# Metadata clean up with export / import: cannot edit csv template **URL:** \ **Category:** Support\ **Created:** [August 17, 2018, 8:49am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/metadata-clean-up-with-export-import-cannot-edit-csv-template/42667 "2018-08-17T08:49:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![poulisgr](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/eada6e/32.png) [@poulisgr](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/poulisgr)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 8:49am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/metadata-clean-up-with-export-import-cannot-edit-csv-template/42667/1 "2018-08-17T08:49:53Z")
Hello everyone, i am trying to edit my classical music library adding "composition" and "period" tags and cleaning up the "composer" tag. Reading a bit i understood it is possible to do this via (1) exporting to a csv file (b) doing the editing in excel (c) import back using file -\> tag the first thing therefore I tried was to change the "csv.mte" file in the "export" directory so as to export the tags i really need (e.g. not "size" but "composition" etc). when I edit the csv file and I try to run the export I get an error message like "filename() only allowed at beginning of file..."... I have to uninstall and reinstall mp3tag to get over this .. .any suggestions please? thanks in advance, Greg ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 9:10am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/metadata-clean-up-with-export-import-cannot-edit-csv-template/42667/2 "2018-08-17T09:10:43Z")
> [@poulisgr](#): > > and I try to run the export I get an error message then it would be best if we could see the export script. If you want to refer to the filename of a track, then use %\_filename% or %\_filename\_ext%. Also, see the help on export scripts and variables in the scripts. > **[Exporting Tag and File Information – Mp3tag Documentation](https://docs.mp3tag.de/export/)** > > Documentation on exporting tag and file information to text-based file formats. Mp3tag is the universal Tag Editor. Yet, I do not understand why Excel would help better in > [@poulisgr](#): > > adding "composition" and "period" tags and cleaning up the "composer" tag than MP3tag. ---
**Author:** ![poulisgr](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/eada6e/32.png) [@poulisgr](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/poulisgr)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 11:52am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/metadata-clean-up-with-export-import-cannot-edit-csv-template/42667/3 "2018-08-17T11:52:41Z")
what i am trying to say is that when I edit the csv .mte file (no matter how trivial a change, for example i delete a comma and retype it then save) something gets corrupted and I get the error message ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 1:26pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/metadata-clean-up-with-export-import-cannot-edit-csv-template/42667/4 "2018-08-17T13:26:46Z")
The export files are plain text files. So for editing MP3tag uses that program that is set on your system to edit plain text files. Without modifications this is usually the windows program editor. The result should also be a plain text file and not a file with formatting information. ---
**Author:** ![poulisgr](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/eada6e/32.png) [@poulisgr](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/poulisgr)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 1:30pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/metadata-clean-up-with-export-import-cannot-edit-csv-template/42667/5 "2018-08-17T13:30:17Z")
Hi I figured it out - .mpe files were set by default to open with excel on my laptop, I changed to notepad and how it works.. next hurdle: import from the csv file the updated tags... that will take some time to figure out (first attempts fail with "unable to parse line ..."... 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 1:35pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/metadata-clean-up-with-export-import-cannot-edit-csv-template/42667/6 "2018-08-17T13:35:25Z")
For the import you have to supply the list of fields in the same format as can be found in the data source. So the parsing would fail if you have listed %artist%; %title% but the data is ABBA;SOS (no blank following the semicolon) If the data for a field also contains the character that is used as field separator, then you have to enclose the whole data for that field in "" like "%artist%","%title%" "Pink Floyd","Pigs, three different ones" ---
**Author:** ![system](https://community.mp3tag.de/uploads/default/original/2X/c/ce7035d426cb755a7916793326d23b465222a407.png) [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 12:27pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/metadata-clean-up-with-export-import-cannot-edit-csv-template/42667/7 "2026-02-09T12:27:36Z")