "2011-10-01T09:37:59Z")
It works fine, really is what I want to do... I don't know mp3tag could do it.
Greetings. Pachu.
---
### Author:  [@progprog](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/progprog)
#### Post date: [October 2, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/its-possible-filter-the-list-of-songs/12535/5 "2011-10-02T16:56:17Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> The filter understands the operators
> MATCHES
> IS
> HAS
What would be the difference, and different application, of MATCHES and IS? Just intuitively, I would interpret those to be the same thing, but I'm sure there must be some reason they are separate operators.
(Seems like a negative operator might be handy....something that excludes a string, like NO MATCH or NOT.)
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [October 2, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/its-possible-filter-the-list-of-songs/12535/6 "2011-10-02T18:01:45Z")
> [@progprog](#):
>
> What would be the difference, and different application, of MATCHES and IS? Just intuitively, I would interpret those to be the same thing, but I'm sure there must be some reason they are separate operators.
>
> (Seems like a negative operator might be handy....something that excludes a string, like NO MATCH or NOT.)
Oh, yes: I forgot the NOT as prefix.
And I forgot the AND as connector between a chain of filter arguments as well.
For a deeper explanation:
IS means that the contents of the named field is exactly like the entered string (except the case)
MATCHES uses the syntax of regular expressions to filter like "%\_FILENAME%" MATCHES "(?-i)\l\u"
HAS shows entries where the search string is part of the named field.
If you want to combine some of the filter arguments see the following example:
%\_covers% IS "" AND NOT %album% IS ""
To find all the albums which still lack an album cover.
But all this and more can be read in the online help
---
### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:23pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/its-possible-filter-the-list-of-songs/12535/7 "2026-02-09T12:23:21Z")