Well, here we have a poll. Let's sort this out.

LAST PLAYED

Pros
Cleanest.
Easy to type.
Creates valid English field names (which is important for non-english users trying to decypher meaning, given that APEv2 isn't semantic).
Most easily read.
Consistent with most non-tech field names.
More consistent with future proposed tagging standards.
Cons
Causes inappropriate word-wrapping.
Incompatible with current formatting strings.
Inconsistent with tech field names.

LAST_PLAYED

Pros and cons are the opposite of LAST PLAYED.

This poll also is about changing the PLAY_COUNTER tagname, although it is not mentioned in the initial post

What you are really voting on is:

* "play counter", "first played" and "last played" (looks cleaner, but all files/formatting-strings which make use of one of the 3 tags need to be retagged)

* "play_counter", "first_played" and "last_played" (everything stays as it is)

edit: changed the text according to canar's clarification

I'd make the assumption that if we're going to bother changing LAST_PLAYED, we'd change all of the non-spaced versions.

In that case, your phrasing of the cons is a bit unfair. Getting all formatting-strings and FCSs updated which use play_counter as well as all playcount-users(including those who didn't use last_played, but plain simple play_counter) retagging their collection is not "easily solved".

- Lyx

edit: typo

Well then, your objection's noted. Still, it's just another simple backwards-compatibility issue. Even if the field name is hardlinked, change a string and recompile. Done.

In other words, you think a biased comparision in a poll which is about getting an unbiased overview of opinions is okay, because thousands of users having to retag their entire collection(keeping in mind read-only backups) and a dozen formatting-string authors having to update their designs, is an invalid argument to you. Noted down.

Whatever. They're dynamic tags. LAST PLAYED, remember? What use is a LAST PLAYED tag on read-only media?

Any changes would be databased, and again, this is fixable with a simple masstagger script.

I found LAST_PLAYED useful on my old DVD backups because I used them before I started adding DATE_PURCHASED tags. I guess I could see your point though.

I miss an "I don't f***ing care" option in the poll. As it seems to be more a Lyx vs Canar poll...

This whole issue is getting ridiculous. Please keep it civil.

I'm sorry, but did Canar really just call Lyx a retard?

It's just an underscore. Your whole attitude about this and even this poll are disturbingly tyrannical and offensive.

Even if it weren't for the issue of backwards compatibility, I still prefer the underscore. The line breaks in my already hard-to-read code make things more confusing. It's just awkward to me. If I had my way, album artist would use an underscore, but of course I know how futile it would be to pursue that...because of backwards compatibility. Reminding everyone that there is a masstagger is not good enough.

If we ignore the issue of backwards compatibility, I think the underscore vs. no underscore debate is pretty even and pretty trivial; all the pros and cons are a matter of personal taste, and it seems most people don't care either way (save for the backwards compatibility issue). But because backwards compatibility is a serious concern, this should clearly tip the scales.

And your point about being too similar to tech fields is incorrect since tech fields begin with an underscore. That's what differentiates them.

"Cleanest" and "Most easily read" should not only constitute only one "pro," but they are a matter of opinion. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that that most people probably find line breaks harder to read through than underscores ("What is that peculiar, horizontal character??")

"Easy to type": Is the infrequent extra effort of your pinky really worth forcing everyone to re-tag their entire libraries?

"Creates valid English field names": So does the underscored version.

"Consistent with most non-tech field names": Which ones other than %album artist%?

+1, and I think non-english users won't see the difference (what's harder to understand with underscore?)

ffs... this and having to fix all my tags over again after being raped by this play_count plugin is getting dumb. who the hell cares if there is an underscore? just leave it the way it was.

blah.

I doubt that the people who voted for underscores and those who were involved in creating the tag-standard disagree with you on the above quote. What they disagree with you on, is the degree of "being flawed": They just dont consider replacing a single character as a significant enough gain in exchange for trashing backwards-compatibility. PLAY_DATE and PLAY_TIME were "broken", because there was a significant gain.

And none of this should matter, if only foo_playcount continues to support custom field names..

Thanks roberto.

Meh, I get wrapped up in little things way too easily... I'll save the drama for my mama. Sorry for my emotional instability here folks. Open mouth, insert foot, lather, rinse, repeat.

Here's my apology to all those involved here.

That's the hardest I've laughed in a long time. That pun is sublime.

Seriously... give it up.

I've already stated on a number of occasions that this is not going to happen. If you want custom fieldname so desperately, you can use the older version.

I *have* given up actually, as of this morning, UTC+9. It's no fun trying to convince people and failing, and I can't say I enjoy ending up frustrating people.

But that doesn't mean that I can't express my opinion that *all* foobar2000 plugins should provide the user with the option of specifying his own custom field names, if at all possible.

^ gets my vote. I don't see any reason why it should not stay as it is. Okay there's the ever inconsistently abominable %album artist%... but let us not loose any sleep over it <-- that's an order