# EasyTAG

Contents:

- 1. Presentation and steps:

- 1.1. Description (based on the last version 1.99.9 for GTK2):
- 1.2. Basics steps of tagging/correcting tags:

- 1.2.1. Manually:
- 1.2.2. Automatically with “Fill Tag” scanner:
- 1.2.3. Automatically with CDDB:
- 1.2.4. Correct tags fields with “Process Fields” scanner:
- 1.2.5. Automatic corrections:

- 1.3. Basics steps of renaming files and directories:

- 1.3.1. Manually:
- 1.3.2. Automatically with scanner:
- 1.3.3. Automatically with CDDB:
- 1.3.4. Automatically from a TXT file:

- 2. Tips:

## 1. Presentation and steps:

### 1.1. Description (based on the last version 1.99.9 for GTK2):

EasyTAG is a utility for viewing and editing tags for MP3, MP2, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, MusePack and Monkey's Audio files, and based on a simple and nice GTK+ interface making tagging easier.

With the tree browser, select quickly the directory to search for supported files (with or without including sub-directories). All files found are displayed in a main with a variable background colour to show, in one glance, the files in the same directory.

A second useful view mode, organizes the files by artist and by album to have a quick look to all the artists of your collection, and all albums for each artist.

The interface displays basic file informations taken from the file header, like bitrate or duration. With the interface, you can as well edit common tag fields as : title, artist, album, year, track number, genre and comment which were available into ID3v1.1 and ID3v2.3 tag. But you can also edit specials ID3v2.3 fields like : disc album, composer, original artist/performer, copyright, URL, encoder name and attached pictures.

Three differents scanners allow you to tag automatically from the filename, rename the file and directory from the tag, and process fields (for example to change the case). The first two scanners use a preview to avoid any mistakes and help you when using or creating yours own patterns.

If necessary you can use one of the both CDDB modes to fill yours tags with FreeDB servers. First, the automatic way tries to identify the selected files with the correct CDDB album. Else, a manual search lets you to search any word in the CDDB database to identify yourself the right album.

Also, you can load the content of a simple TXT file (containing filenames) to set name of each file.

Mass tagging is available with the scanners, but also with buttons to apply a field to all other selected files (small button on the right of each field).

To prevent mistakes, the undo and redo functions assist the user to recover the last changes.

The files collection can be export to a play list for Winamp or XMMS.

With the search window, look for the requested files.

After the various operations over the files, those who were changed and need to be saved are displayed in red in the list of files.

The program depends on the following libraries:

- GTK 2.4,
- id3lib to handle MP3 files,
- libogg,
- libvorbis for Ogg Vorbis files,
- libFLAC (with libogg and libvorbis) for FLAC Vorbis files,
- mpeg4ip for MP4 files.

### 1.2. Basics steps of tagging/correcting tags:

EasyTAG offers three different “main” ways to tag or rename yours files: manually, automatically with the scanner or automatically with CDDB. Below is a description of each one.
But note that for better tagging (when tags are empty for example), the program prefers files classed by albums, than all the files in a same directory.
Also, it is important to know that the program works only with the selected files in the list. So when saving, using the scanner, using the “small buttons” and so on, only the selected files are affected, except when typing manually in one field.

#### 1.2.1. Manually:

Some conditions to use this mode:

- files mixed
- not much files
- little changes to do,
- adding pictures to the MP3 tag

If you have only some albums to tag, this mode is very easy to use. Indeed, you have to type directly and manually the strings into each field.
Of course, when working by albums, some values as the album name, the year and the genre are the same for all files. So for fastest tagging, use the “small buttons” on the right of each field, to set this value to all others selected files in one click.
The genre can be selected from the list (list of ID3 genres), but you can also type your own one.
The year field, offers also a little improvement, because you need to type only the last numbers. The other part will be filled automatically according the current century and decade. For example, typing only ‘4’ will display ‘2004’, and ‘94’ will display ‘1994’.
To number tracks quickly with the format xx/xx, use the first “small button” with a sharp to renumber automatically the file according its position in the list (so the order of files is important). Then the second “small button” set automatically the number of files.
For an efficient handling, to pass from one field to the next one, just press the enter key. The tab key gives focus to the “small button” corresponding to the field. The keys PageUp and PageDown permit to jump respectively to the previous and next file.
To attach a picture to the file, just select the image file (JPG or PNG) with the “+” button (in the picture tab), or Drag&Drop directly the picture file in the zone.

#### 1.2.2. Automatically with “Fill Tag” scanner:

Some conditions to use this mode:

- files sorted by albums
- filenames or parent directory contain tag information (artist, album, title, …)
- empty or not correct tags

The “Fill Tag” scanner uses a pattern to associate words in the filename and directories with the tag entries. By this way, the tag fields can be completed automatically by pressing the “green” button in the scanner window or the toolbar. If the tag is partially completed, use the option “Overwrite fields when scanning tag” in the “Scanner” tab of the “Preferences” window, to replace all fields by the new values.
Each code correspond to a field, following theses rules :

Strings associated with code: | Will fill the field:
--- | ---
%a | Artist
%b | Album
%c | Comment
%p | Composer
%r | Copyright
%e | Encoded by
%g | Genre
%i | None! (used to ignore a string)
%l | Number of tracks
%o | Original artist
%n | Track
%t | Title
%u | URL
%y | Year

Note : to avoid mistakes, it is recommended to use a code only one time in the pattern. Of course, like when tagging manually, only the selected files are processed by the scanner.
You can use the defined patterns in the list, or write yours own patterns to correspond to the format of yours file names and directories.
To avoid mistakes when selecting the right pattern, or writing it, a preview shows immediately the results before to apply the pattern.
If you need some help with the different codes, press the “Help” button (the lifebuoy) to display the legend of each code.
Also, if you want to save yours own patterns, edit or sort then, by pressing the “Mask” button an little editor will be shown on the scanner window.
Below an example of use of patterns :

> a) the following filename :

> “/mnt/MP3/EVANESCENCE – Fallen (2003) – Rock/01. Going Under.mp3”

> b) with the pattern :

> “%a - %b (%y) - %g/%n. %t”

> c) you will fill the tag with theses strings :

> - Artist (%a) => EVANESCENCE
> - Album (%b) => Fallen
> - Year (%y) => 2003
> - Genre (%g) => Rock
> - Track (%n) => 01
> - Title (%t) => Going Under

#### 1.2.3. Automatically with CDDB:

Some conditions to use this mode:

- files sorted by album
- file audio data must correspond to the original CD (to use the Automatic Search)
- album found in CD database

To use tagging with the CD database, two modes are available. First, privilege the automatic search, but if it fails to identify the album, try with the manual search.

Automatic Search

This mode generates the CddbID from the audio files to request the database. So select all files of the album (and only them) in the right order (same order of the CD) and press the “Search” button.
All the corresponding albums found in the CD database are listed below. Select a line to display the tracks of this album on the right.
Finally, to fill the tag, select the interesting lines in the last list and press the “Apply” button.

Manual Search

If none album was found with the previous method, your last chance is to try a search using words (words supposed to by in the artist name, album name or track name). This search returns the same results of the search service on the freedb.org site. And may return lot of lines…
While browsing the albums list, those which have been already displayed are shown in red. Press the “red line button” to keep only these lines and remove all other.
When the right album was identified, follow the same method as the “automatic search” to select and apply the album to yours files.

#### 1.2.4. Correct tags fields with “Process Fields” scanner:

Some conditions to use this mode:

- filename or tag fields filled
- want to correct the case
- want to change some characters

This feature is interesting to normalize quickly yours filenames or tags. For example to fix the case or convert some characters (filename to lower case and words separated with spaces).
On the top of the window, select the push-down buttons corresponding to each field to process. And then, press again the “green” button to run the scanner on the selected fields.

#### 1.2.5. Automatic corrections:

Sometimes when loading files, you will note that some files are displayed to red. This will be due to useless spaces which are automatically stripped in the fields.
So it displays the file in red to let you to save the file. Note that you can't disable this feature).

### 1.3. Basics steps of renaming files and directories:

#### 1.3.1. Manually:

Some conditions to use this mode:

- little changes to do…

To rename the filenames one by one (as only the selected file can be changed) enter the new file name, in the field of the ‘File’ frame in the right top of the main window.
The last name remains in the file list up to saving the file. But the new name is displayed in the file field.
The invalid characters typed (for windows partitions like: ‘/’, ’+’, and so on) will be automatically replaced, except if you disable the option “Replace illegal characters in filename (for Windows and CD-Rom)” in the “Misc” tab of the preferences window.

To rename the directory directly in the browser, use the popup menu to open the ‘Rename Directory’ window and to edit the new name for the directory. The change takes effect immediately and you can’t undo it.
The version 1.99.9 adds the ability to rename the directory from tag with a pattern.

Note : Unlike the scanner, when renaming manually the directory, the files aren’t moved. As the directory is renamed all files (even files not supported in EasyTAG like jpeg) stay in the directory.

#### 1.3.2. Automatically with scanner:

Some conditions to use this mode:

- tags filled

With the scanner mode “Rename File and Directory”, you can easily fix names of lot of files and move them into new directories. As the new file names will be based on the tag values, it is important to have correct tags.
Like in the “Fill Tag” scanner, it uses the same codes to build the filename structure from the tag entries, following theses rules:

To use the field: | Use the code:
--- | ---
Artist | %a
Album | %b
Comment | %c
Composer | %p
Copyright | %r
Encoded by | %e
Genre | %g
Number of tracks | %l
Original artist | %o
Track | %n
Title | %t
URL | %u
Year | %y

Note : a code can be used several times Of course, like when renaming manually, only the selected files are processed by the scanner. The new files name are only visible in the ‘File’ frame up to saving the files.
This scanner also offers the ability to move the files in new or existing directories, using an absolute or relative path.

Relative path:

By using a relative path, the files will be moved into a subdirectory of the current directory.
For example,
- the file “/mp3/evanescence/01. Going Under.mp3”
- with the pattern “%a - %b/%n - %t”
- will be moved to “/mp3/evanescence/EVANESCENCE – Fallen/01 - Going Under.mp3”
- if tag contains the values %a = EVANESCENCE, %b = Fallen, %n = 01 and %t = Going Under

Absolute path:

By using an absolute path, the files can be moved in any directory. The current path of the file can be added to the pattern by pressing the icon on the left of the field (a directory with a green ‘+’). With this feature, it is easier to change the current path of the file.
For example:
- the file “/mp3/evanescence/01. Going Under.mp3”
- with the pattern “/mp3/%a - %b/%n - %t”
- will be moved to “/mp3/EVANESCENCE – Fallen/01 - Going Under.mp3”
- if tag contains the values %a = EVANESCENCE, %b = Fallen, %n = 01and %t = Going Under

Note: Unlike when renaming manually the directory, the scanner moves the files to the new destination. So it is important to know that the files not recognized by EasyTAG will not be moved to the new directory and will stay in the current location. The files are moved when only when saving files, so you can use undo if needed.

#### 1.3.3. Automatically with CDDB:

Like for the tag fields, you can use the CDDB results to apply the new name to the file. But by this way you can rename only the file name, and not the path. So you can use the second method. Activate the ‘Rename file’ scanner which will be ran after applying the results.

#### 1.3.4. Automatically from a TXT file:

Some conditions to use this mode:

- to have a text file with track names
- files sorted by album

With this feature, you can rename files, but not the directories. A simple text file containing the list of track names will be loaded to associate each line with a file.

## 2. Tips:

How to see in one glance all tags of each file?

Open the search window and run it without typing any parameter (field “Search :” empty). As result you will display content of all files.

How to play files?

You can play directly the selected files or those placed in a directory by using an external application like XMMS. Over the selected files on the files list, or a directory in the tree, use the popup menu an press “Run Audio Player”. But default, as set in the preference window, the command ran is “xmms –p” to play only this files. But if you want to enqueue files, type the command “xmms –e” when using the popup menu entries “Open file(s) with …” or “Browse directory with…”

Files can be organized by artist and album?

The “Artist + Album” view is for you. To activate it press the pushbutton in the toolbar with “a head + a disc”. This mode allows to browser easier the albums of an artist. It is also a good way to identify files with a wrong tag.

How to run the program directly from a directory?

For example to run EasyTAG loading files from the current directory, use the command “easytag . &”. In the same way, to load an other directory, use the command line: “easytag /file-audio-dir”.

Tags and filenames changed, but how to save only tags?

After renaming the files or correcting the tags you may want to save only tag data. When saving a file it will ask you confirmation before to save the tag and then to rename the file.
To do the same with several files at one time, answer like this to the confirmation dialog boxes:
- Confirmation to tag write: Check “Do the same for all files” and press “Yes”
- Confirmation to rename file: Check “Do the same for all files” and press “No”

How to see if a field haven’t been filled?

Two ways are available:
- You can sort the list of files using the corresponding criteria. Empty fields appear on the top of the list. (Example: “sort by ascending artist name”).
- Use the search window to display all files and identify the “empty” cell.