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[lise]

I'm confused about something.

I disabled "update tags when file info changes" because I find it slow to have to wait for the files (on a network) to be updated whenever I am in mean tagging mode.

So I made my changes, and now that dinner is ready, I select all my files, right-click and select update tags from library to make the changes during dinner.  Lo and behold, it says I can't make the changes because I have "update tags when file info changes" disabled.

Am I misinterpreting what the options are here? I thought one meant update as you go, and the other meant update when you are ready.

[lemmie]

Hi Lise,

in my understanding this flag states whether you don't want to change your original files and leave any tags absolutely unchanged to store changed information in the MC library only. MC has that option not to overwrite original files (to leave them as is). This is a nice option but ... YES, it should be manually overwritten! A new choice within the options would be nice, like 'Allow manual tag change'. This would be nice also because if I have tag changes checked (which is my usual way, because I want to have changes stored also in my MP3s, whenever I make them!), any library import in conjunction with 'analyze audio' will change the BMP settings by MC too, which is not in my opinion.

Actual MC makes no difference there, as I think so.

Joerg

[lise]

Thanks Joerg.

I thought that if you never wanted to update tags, you would go to Tools > Plugin Manager > Input > MP3 Plugin > Configure and disable tags.  If you only wanted to update tags on your own schedule, you unchecked 'save tags when info changes' and did it manually with the right-click 'update from library'. And if you wanted to always keep them up to date, you selected 'save tags when file info changes'.  This provided the three options. Obviously I have misunderstood the options. 

So am I correct in saying that if one wants to manually update, then one must keep "update when tag info changes" unchecked at all times, and then check it just before doing a manual update?

[lemmie]

Hi Lise,

you are right. This is what I've found out. But I use this flag in a different way. I'll keep "update when tag info changes" always checked, because I often want to make (small) changes on the fly, like update/correcting the genre of one title while I listen to it and if I recognize that my first decision was false. I want to have this information to be stored into the tag field of the MP3 file also.The problem is, which I haven't mentioned before, that if you have "update when tag info changes" unchecked MC will NOT update any changes since then from library to MP3 tags after you return to checked mode. Only while you are changing tags they will be stored into the library (always) and MP3 tags (whatever you've checked for "update when tag info changes").

Whenever I'll make 'critical' actions, like importing files to the library or burning discs (because MC will analyze audio and changing tags automatic), I'll uncheck update tags and after then I'll recheck it.

This is not very fancy, but in my opinion the only way to have auto tag changes slightly under control.

Best wishes from Germany,

Joerg

P.S. Please excuse my german like English, which is so worse. Nevertheless I hope you can understand my words. ;-)

[lise]

P.S. Please excuse my german like English, which is so worse. Nevertheless I hope you can understand my words. ;-)

I understand you perfectly. And I do what you do as well. I guess I wish the process were a bit less confusing.  Thanks for replying.

lise

[flac.rules]

Just to add my 2 cents, I would also like a "manual override"-option for this, being able to manually change tags, but nothing being changed automatic. Without having to turn on and off that option all the time.

[JimH]

You can move tags from the library to a file with Library Tools.  Is that what you want?

[lise]

You can move tags from the library to a file with Library Tools.  Is that what you want?

Not sure what you mean, here, Jim. Are you referring to the right-click "update file tags (from library)" option? Because if you are, that is precisely what we were discussing above--it doesn't work unless you also have "update tags when file info changes" enabled in Options, which defeats the purpose: if you want to update tags manually, you have to first set them to update automatically (and then remember to disable automatic update).

[Matt]

I disabled "update tags when file info changes" because I find it slow to have to wait for the files (on a network) to be updated whenever I am in mean tagging mode.

We recommend leaving tagging enabled.  Tagging runs in a low priority background thread, and should not slow down the program. 

If tagging is causing issues for you, please provide more details.  Turning tagging on and off all the time is a kludge.

Thanks.

[Alex B]

I use that "kludge" all the time.

For instance, I archive my original image files without altering them anyhow. I change the setting each time before I edit library data for the images.

It would be nice to at least have a toolbar button for the setting (file tagging on/off).


Ideally, I'd like to see an option for storing and quickly loading file tagging profiles. For instance:

- Always write all tags when possible
- Do not write file tags, store tags only in the library
- Write physical file tags only when the "Update Tags (from library)" command is issued (what Lise requested.)
- Write tags to audio files, not to image or video files (WMV can store tags)
- etc

Perhaps also:
- Tag only certain file types (e.g. write MP3 and WMA tags, do not write APE and FLAC tags)
- Tag different fields to audio, images and video. (e.g. write "Comment" and "Keywords" only to audio files. This could be in the library field options.)


However, as I said, my modest request would be to at least have a quick and easy way to globally switch tag writing on and off.

[flac.rules]

We recommend leaving tagging enabled.  Tagging runs in a low priority background thread, and should not slow down the program. 

If tagging is causing issues for you, please provide more details.  Turning tagging on and off all the time is a kludge.

Thanks.

I have issues with taggin, I will try to investigate further before I make a fuss, but it seems like MC writes flac-tags in some odd way. I have a program that checks if files have hanged to presever data integrity, however it only reacts if the audio-part has changed, not the tag-part. If i tag with MC i get problems, and it claims the main part has changed, with for instance foobar2000 i do not have that problem. But as said, I will try to find more details, the problem might be another place. In addition MC has a tendency to write useless (for me) tags, like "tool name" and "tool version".

[Alex B]

Elvis133,

Your reply is off-topic here. I'd like to discuss your issues, but preferably in a dedicated thread.

[lise]

Hi Matt,

An example of what I do.
Once per month I get 75 downloads from emusic. I then select them all and tag them as source: emusic. Tagging starts. And perhaps it does run in the background, but I can see in the status bar that it is updating 75 files on the network and sometimes it is pretty slow (no doubt due to issues we might have with our wireless connection). But I still have to tag those files for genre, subgenre, keywords, country, etc. I'm always afraid of selecting 20 of those same files and tagging them again for genre when I can see that the tagging for all the files isn't done yet. So I wait (maybe I don't have to?).  Then I select 20 of them and update the genre. I'm not done yet, but it starts tagging them. So I wait. Then I do subgenre, wait. Keywords, wait, and so on. I would just like to make all my changes to those files, and then just update them once instead of updating with every single change I make.

The most important thing is that my last step is to move/rename the files, and I'm never sure if I can do that while all that tagging is going on, so I wait again for it to be finished then move the files.  But... if I were able to make all my changes, move/rename the files, then set the tag update to go, I'd be all set.

Ideally, I would love a manual function that basically updates all tags for files modified today. Then at night when I'm done using MC I just hit that button and voila.  Or even a pop-up when I'm about to exit MC that says: you have modified some files. Tags will be updated now and then MC will shut down. Oh, that one would be sweet!

[Matt]

...I'm always afraid of selecting 20 of those same files and tagging them again for genre when I can see that the tagging for all the files isn't done yet....

...I'm never sure if I can do that while all that tagging is going on...

Media Center's tagging engine will just work.

It's perfectly safe to make changes to files already in the tagging queue.

I think you're trying to solve a problem manually that the program is designed to handle gracefully without a need for manual intervention.

[flac.rules]

Media Center's tagging engine will just work.

It's perfectly safe to make changes to files already in the tagging queue.

I think you're trying to solve a problem manually that the program is designed to handle gracefully without a need for manual intervention.

Well, regardless, of OPs or my tagging problems, the ability to have a "manul only" tagging mode would be useful.

[lise]

Media Center's tagging engine will just work.

It's perfectly safe to make changes to files already in the tagging queue.

I think you're trying to solve a problem manually that the program is designed to handle gracefully without a need for manual intervention.

Ok, I wasn't sure I could get away with that without corrupting files. Good to know. Just one thing then to give me peace of mind. Can I also rename/move while tagging is still going on? 

[Matt]

Can I also rename/move while tagging is still going on? 

Yes, as long as you're using Media Center to do the renaming and moving. (and not Windows Explorer, etc.)