# replace with regular expression problem
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-with-regular-expression-problem/3835
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [September 30, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-with-regular-expression-problem/3835 "2006-09-30T16:09:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mhuessy](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mhuessy)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-with-regular-expression-problem/3835/1 "2006-09-30T16:09:23Z")
hi,
I have a work-around for this, but I don't understand what the problem really is, and why I have solved it. Can anyone teach me?
1- What is being "falsely recognized" in the (.\*) case?
2- Why does [^] start of a line anchor solve the problem?
* * *
Problem:
title: 01 - Love's a Precious Thing One Strange Sunday
using replace with regular expression
field: title
regular expression: (.\*)
replace match with: junk $1
Produces: junk 01 - Love's a Precious Thing One Strange Sundayjunk
```
(The problem is the trailing added "junk")
```
* * *
Solution: use start of line anchor [^]
field: title
regular expression: ^(.\*)
replace match with: junk $1
Produces:
junk 01 - Love's a Precious Thing One Strange Sunday
* * *
!!! end of line anchor [$] didn't work
field: title
regular expression: (.\*)$
replace match with: junk $1
Produces:
Produces: junk 01 - Love's a Precious Thing One Strange Sundayjunk
with the trailing added "junk"
I don't understand why front anchor works, as the "bad" replace is at the end of line & supposedly "." matches everything EXCEPT new line
I thought there must be a false recog & replace of the new line character.
---
### Author:  [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2006, 3:57am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-with-regular-expression-problem/3835/2 "2006-10-01T03:57:40Z")
> [@mhuessy](#):
>
> Problem:
> title: 01 - Love's a Precious Thing One Strange Sunday
> using replace with regular expression
> field: title
> regular expression: (.\*)
> replace match with: junk $1
> Produces: junk 01 - Love's a Precious Thing One Strange Sundayjunk
>
> ```
> (The problem is the trailing added "junk")
>
> ```
Other testcases:
title: **TestTitle**
using replace with regular expression
field: **TITLE**
regular expression: **.\***
replace match with: **junk $0**
Produces: **junk TestTitlejunk**
For me it looks and feels like a bug.
title: **TestTitle**
using replace with regular expression
field: **TITLE**
regular expression: **.+**
replace match with: **junk $0**
Produces: **junk TestTitle**
This solves the problem in the case that there exists minimal one character in the TITLE tag.
DD.20061001.0754
---
### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:19pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/replace-with-regular-expression-problem/3835/3 "2026-02-09T12:19:54Z")