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Media Center helps you manage, organize and view your files by maintaining a collection of properties on a per-file basis. Each file managed by Media Center belongs to a particular media type (eg. audio, video, image), and each media type has a predefined set of properties available and valid for use.
Media Center helps you manage, organize and view your files by maintaining a collection of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metadata metadata] fields, or properties, about each file in the [[Library]]. These properties are called Library Fields (or often just Fields). Library Fields are managed in the Library Fields Manager available via:


:<span style="color:#8B4513">Tools > Options > Library & Folders > Manage Library Fields</span>
Examples of file properties are ''Artist'', ''Album'' and ''Genre'' for audio files, ''Actor'', ''Director'', and ''Aspect Ratio'' for movies, and ''Width'', ''Height'' and ''Focal Length'' for images.


Some examples of Library Fields are:
Initially, a file's properties are imported when the file is imported, or created when the file is created by Media Center (e.g. when ripping a CD or DVD). Typically, this data comes from a file's internal metadata (commonly referred to as '''tags'''), or is looked up from external databases. In addition, several library tools are available to assist in creating or modifying properties and tags.
* [Artist], [Album] and [Genre] for audio files
* [Actor], [Director], and [Aspect Ratio] for movies
* [Series], [Season], and [Episode] for TV show episodes
* [Width], [Height], [Caption], and [Focal Length] for images.
* [Media Type], [Media Sub Type], [File Type], and [Name] for all file types.


When used in [[expressions]] or [[Search Language|searches]], a field is usually written by surrounding its name with [[Library_Fields#Square_Bracket_Notation|square brackets]], as shown above. So, ''Album Artist'' is written and used as '''[Album Artist]''', and that convention is used here on the Wiki and generally on [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php Interact].
Media Center can also save a file's properties to the internal metadata within the physical file itself. These tags are then available for use by other programs that support the specific file types. The tags supported by a given file type are file type-specific, but there is often commonality or overlap in various media or file formats. Media Center helps manage this by automatically mapping essentially similar tags with different names into a standard set of properties.


Fields are the main system that Media Center uses to manage, search, sort, and organize files. It is how Media Center shows Audio files under the Audio part of the [[Tree]], and Video files under the video part of the Tree, and are the fundamental underlying structure that makes features like [[Media Views]], [[Smartlists]], [[Play Doctor]], and [[Automatic Metadata Lookup]] work.
In addition, Media Center allows creation of an almost limitless number of custom (or user) properties. This allows for managing information about files that is not predefined by Media Center or by a given format's standard tags. These custom properties may also be saved to a file's tags, should the format support user-defined or extensible tags.


== Fields, Properties, and Tags ==
Saving file properties to the physical file allows tags to be re-imported by Media Center, and used by other programs on a variety of systems. While typical metadata consumes a trivial amount of extra disk storage (relative to the file's size), larger metadata such as cover art, lyrics or extensive notes may be more noticeable, especially when files are exported to smaller devices such as handhelds. See [[Save File Properties in Disk Files]] for more information.


The terms '''properties''', '''fields''', and '''tags''' are sometimes used synonymously in common language. Generally, we use the terms in the following manner:
The ''Media Center Predefined Fields'' table below shows the stock default properties available in Media Center. File properties are listed and managed under:


* '''Fields''': each of the database "columns" MC uses to store metadata for each file (the idea of [Artist], [Genre], or [Series])
:'''Tools > Options... > Library & Folders > Manage Library Fields...'''
* '''Properties''' (or '''Values'''): the individual characteristic stored for an actual file (ABBA, Disco, or The Big Bang Theory).
* '''Tags''': the pieces of metadata that are embedded within the files themselves, where possible (the stuff written to the files for interchange with other applications).


Note here that '''properties''' are called '''fields'''. This is primarily a technical and pedantic distinction. The terms '''properties''', '''fields''', and '''tags''' become synonymous in common language, but do nonetheless maintain distinct meanings. It might help to think of a spreadsheet, where column headers are fields, rows are files, and a row of individual cell values are the file's properties. If each row were saved to an external file, the row's cells would be called tags.
It might help to think of a spreadsheet, where column headers are fields, rows are files, and each individual cell's values are the file's properties. If each row were saved to an external file, the row's cells would be called tags.


Initially, a file's Fields are filled with default values when the file is [[Imported]] or created by Media Center (e.g. when ripping a CD or DVD). Typically, this data comes from a file's internal tags, information you enter when ripping a disc, or is looked up from external databases ([[YADB]] and the [[Automatic Metadata Lookup]] system for videos). In addition, several [[Library Tools]] are available to assist in creating or modifying properties and tags.
As briefly mentioned above, properties help manage and organize related files. They can also be searched. In all of these, either directly or indirectly, one or more library fields is used in the construction.


=== File Tags ===
When used in expressions or searches, a field is expressed by surrounding its name with square brackets. For example, ''Album Artist'' is written and used as '''[Album Artist]'''. Field names are case-insensitive, meaning there is no distinction between upper- or lower-case letters. They are typically written in ''camel-case'' to help make them more distinguishable, especially in complex expressions.


For many file types, Media Center can also save the Library Fields into the tags within the file on disk. These tags are then available for use by other programs that support the specific file types, and can serve as a backup in case your Media Center [[Library]] is damaged or lost. The tags supported by a given file type are file type-specific, but there is often commonality or overlap in various media or file formats. Media Center helps manage this by automatically mapping its own Fields to essentially similar tags with different names in the various standard tagging formats.
==Field Specifications==

For more information on tag/metadata specifications for file formats, refer to the following external websites:

* MP3: [http://www.id3.org id3.org]
* Ogg Vorbis/FLAC: [http://xiph.org/vorbis/doc/v-comment.html xiph.org]
* EXIF/TIFF: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exchangeable_image_file_format EXIF (on Wikipedia)], or [http://www.awaresystems.be/imaging/tiff/tifftags/privateifd/exif.html this handy reference guide]

In addition, Media Center allows creation of an almost limitless number of custom (or user) Fields. This allows for managing information about files that is not predefined by Media Center or by a given format's standard tags. These custom properties may also be saved to a file's tags, should the format support user-defined or extensible tags.

Saving file properties to the physical file allows tags to be re-imported by Media Center, and used by other programs on a variety of systems. While typical metadata consumes a trivial amount of extra disk storage (relative to the file's size), larger metadata such as cover art, lyrics or extensive notes may be more noticeable, especially when files are exported to smaller devices such as handhelds. See [[Update Tags When File Info Changes]] for more information.

== Predefined and Custom Fields ==

''See also:'' [[Predefined Library Fields]]

Media Center includes a number of predefined Fields, and you can add as many of your own custom fields as you'd like! To view and manage the Fields currently available in your Library, use the Library Field Manager available at <span style="color:#8B4513">Tools > Options > Library & Folders > Manage Library Fields</span>. A few of the predefined Library Fields have special meanings or behaviors in MC. These include:

* [[Media Type]]: The primary media type categories (Audio, Images, Video, and Data).
* [[Media Sub Type]]: The secondary media type categories (Audiobook, Music, Podcast, TV Show, Movie, etc)
* [[Album Artist (Auto)]]: Used to automatically display the [Album Artist] or [Artist] fields for multi-artist albums.
* [The TVDB Series ID], [Series], [Season], and [Episode]: Used for [[Automatic Metadata Lookup]] of TV Show episodes.
* [Date], [Date (day)], [Date (month)], [Date (year)]: The primary [Date] field is automatically split into individual components so they can easily be used independently.
* [Last Played], [Number Plays], [Last Skipped], [Skip Count]: Used to track [[Play Statistics]].
* [Bookmark] and [Use Bookmarking]: Used for the [[Bookmarking]] (automatic playback resume) system.

In the Library Field Manager, you can view but not modify most of the settings for the Predefined fields. However, for most of them you can toggle whether MC should save them to in-file tags, and modify the search keywords and behavior. For more information about which predefined fields are included and other details, refer to the [[Predefined Library Fields]] article.

As mentioned above, you can also create a nearly limitless array of custom fields to store any information about your files you can dream up. Custom fields may be added with the '''Add New Field''' button in the Manage Library Fields dialog. You can add both standard fields that look and act just like the predefined fields, and also calculated fields, that output the value of an [[Expression]] on the fly whenever displayed.

== Field Characteristics ==

Fields in Media Center have several defined characteristics. You can view how the built-in fields are configured, and manage the settings for any custom fields you have created, using the '''Manage Library Fields''' dialog available at <span style="color:#8B4513">Tools > Options > Library & Folders > Manage Library Fields</span>.


Fields in Media Center have several defined characteristics. These are shown in the annotated example '''Manage Library Fields''' dialog.
{| style="float: right;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1"
{| style="float: right;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1"
|-
|-
| [[File:Library_Fields.png]]
| [[File:Library_Fields2.png]]
|}
|}


Each field has the following characteristics (Note these are current as of Media Center 28):
Each field:

# '''Name''': The internal name actually given to the field in the Library. This cannot be changed for any field created, and is the text to be used in [[square bracket notation]] references to the field.
# '''Display''': This is the name (and its pluralized version) that will be used used throughout the user interface. By default this matches the field's real name, but this can be modified to make it look nicer for display.
# '''Description''': Optionally enter a description for custom fields here. This description will also show as a tooltip for the list column header.
# '''Flags''': Indicates what Media Types the field is available for use with (Audio, Image, Video, Data, TV).
# '''Hidden''': Available for user fields only, when checked, hides it, and adds the field to the hidden field list.
# '''Field Type''': Sets the field to either a standard field (user data) or one automatically generated based on an expression (calculated data).
# '''Data Type''': The kind of data the field contains (text string, integer, date, etc).
# '''Relational''': Stores a single value for each file, each series, each album, or each artist.
# '''Edit Type''': Sets how the field is displayed and edited in Media Center's interface.
# '''Acceptable Values''': This can be set to a semicolon-delimited list, which limits the field so it can only contain one of the listed values and not free-form text (Note: no spaces after the semicolons).
# '''Save in file tags (when possible)''': If enabled, Media Center will attempt to write the field value to the in-file tags.
# '''Show a link checkbox''': Linkable columns can be enabled/disabled at Options>General>Features. When that is enabled, this checkbox allows the user control over what is linkable and what is not.
# '''Allow custom data to override the expression''': Available in Media Center 28 and later, when checked, the calculated data field becomes editable, either in-line or via the tag window, with any entered data replacing the calculated data. To return to using the calculated result, simply delete the manually entered data.
# '''Search keywords''': Used in queries as abbreviated or alternate names for the field.
# '''Default search field''': Sets the field to be searched by default when simple searches are entered in the search box.

=== Field Types ===

When fields are created, they can be one of two main types:

* User Data
* Calculated Data


'''User Data Fields''' are standard fields which contain a value provided by the user or intrinsic to the file. Values for User Data fields are stored directly in the [[Library]] (database) and (optionally) in the embedded file tags as well.
# Has a standard, unchangeable '''Name'''
# Has a '''Display''' name and its pluralized version used in throughout the user interface (pluralized version not currently shown in the ''Media Center Predefined Fields'' table below)
# Has '''Flags''' indicating the field's applicability to the indicated media / file types: Audio, Image, Video, Data, TV
# Is either '''User data''', or is automatically '''Calculated data''' via '''Expression'''
# Stores a particular '''Data Type''' (see ''Field Data Types'')
# May be a '''Relational''' field, and if so, its related field
# Has rules about its '''Edit Type''' or editability (see ''Field Edit Types'')
# May have a semicolon-separated list of '''Acceptable Values''' (Note: no spaces after the semicolons)
# May be '''Save in file tags (when possible)'''. Note: was labeled "Stored ..." prior to 16.0.154.
# May have one or more '''Search keywords''' used in queries as abbreviated or alternate names
# May be a '''Default search field''' when performing search queries (see ''Note: Default Search Field'')
# May be hidden from normal view/usage (these field names are shown in italics in the ''Predefined Fields'' table below)


'''Calculated Data Fields''' are fields that are automatically calculated on the fly. They output the value of an [[Expression]] which is defined in the Manage Library Fields dialog. The value is recalculated on the fly each time the value is accessed or displayed. A calculated field can be thought of as a way to "save" a useful Expression and allow it to be named and used like any other Field.

Storage for calculated fields does not add additional library storage per file, since they are evaluated when used. If configured to be default search fields, calculated fields will produce some search performance penalty in search box suggestions, and possibly other library searches. The values of calculated fields cannot be stored in file tags. Also, in versions earlier than Media Center 28, since Calculated Fields always output the value of the expression, they act like read-only fields throughout Media Center. Using Media Center 28 or later however, it is possible, providing the option detailed above is checked, to override the calculated results by editing the field in the normal fashion. Most of the other settings about the field are disabled. However, you are still able to modify the Edit Type so that you can create a calculated field that ''displays'' as Stars or a Checkbox when displayed. Expressions output string values by default, but if you need an expression to output a different data type, you can define this in the expression itself (see [[Expression_Language#Data_Types|Expression Language Data Types]] for more information).

=== Data Types ===

Fields can store different types of data, such as strings of text or integers. For User Data fields, this is set with the ''Data Type'' dropdown in the Manage Library Fields dialog, and can be one of the following types:


{| width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
| width="43%" valign="top" |
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"
|+ align="top" | '''''Field Data Types'''''
|+ align="top" | '''''Field Data Types'''''
Line 62: Line 117:
| align="center" | List || A semicolon-separated list of strings.
| align="center" | List || A semicolon-separated list of strings.
|-
|-
| align="center" | Date || A complex type that is either date-only, or date and time. (TBD: need refs)
| align="center" | Date || A complex type that is either date-only, or date and time.
|-
| align="center" | Unknown || An unspecific catch-all type, not specifically defined.
|}
|}

| width="10px" valign="top" |
=== Relational Fields ===
| valign="top" |

Most fields store one discreet value for each file stored in the [[Library]]. However, Relational fields allow you to instead store a single value for ''all'' files from a particular Album, Series, or Artist. So, if the value of a relational field is changed for one file in a set, then the value is simultaneously changed for ''all'' files in that set. In all other aspects, these fields work identically to normal fields.

An example of this is the built-in [The TVDB Series ID] field, which stores one value for each Series. This is used by the [[Automatic Metadata Lookup]] system for TV Show episodes. When the lookup occurs, the system saves the Series ID from thetvdb.com to this field, and then future lookups for any additional episode of that same series search for this ID number instead of the text [Series] name value. That lets you save files in your Library using a different naming scheme for a particular Series than thetvdb.com prefers, without having to manually look up each and every episode to have good metadata.

You can make your own relational fields and store a value keyed off of:
* [Artist]
* [Album]
* [Series]

At this time it is not possible to key a relational field off of any other arbitrary or user-defined fields in the Library.

=== Field Edit Types ===

A field's Edit Type controls how it is displayed and how it can be edited throughout the application. Most fields use the Standard Edit Type, which displays a simple text string and allows you to edit it in a text box, with a drop-down menu providing the values available in other files in the Library.

But other fields have special behavior. [Lyrics] is a Large Value field, and opens in a full-height text editor, allowing you to add paragraphs and returns. [Ratings], on the other hand, shows 5 stars that you can click on to modify the current rating. Other values are read-only or clear-only, are treated as lists, or handle filenames. The full list of Edit Types available are:

{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1"
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1"
|+ align="top" | '''''Field Edit Types'''''
|+ align="top" | '''''Field Edit Types'''''
Line 75: Line 146:
| align="center" | Standard || A free-format, editable field.
| align="center" | Standard || A free-format, editable field.
|-
|-
| align="center" | Clear-only || A clear-only field, whose value is set or updated by Media Center.
| align="center" | Clear-only || A field that can only be cleared, and not set manually within Media Center.
|-
|-
| align="center" | Large Value || A free-format, editable field, used for large data (e.g. lyrics, notes, descriptions). (TBD: recommended for data larger than XXX characters).
| align="center" | Large Value || A free-format, editable field, used for multi-line text (e.g. lyrics, notes, descriptions).
|-
|-
| align="center" | Cannot be edited || A non-editable field.
| align="center" | Cannot be edited || A non-editable field.
Line 85: Line 156:
| align="center" | Five stars || A selectable, 5-star graphical field, typically used for ratings.
| align="center" | Five stars || A selectable, 5-star graphical field, typically used for ratings.
|-
|-
| align="center" | DVD video info || TBD (currently used only for hidden field DVD Video Info).
| align="center" | DVD video info || Used internally.
|-
|-
| align="center" | List || List fields will use standard edit or list edit (i.e. check box) style.
| align="center" | List || List fields display using the list-type editors in the Tag Action Window and Panes.
|-
|-
| align="center" | Calculated, Editable || A calculated, editable field, whose initial value is automatically set.
| align="center" | Check || Check fields display with a check box that sets a 1 value when checked, and a 0 value when unchecked.
|-
|-
| align="center" | Calculated,<br />Not editable || A calculated, non-editable field whose value is automatically set.
| align="center" | Ten Stars || A selectable, 10-star graphical field, typically used for ratings.
|}
|}
|}


== Field Values ==
==Predefined Fields==
===Overview===
The table below lists Media Center's default fields. The rows list the available fields, and the columns indicate how the field is defined, and gives a brief explanation of the fields usage or meaning. Where applicable, additional links and field-specific information is also listed. The value for some fields is calculated by Media Center. When possible, the expression used to derive this value is also shown. In some cases, this value may be modified. Beneath a field name is a list of the default Search Keyword(s), if available, which are used for field-specific searching within Media Center.


Field values are stored in the [[Library]]. They can be viewed and edited in a variety of ways. Everywhere in Media Center you see information about your files, it is displaying the values of fields. Also, the entire [[Media View]] system itself is driven by the values of fields. For example, the reason that, when you open the Audio part of the [[Tree]], it displays your audio files, and not your image or video files, is because the Audio Media View searches for files where the [Media Type] field is set to Audio.
The '''Save''' column indicates if the field is saved in file tags (prior to version 16.0.154, Media Center used the term ''Stored'' in the '''Manage Library Fields''' dialog). The '''Search''' column indicates if the field should be searched when using Media Center's Search area.


When you view your files in details view or navigate using Categories or Panes, the program is displaying the contents of various fields like [Artist], [Album], and [Genre].
Note: Default Search Field. Beginning with MC17, the '''Default search field''' setting is not used for stock fields; instead searching fields relies on rules built into the program. Nearly all stock fields are now searched by default. User-defined fields will honor this setting.


The process of editing field values to apply metadata to your files is called [[Tagging]]. It is ''essential'' to fill in at least some of the basic fields in order to make the most of Media Center, because so many of the powerful tools are built on the flexible metadata system (including [[Media Views]], [[Smartlists]], and [[Search]] functions). To this end, MC includes a number of powerful [[Library Tools]] which can be used to quickly and painlessly apply metadata to your files, even if the proper details aren't picked up automatically at [[import]]. For more information, refer to the [[Tagging]] article.
Note: Legacy Fields. Some fields are legacy fields, possibly created during an upgrade from a previous version of Media Center. These are noted as "Legacy:" in the Description column. Your Library may not contain these fields.


=== Square Bracket Notation ===
Note: Some fields are used internally by Media Center to maintain state information, and are not viewable in panes, categories, or the Tag Action Window. These are typically configured through various options and settings dialogs.


As mentioned above we refer to fields throughout this wiki using a notation surrounded by square brackets like so:
===Fields===
:[Some Field Name]
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1" width="100%"
|+ align="top" | '''''Media Center Predefined Fields'''''
! width="25%" align="left" valign="bottom" style="background: #f9f9f9;" | &nbsp;Field Name<br />&nbsp;''search keyword(s)''
! width="10%" align="center" valign="bottom" style="background: #f9f9f9;" | Media Types
! style="background: #f9f9f9;" | &nbsp;S&nbsp;<br/>a<br/>v<br/>e
! style="background: #f9f9f9;" | &nbsp;S&nbsp;<br/>e<br/>a<br/>r<br/>c<br/>h
! width="10%" align="center" valign="bottom" style="background: #f9f9f9;" | Data Type<br />Edit Type<br />Relational
! align="left" valign="bottom" style="background: #f9f9f9;" | Description
|- id="Access_Rating"
| <h4 style="display: none;">A - C</h4>&nbsp;'''Access Rating''' <br />&nbsp;''accessrating=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Specifies the access rating when access control is in effect.


This is a shortcut for the [[Field()]] function of the [[Expression Language]], and is the standard notation used whenever you need to substitute the value of a field. It is used throughout the [[Expression Language]] and [[Search Language]] and in many other places throughout the application. Media Center will parse this notation for all fields (including custom fields) and substitute in the ''values of'' that field on the fly for each file.
''See also:'' [[Access_Control|Access Control]]
|- id="Actors"
| &nbsp;'''Actors''' <br />&nbsp;''actors=''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | List<br />List
| A semicolon-separated list of a movie's actors.
|- id="Album"
| &nbsp;'''Album''' <br />&nbsp;''album=&nbsp;&nbsp;al=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| The name of the album.
|- id="Album_Artist"
| &nbsp;'''Album Artist''' <br />&nbsp;''albumartist=''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Designates the artist to use for compilation albums.


Note that square bracket notation always evaluates to the ''values of'' the field, and is not used to refer to the field ''itself''. This is an important distinction when using some expression language and search functions such as [[GroupCount()]] and {{monospace|~expand}}. Refer to [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=81766.0 this thread for Matt's explanation].
''See also:'' [[Album_Artist_and_Album_Artist_(Auto)|Album Artist and Album Artist (Auto)]]
|- id="Album_Artist_auto"
| &nbsp;'''Album Artist (auto)''' <br />&nbsp;''autoalbumartist=''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Calculated, Editable
| Automatically calculated based on the contents of an album's Artist tracks.


==== Formatted, Raw & Referenced Values ====
''Expression:'' AlbumArtist()


By default, Media Center formats the output of the field and displays it in a friendly, human-readable way. However, you can provide an optional parameter to any field you reference using standard square bracket field notation that controls whether the output is the "regular" formatted value (the default) or the raw value actually stored in the [[Library]]:
''See also:'' [[Album_Artist_and_Album_Artist_(Auto)|Album Artist and Album Artist (Auto)]]
|- id="Album_Gain"
| &nbsp;'''Album Gain''' <br />&nbsp;''albumgain=&nbsp;&nbsp;ag=''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Decimal<br />Clear-only
| Automatically calculated gain for an album, based on [[Replay_Gain|Replay Gain]]. Obsolete in MC19.


* [Some Field,0] : Outputs raw value from the database.
''See also:'' [[Album_Gain|Album Gain]]
* [Some Field,1] : Outputs formatted value. This is the default so is equivalent to [Some Field].
|- id="Album_Type"
* [Some Field, 1, 1653] : Outputs formatted value of the field ''Some Field'' for the file referenced by the [[FileKey()]] ''1653''.
| &nbsp;'''Album Type''' <br />&nbsp;''albumtype=''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Calculated, Not editable
| Automatically calculated value indicating if the album has a single artist or multiple artists, and if the album is complete.


This parameter corresponds to the [[MJFileAutomation#string_Get.28string_strField.2C_boolean_bFormatted.29|bFormatted parameter of the Get() function]] in the COM API, and the parameter available for [[Expression_Language#Fields|the field() function in the Expression Language]].
''Expression:'' AlbumType()


A simple example is numeric fields, such as [Track #]. When these fields are set to 0, then they display blank when viewed. If you want [Track #] to actually output these zeroes (to do math on them in an Expression, perhaps) you need to use [Track #,0] instead. Another example is Date values, which are stored internally as floating point numbers, and to see the "real" value you need to set the bFormatted parameter to zero.
''See also:'' [[Multiple_Artist_Albums#Complete_Albums|Multiple Artist Albums#Complete Albums]]
|- id="Altitude"
| &nbsp;'''Altitude'''
| align="center" | Image
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Camera's GPS altitude when photo was taken.


=== Tag Import Options ===
''See also:'' [[Photo_Tagging|Photo Tagging]]
|- id="Aperture"
| &nbsp;'''Aperture'''
| align="center" | Image
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| Camera's aperture setting used to create the photo.


When you [[Import]] a file, Media Center will automatically fill the corresponding fields for many standard Tags and store these in the Library. It also calculates a number of characteristics about the files and imports these into the Library (file size, encoding type, etc).
''See also:'' [[Photo_Tagging|Photo Tagging]]
|- id="Artist"
| &nbsp;'''Artist''' <br />&nbsp;''artist=&nbsp;&nbsp;ar=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | List<br />Standard
| Track artist, or movie's director.

''See also:'' [[Album_Artist_and_Album_Artist_(Auto)|Album Artist and Album Artist (Auto)]], [[YADB|YADB]]
|- id="Artist_-_Album_Year"
| &nbsp;'''Artist - Album (Year)'''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Calculated, Not editable
| Automatically calculated field used for album grouping.

''Expression:'' Clean([Artist] - [Album] /([FormatDate([Date, 0), Year)/))
|- id="Aspect_Ratio"
| &nbsp;'''Aspect Ratio''' <br />&nbsp;''aspect=''
| align="center" | Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Video aspect ratio.
|- id="Audio_Analysis_Info"
| &nbsp;''Audio Analysis Info''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| Automatically calculated data created and used by audio analysis engine.

''See also:'' [[Audio_Settings_and_Analysis|Audio Settings and Analysis]], [[Analyze_Audio|Analyze Audio]]
|- id="Author"
| &nbsp;'''Author'''
| align="center" | Audio Data
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | List<br />List
| A semicolon-separated list of a document's authors.
|- id="Band"
| &nbsp;'''Band''' <br />&nbsp;''band=&nbsp;&nbsp;bd=''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Designates a track's band.
|- id="Bios"
| &nbsp;'''Bios''' <br />&nbsp;''bios=&nbsp;&nbsp;bio=''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Large
| Legacy: Musicmatch musician or group biography.
|- id="Bit_Depth"
| &nbsp;'''Bit Depth''' <br />&nbsp;''bitrate=''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| Audio / video bit depth.
|- id="Bitrate"
| &nbsp;'''Bitrate'''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| Audio / video bitrate, in bits per second (bps).
|- id="Bookmark"
| &nbsp;'''Bookmark'''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Clear-only
| Specifies the bookmark location for resumption of playback.

''See also:'' [[Bookmarking|Bookmarking]]
|- id="BPM"
| &nbsp;'''BPM''' <br />&nbsp;''bpm=''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Standard
| Beats-per-minute, calculated automatically during audio analysis.
|- id="Budget"
| &nbsp;'''Budget'''
| align="center" | Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| A movie's financial budget.
|- id="Camera"
| &nbsp;'''Camera'''
| align="center" | Image
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Camera EXIF tag.

''See also:'' [[Photo_Tagging|Photo Tagging]]
|- id="Caption"
| &nbsp;'''Caption''' <br />&nbsp;''caption=''
| align="center" | Image
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| An image's caption.
|- id="Catalog"
| &nbsp;'''Catalog #'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| ***TBD***
|- id="Category_Image_Category"
| &nbsp;''Category Image Category''
| align="center" | Image
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ***TBD***
|- id="Channels"
| &nbsp;'''Channels'''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| Number of playback channels
|- id="Cinematographer"
| &nbsp;'''Cinematographer'''
| align="center" | Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | List<br />List
| A semicolon-separated list of a movie's cinematographer(s).
|- id="Comment"
| &nbsp;'''Comment''' <br />&nbsp;''comment=&nbsp;&nbsp;c=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| A general use comment field.
|- id="Complete_Album"
| &nbsp;'''Complete Album''' <br />&nbsp;''completealbum=''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| Indicates if an album is a complete album.

''See also:'' [[Multiple_Artist_Albums#Complete_Albums|Multiple Artist Albums#Complete Albums]]
|- id="Composer"
| &nbsp;'''Composer''' <br />&nbsp;''composer=''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | List<br />Standard
| The composer of a piece or work, typically used with classical music.
|- id="Compression"
| &nbsp;'''Compression'''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| The compression type and scheme used for compressed audio/video.
|- id="Conductor"
| &nbsp;'''Conductor''' <br />&nbsp;''conductor=''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | List<br />Standard
| The conductor of a piece or work, typically used with classical music.
|- id="Copyright"
| &nbsp;'''Copyright''' <br />&nbsp;''copyright=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Media copyright information.
|- id="Country"
| &nbsp;'''Country''' <br />&nbsp;''country=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | List<br />List
| A semicolon-separated list of countries relevant to the media.
|- id="Credits"
| &nbsp;'''Credits''' <br />&nbsp;''credits=''
| align="center" | Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | List<br />List
| A semicolon-separated list of movie credits.
|- id="Critic_Rating"
| &nbsp;'''Critic Rating'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Critic Rating, like Rotten Tomato or Allmusic score.
|- id="Custom"
| &nbsp;'''Custom'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| General use custom field.
|- id="Custom_1"
| &nbsp;'''Custom 1'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| General use custom field (may not exist).
|- id="Custom_2"
| &nbsp;'''Custom 2'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| General use custom field (may not exist).
|- id="Custom_3"
| &nbsp;'''Custom 3'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| General use custom field (may not exist).
|- id="Date"
| <h4 style="display: none;">D - F</h4>&nbsp;'''Date''' <br />&nbsp;''date=&nbsp;&nbsp;d=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Date<br />Standard
| General date of media.
|- id="Date_day"
| &nbsp;'''Date (day)'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Calculated, Editable
| Day of month segment of Date.

''Expression:'' FormatDate(Day)&DataType=[Integer]
|- id="Date_filename_friendly"
| &nbsp;'''Date (filename friendly)'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Calculated, Not editable
| A version of Date that has been cleaned for use in filenames.

''Expression:'' FormatDate(Filename)
|- id="Date_month"
| &nbsp;'''Date (month)'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Calculated, Editable
| Month segment of Date.

''Expression:'' FormatDate(Month)&DataType=[Month]
|- id="Date_year"
| &nbsp;'''Date (year)''' <br />&nbsp;''year=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Calculated, Editable
| Year segment of Date.

''Expression:'' FormatDate(Year)&DataType=[Number]

''See also:'' [[YADB|YADB]]
|- id="Date_Created"
| &nbsp;'''Date Created'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Unknown<br />Not editable
| A file's creation date/time as reported by the system.
|- id="Date_Imported"
| &nbsp;'''Date Imported''' <br />&nbsp;''dateimported=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Unknown<br />Not editable
| The date the media was imported into the MC / MJ database.

''See also:'' [http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Imported_%28Date%29]
|- id="Date_Modified"
| &nbsp;'''Date Modified'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Unknown<br />Not editable
| A file's modification date/time, as reported by the system.
|- id="Date_Recorded"
| &nbsp;'''Date Recorded'''
| align="center" | Video TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Date<br />Standard
| The date/time of a video recording.
|- id="Description"
| &nbsp;'''Description'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Large
| A general description of the media.
|- id="Dimensions"
| &nbsp;'''Dimensions'''
| align="center" | Image Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Calculated, Not editable
| Automatically calculated image/video dimensions.

''Expression:'' Clean([Width] x [Height])
|- id="Direction"
| &nbsp;'''Direction'''
| align="center" | Image
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />List
| Camera's directional heading when photo was taken.

''See also:'' [[Photo_Tagging|Photo Tagging]]
|- id="Director"
| &nbsp;'''Director''' <br />&nbsp;''director=''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | List<br />Standard
| A semicolon-separated list of a movie's directors.
|- id="Disc"
| &nbsp;'''Disc #'''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Standard
| The disc number, for multi-disc audio or video sets.

''See also:'' [[Multidisc_Albums|Multidisc Albums]]
|- id="Distributor"
| &nbsp;'''Distributor'''
| align="center" | Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | List<br />List
| A semicolon-separated list of a movie's distributors.
|- id="DLNA_Server_Info"
| &nbsp;''DLNA Server Info''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| Internal information for the MC DLNA server.
|- id="Duration"
| &nbsp;'''Duration''' <br />&nbsp;''length=&nbsp;&nbsp;duration=''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Unknown<br />Not editable
| The duration of an audio / video track.
|- id="DVD_Video_Info"
| &nbsp;''DVD Video Info''
| align="center" | Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Internal information used for a DVD.
|- id="Dynamic_Range_R128"
| &nbsp;'''Dynamic Range (R128)'''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Clear-only
| An automatically calculated value indicating R128 Dynamic Range (overall dynamic range).

''See also:'' [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=82025.0]
|- id="Dynamic_Range_DR"
| &nbsp;'''Dynamic Range (DR)'''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Clear-only
| An automatically calculated value indicating Dynamic Range (crest factor).

''See also:'' [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=82025.0]
|- id="Edit_Info"
| &nbsp;''Edit Info''
| align="center" | Image
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| Internal information used for image editing.
|- id="Editor"
| &nbsp;'''Editor'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | List<br />List
| A semicolon-separated list of the editor(s) used to capture/create a video.
|- id="Embedded_CUE"
| &nbsp;''Embedded CUE''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| Automatically calculated data indicating file uses embedded CUE file.
|- id="Encoding_Settings"
| &nbsp;'''Encoding Settings'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| ''Description''
|- id="Episode"
| &nbsp;'''Episode'''
| align="center" | Audio Video TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Episode number of a television / video series.
|- id="Episode_URL"
| &nbsp;'''Episode URL'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| URL of a single podcast episode.
|- id="Events"
| &nbsp;'''Events''' <br />&nbsp;''events=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | List<br />List
| A semicolon-separated list to specify relevant events for the media.
|- id="Feed_URL"
| &nbsp;'''Feed URL'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| URL of a podcast feed.
|- id="File_Size"
| &nbsp;'''File Size''' <br />&nbsp;''size=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Unknown<br />Not editable
| A file's on disc size (human readable, unitized and rounded).
|- id="File_Type"
| &nbsp;'''File Type''' <br />&nbsp;''filetype=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| The type of file (e.g. mp3, jpg, flac, pdf).
|- id="Filename"
| &nbsp;'''Filename''' <br />&nbsp;''filename=&nbsp;&nbsp;location=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | Unknown<br />File
| The full pathname to the location of a file.
|- id="Filename_name"
| &nbsp;'''Filename (name)'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Calculated, Editable
| The name-only portion of [Filename].

''Expression:'' FileName()
|- id="Filename_path"
| &nbsp;'''Filename (path)'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Unknown<br />Calculated, Editable
| The path-only portion of [Filename].

''Expression:'' FilePath()&DataType[Path]
|- id="Flash"
| &nbsp;'''Flash'''
| align="center" | Image
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| Indicates if a camera's flash was used to take image.

''See also:'' [[Photo_Tagging|Photo Tagging]]
|- id="Flickr_Info"
| &nbsp;''Flickr Info''
| align="center" | Image Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Focal_Length"
| &nbsp;'''Focal Length'''
| align="center" | Image
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| The lens focal length used when a image was captured.

''See also:'' [[Photo_Tagging|Photo Tagging]]
|- id="FPS"
| &nbsp;'''FPS''' <br />&nbsp;''framerate=&nbsp;&nbsp;fps=''
| align="center" | Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Decimal<br />Standard
| The number of frames-per-second in a video/movie.
|- id="Genre"
| <h4 style="display: none;">G - I</h4>&nbsp;'''Genre''' <br />&nbsp;''genre=&nbsp;&nbsp;g=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | List<br />Standard
| Genre of media.

''See also:'' [[YADB|YADB]]
|- id="Get_Cover_Art_Info"
| &nbsp;''Get Cover Art Info''
| align="center" | Audio Video Data
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Get_Metadata_Info"
| &nbsp;''Get Metadata Info''
| align="center" | Audio Video Data
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Gross_Revenue"
| &nbsp;'''Gross Revenue'''
| align="center" | Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| A movie's gross reported revenue.
|- id="Grouping"
| &nbsp;'''Grouping'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| For support of the iTunes Grouping field.

''See also:'' [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=51694.0]
|- id="Height"
| &nbsp;'''Height''' <br />&nbsp;''height=''
| align="center" | Image Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| The height dimension of an image/video (see also Dimensions above).
|- id="Image_File"
| &nbsp;'''Image File''' <br />&nbsp;''imagefile=''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Unknown<br />Not editable
| The name of the associated artwork for audio/video.

''See also:'' [[Cover_Art|Cover Art]]
|- id="IMDb_ID"
| &nbsp;'''IMDb ID'''
| align="center" | Video
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Unknown<br />Standard
| The unique Internet Movie Database identifier for video lookups.
|- id="Instrument"
| &nbsp;'''Instrument'''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| A song's primary instrument.
|- id="Intensity"
| &nbsp;'''Intensity''' <br />&nbsp;''intensity=''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Standard
| A musical intensity metric automatically calculated during audio analysis. Obsoleted in MC19. <br />''Values:'' 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
|- id="ISO"
| &nbsp;'''ISO'''
| align="center" | Image
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| The ISO standard film speed used when an image was captured.

''See also:'' [[Photo_Tagging|Photo Tagging]]
|- id="Keywords"
| &nbsp;'''Keywords''' <br />&nbsp;''keyword=&nbsp;&nbsp;keywords=&nbsp;&nbsp;kw=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | List<br />List
| A semicolon-separated list of user-defined keywords.
|- id="Language"
| &nbsp;'''Language'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | List<br />List
| A semicolon-separated list of languages.
|- id="Last_Played"
| &nbsp;'''Last Played''' <br />&nbsp;''lastplayed=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Unknown<br />Clear-only
| Date / time the file was last played or viewed.
|- id="Last_Skipped"
| &nbsp;'''Last Skipped''' <br />&nbsp;''lastskipped=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Unknown<br />Clear-only
| Date / time the file was last skipped.

''See also:'' Skip Count
|- id="Latitude"
| &nbsp;'''Latitude'''
| align="center" | Image
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Camera's GPS latitude when photo was taken.

''See also:'' [[Photo_Tagging|Photo Tagging]]
|- id="Lens"
| &nbsp;'''Lens''' <br />&nbsp;''lens=''
| align="center" | Image
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Lens description from EXIF tag (Canon cameras).

''See also:'' [[Photo_Tagging|Photo Tagging]]
|- id="Library_Server_Info"
| &nbsp;''Library Server Info''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| Internal information used to manage state for Library Server.
|- id="Library_Server_Key"
| &nbsp;''Library Server Key''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| Internal authorization key used to help secure Library Server.
|- id="Library_Server_URL"
| &nbsp;''Library Server URL''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| URL used to specify location of Library Server.
|- id="Longitude"
| &nbsp;'''Longitude'''
| align="center" | Image
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Camera's GPS longitude when photo was taken.

''See also:'' [[Photo_Tagging|Photo Tagging]]
|- id="Lyricist"
| &nbsp;'''Lyricist'''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| The lyricist responsible for a work.
|- id="Lyrics"
| &nbsp;'''Lyrics''' <br />&nbsp;''lyrics=''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Large
| User-stored lyrics or transcription.
|- id="Media_Sub_Type"
| <h4 style="display: none;">M - O</h4>&nbsp;'''Media Sub Type''' <br />&nbsp;''mediasubtype=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| More specific sub-classification of Media Type, generally used to drive Media Center behavior in some fashion. <br />''Values:'' Adult, Audiobook, Book, Educational, Home Video, Karaoke, Movie, Music, Music Video, Other, Photo, Podcast, Radio, Remix, Ringtone, Short, Single, Stock, System, Test Clip, Trailer, TV Show
|- id="Media_Type"
| &nbsp;'''Media Type''' <br />&nbsp;''mediatype=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| General classification of media type. <br />''Values:'' Audio, Image, Video, TV, Data, Playlist
|- id="Mix_Album"
| &nbsp;'''Mix Album''' <br />&nbsp;''mixalbum=''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| Used to specify if an album is a mix album.
|- id="Mood"
| &nbsp;'''Mood''' <br />&nbsp;''mood=''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Legacy: Musicmatch mood classification of a song.
|- id="MPAA_Rating"
| &nbsp;'''MPAA Rating''' <br />&nbsp;''mpaa=''
| align="center" | Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| A movies MPAA rating.
|- id="MPAA_Rating_Description"
| &nbsp;'''MPAA Rating Description'''
| align="center" | Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| A textual description of MPAA rating.
|- id="Music_By"
| &nbsp;'''Music By'''
| align="center" | Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | List<br />List
| A semicolon-separated list of people responsible for a movie's music.
|- id="Name"
| &nbsp;'''Name''' <br />&nbsp;''name=&nbsp;&nbsp;title=&nbsp;&nbsp;n=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| The primary name associated with a file. When used as thumbnail or caption text, [Name] takes on the name of the current category in Category or Theater views.
|- id="Notes"
| &nbsp;'''Notes''' <br />&nbsp;''notes=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Large
| General notes associated with a file.
|- id="Number_Plays"
| &nbsp;'''Number Plays''' <br />&nbsp;''numberplays=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Clear-only
| An automatically updated statistic indicating the number of times a file has been played/viewed.

''See also:'' [[Changing_the_number_of_plays|Changing the number of plays]]
|- id="Orchestra"
| &nbsp;'''Orchestra'''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| The name of the orchestra responsible for performing a piece, typically used with classical music.
|- id="Orientation"
| &nbsp;'''Orientation'''
| align="center" | Image
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Calculated, Not editable
| An image's orientation as Landscape, Portrait, or Square.

''Expression:'' Orientation()
|- id="Original_Title"
| &nbsp;'''Original Title'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| The original title given to a work.
|- id="Peak_Level"
| <h4 style="display: none;">P - R</h4>&nbsp;'''Peak Level''' <br />&nbsp;''peaklevel=''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Percentage<br />Clear-only
| An automatically calculated value indicating the percentage of an audio track's maximum level before clipping would occur. Obsoleted in MC19.

''See also:'' [[Overflow_Handling|Overflow Handling]], [[Technical_Information_on_Replay_Gain_Adjustment|Technical Information on Replay Gain Adjustment]], [[Analyze_Audio|Analyze Audio]], [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=64042.0]
|- id="Peak_Level_R128"
| &nbsp;'''Peak Level (R128)''' <br />&nbsp;''peaklevel=''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Clear-only
| An automatically calculated value indicating R128 Peak Level in dBTP (aka True Peak Level).

''See also:'' [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=82025.0]
|- id="Peak_Level_Sample"
| &nbsp;'''Peak Level (Sample)'''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Clear-only
| An automatically calculated value indicating R128 Peak Level inside the file.

''See also:'' [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=82025.0]
|- id="People"
| &nbsp;'''People''' <br />&nbsp;''people=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | List<br />List
| A semicolon-separated list of people associated with a work.
|- id="Period"
| &nbsp;'''Period'''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| A musical period, typically used with classical music.
|- id="Places"
| &nbsp;'''Places''' <br />&nbsp;''places=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | List<br />List
| A semicolon-separated list of places associated with a work.
|- id="Playback_Channel_Key"
| &nbsp;''Playback Channel Key''
| align="center" | TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Playback_Device"
| &nbsp;''Playback Device''
| align="center" | TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Playback_Info"
| &nbsp;'''Playback Info'''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| ''Description''
|- id="Playback_Range"
| &nbsp;'''Playback Range''' <br />&nbsp;''playbackrange=''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Specifies the begin and end times for A-B repeat.

''See also:'' [[Playback_Range_(A-B_Playback)|Playback Range (A-B Playback)]]
|- id="Popularity"
| &nbsp;'''Popularity'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Flexible popularity field (e.g. for web radio, '3123 listeners').
|- id="Preference"
| &nbsp;'''Preference''' <br />&nbsp;''preference=''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Legacy: Musicmatch subjective classification of a user's preference for a song.
|- id="Prequel"
| &nbsp;'''Prequel'''
| align="center" | Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | List<br />List
| The prequel to a movie.
|- id="Producer"
| &nbsp;'''Producer''' <br />&nbsp;''producer=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | List<br />List
| A semicolon-separated list of responsible producer(s)
|- id="Protection_Type"
| &nbsp;'''Protection Type''' <br />&nbsp;''protectiontype=''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| Indication of the type of DRM protection.
|- id="Publisher"
| &nbsp;'''Publisher'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| A work's publisher.
|- id="Rating"
| &nbsp;'''Rating''' <br />&nbsp;''rating=&nbsp;&nbsp;r=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />5 Star
| A 5-star user rating.
|- id="Read_Only"
| &nbsp;''Read Only'' <br />&nbsp;''readonly=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| Indicates if the file is read-only. <br />''Values:'' 0, 1
|- id="Recording_Rule_ID"
| &nbsp;''Recording Rule ID''
| align="center" | TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| An internal ID representing a TV recording rule.
|- id="Removable"
| &nbsp;'''Removable''' <br />&nbsp;''removable=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Calculated, Not editable
| Indicates if the file resides on removable media.

''Expression:'' IsRemovable()
|- id="Replay_Gain"
| &nbsp;'''Replay Gain''' <br />&nbsp;''replaygain=&nbsp;&nbsp;rg=''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Decimal<br />Clear-only
| An automatically calculated value indicating the gain to be applied to an audio track. Obsoleted in MC19.

''See also:'' [[Replay_Gain|Replay Gain]], [[Album_Gain|Album Gain]], [[Audio_Settings_and_Analysis|Audio Settings and Analysis]], [[Analyze_Audio|Analyze Audio]]
|- id="Rerun"
| &nbsp;'''Rerun'''
| align="center" | TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| Flag indicating if TV show is a rerun.
|- id="Rotation"
| &nbsp;'''Rotation'''
| align="center" | Image
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Standard
| The rotation (in degrees) applied to an image.
|- id="Sample_Rate"
| <h4 style="display: none;">S - U</h4>&nbsp;'''Sample Rate'''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| The rate of sampling for an audio/video file.
|- id="Screenwriter"
| &nbsp;'''Screenwriter''' <br />&nbsp;''screenwriter=''
| align="center" | Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | List<br />List
| The screenwriter responsible for a movie. Note: Libraries created prior to 16.0.152 will have the typo "screenwirter" as the keyword. This may be corrected freely.
|- id="Season"
| &nbsp;'''Season'''
| align="center" | Video TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| The season of a movie/video series.
|- id="Sequel"
| &nbsp;'''Sequel'''
| align="center" | Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | List<br />List
| The sequel to a movie.
|- id="Series"
| &nbsp;'''Series'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| The series information for a movie or TV show.
|- id="Series_Description"
| &nbsp;'''Series Description'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| A description of the series for a movie or TV show.
|- id="Service:_ID"
| &nbsp;''Service: ID''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Service:_Item_Info"
| &nbsp;''Service: Item Info''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Service:_Name"
| &nbsp;''Service: Name''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Service:_Stream_Metadata"
| &nbsp;''Service: Stream Metadata''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Shutter_Speed"
| &nbsp;'''Shutter Speed'''
| align="center" | Image
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| The shutter speed used to capture an image.

''See also:'' [[Photo_Tagging|Photo Tagging]]
|- id="Situation"
| &nbsp;'''Situation''' <br />&nbsp;''situation=''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Legacy: Musicmatch subjective choice of situations for when playing the song would be appropriate or relevant.
|- id="Skip_Count"
| &nbsp;'''Skip Count''' <br />&nbsp;''skipcount=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Clear-only
| An automatically updated statistic indicating the number of times a file has been skipped.

''See also:'' Last Skipped
|- id="Soloists"
| &nbsp;'''Soloists'''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | List<br />List
| A semicolon-separated list of soloists for a music work, typically used in classical music.
|- id="Stack_Conversion_Type"
| &nbsp;''Stack Conversion Type''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| Unknown, seems currently unused.
|- id="Stack_Files"
| &nbsp;''Stack Files''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| A list of internal IDs that reference each member of the stack. Set only in the stack's top member (auto-generated cache members will also have the ID).
|- id="Stack_Tag"
| &nbsp;'''Stack Tag''' <br />&nbsp;''stacktag=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| Used to indicate if file was generated via handheld cache conversion or the Particle system. <br />''<br />''Values:'''' HH Conversion, Particle or empty.
|- id="Stack_Top"
| &nbsp;''Stack Top''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| A unique numeric stack ID for each member of a stack, and -1 otherwise.
|- id="Stack_View"
| &nbsp;''Stack View''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| Determines if the stack is expanded (empty) or collapsed (1).
|- id="Store_Field:_Album_ID"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: Album ID''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Album_Popularity"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: Album Popularity''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Amg_Album_Review"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: Amg Album Review''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Amg_Artist_Bio"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: Amg Artist Bio''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Artist_ID"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: Artist ID''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Artist_Popularity"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: Artist Popularity''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Asset_Code"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: Asset Code''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Assosciated_Video_ID"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: Assosciated Video ID''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | List<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Available_Asset"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: Available Asset''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Download_Date"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: Download Date''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Date<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Genre_ID"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: Genre ID''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_License_Count"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: License Count''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_License_Reissue_Count"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: License Reissue Count''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_MP3_Available"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: MP3 Available''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_MusicNet_File_GUID"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: MusicNet File GUID''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_New_Release"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: New Release''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Number_of_Tracks"
| &nbsp;'''Store Field: Number of Tracks'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Playlist_Description"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: Playlist Description''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Playlist_Guid"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: Playlist Guid''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Playlist_Image"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: Playlist Image''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Playlist_Name"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: Playlist Name''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Playlist_Type"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: Playlist Type''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Purchase_Date"
| &nbsp;'''Store Field: Purchase Date'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Date<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Purchase_Description"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: Purchase Description''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Ranking"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: Ranking''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Similar_Artists"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: Similar Artists''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Store_Name"
| &nbsp;'''Store Field: Store Name'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Store_Field:_Track_ID"
| &nbsp;''Store Field: Track ID''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Studios"
| &nbsp;'''Studios''' <br />&nbsp;''studios=''
| align="center" | Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | List<br />List
| A semicolon-separated list of responsible movie studios.
|- id="Style"
| &nbsp;'''Style'''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| A musical style, typically used to further refine genre.
|- id="Tag_Line"
| &nbsp;'''Tag Line''' <br />&nbsp;''tagline=''
| align="center" | Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| A movie's branding or slogan.
|- id="Tempo"
| &nbsp;'''Tempo''' <br />&nbsp;''tempo=''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Legacy: Musicmatch subjective indication of a track's tempo.
|- id="Text"
| &nbsp;'''Text'''
| align="center" | Data
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| General text describing a data file.
|- id="TheTVDB_Series_ID"
| &nbsp;'''TheTVDB Series ID'''
| align="center" | Video TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Standard<br />Relational per-series
| The unique TVDB series identifier for video/tv lookups; use when performing '''Get Movie & TV Info''', backdrop artwork queries, etc.
|- id="Thumbnail_Info"
| &nbsp;''Thumbnail Info''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| Internal information used for view thumbnails.
|- id="Thumbnail_Info_Local"
| &nbsp;''Thumbnail Info (Local)''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| Internal information used for view thumbnails.
|- id="Thumbnail_Offset_Large"
| &nbsp;''Thumbnail Offset Large''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| Internal information used for view thumbnails.
|- id="Thumbnail_Offset_Medium"
| &nbsp;''Thumbnail Offset Medium''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| Internal information used for view thumbnails.
|- id="Thumbnail_Offset_Small"
| &nbsp;''Thumbnail Offset Small''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| Internal information used for view thumbnails.
|- id="Track"
| &nbsp;'''Track #''' <br />&nbsp;''tracknumber=&nbsp;&nbsp;t=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Standard
| The track number of the song within an album. When used as Thumbnail text, will be the total number of files for the grouping.
|- id="TV_Channel"
| &nbsp;'''TV Channel'''
| align="center" | TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| The TV channel used for a TV recording.

''See also:'' [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=48127.0]
|- id="TV_Channel_Number"
| &nbsp;'''TV Channel Number'''
| align="center" | TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Defines remote channel number used to tune TV Channel.

''See also:'' [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=48127.0]
|- id="TV_Tuner_Input_Type"
| &nbsp;'''TV Tuner Input Type'''
| align="center" | TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="TV_XMLTV_ID"
| &nbsp;'''TV XMLTV ID'''
| align="center" | TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Stores ID used when mapping a channel to XMLTV data.

''See also:'' [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=48127.0]
|- id="UPC"
| &nbsp;'''UPC'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Universal Product Code.
|- id="User"
| &nbsp;'''User''' <br />&nbsp;''u=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| align="center" | Unknown<br />List
| A list of users allowed to see/access the file.

''See also:'' [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=82733.0]
|- id="Usage_Reporting_Info"
| &nbsp;''Usage Reporting Info''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Not editable
| ''Description''
|- id="Use_Bookmarking"
| &nbsp;'''Use Bookmarking'''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| Specifies if bookmarking is active for the track / video. <br />''Values:'' Default, Yes, No
|- id="Video_Standard"
| <h4 style="display: none;">V - Z</h4>&nbsp;'''Video Standard'''
| align="center" | Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| The encoding/decoding video standard in use (e.g. NTSC, PAL, SECAM).
|- id="Volume_Name"
| &nbsp;'''Volume Name''' <br />&nbsp;''volume=''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| The name of the volume on which the file resides.

''Expression:'' FileVolume()
|- id="Volume_Level_R128"
| &nbsp;'''Volume Level (R128)'''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Decimal<br />Clear-only
| An automatically calculated value indicating R128 Volume Level.

''See also:'' [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=82025.0]
|- id="Volume_Level_ReplayGain"
| &nbsp;'''Volume Level (ReplayGain)'''
| align="center" | Audio Video
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Decimal<br />Clear-only
| An automatically calculated value for ReplayGain backwards compatibility.

''See also:'' [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=82025.0]
|- id="Web_Media_Info"
| &nbsp;'''Web Media Info'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| ''Description''
|- id="Web_Media_Search"
| &nbsp;'''Web Media Search'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| ''Description''
|- id="Web_Media_URL"
| &nbsp;'''Web Media URL'''
| align="center" | Audio Image Video Data TV
| &nbsp;'''&#10003;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Standard
| The URL of a remote media file, or for Scheduler recorded media, the value '''Recording...''' or '''Recorded Media'''.
|- id="Width"
| &nbsp;'''Width''' <br />&nbsp;''width=''
| align="center" | Image Video
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | Integer<br />Not editable
| The width dimension of an image/video (see also Dimensions above).
|- id="Year_-_Album"
| &nbsp;'''Year - Album'''
| align="center" | Audio
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| &nbsp;'''&nbsp;'''
| align="center" | String<br />Calculated, Not editable
| An combination of Year and Album used for views, sorting, etc.

''Expression:'' Clean(FormatDate([Date, ], Year) - [Album])
|}

==Custom Fields==
Custom fields may be added with the '''Add New Field''' button in the Tools > Options > Libraries & Folders > Manage Library Fields... dialog.

Custom fields can act as library-wide global values, to be used in expressions, as columns, etc.

Custom fields may be calculated expression fields, in that they will be evaluated when used. Storage for calculated fields does not add additional library storage per file, since they are evaluated when used. If configured to be default search fields, calculated fields will produce some search performance penalty in search box suggestions, and possibly other library searches.

Values of calculated fields cannot be stored in file tags.

== Tag Import Options==
Media Center provides a few options for the importation of tags for some file types. These encoder-specific options are available under Tools > Options > Encoding > Encoder > Encoder settings... (pre-MC18, see Plug-in Manager > Input).

For images and video, Media Center will fill in the Album field with the year of the image or video (if the album field is otherwise empty). This puts a reasonable value there when importing directly from a digital camera. (TBD - should this be moved? Is it comprehensive wrt other types/fields?)


To import non-default file tags into Media Center, first create a custom field named ''exactly'' as the physical tag appears in the media file. Subsequent imports, or Update library (from tags) will populate the custom field with the file tag values. A [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=59513.msg430491#msg430491 tag dump] will show the physical file tags for a single selected file.
To import non-default file tags into Media Center, first create a custom field named ''exactly'' as the physical tag appears in the media file. Subsequent imports, or Update library (from tags) will populate the custom field with the file tag values. A [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=59513.msg430491#msg430491 tag dump] will show the physical file tags for a single selected file.


==Classical Music==
==More==
The tagging of classical music is unfortunately more complex and standards are lax. See [[Tagging Classical Music]].


* [[Tagging]]
==Photos==
* [[Update Tags When File Info Changes]]
For more comprehensive information on tagging photos, see [[Photo Tagging]].

==More==
* Note: Work in Progress. See [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=65761.0 this thread for details].
* [[Check if a file contains tag information]]
* [[Edit File Properties (tags)]]
* [[Save File Properties in Disk Files]]
* [[Remove Tags]]
* [[Sync the database and tags]]
* [[Licensed Files (Windows Media Manager)]]
* [[Licensed Files (Windows Media Manager)]]
* [[Multiple Artist Albums]]
* [[Multiple Artist Albums]]
* [[Re-rip existing music and keep tags and statistics]]
* [[Tree & View Settings]]
* [[Tree & View Settings]]
* [[Library Tools]]
* [[Library Tools]]
* [[Cover Art]]
* [[Cover Art]]
* [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=62389.0]
* [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=62389.0 Field to ID3 Mappings]


For more information on tag/metadata specifications for file formats, refer to the following external websites:

* mp3: [http://www.id3.org]
* Vorbis/FLAC: [http://xiph.org/vorbis/doc/v-comment.html]
* exif: ...
* jpg: ...
* ...


[[Category:Frequently Asked Questions]]
[[Category:Frequently Asked Questions]]

Latest revision as of 11:17, 12 May 2024

Media Center helps you manage, organize and view your files by maintaining a collection of metadata fields, or properties, about each file in the Library. These properties are called Library Fields (or often just Fields). Library Fields are managed in the Library Fields Manager available via:

Tools > Options > Library & Folders > Manage Library Fields

Some examples of Library Fields are:

  • [Artist], [Album] and [Genre] for audio files
  • [Actor], [Director], and [Aspect Ratio] for movies
  • [Series], [Season], and [Episode] for TV show episodes
  • [Width], [Height], [Caption], and [Focal Length] for images.
  • [Media Type], [Media Sub Type], [File Type], and [Name] for all file types.

When used in expressions or searches, a field is usually written by surrounding its name with square brackets, as shown above. So, Album Artist is written and used as [Album Artist], and that convention is used here on the Wiki and generally on Interact.

Fields are the main system that Media Center uses to manage, search, sort, and organize files. It is how Media Center shows Audio files under the Audio part of the Tree, and Video files under the video part of the Tree, and are the fundamental underlying structure that makes features like Media Views, Smartlists, Play Doctor, and Automatic Metadata Lookup work.

Fields, Properties, and Tags

The terms properties, fields, and tags are sometimes used synonymously in common language. Generally, we use the terms in the following manner:

  • Fields: each of the database "columns" MC uses to store metadata for each file (the idea of [Artist], [Genre], or [Series])
  • Properties (or Values): the individual characteristic stored for an actual file (ABBA, Disco, or The Big Bang Theory).
  • Tags: the pieces of metadata that are embedded within the files themselves, where possible (the stuff written to the files for interchange with other applications).

It might help to think of a spreadsheet, where column headers are fields, rows are files, and each individual cell's values are the file's properties. If each row were saved to an external file, the row's cells would be called tags.

Initially, a file's Fields are filled with default values when the file is Imported or created by Media Center (e.g. when ripping a CD or DVD). Typically, this data comes from a file's internal tags, information you enter when ripping a disc, or is looked up from external databases (YADB and the Automatic Metadata Lookup system for videos). In addition, several Library Tools are available to assist in creating or modifying properties and tags.

File Tags

For many file types, Media Center can also save the Library Fields into the tags within the file on disk. These tags are then available for use by other programs that support the specific file types, and can serve as a backup in case your Media Center Library is damaged or lost. The tags supported by a given file type are file type-specific, but there is often commonality or overlap in various media or file formats. Media Center helps manage this by automatically mapping its own Fields to essentially similar tags with different names in the various standard tagging formats.

For more information on tag/metadata specifications for file formats, refer to the following external websites:

In addition, Media Center allows creation of an almost limitless number of custom (or user) Fields. This allows for managing information about files that is not predefined by Media Center or by a given format's standard tags. These custom properties may also be saved to a file's tags, should the format support user-defined or extensible tags.

Saving file properties to the physical file allows tags to be re-imported by Media Center, and used by other programs on a variety of systems. While typical metadata consumes a trivial amount of extra disk storage (relative to the file's size), larger metadata such as cover art, lyrics or extensive notes may be more noticeable, especially when files are exported to smaller devices such as handhelds. See Update Tags When File Info Changes for more information.

Predefined and Custom Fields

See also: Predefined Library Fields

Media Center includes a number of predefined Fields, and you can add as many of your own custom fields as you'd like! To view and manage the Fields currently available in your Library, use the Library Field Manager available at Tools > Options > Library & Folders > Manage Library Fields. A few of the predefined Library Fields have special meanings or behaviors in MC. These include:

  • Media Type: The primary media type categories (Audio, Images, Video, and Data).
  • Media Sub Type: The secondary media type categories (Audiobook, Music, Podcast, TV Show, Movie, etc)
  • Album Artist (Auto): Used to automatically display the [Album Artist] or [Artist] fields for multi-artist albums.
  • [The TVDB Series ID], [Series], [Season], and [Episode]: Used for Automatic Metadata Lookup of TV Show episodes.
  • [Date], [Date (day)], [Date (month)], [Date (year)]: The primary [Date] field is automatically split into individual components so they can easily be used independently.
  • [Last Played], [Number Plays], [Last Skipped], [Skip Count]: Used to track Play Statistics.
  • [Bookmark] and [Use Bookmarking]: Used for the Bookmarking (automatic playback resume) system.

In the Library Field Manager, you can view but not modify most of the settings for the Predefined fields. However, for most of them you can toggle whether MC should save them to in-file tags, and modify the search keywords and behavior. For more information about which predefined fields are included and other details, refer to the Predefined Library Fields article.

As mentioned above, you can also create a nearly limitless array of custom fields to store any information about your files you can dream up. Custom fields may be added with the Add New Field button in the Manage Library Fields dialog. You can add both standard fields that look and act just like the predefined fields, and also calculated fields, that output the value of an Expression on the fly whenever displayed.

Field Characteristics

Fields in Media Center have several defined characteristics. You can view how the built-in fields are configured, and manage the settings for any custom fields you have created, using the Manage Library Fields dialog available at Tools > Options > Library & Folders > Manage Library Fields.

Library Fields2.png

Each field has the following characteristics (Note these are current as of Media Center 28):

  1. Name: The internal name actually given to the field in the Library. This cannot be changed for any field created, and is the text to be used in square bracket notation references to the field.
  2. Display: This is the name (and its pluralized version) that will be used used throughout the user interface. By default this matches the field's real name, but this can be modified to make it look nicer for display.
  3. Description: Optionally enter a description for custom fields here. This description will also show as a tooltip for the list column header.
  4. Flags: Indicates what Media Types the field is available for use with (Audio, Image, Video, Data, TV).
  5. Hidden: Available for user fields only, when checked, hides it, and adds the field to the hidden field list.
  6. Field Type: Sets the field to either a standard field (user data) or one automatically generated based on an expression (calculated data).
  7. Data Type: The kind of data the field contains (text string, integer, date, etc).
  8. Relational: Stores a single value for each file, each series, each album, or each artist.
  9. Edit Type: Sets how the field is displayed and edited in Media Center's interface.
  10. Acceptable Values: This can be set to a semicolon-delimited list, which limits the field so it can only contain one of the listed values and not free-form text (Note: no spaces after the semicolons).
  11. Save in file tags (when possible): If enabled, Media Center will attempt to write the field value to the in-file tags.
  12. Show a link checkbox: Linkable columns can be enabled/disabled at Options>General>Features. When that is enabled, this checkbox allows the user control over what is linkable and what is not.
  13. Allow custom data to override the expression: Available in Media Center 28 and later, when checked, the calculated data field becomes editable, either in-line or via the tag window, with any entered data replacing the calculated data. To return to using the calculated result, simply delete the manually entered data.
  14. Search keywords: Used in queries as abbreviated or alternate names for the field.
  15. Default search field: Sets the field to be searched by default when simple searches are entered in the search box.

Field Types

When fields are created, they can be one of two main types:

  • User Data
  • Calculated Data

User Data Fields are standard fields which contain a value provided by the user or intrinsic to the file. Values for User Data fields are stored directly in the Library (database) and (optionally) in the embedded file tags as well.

Calculated Data Fields are fields that are automatically calculated on the fly. They output the value of an Expression which is defined in the Manage Library Fields dialog. The value is recalculated on the fly each time the value is accessed or displayed. A calculated field can be thought of as a way to "save" a useful Expression and allow it to be named and used like any other Field.

Storage for calculated fields does not add additional library storage per file, since they are evaluated when used. If configured to be default search fields, calculated fields will produce some search performance penalty in search box suggestions, and possibly other library searches. The values of calculated fields cannot be stored in file tags. Also, in versions earlier than Media Center 28, since Calculated Fields always output the value of the expression, they act like read-only fields throughout Media Center. Using Media Center 28 or later however, it is possible, providing the option detailed above is checked, to override the calculated results by editing the field in the normal fashion. Most of the other settings about the field are disabled. However, you are still able to modify the Edit Type so that you can create a calculated field that displays as Stars or a Checkbox when displayed. Expressions output string values by default, but if you need an expression to output a different data type, you can define this in the expression itself (see Expression Language Data Types for more information).

Data Types

Fields can store different types of data, such as strings of text or integers. For User Data fields, this is set with the Data Type dropdown in the Manage Library Fields dialog, and can be one of the following types:

Field Data Types
Data Type Description
String An unformatted sequence of characters.
Integer A whole number (no decimal portion).
Decimal A floating point number.
Percentage A decimal from 0 to 1 indicating 0% to 100%.
List A semicolon-separated list of strings.
Date A complex type that is either date-only, or date and time.

Relational Fields

Most fields store one discreet value for each file stored in the Library. However, Relational fields allow you to instead store a single value for all files from a particular Album, Series, or Artist. So, if the value of a relational field is changed for one file in a set, then the value is simultaneously changed for all files in that set. In all other aspects, these fields work identically to normal fields.

An example of this is the built-in [The TVDB Series ID] field, which stores one value for each Series. This is used by the Automatic Metadata Lookup system for TV Show episodes. When the lookup occurs, the system saves the Series ID from thetvdb.com to this field, and then future lookups for any additional episode of that same series search for this ID number instead of the text [Series] name value. That lets you save files in your Library using a different naming scheme for a particular Series than thetvdb.com prefers, without having to manually look up each and every episode to have good metadata.

You can make your own relational fields and store a value keyed off of:

  • [Artist]
  • [Album]
  • [Series]

At this time it is not possible to key a relational field off of any other arbitrary or user-defined fields in the Library.

Field Edit Types

A field's Edit Type controls how it is displayed and how it can be edited throughout the application. Most fields use the Standard Edit Type, which displays a simple text string and allows you to edit it in a text box, with a drop-down menu providing the values available in other files in the Library.

But other fields have special behavior. [Lyrics] is a Large Value field, and opens in a full-height text editor, allowing you to add paragraphs and returns. [Ratings], on the other hand, shows 5 stars that you can click on to modify the current rating. Other values are read-only or clear-only, are treated as lists, or handle filenames. The full list of Edit Types available are:

Field Edit Types
Edit Type Description
Standard A free-format, editable field.
Clear-only A field that can only be cleared, and not set manually within Media Center.
Large Value A free-format, editable field, used for multi-line text (e.g. lyrics, notes, descriptions).
Cannot be edited A non-editable field.
Filename A file-path specification field.
Five stars A selectable, 5-star graphical field, typically used for ratings.
DVD video info Used internally.
List List fields display using the list-type editors in the Tag Action Window and Panes.
Check Check fields display with a check box that sets a 1 value when checked, and a 0 value when unchecked.
Ten Stars A selectable, 10-star graphical field, typically used for ratings.

Field Values

Field values are stored in the Library. They can be viewed and edited in a variety of ways. Everywhere in Media Center you see information about your files, it is displaying the values of fields. Also, the entire Media View system itself is driven by the values of fields. For example, the reason that, when you open the Audio part of the Tree, it displays your audio files, and not your image or video files, is because the Audio Media View searches for files where the [Media Type] field is set to Audio.

When you view your files in details view or navigate using Categories or Panes, the program is displaying the contents of various fields like [Artist], [Album], and [Genre].

The process of editing field values to apply metadata to your files is called Tagging. It is essential to fill in at least some of the basic fields in order to make the most of Media Center, because so many of the powerful tools are built on the flexible metadata system (including Media Views, Smartlists, and Search functions). To this end, MC includes a number of powerful Library Tools which can be used to quickly and painlessly apply metadata to your files, even if the proper details aren't picked up automatically at import. For more information, refer to the Tagging article.

Square Bracket Notation

As mentioned above we refer to fields throughout this wiki using a notation surrounded by square brackets like so:

[Some Field Name]

This is a shortcut for the Field() function of the Expression Language, and is the standard notation used whenever you need to substitute the value of a field. It is used throughout the Expression Language and Search Language and in many other places throughout the application. Media Center will parse this notation for all fields (including custom fields) and substitute in the values of that field on the fly for each file.

Note that square bracket notation always evaluates to the values of the field, and is not used to refer to the field itself. This is an important distinction when using some expression language and search functions such as GroupCount() and ~expand. Refer to this thread for Matt's explanation.

Formatted, Raw & Referenced Values

By default, Media Center formats the output of the field and displays it in a friendly, human-readable way. However, you can provide an optional parameter to any field you reference using standard square bracket field notation that controls whether the output is the "regular" formatted value (the default) or the raw value actually stored in the Library:

  • [Some Field,0] : Outputs raw value from the database.
  • [Some Field,1] : Outputs formatted value. This is the default so is equivalent to [Some Field].
  • [Some Field, 1, 1653] : Outputs formatted value of the field Some Field for the file referenced by the FileKey() 1653.

This parameter corresponds to the bFormatted parameter of the Get() function in the COM API, and the parameter available for the field() function in the Expression Language.

A simple example is numeric fields, such as [Track #]. When these fields are set to 0, then they display blank when viewed. If you want [Track #] to actually output these zeroes (to do math on them in an Expression, perhaps) you need to use [Track #,0] instead. Another example is Date values, which are stored internally as floating point numbers, and to see the "real" value you need to set the bFormatted parameter to zero.

Tag Import Options

When you Import a file, Media Center will automatically fill the corresponding fields for many standard Tags and store these in the Library. It also calculates a number of characteristics about the files and imports these into the Library (file size, encoding type, etc).

To import non-default file tags into Media Center, first create a custom field named exactly as the physical tag appears in the media file. Subsequent imports, or Update library (from tags) will populate the custom field with the file tag values. A tag dump will show the physical file tags for a single selected file.

More