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Author Topic: [SOLVED] Some tag implementation choices can stick you to MC for ever...  (Read 2022 times)

michel

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I like MC, I used it for a long time in the past and I recommended it to my friends. I love particularly the possibility to create custom list fields (i.e. semi-column delimited fields). I use a 'style' field and I love to be able to display a song in the tree view according to each style it has in the 'style' list.

Some weeks ago I decided to switch to Linux and then I discovered that MC 12 (and probably MC 13) store custom list fields (i.e. semi-column delimited fields) as a COMM field. This way none music manager but MC recognize a list. So, even using a music manager able to manage list in a tree view as MC (such as Quod Libet on Linux or Foobar2000 on Windows) I cannot use the thousand styles I set over the time  :'(

Older version of MC used TXXX field which was a right choice to store multi-values fields. I don't know why MC switched to COMM field but this choice stick you to MC for ever if you don't want lost all yourd hard work to set semi-column delimited fields.
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lepa

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Re: Some tag implementation choices can stick you to MC for ever ...
« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2009, 05:27:21 am »

MC13 uses TXXX field.
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michel

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Re: Some tag implementation choices can stick you to MC for ever ...
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2009, 06:02:14 am »

Good news, I will check it tonight.

If so, can I remove all tag from files and re-tag files from database in order to get a TXXX tag for each 'semi-column delimited' field in the database ?
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michel

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Re: Some tag implementation choices can stick you to MC for ever ...
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2009, 06:44:25 am »

The good news : indeed, MC13 back to use TXXX tag to store 'list' (instead of COMM tag).

The bad news : 'style' is a new standard field used by MC13 and it is not a list ; and as it is a standard field, it cannot be modified. So I will have to:

  • (using MC12) copy my current 'style' field into a new custom field ('sub-genre' for exemple)
  • (using MC13) delete 'style' field both from database and files
  • (using MC13) reimport my files
  • (using MC13) delete all tag from files
  • (using MC13) re-tag all files from database (in order to get TXXX tags)

Is the third step needed ?
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leezer3

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Re: Some tag implementation choices can stick you to MC for ever ...
« Reply #4 on: March 09, 2009, 07:28:23 am »

  • (using MC12) copy my current 'style' field into a new custom field ('sub-genre' for exemple)
  • (using MC13) delete 'style' field both from database and files
  • (using MC13) reimport my files
  • (using MC13) delete all tag from files
  • (using MC13) re-tag all files from database (in order to get TXXX tags)

Quite a few of your steps shouldn't be needed, as MC13 can open & upgrade a MC12 library :) -
1. (MC12)- Copy the 'style' field to 'sub-genre'
2. (MC12)- Delete the 'style' field.
3. (MC13)- Open your old MC12 library.
4. (MC13)- Write all tags from the database.

Should sort things out.

-Leezer-
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michel

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Re: Some tag implementation choices can stick you to MC for ever ...
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2009, 07:51:15 am »

Thanks you for your answer.

1) Do you mean that "Write all tags from database" erases all existing tag of the file before to write the database fields into the file, even for unmodified tags ?
2) If the file has an embedded cover art, does the above operation "keep" the cover art embedded into my newly tagged file ?

(sorry for my bad english :-\)
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leezer3

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Re: Some tag implementation choices can stick you to MC for ever ...
« Reply #6 on: March 09, 2009, 08:29:14 am »

Thanks you for your answer.

1) Do you mean that "Write all tags from database" erases all existing tag of the file before to write the database fields into the file, even for unmodified tags ?
2) If the file has an embedded cover art, does the above operation "keep" the cover art embedded into my newly tagged file ?

(sorry for my bad english :-\)

Not sure, I'd try it on a small set of files first :) (I store everything in my library, and what's in the files only ever matters if I'm transferring to my MP3 player, at which point I have it set to embed the coverart)
If you wait a little while, AlexB will probably be along- He's the resident tag expert  :D

-Leezer-
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michel

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Re: Some tag implementation choices can stick you to MC for ever ...
« Reply #7 on: March 10, 2009, 02:47:00 am »

Quite a few of your steps shouldn't be needed, as MC13 can open & upgrade a MC12 library :) -
1. (MC12)- Copy the 'style' field to 'sub-genre'
2. (MC12)- Delete the 'style' field.
3. (MC13)- Open your old MC12 library.
4. (MC13)- Write all tags from the database.

Should sort things out.

-Leezer-

In fact, it is possible to do all the process within MC13 :

  • 1. Open my old MC12 library (=> 'style' lists become strings)
  • 2. Create a 'sub-genre' list field
  • 3. Move 'style' -> 'sub-genre'
  • 4. Remove tags from files
  • 5. Update tags from database

Steps 4 and 5 are not mandatory but I think it is cleaner since I have many files tagged with old versions (MC11, MC10, ...).

And you know what ? I have been successful do all this process running MC13 under Linux (Ubuntu) using Wine !
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