How to display the TYER tag in a column?

[hiccup]

I would like to be able to have a column in the main panel (track detail view) showing the exact content of the (depreciated) tag field 'TYER'.
Not a derived date depending on tagging scheme or presence of other date tags, but only and exactly the content of 'TYER'.
I can't figure out if this is possible. Anybody?

[psychoadept]

Have you tried assigning TYER as a custom tag?

[hiccup]

Yes, but I can't get that to work. That will only create an additional TXXX/TYER.

[psychoadept]

Yeah, I see what you mean.

[CritterMan]

Isn't that tag just mapped to year? Have you tried year? If you need to title it something else, you could use a virtual tag.

[hiccup]

Yes, mapping is the issue here. 'year' (date?) is a rather complicated and flawed phenomenon in tagging. It will depend on the ID3 tagging version, and on the implementation of the software or player what tags are read and written for that, and even what they are called.
These are all existing 'date' (year?) ID3 tags: TDAT, TIME, TRDA, TYER, TDRC
My question is if it is possible to have a column only showing the TYER tag.
I have been trying this with custom and virtual tags, but can't figure out if it can be done.

[CritterMan]

I'm not where I can test this, but you should be able to search the wiki for virtual tags. I think it's value would be just be <year> but I can provide a formula if you want the date formatted a specific way.

[psychoadept]

The trouble is that MusicBee understands more than one year tag.  So just because it's in year doesn't mean it's in TYER

[CritterMan]

We're drifting steadily toward wishlist territory here.

[CritterMan]

Without knowing what you're trying to accomplish, here's an idea for a workaround:

Create a custom tag, something not already in use. Copy the value of TYER to that tag in all of your tracks that have it (after a backup of course). Use that custom tag for your column. I don't see another way to do exactly what you're trying to accomplish.

[hiccup]

Thnx CritterMan. What I like to accomplish exactly is in my starting post.
Using custom or virtual tags was already discussed above, and doesn't seem possible.
It's not that important that I am going to bother with a wishlist request for it.
Also nobody else ever seemed to have wanted or needed such after all these years.

[psychoadept]

TYER in itself isn't that important to me, but I am curious why MB keeps two different sets of date tags on my files.  In that sense, I'm interested too.

[CritterMan]

I was actually referring to a second tag, maybe called hiccupsspecialtag, placed in the metadata of files that have a TYER tag. Then, the data from TYER would be copied to that new tag. After that you add it as a custom tag in MB, label it TYER, and add it as a column. It's a workaround and would take some scripting, but it would allow you to display the TYER tag verbatim in a column.

What I'm not sure about it's what that accomplishes for you. But, that's the only way it could be done.

[psychoadept]

I was actually referring to a second tag, maybe called hiccupsspecialtag, placed in the metadata of files that have a TYER tag. Then, the data from TYER would be copied to that new tag. After that you add it as a custom tag in MB, label it TYER, and add it as a column. It's a workaround and would take some scripting, but it would allow you to display the TYER tag verbatim in a column.

This could be done, but it would require copying the TYER tag file by file via the tag inspector.

[CritterMan]

Or, using other software it could be automated. Mp3tag could do it no problem in batches.