# regular expression question
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/regular-expression-question/1692
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [February 13, 2005, 1:20am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/regular-expression-question/1692 "2005-02-13T01:20:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@billyvnilly](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/billyvnilly)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2005, 1:20am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/regular-expression-question/1692/1 "2005-02-13T01:20:58Z")
for example if i have "%artist% - %title%" or "%track% - %title%" in the title field and i would like to just have %title% in the title field, how can i:
a)use a regular expression to convert it to just "%title%" in the title field. or,
b)use a regular expression to convert title field to display %title% AND also move %artist% or %track% to their fields.
either is fine, but i am just wondering if b ) is possible.
Or is there an easier way.
(I'm a regular at the winamp tech support forums and i always recomend mp3tag for winamp users, but i do not know the answer to this question, so i thought i would ask)
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### Author:  [@Digitaldesi](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Digitaldesi)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2005, 6:11am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/regular-expression-question/1692/2 "2005-02-13T06:11:40Z")
Good question. I usually do it manually (track by track/copy paste). I would also like to know if there is an eaier way. Hopefully Florian or someone else will be able to answer this question.
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### Author:  [@Sebastian\_Mares](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Sebastian_Mares)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2005, 7:33am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/regular-expression-question/1692/3 "2005-02-13T07:33:28Z")
> [@](#):
>
> b)use a regular expression to convert title field to display %title% AND also move %artist% or %track% to their fields.
>
> \<{POST\_SNAPBACK}\>
Use an action which guesses values and type in "%\_filename%" as source format and "%artist% - title%" or "%track% - %title%" as format string.
> [@](#):
>
> a)use a regular expression to convert it to just "%title%" in the title field.
>
> \<{POST\_SNAPBACK}\>
Either use a format value action after doing the above step and use "\_FILENAME" as field and "%title%" as format string, or use a regular expression action with "\_FILENAME" as field, "(._) - (._)" as RegEx and "$2" as replacement.
Hope it helps. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2005, 8:33am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/regular-expression-question/1692/4 "2005-02-13T08:33:02Z")
Sebastian, I don't think that %\_filename% is needed there, because he has the values in the **title** field.
> [@](#):
>
> for example if i have "%artist% - %title%" or "%track% - %title%" in the title field and i would like to just have %title% in the title field, how can i:
>
> a)use a regular expression to convert it to just "%title%" in the title field. or,
Just use an action Format value for field **TITLE** with a formatstring like %dummy% - %title%
> [@](#):
>
> b)use a regular expression to convert title field to display %title% AND also move %artist% or %track% to their fields.
Just use an action Guess value with %title% as source format and a guessing pattern like %artist% - %title% or %track% - %title%
Best regards,
~ Florian
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### Author:  [@Sebastian\_Mares](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Sebastian_Mares)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2005, 8:58am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/regular-expression-question/1692/5 "2005-02-13T08:58:13Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Sebastian, I don't think that %\_filename% is needed there, because he has the values in the **title** field.
> Just use an action Format value for field **TITLE** with a formatstring like %dummy% - %title%
> Just use an action Guess value with %title% as source format and a guessing pattern like %artist% - %title% or %track% - %title%
>
> Best regards,
> ~ Florian
>
> \<{POST\_SNAPBACK}\>
Oops... I thought he has that info in the file name, sorry.
I shouldn't sit in front of the PC 5 minutes after waking up. 😛
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### Author:  [@Digitaldesi](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Digitaldesi)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2005, 12:07am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/regular-expression-question/1692/6 "2005-02-14T00:07:07Z")
Thanks Florian and Sebastian for the help. I never knew that there was a string called %dummy%. It just made things much easier.
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### Author:  [@billyvnilly](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/billyvnilly)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2005, 4:51am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/regular-expression-question/1692/7 "2005-02-17T04:51:37Z")
thanks....that was a lot easier than i had anticipated 😃
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:19pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/regular-expression-question/1692/8 "2026-02-09T12:19:19Z")