Skip to main content

Notice

Please note that most of the software linked on this forum is likely to be safe to use. If you are unsure, feel free to ask in the relevant topics, or send a private message to an administrator or moderator. To help curb the problems of false positives, or in the event that you do find actual malware, you can contribute through the article linked here.
Topic: “Standard fields”—can we map multiple field names to one display name? (Read 2979 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

“Standard fields”—can we map multiple field names to one display name?

Under Preferences>Advanced>Display>Properties dialog>Standard fields, is there a way to map multiple field names to a single displayed name?

For FLAC files, I like to keep the album artist value in the field name 'ALBUMARTIST'.

For MP3 files, I use the fb2k converter against my FLAC files, which uses the field name of 'ALBUM ARTIST' for TPE2.

Is there a way to map both of these field names to the same displayed name? Or, perhaps a way to have fb2k use the field name 'ALBUMARTIST' for TPE2.

Thanks a bunch.

“Standard fields”—can we map multiple field names to one display name?

Reply #1
Requesting a solution. Anyone using TRACKTOTAL/DISCTOTAL instead of TOTALTRACKS/TOTALDISCS would have the same issue.

It's nothing major, but would be more readable when viewing info on a selection of mixed file types.

“Standard fields”—can we map multiple field names to one display name?

Reply #2
Hmm... well, as far as displaying both of them, you could do this... because you're basically looking for the inverse of a MULTI-VALUE field... you want a MULTI-FIELD value, aka a value that can populate the same value in two distinct fields.

I'm not at my brightest right now, for sure. It's early... uhm... you're in the right place where you're investigating... in the standard fields section... the only thing I can see to do is if you want to actually SEE the value no matter what tag, I would create both, one entry for ALBUMARTIST and a second below it for ALBUM ARTIST. You'll have two different fields, of course, and the only workaround that I can think to do for that right off the bat is to use a tagging script that might look for one or the other to be populated, check the file encoding/extension and move/copy the value across to your other field.

As far as displaying it, I would just use (super simplified) a column value showing [ALBUMARTIST][ALBUM ARTIST]... you can clean that up with conditional functions, but even with that, it'll only show which of the two is populated, nothing at all (if they're both blank) or two of the same value if they're both populated (unless you use some simple functions provided by foobar, I'm sure you know what they are if you're talking about this stuff.

Let me think. There has got to be a simple way to do this that I'm overlooking. It's probably a hack of some sort, but it will work... I just have to come up with it, as soon as my brain wakes up a bit more! Agh!

I totally get what you're trying to accomplish, though.

Let me make this clear for myself... is the issue with POPULATING the correct tag, depending on the file type, or is that already DONE with and over, no concern... you just want to condense two tag fields down into 1 display line in the properties? Or in the UI columns? Gimme just a tiny bit more detail on exactly what you DO need to be done by foobar, and what you DON'T. I know you have probably already been very clear, I think I just need to see it put down one more time to make sure I've got it straight in my head... (while I think)

“Standard fields”—can we map multiple field names to one display name?

Reply #3
Ok, I don't know if I'm screwing something up by doing this, but this appears to be working; if I'm not wacky in the head... I added this to the standard fields:

Artist=ARTIST;Album Artist=ARTIST, ALBUM ARTIST;

Now, with it like that, if I go and populate ARTIST... it will show the value in both %ARTIST% and %ALBUM ARTIST% (in my UI columns)... so essentially, I'm showing the same value... in both ARTIST and ALBUM ARTIST columns (set to display %ARTIST% and %ALBUM ARTIST%, accordingly) -- but in the properties dialog... only ARTIST is populated, while ALBUM ARTIST is left blank. This works around half of a problem... but still depends on what your END goal is... to display either value in a single column in the main UI, or show only 1 line in the properties/tag dialog. I'm still messing with it.

“Standard fields”—can we map multiple field names to one display name?

Reply #4
This topic is based on wrong assumptions.

As of v1.1.8, ALBUM ARTIST is written to FLAC files as ALBUMARTIST for improved compatibility with other software. Those who prefer the old behavior of writing ALBUM ARTIST can switch an option under Advanced, Tagging, Vorbis & FLAC. When loading FLAC tags, both ALBUM ARTIST and ALBUMARTIST are read as ALBUM ARTIST. Similar mappings exist for the total tracks and total discs fields.

This means that you never have to use tag-specific field names at any point in foobar2000. Use the standard ALBUM ARTIST, TOTALTRACKS, and TOTALDISCS fields regardless of the tag type.

“Standard fields”—can we map multiple field names to one display name?

Reply #5
Thanks for the replies. 

This means that you never have to use tag-specific field names at any point in foobar2000. Use the standard ALBUM ARTIST, TOTALTRACKS, and TOTALDISCS fields regardless of the tag type.

Are not the entered values, at least in standard fields, taken literally? For example, in standard fields I can put 'Album Artist=ALBUM ARTIST', but my FLAC files with 'ALBUMARTIST' still end up under their own name '<ALBUMARTIST>'. Using vesion 1.1.11.

“Standard fields”—can we map multiple field names to one display name?

Reply #6
Quote
my FLAC files with 'ALBUMARTIST' still end up under their own name '<ALBUMARTIST>'

Try right-click -> Tagging -> Reload info from files.

 

“Standard fields”—can we map multiple field names to one display name?

Reply #7
Try right-click -> Tagging -> Reload info from files.

Thank You!

“Standard fields”—can we map multiple field names to one display name?

Reply #8
Thanks for this little bit of useful info! I never knew that before now!

I knew there was that ever-present clash between those 4 tags, in specific... and I never knew which one to use... and even if I did, I confused it in my head. "Was that TOTALTRACKS or... maybe it was TRACKTOTAL... or maybe it was.... NUMBEROFTRACKS...... damnit!" LOL...

So I have one follow-up question. Since they are treated transparently so to speak... is one "standard" or "spec proper" for a specific tag/comment format vs. the other? Or has it just always been arbitrary/subjective to the user's preference or whatever the software decided to use?

In other words, was it a disparity that came about simply because there was no defined specification for those, and people just made up their own "standardized" tag names, or did it arise out of misunderstanding/not adhering to using the proper tag name for the type of metadata? (Hope that doesn't sound super confusing... I'm really tired, so everything sounds like a word jumble to me. Hopefully that made sense to you guys more than it did for me haha...)