********************************** * Users Guide for EasyTAG 0.12 * ********************************** Last update: 11/26/2000 Copyright (C) 2000 Jérôme Couderc ************************* * Summary * ************************* 1. Introduction 2. EasyTAG Window 2.1. Browser Frame 2.2. File Frame 2.3. ID3 Tag Frame 2.4. Commands Frame 3. Options Window 3.1. Common 3.2. User Interface 3.3. Misc 3.4. Scanner 3.5. Confirmation 4. Scanner Window 4.1. Fill Tag 4.2. Rename File 4.3. Process Fields 4.4. Mask Editor Frame 5. Miscellaneous Functions 5.1. Run Xmms ************************* * Guide * ************************* 1. Introduction: ================ EasyTAG is a little utility for editing and viewing tags of yours mp3 files. A lot of functions were implemented to make easier the handling of tags, but the other ojective was also to keep it easy to use. The graphical user interface was based on GTK+ (Gimp Tool Kit) and give you all the needed informations about the mp3 file(s). 2. EasyTAG Window: ================== The main window had been divided into four functional parts +------------------------------------------------------------+ | EasyTAG Window | +---------------------+-------------------------+------------+ | | | | | | File Frame | | | | | | | +-------------------------+ | | Browser | | Commands | | Frame | | Frame | | | | | | | ID3 Tag Frame | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +---------------------+-------------------------+------------+ 2.1) Browser Frame: ------------------- 2.1.1) Path entry: On the top of the frame, an entry allow you to type a path to browse, or copy&paste the selected path to fill manually the tag. When you have typed a path, press the enter key to load it. This entry is also updated when selecting next/previous file to show the path of the current displayed file (if 'browse sub-directory' mode is enabled). 2.1.2) Tree Browser: Below the path entry is located the tree browser strictly speaking. The 'tree' of directories is an easy way to select the directory where are located yours mp3s to tag. Just select the directory to browse with your mouse. With this version of EasyTAG you can select only one directory at once, but you have the ability to browse also the sub-directories. When browsing a directory recursively (include sub-directories) a window, containing a stop button, appears over the browser. Click this button to stop the search. The menu 'Browser' into the main menu bar is dedicated to it. You can also open a popup menu when clicking the right mouse button on the tree browser. If the directory structure have changed (directories renamed, moved, deleted,...), you can update it when selecting the menu entry 'Refresh Tree'. 2.2) File Frame: ---------------- On the left top corner, is shown the position of the current file into the mp3 list and the length of this list. Next, an entry display the name of file. You can modify the file name manually or by using the scanner (see below). You can open a popup menu by right clicking over the entry with the mouse. And then, a block show informations about the mp3 file (MPEG version, layer version, bitrate, frequency, mode, size and duration) and the list (values in brackets). 2.3) ID3 Tag Frame: ------------------- This frame contains seven entries to display all items of ID3 tags (support of ID3v1 and ID3v1.1 specifications). On the right of each entry is placed a square button, to apply the text of the entry to all tags of the list (for instance, put the same artist to all files). You can open a popup menu by right clicking over the entry with the mouse. Tag may be written following two specification: - ID3v1 : title + artist + album + year + genre + comment - ID3v1.1: title + artist + album + year + genre + comment + track +----------+--------------+-------------------------------+ | | | Max length or value | | Item | Format +---------------+---------------+ | | | ID3v1 | ID3v1.1 | +----------+--------------+---------------+---------------+ | Title | Alphanum. | 30 characters | 30 characters | +----------+--------------+---------------+---------------+ | Artist | Alphanum. | 30 characters | 30 characters | +----------+--------------+---------------+---------------+ | Album | Alphanum. | 30 characters | 30 characters | +----------+--------------+---------------+---------------+ | Year | Numeric | 4 digits | 4 digits | +----------+--------------+---------------+---------------+ | Track | Numeric | not used | 255 | +----------+--------------+---------------+---------------+ | Genre | Predef. Num. | 255 items in list | +----------+--------------+---------------+---------------+ | Comment | Alphanum. | 30 characters | 28 characters | +----------+--------------+---------------+---------------+ * To select genre : open the list attached to the entry and choose one item (total 148), or press the first letter of the genre name (press X times the same key if genre is the Xth one beginning with this letter. A beep is emited when there is no more possibility). * Auto completion of date: when date is partially completed and year entry loose focus. For instance, if you are in year 1995, and if you type 3 => 1993, if 6 => 1986, if 94 => 1994, if 96 => 1896, and so on. 2.4) Commands Frame: -------------------- The frame contains all main commands to handle files. On the top, the entry with two little arrows allow you to select directly whatever item of the mp3 list. Just select (with up/down/page_up /page_down arrow keys) or type the number and press the enter key). Into rows containing two "similar" buttons, the left button process only the displayed file. And the right button (icon with a circular arrow) process all files of the list. - 1rst row : select whatever file - 2sd row : select first, previous, next, last file - 3rd row : the first click opens the scanner window, then the next clicks run - 4th row : delete tag of the mp3 file - 5th row : undo last changes, undo all changes - 6th row : save file, save all files - 7th row : quit EasyTAG 3. Options Window: ================== 3.1) Common: ------------ 3.2) User Interface: -------------------- 3.3) Misc: ---------- 3.4) Scanner: ------------- 3.5) Confirmation: ------------------ 4. Scanner Window: ================== On the top of this window, an option menu permits you to select which scanner to use: "Fill Tag", "Rename File" and "Process Fields". On the right of this menu, there is four icons. The first one opens the scanner window, the second one opens/closes the mask editor window, the third one shows/hides a frame containing the legend of codes used into scanners. The last icon closes the scanner window. Note that the scanner window must be opened to be able to use a scanner. To open the scanner window, use the main menu (Misc -> Open Scanner Window), or press buttons to 'Scan File' into commands frame. The first time opens the window, then the other times run the selected scanner as long as the window is opened. 4.1) "Fill Tag" Scanner: ------------------------ The scanner uses the file path (filename + path to the file) to fill the fields of the tag. You can select two modes for scanning tag. The mode 1 is an older scanner and I don't recommend you to use it (it was created to implement quickly a scanner into the first version of EasyTAG and isn't flexible). Moreover it'll probably disappear in future version, and will be replaced totally by the mode 2. This last mode is very flexible an allow you to select/create a mask to apply to the file using several codes. Note that the mask and the file path are parsed from the right to the left to permit you to scan parents directories of the file (example: %c_-_%i/%a/%b/%n_%t.mp3). You can click the third icon to show a legend frame containing the following codes: - %t: title => the corresponding string is moved to the title field - %a: artist => the corresponding string is moved to the artist field - %b: album => the corresponding string is moved to the album field - %y: year => the corresponding numeric value is moved to the year field - %g: genre => the corresponding numeric value is converted into genre - %n: track => the corresponding numeric value is moved to the track field - %c: comment => the corresponding string is moved to the comment field - %i: ignored => the corresponding string isn't assign to a field The mask to scan tag has the following particularities: - two codes must be separated by a separator - each code must be used only one time into mask - the separator '%' isn't allowed * Options: If you activate the options to convert underscore into space, or spaces into underscore (Option window -> Scanner Tab) then a mask like '%n - %t.mp3' is equal to '%n_-_%t.mp3'. 4.2) "Rename File" Scanner: --------------------------- This scanner handles informations of tag (title, artist, album, yaer, genre, track, comment) to rename file using a mask with codes. Note that the mask and the file path are parsed from the right to the left. You can click the third icon to show a legend frame containing the following codes: - %t: title => the code is replaced by the title field text - %a: artist => the code is replaced by the artist field text - %b: album => the code is replaced by the album field text - %y: year => the code is replaced by the year field text - %g: genre => the code is replaced by the genre field text - %n: track => the code is replaced by the numeric value of track field - %c: comment => the code is replaced by the comment field text - %i: ignored => the code has no effect The mask to scan tag has the following particularities: - two codes may be consecutive - each code may be used severals times - the separator '%' isn't allowed * Options: If you activate the options to convert underscore into space, or spaces into underscore (Option window -> Scanner Tab) then a mask like '%n - %t.mp3' is equal to '%n_-_%t.mp3'. 4.3) "Process Fields" Scanner: ------------------------------ This scanner provides some tools/functions to process texts into tag entries and the filename entry. Into each group of options (groups are separated by a horizontal line), you can select at max one option (none selected allowed). The first group allows you to convert usual character underscore '_' and expression '%20' into space, or space into underscore. The second group permits you to change the case of characters. The third group provides some special options. 4.4) Mask Editor Frame: ----------------------- To show this frame, just press the "Show/Hide Mask Editor" button when using "Fill Tag" or "Rename File" scanners. When selecting another scanner (as "Process Fields") this frame is automatically hidden, and the button desactivated. When the editor is opened, the list of masks attached to the current scanner is loaded into a main list. Use the toolbar, on the right, to create, duplicate, append (default masks), remove, order or save masks. When saving the new list of masks, it cleans up the list by removing duplicated and blank masks, and memorize the order. At the present time, the mask selected by default is the first one of the list. 5. Miscellaneous Functions: =========================== 5.1) Run Xmms: -------------- When you activate the menu item "Run Xmms", the following command will be executed : 'xmms -p '. So, it'll create a new playlist with all MP3 files in the directory (and subdirectories) . And this directory is the one which is selected into the browser (see Browser Frame).