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[MrHaugen]

Are there any way of storing custom tag fields?

I have created custom fields like artist rating, album rating, audio rating, live, replace etc. in the library.
I'm storing it all in the MP3.

Now I have to reinstall windows. When I install MC I have to enter them all into MC library again.
Is there any way of storing this information? Copying a file or something maby??

[gappie]

why not just place/copy your library to a place that will not be formated. i use different custom tags that are not saved in the files themself. but they are in the library.

[marko]

exactly that.
open mc, file, library, backup library. When you get the save as dialogue, save it in a place that won't be formatted, or if you only have a C; drive, save it on your desktop then burn it to a cd.

after installing windows, then MC, do file, library, restore library, browse to the file you saved during the backup and everything will be put back as it was before.

[MrHaugen]

I think you understand me wrong guys. Or maby I understand you wrong.

I have alot of libarary backups. I know backup and restore

- All the information in the tag are stored i the library backup and in the files itself.
- The information I want to save is the actual custom fields you add (in Edit - Options - Library. Or something similar)
  wich contains name, search name, string/integer value information etc. Got the actual value of the tag covered!
  If I add those fields wrong I will not get the tags back. Have to add them BEFORE you import. The same thing
  applies to restore I THINK? Am I wrong here? Are ALL the library information stored?
- An alternative is to make a copy of the entire J river MC install dir I guess. That might work.

[Alex B]

A library backup includes all user defined library fields and field values. A library restore restores also these fields and the values.

MC cannot create custom fields by reading the tag values when files are imported to a new library. You need to create exactly similar custom fields manually. If the files are already imported you can use "Update Library (from tags)" for populating the field values after creating the missing fields. This works if you have not made changes to the file tags in the new library. In some cases a tag change can erase custom tags in the physical file tags if the library does not have those fields and field values.

If you don't want to restore the entire library you could make a cloned copy of the library and remove all files. That would leave only your custom fields, view schemes and smartlists in the library (static playlists would be emptied). You could restore this "template library" before importing files.

EDIT

I assume you have defined your custom fields to "Store in file tags (when possible)".

[dlone]

MC cannot create custom fields by reading the tag values when files are imported to a new library.

Shame about that, a dialog that pops us saying something like
"This file has a custom tag, it's name is 'My tag', it's value is '4' please fill in this dialog if you want to use it"
and a reproduction of the 'Configure Library Field'
would be a nice touch

I share his pain  I've had to reinstall windows a few times after hard drives dying and had  to load the files into a hex editor to find out what I called the fields and what kind of data they had
Thare's always a few I miss though 

[gappie]

i dont get it. just put the library beside you music files or what ever. and then dont restore it, but use it. no custom fields cant be lost. it is the main reason why i bought mc11. 

and also why i dont store tags in the music files, only in the library, but that is an other discussion from some time ago.

[MrHaugen]

A library backup includes all user defined library fields and field values. A library restore restores also these fields and the values.

I assume you have defined your custom fields to "Store in file tags (when possible)".

That was what I was hoping for. Guess my problem several months ago just was when I was importing and not restoring then... As for the "Store in file tags (when possible)" the answer is yes. I'm so clever.
Taking screenshots of them all before I reinstall just in case 

Thanks for the help guys!
Have a plesant evening

[JONCAT]

"In some cases a tag change can erase custom tags in the physical file tags if the library does not have those fields and field values."

Are you kidding me? So theoretically if for some reason you don't, or forget, to add your custom fields (rebuilting w/o backup) you could import and MC will physically edit the tags, removing ALL that don't sync up with existing fields? Why would MC delete these off the tags w/o asking the owner. Using the library backups is prefferable but should not be deleting tag info...period.

For example, I copied a large section of files for my uncle (fair use; archived vinyl etc.) and I sent him my library backup so he could utilize both my view schemes and my custom tag fields. I forgot to make a library backup in which all the video, pictures, and other audio were removed and he was having a problem with MC on his computer when trying to import and repair changes to the library; I did the same with my brother's PC and things worked fine so the problem was not MC. Now what happend was, he decided to make the custom fields (only 2) and build the view schemes himeself so as to learn MC a little better. He did a fresh import of the files, and now
the custom fileds are empty; we tried to update library from tags to no avail, the data seems deleted. He imported the files BEFORE adding the custom fileds. This can be easily remedied with a new library from me and a restore fo the tags but if this is the case, that the tags are edited w/o user notification, it needs to be changed.

DC
DC

[Alex B]

"In some cases a tag change can erase custom tags in the physical file tags if the library does not have those fields and field values."

Are you kidding me? So theoretically if for some reason you don't, or forget, to add your custom fields (rebuilting w/o backup) you could import and MC will physically edit the tags, removing ALL that don't sync up with existing fields? Why would MC delete these off the tags w/o asking the owner. Using the library backups is prefferable but should not be deleting tag info...period.  ...

That does not happen automatically. It can happen with MP3 files if you change other tags (or use a program function that changes tags) without having all custom tags in the library. The reason is a bit complicated, but basically it is caused by the multiple comment frames system that is used for MC's proprietary tags. MC always updates (and replaces) the whole comment frame block on each rewrite. If a custom tag is not present in the database it will be lost.

As far as I know, this problem does not exist with APE or OGG/FLAC tags.