# need more efficient approach

**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/need-more-efficient-approach/16839
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [April 20, 2015, 3:16am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/need-more-efficient-approach/16839 "2015-04-20T03:16:47Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![aparente001](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/ecb155/32.png) [@aparente001](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/aparente001)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2015, 3:16am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/need-more-efficient-approach/16839/1 "2015-04-20T03:16:47Z")

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In our house, we use certain podcasts to help us get to sleep when we have insomnia. (Car Talk and Comedy Factory from Canada work best for this.) When I download the Comedy Factory podcasts, they all have "Comedy Factory" in the album tag. This means that when I'm finished listening to the first podcast I chose, the next one starts right away, automatically. That can be a problem once one has fallen asleep. Sometimes a program wakes one up some time later.

I have solved the problem by putting the date of the episode, or even some arbitrary (unique) number or letter in the album tag, using MP3TAG. But I don't know how to do this efficiently. Could someone please advise how to do this? (Step by step, please!) Thank you.

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### 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: [April 20, 2015, 3:35am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/need-more-efficient-approach/16839/2 "2015-04-20T03:35:52Z")

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There are a number of pieces of data available that may serve as sorting criteria, e.g. RELEASETIME or \_FILE\_CREATE\_DATE  
To add this data to the ALBUM field (I wonder why your player does not know how to read these fields) you could use an action of the type "Format value" for ALBUM  
An explanation how to create an action can be found in the FAQs [/t/967/1](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/967/1)

Select all files  
Start to create the new action  
Select type "Format value"  
Select field ALBUM  
Enter as format string: %releasetime% \_ %album%  
(if you want to sort by release time first or, if the album is more important:)  
Enter as format string: %album% \_ %releasetime%

Click OK so that you save the new action  
Tick the box next to the action name to execute it right away.  
Click OK.

All ALBUM fields should get the release time added.

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### Author: ![aparente001](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/ecb155/32.png) [@aparente001](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/aparente001)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2015, 1:50am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/need-more-efficient-approach/16839/3 "2015-04-22T01:50:39Z")

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Thank you!

The string you gave me, %album% \_ %releasetime%, didn't work -- nothing got put after the Album name and the underscore. But your procedure gave me the idea how to do things, so I used this:  
%title%

Just what I needed!

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### 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: [April 22, 2015, 5:25am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/need-more-efficient-approach/16839/4 "2015-04-22T05:25:51Z")

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> [@aparente001](#):
>
> The string you gave me, %album% \_ %releasetime%, didn't work...

It depends a lot on the fields you have filled in your podcasts... If RELEASETIME is empty, then, naturally, nothing can be added. You would have to look for a suitable field, e.g. the create-date of the file to add... but you wrote, you found a solution. Fine.

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### 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, 12:25pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/need-more-efficient-approach/16839/5 "2026-02-09T12:25:39Z")

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