Author Topic: Rearrange filesystem by Sort Album Artist?  (Read 3588 times)

josephzitt

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This might be an extraordinarily hazardous idea... but is there a way to have MusicBee reorganize my drive by Sort Album Artist (or by Sort Artist if an album doesn't have an Album Artist)? Right now, everything is alphabetized by the first names of Album Artists, which is maddening.

psychoadept

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josephzitt

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So if I understand this correctly, I would want to go to Organize Library Files and set the Naming Template to something like
$If(<Sort Album Artist>,<Sort Album Artist>,<Sort Artist>)\$If(<Year>,<Year> )<Sort Album>\<Disk-Track#> <Title>
to get results like
Gilmour, David\1984 About Face\01 Until We Sleep
?

psychoadept

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I think you want $IsNull rather than if, in your example.  $If requires specific criteria, like $If(<Sort Album Artist> = "Beatles, The",,)


Try this:

$IsNull(<Sort Album Artist>,<Sort Artist>,<Sort Album Artist>)\$IsNull(<Year>,,<Year>" ")<Sort Album>\<Disk-Track#> <Title>


Also, bear in mind that <Sort Album Artist> probably defaults to <Sort Artist> if there's no Album Artist value, so the first part may be redundant.  I suggest trying different things in the File Organization window and seeing what the preview looks like.
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redwing

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This can avoid such an issue that sort-tags in virtual tags show original tag values when it's null.

$If(<Sort Album Artist>=<Album Artist>,<Sort Artist>,<Sort Album Artist>)

josephzitt

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The more I work with this, the more confused I get.

I set the value for my F: drive, where my files are now, to
$IsNull(<Sort Album Artist>,<Sort Artist>,<Sort Album Artist>)\$IsNull(<Year>,,<Year>" ")<Sort Album>\<Disk-Track#> <Title>
It appears to tell me that it has only done so for one artist, though I had no artists selected. And when I look at the artist's folder on the drive, nothing has been done.

What am I missing?

psychoadept

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Could you give us a screenshot of the preview window?
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josephzitt

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psychoadept

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Thanks, that's what I had in mind.  What values are given for Sort Artist, Sort Album Artist, Sort Album, and Year in the Tag Editor for each of the albums shown ("e" and "Flux by Belew, Volume One")?
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josephzitt

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For the album "e":
Sort Artist: Belew, Adrian
Sort Album Artist: Belew, Adrian
Sort Album: e
Year: 2009

For the album "Flux by Belew, Volume One"
Sort Artist: Belew, Adrian
Sort Album Artist: Belew, Adrian
Sort Album: Flux by Belew, Volume One
Year: 2016

redwing

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It looks like a bug. Try changing the first rule to F drive and second to C drive (it will say something, just ignore it). It seems it only responds when the first rule changes.


josephzitt

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OK. Hmm, I have a feeling that I shouldn't be seeing this and that I may have missed something.
https://imgur.com/a/AkcLF

psychoadept

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OK. Hmm, I have a feeling that I shouldn't be seeing this and that I may have missed something.
https://imgur.com/a/AkcLF

Yep, there's something not right.  If you can't find the issue, click the ... after the naming template and post that screen.

Also check your Filename Character Mapping for "<" and ">"
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josephzitt

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I see that, after the system rebooted itself while I was away. and I restarted MusicBee, the fields are again showing "no change".
Here's what pressing the "..." shows: https://imgur.com/a/IkEJQ
Here's what Filename Char Mapping shows: https://imgur.com/a/HSyMo

psychoadept

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I think the results reverted because your settings reverted.

I'm not seeing a problem with the formula, but what happens if you press the preview button?
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