I'ld like to tag files with the masstagger. My files are typically named liked this:
E:\Music\Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms\01 - So Far Away.mpc

I think I should use "Guess values from filename" but I can't find out how to get the artist and album tag fields from the directory name. I tried the following schemes:
%artist% - %album%\%tracknumber% - %title%
$directory(%artist% - %album%)%tracknumber% - %title%
but they didn't work properly. What is the correct scheme for my filenames?

To read field names from directory names, use "Format value from other fields" and $directory(%_path%).
Don't even try to use any title formatting features in "guess values from filename".

Don't think that will work when the directory name contains both artist and title.

BTW. it would be superb if the filename scheme guessing routines from Case's Tag could be used in the masstagger.

*twitch*

Masstagger->Edit Tags; Guess values from filename

???

George, please elaborate.

"Guess values from filenames" is an option available in the masstagger.

Yes, I know that, but how to use it in my situation? See the first post in this thread.

Use both at once.

Guess... your track number and title from the filename.

Format... artist from other fields.

Format... album from other fields.

Optionally Format... padding off of tracknumber.

Thanks kode54, this works. But of course it is not very userfriendly

Yes. Powerful, but not user friendly. Programmer friendly, perhaps.

Not exactly programmer friendly either, since you need to redo it each time. Be nice if you could save action lists for different naming schemes, then you only have to do each one once.

Did you happen to notice that the editbox has a drop-down history list?

Yes, but that doesn't help automate the steps to process different naming strategies; you still need to Add each step and select an anonymous entry from a dropdown three times in a row every time you need to retag a bunch of files.

I envisage a dropdown in the main masstagger window with entries like "Guess from: Artist/Album/Track. Title", and the like, which automatically loads a previously set list of steps.

The way I see it, couldn't you have it make a guess based on common naming schemes, then let you change laterif needed? My collection has many different naming schemes, but I think it could figure it out for the most part:

-If the folder is "bla" and contains random files or other directories then assume "Artist"
-If the folder is "bla" and contains music files in a sequentially ordered pattern, then assume "Album"
-If the folder is "bla - bla" then assume "Artist - Album"
-Guess track numbers from file name
-If the files contain "bla1 - bla2 - bla3" then assume "Artist - Album - Title"
-If the files contain "bla1 - bla2" then assume "Artist - Title"