# Replace some chars to " - "
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-some-chars-to/5057
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [June 23, 2007, 6:24pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-some-chars-to/5057 "2007-06-23T18:24:12Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@lingburg](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/lingburg)
#### Post date: [June 23, 2007, 6:24pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-some-chars-to/5057/1 "2007-06-23T18:24:12Z")
Hi
Im looking for some help, I want to change any of illegal filename chars (like ":", "\*", "", "/", etc) for a " - ".
Some tags have this chars, and then when I convert Tag to Filename, they are replaced with "". But then I want to replace with " - ".
How can I do that?
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### Author:  [@LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LyricsLover)
#### Post date: [June 23, 2007, 7:00pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-some-chars-to/5057/2 "2007-06-23T19:00:31Z")
Please have a look in the help-file "main\_scripting.html":
_$validate(filename, to)_
Example: $validate(%artist% - %album% - %track% - %title%,-)
Thats the "magic" command. 😉
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### Author:  [@lingburg](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/lingburg)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2007, 12:22am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-some-chars-to/5057/3 "2007-06-24T00:22:09Z")
thanks for the answer
but there is a way to replace only ":" and "/" for " - " ?
because tags with "?", for example, I want to leave as "" (blank) in filename.
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### Author:  [@LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LyricsLover)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2007, 7:55am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-some-chars-to/5057/4 "2007-06-24T07:55:38Z")
Your initial question was about valid filenames. 
You have to change this characters /?\*"\<\>|: to something else. Otherwise, you can't save it to the filename.
What you can do, to replace single chars in all tagfields, is executing an action like this:
_Aktionstyp:_ **Ersetzen**
_Feld:_ **\_ALL**
_Original:_ **?**
_Ersetzen durch:_ \<-- Enter a !
This will replace the character ? in ALL tagfields with a
(If you wanna rename the ? only in TITLE, replace \_ALL with TITLE.
If you wanna rename the : with a - just replace the ? and in the fields above)
Then you can rename your mp3 according to the changed tagfields like this:
_Aktionstyp:_ **Tag-Felder formatieren**
_Feld:_ **\_FILENAME**
_Formatstring:_ **%album% - %artist% - %title%**
(or whatever fields you like to use...)
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### Author:  [@lingburg](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/lingburg)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2007, 8:57pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-some-chars-to/5057/5 "2007-06-29T20:57:16Z")
I've found a way to do what I want:
I created a new action group, called tag-filename
then I add the following:
Format value
Field: \_FILENAME
Format String: %TRACK% - $caps2(%TITLE%)
then, in the same action group:
Replace with regular expression
Field: \_FILENAME
Regular Expresion: "/" (without quotes)
Replace matches with: " - " (without quotes)
then add a new Replace with regular expression, modifying the "/" with ":" and the " - " with " -"
this will replace all filenames with format like this "02 - Song Title"
I don't know if there is a simple way to do this, but for now, it fits my needs 🙂
* * *
So there is another question
I found that $caps2 its the best case conversion method, cause it leaves some upper case senteces like they should be, not capitalizing only the first letter like the "case conversion - mixed case" action does
So then I want some kind of case conversion that is like the $caps2, but I need that the first letters after " (\_-/ " capitalize too, a feature that the case conversion action has, but $caps2 does not.
For example, a title like "Rock in the USA (yeah!)":
with $caps2, it becomes "Rock In The USA (yeah!)"
and with cave conversion action, "Rock In The Usa (Yeah!)"
When it should be like "Rock In The USA (Yeah!)"
WHAT SHOULD I DO TO SOLVE THIS?
I have trouble to to the coding =|
help me please!
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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/replace-some-chars-to/5057/6 "2026-02-09T12:20:22Z")