# question regarding $if behavior in export (v2.41)
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/question-regarding-if-behavior-in-export-v2-41/6775
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [May 9, 2008, 2:39pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/question-regarding-if-behavior-in-export-v2-41/6775 "2008-05-09T14:39:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mp3me](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mp3me)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2008, 2:39pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/question-regarding-if-behavior-in-export-v2-41/6775/1 "2008-05-09T14:39:07Z")
in my mte file I have this
$put(x,%artist%)
$if($strcmp($get(x),Various Artists),$put(x,hhhhhh),not equal)
$get(x)
$put(x,%artist%)
$if($eql($get(x),Various Artists),$put(x,hhhhhh),not equal)
$get(x)
in my output html file I have this
10,000 Maniacs
not equal
hhhhhh
10,000 Maniacs
not equal
hhhhhh
Is this the expected behavior of $if()
---
### Author:  [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2008, 3:06pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/question-regarding-if-behavior-in-export-v2-41/6775/2 "2008-05-09T15:06:08Z")
> [@mp3me](#):
>
> ... Is this the expected behavior of $if()
$put() cannot be an argument within another Mp3tag function call.
You have to change the expression to something like this:
$put(x,$if(condition,yes-case,no-case))
DD.20080509.1906.CEST
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### Author:  [@mp3me](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mp3me)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2008, 3:07pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/question-regarding-if-behavior-in-export-v2-41/6775/3 "2008-05-09T15:07:21Z")
just tried this
$put(x,%artist%)
$if($jjjjjjjjjj($get(x),Various Artists),$put(x,hhhhhh)equal,not equal)
$get(x)
and got the same behavior so apparently neither $if nor $strcmp are supported in export environment?
Where is this stuff documented?
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### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2008, 5:32pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/question-regarding-if-behavior-in-export-v2-41/6775/4 "2008-05-13T17:32:33Z")
mp3me, I have found $put just fails to work in certain scripting contexts. I've coded around the need to use it wherever possible.
> [@](#):
>
> Where is this stuff documented?
Nowhere I've found. The best available is the incomplete Help, Mp3tag usage, Scripting functions .
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### Author:  [@aml](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/aml)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2008, 4:14pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/question-regarding-if-behavior-in-export-v2-41/6775/5 "2008-06-09T16:14:24Z")
You could try the following, or some variation of it that applies to what you want.
When dealing with "Various Artists" I use "Various Artists: Genre" in %band% (Album Artist) and the artists playing the song in %artist%
So, when using this, I just compare whether the first 7 letters of %band% are equal to "Various" or not, and if so, I use that field. Otherwise, I use %artist%
Various - Year Y - Album X
or
Artist - Year Y - Album X
$filename(txt)$loop(%album%,1)
$if($eql($left(%band%,7),Various),%band%|%year%|%album%,%artist%|%year%|%album%)
$loopend()
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:20pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/question-regarding-if-behavior-in-export-v2-41/6775/6 "2026-02-09T12:20:56Z")