# Suggestion: Filter \[ \] regular expression
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggestion-filter-regular-expression/8875
**Category:** General Discussion
**Created:** [September 1, 2009, 11:11am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggestion-filter-regular-expression/8875 "2009-09-01T11:11:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2009, 11:11am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggestion-filter-regular-expression/8875/1 "2009-09-01T11:11:14Z")
Please could the Filter have a checkbox '[] regular expression' and it be off by default?
Quite a few times I have heard people to whom I have recommended Mp3tag complain often the filter is bugged, giving wrong results. I traced this to a character that Mp3tag interprets as a regexp character... with Mp3tag making no mention of this on the UI or in the Help AFAICT.
Thanks.
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### Author:  [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2009, 11:26am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggestion-filter-regular-expression/8875/2 "2009-09-01T11:26:25Z")
> [@chrisjj](#):
>
> Please could the Filter have a checkbox ' regular expression' and it be off by default?...
My Vote +1
DD.20090901.1526.CEST
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### Author:  [@Oblio](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Oblio)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2009, 3:31am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggestion-filter-regular-expression/8875/3 "2009-09-06T03:31:47Z")
Vote +1!
Also please give filter an _optional_ delay e.g. apply filter 500ms after last keypress OR apply filter on Enter key press - to give you time to finish typing before the filtering starts.
When I have 150,000 tracks loaded I have to wait 10 seconds after every key press in filter while it filters on each combination of letters which I don't want.
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### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2009, 8:36am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggestion-filter-regular-expression/8875/4 "2009-09-06T08:36:44Z")
> When I have 150,000 tracks loaded I have to wait 10 seconds after every key press in
> filter while it filters on each combination of letters which I don't want.
I too find that crippling.
> Also please give filter an optional delay e.g. apply filter 500ms after last keypress
> OR apply filter on Enter key press - to give you time to finish typing before the filtering starts.
I would much prefer the proper solution - simply that refresh does not lock-out UI input e.g. runs on another thread.
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2009, 6:32am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggestion-filter-regular-expression/8875/5 "2009-09-10T06:32:17Z")
Just wanted to let you know that both are excellent ideas. I'm planning a major overhaul of the Filter for the next release.
Kind regards,
Florian
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### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2009, 8:53am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggestion-filter-regular-expression/8875/6 "2009-09-10T08:53:01Z")
> I'm planning a major overhaul of the Filter for the next release.
Great! Sounds like good time for me to tell about the Mp3tag Filter of My Dreams 🙂
1. Larger Field drop-down list - wider, so I see all the field name, uncropped. Taller so I see more field names before scrolling.
2. "Filter:" control accurately labelled e.g. "Value:".
3. Unused space at right end of filter bar eliminated, making the Filter: control longer.
4. A History drop-down arrow on the Filter: control.
5. Filter's refresh of the track list keeps selected any selected tracks that are are in the new set (currently refresh unselects all.).
6. A new column header right-click command "Filter" which enables filtering and sets Field to the column's field, read from the column's Customse Columns... "Value" property). If the Value spec is incompatible with the filter i.e. is not a single field placeholder, this command is disabled.
7. A new tracklist property right-click command "Filter" which enables filtering, sets Filter "Field:" to the column's field (as above) and sets Filter "Filter:" to the track's property vallue. If " regular expressions", the property value is escaped appropriately.
8. Multiple filters!
EDIT:
🙂
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2009, 10:15am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggestion-filter-regular-expression/8875/7 "2009-09-26T10:15:07Z")
The current [Development Build](http://developer.mp3tag.de) now comes with a completely rewritten filter supporting filter expressions, combined filters and a history. It now runs in a separate thread and updates the file list faster which should improve the overall experience.
Kind regards,
Florian
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### Author:  [@Oblio](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Oblio)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2009, 5:08am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggestion-filter-regular-expression/8875/8 "2009-09-28T05:08:36Z")
This is absolutely brilliant. Thank you!
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### Author:  [@JJ\_Johnson](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/JJ_Johnson)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggestion-filter-regular-expression/8875/9 "2009-10-07T02:40:28Z")
The two things I would want most are a [] Regular expression checkbox and an 'Apply' button. Very good suggestions. I don't need, nor do I want, active filtering as I type.
I really can't figure out how to do anything at all with the current (2.44d) implementation.
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### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2009, 7:50am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggestion-filter-regular-expression/8875/10 "2009-10-07T07:50:50Z")
> I don't need, nor do I want, active filtering as I type.
I think it would not unacceptable for Mp3tag to drop that feature, so of an Apply button was added, it should be conditional on a new ' Apply filter automatically' checkbox, perhaps in options.
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### Author:  [@Oblio](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Oblio)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggestion-filter-regular-expression/8875/11 "2009-10-14T23:54:24Z")
Yes please make "filter as you type" optional. Its such a pain when you have a large file list.
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2009, 4:19am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggestion-filter-regular-expression/8875/12 "2009-10-15T04:19:06Z")
How many files is "large" for you? In my tests I used it with 100.000 generated files and found it to be fast and responsible.
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### Author:  [@chrisjj](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrisjj)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2013, 11:56am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/suggestion-filter-regular-expression/8875/13 "2013-06-11T11:56:03Z")
> [@Florian](#):
>
> Just wanted to let you know that both are excellent ideas. I'm planning a major overhaul of the Filter for the next release.
Sad to see the regexp checkbox didn't make it into the release. Glad to see the threaded processing did.