# Trouble exporting tags to file with mte files
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trouble-exporting-tags-to-file-with-mte-files/6746
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [May 3, 2008, 8:16am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trouble-exporting-tags-to-file-with-mte-files/6746 "2008-05-03T08:16:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mp3me](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mp3me)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2008, 8:16am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trouble-exporting-tags-to-file-with-mte-files/6746/1 "2008-05-03T08:16:46Z")
I am trying to learn how to export my tags to a file in various formats.
I downloaded various html format .mte files and placed them in the export folder
and then ran export function. For several that I tried I consistently get a file
with [SYNTAX ERROR IN FORMATTING STRING] as the only line. For example,
this occurs when I use html\_nickless\_color\_schemes\_albumcover.mte. However
html\_standard.mte and html\_mp3tag.mte work fine.
In the course of trying to locate the problem, I file copied html\_mp3tag.mte
to Copy of html\_mp3tag.mte. When I export with Copyofhtml\_mp3tag.mte
I get above mnetioned problem, when I export with html\_mp3tag.mte no error
occurs. Diff tells me the .mte files are identical.
What is going on?
---
### Author:  [@mp3me](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mp3me)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2008, 8:53am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trouble-exporting-tags-to-file-with-mte-files/6746/2 "2008-05-03T08:53:01Z")
Also I notice that when I make simple changes to a .mte file
it does not change the output. If I change, for wxample, %date% to %genre%,
a date is still printed when I rerun the export - even if I exit mp3tag and
then restart mp3tag and run the export.
How exactly does export function work?
---
### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2008, 11:22am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trouble-exporting-tags-to-file-with-mte-files/6746/3 "2008-05-03T11:22:39Z")
Are you sure that you're changing the files in the %APPDATA%\Mp3tag directory (use this at 'Start \> Run...' to open the directory) and not in Mp3tag's program directory?
---
### Author:  [@mp3me](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mp3me)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2008, 3:51pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trouble-exporting-tags-to-file-with-mte-files/6746/4 "2008-05-03T15:51:03Z")
No, I was modifying the files in the folder to which I extracted the original files.
This seemed to be reasonable. Is this mechanism documented somewhere?
Edit -
My bad - I see the documentation now - right where it should be listed. Good job!
---
### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:20pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trouble-exporting-tags-to-file-with-mte-files/6746/5 "2026-02-09T12:20:55Z")