# Suggested Feature: Allow User To Add Items To Drop-Down Boxes **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [October 11, 2016, 4:41am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggested-feature-allow-user-to-add-items-to-drop-down-boxes/18317 "2016-10-11T04:41:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![moncom](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@moncom](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/moncom)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 12:00am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggested-feature-allow-user-to-add-items-to-drop-down-boxes/18317/21 "2022-01-14T00:00:21Z")
Ooops. It looks like the forum software does not accept "\< "and "\>" . Hope this works: - it only shows " \< blank \>"and "\< keep \>" - HTML you can create drop-down list with the "\<"select\>" Tag. ---
**Author:** ![MotleyG](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/motleyg/32/440_2.png) [@MotleyG](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/MotleyG)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 4:58am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggested-feature-allow-user-to-add-items-to-drop-down-boxes/18317/22 "2022-01-14T04:58:20Z")
The problem with this is that some users also include month and day info in the year, even though this doesn’t follow the standard for some formats. Besides that fact, if one was to start with 1930 or so, and include every single year to the present - this list will be pretty long. I suggest entering 4 number characters on the keyboard should be faster to do than scrolling through these limiting options. ---
**Author:** ![moncom](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@moncom](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/moncom)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 5:38am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggested-feature-allow-user-to-add-items-to-drop-down-boxes/18317/23 "2022-01-14T05:38:08Z")
MotleyG "I suggest entering 4 number characters on the keyboard should be faster to do than scrolling through these limiting options" That's what I do now. However I use a separate tag to capture, month, day, year info. With combo boxes as you will appreciate (see the Genre one as an illustration) the auto expand / auto fill / auto complete facility fills the box as you type in the info so even though the list itself might be lengthy ( I don't regard that as a limiting factor nor using the tag for its proper use - the YEAR and noting else) there is an alternative to scrolling the list. ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 7:14am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggested-feature-allow-user-to-add-items-to-drop-down-boxes/18317/24 "2022-01-14T07:14:37Z")
I agree with @MotleyG to > [@MotleyG](#): > > suggest entering 4 number characters on the keyboard should be faster to do than scrolling through these limiting options I mean the > [@moncom](#): > > auto expand / auto fill / auto complete facility would start for 70 entries with "19" and right now with 22 with 20 - so I would have to type these 2 numbers as descriminators anyway. And then I still have the choice of these many entries. And even with adding another (the third) number to get at least into the right decade, I still have 10 entries left that need to be scrolled. Typing the fourth digit then is the fastest and easiest way to get it all together. So, sorry, no, I don't see any benefit from a pre-defined list for years. I do not even see a benefit for other fields - there are only very few artists that have such a frequent and massive output that it would be nice to see their name as a preset (actually, I think there is none). What I do have is a set of actions that standardizes frequently issued podcasts - buth these actions then set a number of fields in one go without the need to open the drop-downlists for each field. ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 7:18am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggested-feature-allow-user-to-add-items-to-drop-down-boxes/18317/25 "2022-01-14T07:18:25Z")
> [@moncom](#): > > side two or A side and B side can it cater for that? This is a relic from the old vinyl times - where you could not play mp3s on that device. The id3 standard requires a number and possibly a slash to separate the totals. An alphabetic character would be non-standard. And MP3tag tries to adhere to the id3 standard. So, no, the assistant does not cater for leading letters. ---
**Author:** ![moncom](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@moncom](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/moncom)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 7:49am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggested-feature-allow-user-to-add-items-to-drop-down-boxes/18317/26 "2022-01-16T07:49:07Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#): > > I do not even see a benefit for other fields - there are only very few artists that have such a frequent and massive output that it would be nice to see their name as a preset (actually, I think there is none). > set a number of fields in one go without the need to open the drop-downlists for each field Thank for the reply, ohrenkino.. Well I can but the pertinent, basic design question to ask is why are the tags automatically created as combo boxes as opposed to plain text boxes? What's the purpose particularly if one cannot take advantage of their inherent builtin capacities to help make data entry easier, less prone to error,repetitive, allow for choice and despite your well argued objection outlined above in many cases faster and more reliable? And (easily?) bypassed by actions as you describe. One attractive possibility for their use however is as cascading combo boxes - not sure if Discogs follows this arrangement but organizing genres with a topmost type ( ie Rock) and Style subcategories (ie Soft Rock) dependent upon the selected genre type but then again the id3 standard probably does not permit it. I detect that perhaps you are alluding to albums but when working manually (not using tag sources) with single releases which comprises practically all of my collection the tags are the same, one prime example for the COMPOSER field is Lennon-McCartney, Apple or Parlophone for the PUBLISHER field, George Martin for the PRODUCER field and so on and also applicable to their albums. If that can be achieved with a a set of actions similar to what you mentioned I would appreciate your kind instructions, with thanks in advance, on how to do that. ---
**Author:** ![poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/poster/32/4881_2.png) [@poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/poster)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 8:48am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggested-feature-allow-user-to-add-items-to-drop-down-boxes/18317/27 "2022-01-16T08:48:26Z")
I alreday hate the muiltiple-choice-feature in the genre-field (in spite of knowing that it makes some sense there) but this feature in other fields would be a nogo for me. One of the main-features of the tag-panel is the possibility to have a look at the content of that field in a collection of marked files and if you want to set the content equal. This feature is killed by showing a selection of predefined content as it is done already with the genre-field. My music collection has ten thouthends of artists and probably the same of different composers. What benefit shall a list to select from bring? For actions to achieve your goal see here: > [@feature request: select from predetermined tag set for custom fields](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/feature-request-select-from-predetermined-tag-set-for-custom-fields/18135): > > Hello - thank you for the incredible software that is Mp3tag. I am thankful that you develop and provide this world-class tool for free. I am trying to achieve a particular goal and am having trouble finding a way to do it efficiently. I want to: [a] Create a custom tag field and [b] populate it for each audio file by selecting tags from a predetermined set of tag values. For example, I want to have a custom tag field named "Mood" and then give Mp3tag a predetermined set of values such as "Da… ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 8:56am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggested-feature-allow-user-to-add-items-to-drop-down-boxes/18317/28 "2022-01-16T08:56:42Z")
> [@moncom](#): > > COMPOSER field is Lennon-McCartney, Apple or Parlophone for the PUBLISHER field, George Martin for the PRODUCER field and so on and also applicable to their albums. Create a single action group with actions of the type "Format value" for field COMPOSER Format string: Lennon-McCartney For field PUBLISHER Format string: Parlophone or Apple for field PRODUCER Format string: George Martin Result: 1 call of the action, 3 fields filled without the need to scroll through 3 different combo box lists. The other option would be to load a template file, e.g. one that you have tagged already for the artist (or whatever the criterion may be). Select the template file and all the ones that should get the same information and then select the data from the now filled combo boxes. ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 9:04am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggested-feature-allow-user-to-add-items-to-drop-down-boxes/18317/29 "2022-01-16T09:04:10Z")
> [@moncom](#): > > Well I can but the pertinent, basic design question to ask is why are the tags automatically created as combo boxes as opposed to plain text boxes? You may find the options to enter a string, select a string from the selected files select ´`select`` So there are functions in that combo box apart from a list of other strings. The idea of the > [@moncom](#): > > cascading combo boxes could be emulated by you with a corresponding naming scheme for the actions. The `#` serves as level separator. So if you have Genre#Rock#Soft Rock as action group name you get 3 menu levels in the menu Actions. And if you create another one with Genre#Rock#Hard Rock you see "Soft Rock" and "Hard Rock in the same menu. But as you say: > [@moncom](#): > > the id3 standard probably does not permit it. So, this exercize is more or less of academic value. ---
**Author:** ![Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/florian/32/5759_2.png) [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 1:31pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggested-feature-allow-user-to-add-items-to-drop-down-boxes/18317/31 "2022-09-30T13:31:31Z")
I've just released Mp3tag v3.18 with the option to configure **Custom List Values** on a per-field level on the Tag Panel. You can find it via **Options → Tag Panel → Edit** and I think you could just add the moods or composers you're using there to have a list of pre-defined values. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://community.mp3tag.de/uploads/default/original/2X/c/ce7035d426cb755a7916793326d23b465222a407.png) [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2022, 1:32pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggested-feature-allow-user-to-add-items-to-drop-down-boxes/18317/32 "2022-10-30T13:32:26Z")
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