# Setting Cover Description
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/setting-cover-description/64019
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [March 10, 2024, 11:22am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/setting-cover-description/64019 "2024-03-10T11:22:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mista\_j](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mista_j)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2024, 11:22am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/setting-cover-description/64019/1 "2024-03-10T11:22:05Z")
Is there no way to use action groups to set the cover descriptions?
I can filter files by %\_cover\_description% but if i try to format that value in an action a new field is created & data is not written to the actual cover description.
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### Author:  [@LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LyricsLover)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2024, 11:35am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/setting-cover-description/64019/2 "2024-03-10T11:35:41Z")
I have just tested these properties:
and they were set as expected.
Could you please show us your settings in your "Set cover properties" Action?
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2024, 12:05pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/setting-cover-description/64019/3 "2024-03-10T12:05:23Z")
> [@mista\_j](#):
>
> %\_cover\_description% but if i try to format that value in an action
You may notice that this property descriptor name starts with an underscore and can be found as "information field" - which means that it is read only.
The way to manipulate it has been described by @LyricsLover
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### Author:  [@mista\_j](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mista_j)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2024, 7:33pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/setting-cover-description/64019/4 "2024-03-10T19:33:55Z")
I wanted to use a "formula" to set the cover descriptions that way I could run the action in batch & not have to think about it.
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> The way to manipulate it has been described by @LyricsLover
This method works perfectly although I'm not able to use any format strings. I will simply need to make a nested group of action groups for all the most common descriptions I wish to use for covers. Thank You @ohrenkino @LyricsLover
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### Author:  [@LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LyricsLover)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2024, 7:36pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/setting-cover-description/64019/5 "2024-03-10T19:36:42Z")
> [@mista\_j](#):
>
> This method works perfectly although I'm not able to use any format strings.
What kind of format strings would you like to use as "Cover description"?
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### Author:  [@mista\_j](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mista_j)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2024, 8:11pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/setting-cover-description/64019/6 "2024-03-10T20:11:53Z")
I just tried to use %genre% as a test but it prints exactly "%genre%" rather than the contents of the field GENRE
If I could get it working I'd have it pull info from a custom field that is already "calculated" like COVER DESCRIPTION
$IF($AND($grtr($strstr(%title%,'(Instrumental)'),0),%ALT ART%),'ALT ART: Instrumentals',%coverdescription%)
Then I'd just remove the field COVER DESCRIPTION after the cover properties are set.
I have many albums where I've gone an acquired the instrumentals live versions or acapella versions, remixes etc. I add them to the original album under a new disc & usually make a slight edit to the original cover so that I can easily distinguish alternate versions of tracks.
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:30pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/setting-cover-description/64019/7 "2026-02-09T12:30:16Z")