# Trying to perform a search of my files for a specific word/sequence
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trying-to-perform-a-search-of-my-files-for-a-specific-word-sequence/56405
**Category:** General Discussion
**Created:** [February 20, 2022, 9:45am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trying-to-perform-a-search-of-my-files-for-a-specific-word-sequence/56405 "2022-02-20T09:45:28Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@C21Mac01832](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/C21Mac01832)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2022, 9:45am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trying-to-perform-a-search-of-my-files-for-a-specific-word-sequence/56405/1 "2022-02-20T09:45:28Z")
I'm trying to search my music collection for certain data such as when the music was released, eg 1967, some of my files have this data contained within their "filename" tag, some don't, I would like to search for this and have mp3tag list them, so that I can transfer that to their actual "Year" tag. I'm sorry if this seems a pointless or too simple a task, but it is necessary to me. Is there a way to do this, simply, as i'm not a programmer. Thanks for your help
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2022, 9:49am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trying-to-perform-a-search-of-my-files-for-a-specific-word-sequence/56405/2 "2022-02-20T09:49:00Z")
Use a filter.
You see the filter area when you press F3.
The easiest would be to enter nothing but
1967
but probably you want to see all the files where the YEAR is missing and the \_FILENAME has a 4-digit-number.
So I suggest:
`%year% MISSING AND %_filename% MATCHES \d\d\d\d`
You find more about [filters in the help](https://docs.mp3tag.de/filter)
Or is this something that you want to perform on the Mac?
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### Author:  [@C21Mac01832](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/C21Mac01832)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2022, 10:16am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trying-to-perform-a-search-of-my-files-for-a-specific-word-sequence/56405/3 "2022-02-20T10:16:19Z")
Thank you for your ever so swift reply, I didn't expect an answer quite so quickly.
OK, one of you solutions worked amazingly, the other didn't produce any results at all.
Your suggestion of simply entering 1967, worked exactly as I had wanted, and as I have the "year" column displayed, It shows me which ones don't have that data fulfilled.
The other suggestion didn't work, now not sure if I fluffed it or not, but I tried it as follows (in each way seperately) and each returned no results
1st attempt: %year% MISSING AND %\_filename% MATCHES \d\d\d\d
2nd attempt: %year% MISSING AND %\_filename% MATCHES \1\9\6\7
3rd attempt: %year% MISSING AND %\_filename% MATCHES 1967
4th attempt: %year% MISSING AND %\_filename% MATCHES \1967
I did tell you i wasnt a programmer but I though I'd give each a go. But I did get the result with the first "Simple" suggestion. Thanks so very much
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2022, 10:23am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trying-to-perform-a-search-of-my-files-for-a-specific-word-sequence/56405/4 "2022-02-20T10:23:58Z")
You did not answer whether you use this on a Mac ... (I suspect something like that from your ID).
Perhaps the next will work better:
%year% MISSING AND %\_filename% HAS 19
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### Author:  [@C21Mac01832](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/C21Mac01832)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2022, 10:29am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trying-to-perform-a-search-of-my-files-for-a-specific-word-sequence/56405/5 "2022-02-20T10:29:38Z")
Sorry I missed that part of your answer.
No, Im not a MAC user, I hate everything Apple, I'm a Windows User, thru and thru, my ID come thru years of experience of avoiding netbots and netspiders and spam emails, as they don't seem to like it when you mix your ID/Emails in this way
I'll give that last filter a go now, BRB
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### Author:  [@C21Mac01832](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/C21Mac01832)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2022, 10:30am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trying-to-perform-a-search-of-my-files-for-a-specific-word-sequence/56405/6 "2022-02-20T10:30:29Z")
OK, copied and pasted you last filter, that didnt work either
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2022, 10:31am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trying-to-perform-a-search-of-my-files-for-a-specific-word-sequence/56405/7 "2022-02-20T10:31:16Z")
OK.
Could it be that the year cannot be found in the filename but in the folder?
Then it would be
%year% MISSING AND %\_path% MATCHES \d\d\d\d
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### Author:  [@C21Mac01832](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/C21Mac01832)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2022, 10:37am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trying-to-perform-a-search-of-my-files-for-a-specific-word-sequence/56405/8 "2022-02-20T10:37:01Z")
Your initial SIMPLE solution has worked just fine for my needs, I'm a simple kida guy with simple needs, just trying to sort a massive music collection into some sort of semblance of order and to appease my mild OCD where my music is concerned. It's been a labour of love for the past few years and I#'m getting close to finally finishing
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### Author:  [@C21Mac01832](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/C21Mac01832)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2022, 10:40am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trying-to-perform-a-search-of-my-files-for-a-specific-word-sequence/56405/9 "2022-02-20T10:40:07Z")
They say....... "Sometimes the simple solutions are the best"
and that seems to have been true in this case
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2022, 10:42am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trying-to-perform-a-search-of-my-files-for-a-specific-word-sequence/56405/10 "2022-02-20T10:42:15Z")
couldn't you show me a screendump of a file and its name and path which has no year and the missing data somewhere in path?
(I tried my filter and it works as intended ...)
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### Author:  [@C21Mac01832](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/C21Mac01832)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2022, 10:50am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trying-to-perform-a-search-of-my-files-for-a-specific-word-sequence/56405/11 "2022-02-20T10:50:00Z")
First of all, I have to thank you for your help and assistance
Second, I did say I was not a programmer, so whilst I have a slight idea of what a screen dump is, I have no idea where to start and how to produce one, but I would if I could. If only to help you to help me a little better.
Thirdly, I have only the next 15 minutes, as I'm off out to a family birthday function
Maybe we could pick this back up next weekend?
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2022, 10:51am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trying-to-perform-a-search-of-my-files-for-a-specific-word-sequence/56405/12 "2022-02-20T10:51:46Z")
see the
> [@Hints for asking Support Requests](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/hints-for-asking-support-requests/56190):
>
> If you need support using Mp3tag, you can help the community members that are about to support you in finding a solution or workaround to your problem, by following these simple guidelines. Be descriptive, also in what you’ve already tried Please give a short explanation what’s not working as expected or what you’re trying to achieve. It’s best to know any details about the problem at hand and especially, what steps you’ve already tried to solve it by yourself. Helpful information also includ…
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### Author:  [@C21Mac01832](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/C21Mac01832)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2022, 10:52am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trying-to-perform-a-search-of-my-files-for-a-specific-word-sequence/56405/13 "2022-02-20T10:52:39Z")
by screendump. do you mean a screenshot?? as in Ctrl, Alt Printscreen type picture???
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2022, 10:53am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trying-to-perform-a-search-of-my-files-for-a-specific-word-sequence/56405/14 "2022-02-20T10:53:12Z")
screendump / screenshot - same thing for me
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### Author:  [@C21Mac01832](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/C21Mac01832)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2022, 10:53am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trying-to-perform-a-search-of-my-files-for-a-specific-word-sequence/56405/15 "2022-02-20T10:53:31Z")
Cos if thats what you want, then hope this helps
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### Author:  [@C21Mac01832](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/C21Mac01832)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2022, 10:57am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trying-to-perform-a-search-of-my-files-for-a-specific-word-sequence/56405/16 "2022-02-20T10:57:52Z")
I gotta go now, been shouted at by my wife, running late as usual, will pick this up next weekend, again, tahnk you so much for helping me
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2022, 11:01am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trying-to-perform-a-search-of-my-files-for-a-specific-word-sequence/56405/17 "2022-02-20T11:01:12Z")
I just renamed a file for test purposes, deleted the year and load a couple of other files.
Then I applied the filter
%year% MISSING AND %\_filename% MATCHES \d\d\d\d
... yielded the expected result
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### Author:  [@poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/poster)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2022, 11:05am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trying-to-perform-a-search-of-my-files-for-a-specific-word-sequence/56405/18 "2022-02-20T11:05:43Z")
> [@C21Mac01832](#):
>
> Cos if thats what you want, then hope this helps
At least in your screenshot I cannot see a single file that would match one of the suggested filters. All YEAR-Tags are present an all filenames have a year in their names. The filter can only work of your YEAR-Tag is missing.
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### Author:  [@C21Mac01832](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/C21Mac01832)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2022, 12:26pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/trying-to-perform-a-search-of-my-files-for-a-specific-word-sequence/56405/19 "2022-02-20T12:26:55Z")
In my screenshot, I have already completed transferring all the data I wanted to change, as I didn't know you would be asking for the screenshot.