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[chrisjj]

I have a WMA non-standard field USERCUSTOM1, shown here by Mp3tag: http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/9365/tagswmawma.png

But having added it to the MJ Manage Library Fields like this:



and imported the files containing it, I find the field values in the files fail to show in the View:



What's up?

Thanks.

[Alex B]

This is caused by the built-in tag header mapping. The custom Windows Media Audio tag fields written by MJ or MC do not use "WYSIWYG" headers. Each custom file tag header inside the file has the JR/ prefix in addition to what you see inside MJ. You can inspect the actual header with Mp3tag: enable the "Store in file tags (when possible)" setting in the field specific options, tag this custom field with MJ, and open the file in Mp3tag.

The only way to make an externally tagged custom WMA tag appear in MJ is to use the JR/ prefix in the file tag header. You can mass copy field values from a tag field to another with Mp3tag by using its Actions feature.

[chrisjj]

The custom Windows Media Audio tag fields written by MJ or MC do not use "WYSIWYG" headers. ... The only way to make an externally tagged custom WMA tag appear in MJ is to use the JR/ prefix in the file tag header.

Yowch. That rules out MJ/MC for this project of mine, where external requirements dictate the field name.

Suggestion: mention this limitation in the Help, and remove it in a future version.

Out of interest, which non-WMA types have this limitation?

You can mass copy field values from a tag field to another with Mp3tag by using its Actions feature.

Thanks, but not possible on read-only files e.g. under version control, sadly.

[Alex B]

Out of interest, which non-WMA types have this limitation?

Windows Media Player seems to add the WM/ prefix to many fields. Probably the JRiver developers copied this style when WMA tagging was initially designed many years ago.

In the past all supported formats had similar mappings for custom (aka user) fields, but during the last few years these proprietary mappings have been removed from many formats.

In MC16 only Windows Media Audio, Monkey's Audio and Musepack custom tags are still "prefixed". In MJ14 also Ogg Vorbis belongs to this category.

[chrisjj]

Windows Media Player seems to add the WM/ prefix to many fields. Probably the JRiver developers copied this style when WMA tagging was initially designed many years ago.

That figures... but making it non-optional doesn't.

In MC16 only Windows Media Audio, Monkey's Audio and Musepack custom tags are still "prefixed". In MJ14 also Ogg Vorbis belongs to this category.

Excellent - thanks again Alex.

[Alex B]

You must understand that when the unlimited custom/user field tagging was initially developed for MC9 in 2002 no other player program provided this feature. There was no need to be compatible with anything else.

In that time, there were no (and in most cases still are no) official standards for implementing custom tagging in various formats. Of course, by checking the most popular current implementations you may figure out some de facto standards.

[chrisjj]

You must understand that when the unlimited custom/user field tagging was initially developed for MC9 in 2002 no other player program provided this feature.

I was unaware MC was the first. Respect!

There was no need to be compatible with anything else.

I think we could have foreseen the need for compatibility with programs that inevitably followed... but inevitably did not follow the "JR/".

In that time, there were no (and in most cases still are no) official standards for implementing custom tagging in various formats. Of course, by checking the most popular current implementations you may figure out some de facto standards.

I suggest better for MJ/MC to skirt that ... by simply accepting the user's choice of true field name.

[Alex B]

... but inevitably did not follow the "JR/".

Actually, the proprietary prefix used to be (or in some cases still is) "Media Jukebox:" in the other formats than WMA.

I suggest better for MJ/MC to skirt that ... by simply accepting the user's choice of true field name.

I agree. Though this is not always simple. Some formats use a specific coded structure in tag headers.

For instance, the MP3/ID3v2 tags do allow any "WYSIWYG" frame headers. In the past MC and MJ used the ID3v2 COMM frames with descriptive headers for custom ID3v2 tags, but this was changed to the perhaps more popular TXXX style implementation. (The tag frame header inside the file is TXXX + an additional descriptive part.)

[chrisjj]

EDITED

Actually, the proprietary prefix used to be (or in some cases still is) "Media Jukebox:" in the other formats than WMA.

Ah, so MJ format conversion would mistake any such prefix I used as its own and interfere with it, and break references to its own from interoperating tools such as Mp3tag. Thanks for the warning.

I agree. Though this is not always simple. Some formats use a specific coded structure in tag headers.

The WMA format does not prevent other programs operating and interoperating on freely named user-defined fields.

For instance, the MP3/ID3v2 tags do allow any "WYSIWYG" frame headers.

Good to know - thanks.

[Alex B]

In any case, when MJ14 writes custom fields to the file tags it does not add any proprietary prefix to the MP3, FLAC, Wavpack, Wave & AIFF tag headers.

MC16 adds Ogg Vorbis and M4A to this list (M4A tagging is a new feature in MC16).

[chrisjj]

In any case, when MJ14 writes custom fields to the file tags it does not add any proprietary prefix to the MP3, FLAC, Wavpack, Wave & AIFF tag headers.

Thanks. Any idea why WMA is not on this list?

[chrisjj]

In any case, when MJ14 writes custom fields to the file tags it does not add any proprietary prefix to the MP3, FLAC, Wavpack, Wave & AIFF tag headers.

MC16 adds Ogg Vorbis and M4A to this list (M4A tagging is a new feature in MC16).

Alex, can you tell me where to find this list for MC18? Thanks.