### Author:  [@dec](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/dec)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2023, 8:18am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-delete-function/60648/1 "2023-04-08T08:18:36Z")
two related questions
1 just want to delete the contents of a field, but i see no such Delete function, only Replace
1. ok, so i tried to use Replace, but it does not recognise '\*' as a wild card character to replace anything (with null)
so answers to both of those issues would be nice
i checked previous Posts, but they were mostly for more complex cases
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2023, 8:22am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-delete-function/60648/2 "2023-04-08T08:22:39Z")
To delete a field from selected files in the tag panel, select `` from the dropdown list and save the changes.
To delete a field that is not shown in the tag panel, use the extended tags dialogue Alt+T, select the field(s) there, click on the red x and save the changes with OK.
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### Author:  [@dec](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/dec)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2023, 9:39am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-delete-function/60648/3 "2023-04-08T09:39:23Z")
thank you, but i did not say anything about deleting s FIELD, as i thought was eveident in my explanation. i am tryting to delet the CONTENTS of a field.
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2023, 9:55am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-delete-function/60648/4 "2023-04-08T09:55:38Z")
The ID3 standard defines that there are no empty fields present in a file.
Either there is data for a field - and then it can be displayed.
Or there is none, then the tag does not contain that field.
So clearing the contents of a field leads in the end to a tag without that field - which means: delete field and you delete the contents of that field in the selected files.
Further information about the replace action (and many more) can be found in the documentation:
> **[Replace – Mp3tag Documentation](https://docs.mp3tag.de/actions/replace/)**
>
> Documentation on the Replace action type that can be performed as Quick Action or as reusable workflow from Action Groups. Mp3tag is the universal Tag Editor.
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### Author:  [@MotleyG](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/MotleyG)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2023, 11:21am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-delete-function/60648/5 "2023-04-08T11:21:33Z")
Metadata is stored in the header section of the audio file. For any tag field that has no content, there is no point in taking up the space in the header for this.
From the reply to @ohrenkino you seem to have a reason to want to keep a placeholder, is there something specific you have in mind?
BTW - if some of the common fields are missing (AlbumArtist, Artist, Album, Title, Track, Disc, Year, etc.) some players and library management software have unexpected results. So at a minimum I would suggest these key fields have some content in all files.
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### Author:  [@dec](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/dec)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2023, 11:47am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-delete-function/60648/6 "2023-04-08T11:47:26Z")
very simple. that Field (Artist) has many incorrect values, usually from person who created track, so i want to delete the incorrect values and then gradually enter correct data.
(and, btw, as i have discovered, it is quite problematic trying to strip/copy Artist out of Title, or in my case, File Name, which in my case is far more consistent and accurate, because of the varying number of words that the Artist name can be.)
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2023, 12:41pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-delete-function/60648/7 "2023-04-08T12:41:29Z")
> [@dec](#):
>
> it is quite problematic trying to strip/copy Artist out of Title, or in my case, File Name
Without a real example, it is hard to say what can be done to get the data out of the filename. It is more a question of patterns than of actual words.
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### Author:  [@dec](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/dec)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2023, 1:04pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-delete-function/60648/8 "2023-04-08T13:04:41Z")
you are not answering or addressing the actual question
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2023, 1:09pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-delete-function/60648/9 "2023-04-08T13:09:46Z")
You are not reading what I am writing?
As soon as you delete all the data in a field, the field gets deleted from the tag.
There are no placeholders in a tag.
So, to delete all the data from a field is to remove the field itself.
This happens only to the selected file(s).
(Are we still talking about the removal of data or are we now discussion the difficulties to extract data from the filename?)
> [@dec](#):
>
> wild card character to replace anything
To replace patterns, have a look at
> **[Replace with Regular Expression – Mp3tag Documentation](https://docs.mp3tag.de/actions/replace-regexp/)**
>
> Documentation on the Replace with Regular Expression action type that can be performed as Quick Action or as reusable workflow from Action Groups. Mp3tag is the universal Tag Editor.
this function also accepts some kind of wildcards but is much more complicated to handle if you simply want to clear the data from a field than to delete the field.
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### Author:  [@dec](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/dec)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2023, 1:32pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-delete-function/60648/10 "2023-04-08T13:32:43Z")
obviously deleting the data in a field does NOT delete the field - otherwise i would not have so many Field cells with null values
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2023, 1:35pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-delete-function/60648/11 "2023-04-08T13:35:54Z")
You have to make a difference between the display in MP3tag and that what can actually be found in a file.
The tag panel and the file list feature placeholders for fields - and these remain empty if no data for that field is found in a file.
To get an accurate list of found fields in a file, please use the extended tags dialogue Alt+T.
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### Author:  [@MotleyG](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/MotleyG)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2023, 2:50pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-delete-function/60648/12 "2023-04-08T14:50:55Z")
> [@dec](#):
>
> very simple. that Field (Artist) has many incorrect values, usually from person who created track, so i want to delete the incorrect values and then gradually enter correct data.
This still is not a problem. When you remove all of the existing data, whether by formally deleting them, or replacing existing info with nothing, then effectively that tag field is removed from the header. When you put new info back into that field, it will easily be put back into the header.
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### Author:  [@MotleyG](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/MotleyG)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2023, 2:52pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-delete-function/60648/13 "2023-04-08T14:52:55Z")
> [@dec](#):
>
> obviously deleting the data in a field does NOT delete the field - otherwise i would not have so many Field cells with null values
Do you have an example of this?
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### Author:  [@dec](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/dec)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2023, 5:50am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-delete-function/60648/14 "2023-04-09T05:50:33Z")
how many examples would you like ? 🙂
and just HOW do i include an attachement/.screenshot?
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2023, 5:52am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-delete-function/60648/15 "2023-04-09T05:52:41Z")
> [@dec](#):
>
> HOW do i include an attachement/.screenshot?
See here:
> [@Hints for asking Support Requests](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/hints-for-asking-support-requests/56190):
>
> If you need support using Mp3tag, you can help the community members that are about to support you in finding a solution or workaround to your problem, by following these simple guidelines. Be descriptive, also in what you’ve already tried Please give a short explanation what’s not working as expected or what you’re trying to achieve. It’s best to know any details about the problem at hand and especially, what steps you’ve already tried to solve it by yourself. Helpful information also includ…
Please show us the extended tags dialogue of a single file and tell us which data you wanted to delete.
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### Author:  [@dec](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/dec)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2023, 5:58am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-delete-function/60648/16 "2023-04-09T05:58:16Z")
i can't even see/find a way to close this Topic.
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2023, 5:58am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-delete-function/60648/17 "2023-05-09T05:58:24Z")
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