View source for String Manipulation Functions

{{Function Type Page}}

The functions in this section are used primarily to manipulate strings.  Since the Media Center expression language is primarily string-oriented, these functions provide a means to manipulate field values or the output from other expressions.

=== <span id="Clean">Clean(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Clean a string to be used for various operations.

{{function description box
| name=Clean
| arguments=string, mode
| description=
{{argument optional}}
The [[#Clean|Clean()]] function is generally used to sanitize a <i>string</i> by stripping empty brackets, remove superfluous dash characters, eliminate leading or trailing articles, or replace filesystem-illegal characters. It is typically employed before some operation such as Rename to clean the product of joining various fields, some of which may be empty, or to produce filesystem-safe filenames. However, It may be used for a variety of purposes.

{{argument table
| name=mode
| contents=
{{argument table row|0|Removes empty () and [], superfluous dash (-) and whitespace characters and sometimes comma (be careful).}}
{{argument table row|1|Removes the article 'the' from the beginning and ', the' from the end.}}
{{argument table row|2|Removes any article (a, an, the, etc.) from the beginning and end.}}
{{argument table row|3|Replaces each filesystem-illegal character {{monospace|\ / : * ? " < > |}} with an underscore {{monospace|<nowiki>_</nowiki>}}, and replaces each unprintable character with a space.}}
{{argument table row|4|Replaces each filesystem-illegal character, '''allowing backslashes''', {{monospace|/ : * ? " < > |}} with an underscore {{monospace|<nowiki>_</nowiki>}}, and replaces each unprintable character with a space.}}
{{argument table row|5|Standardises quotes, replacing “ and ” with " and also, ‘ and ’ with '}}
{{argument table row|6|Removes numbers from the start.}}
{{argument table row|7|Removes numbers from the end.}}
{{argument table row|8|Removes numbers from the either side.}}
}}
| examples=
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>clean([album] - [date])</nowiki>}}'''
: The concatenation of [Album] - [Date] may leave a dangling <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;"> - </span> <i>string</i> when date is empty.  [[#Clean|Clean()]] in the default <i>mode</i> removes this dangling <i>string</i>.
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>clean(The Beatles, 1)</nowiki>}}'''
: For sorting or grouping purposes, it is often desirable to remove the leading article <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">The</span> from a <i>string</i>. [[#Clean|Clean()]] in <i>mode</i> 1 provides a convenient solution, and in this example produces <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">Beatles</span>.
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>clean(AC//DC: Back In Black, 3)</nowiki>}}'''
: When an expression is to be used to produce a filename, filesystem-illegal characters must be removed or converted to legal characters.  [[#Clean|Clean()]] in <i>mode</i> 3 will convert such characters into safe underscores.  This example would produce the filesystem-safe value of <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">AC_DC_ Back In Black</span>.
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>clean(\//:*?"&lt;&gt;|, 3)</nowiki>}}'''
: This trivial example demonstrates how all filesystem-illegal characters are converted to underscores, producing the nine-character output <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">_________</span> which consists entirely of underscores.
}}

=== <span id="Extract">Extract(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Returns a portion of a string bounded by another substring

{{function description box
| name=Extract
| arguments=Mode, SourceString, String1, String2
| description=
The [[#Extract|Extract()]] function allows for easy extraction of a portion of a SourceString based on surrounding strings. This is a task that would typically require the use [[regex()|Regular Expressions]] to achieve. ''Extract()'' allows for a much simpler, easier to follow and understand path to success for all, especially for those (the majority of us?) that find regular expressions a little overwhelming.

Mode ''must'' be specified as there is no default.

{{argument table
| name=mode
| contents=
{{argument table row|1|Returns everything up to, and including, ''String1''}}
{{argument table row|2|Returns everything up to, but ''not'' including, ''String1''}}
{{argument table row|3|Returns everything after, and including, ''String1''}}
{{argument table row|4|Returns everything after, but ''not'' including, ''String1''}}
{{argument table row|5|Returns everything between, and including, ''String1'' and ''String2''}}
{{argument table row|6|Returns everything between, but ''not'' including, ''String1'' and ''String2''}}
}}

: All of the modes above are '''case-insensitive'''. If case sensitivity is desired, add 100 to the chosen mode value.
: ''SourceString'' can be a library field, an expression result, or a literally given string.
: ''String1'', like ''Mode'', is always required, and can be a library field, an expression result, or a literally given string.
: ''String2'' is only required when using modes 5, 6, 105 or 106, and can be a library field, an expression result, or a literally given string.


| examples=
'''Mode 2 - "Everything up to, but not including"'''
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>Extract(2,[Name], in)</nowiki>}}'''<br>Where ''[Name]'' is <span style="color: blue;">''Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068: 1. Ouverture''</span>, this returns: Orchestral Suite No. 3


'''Mode 6 - "Everything between, but not including"'''

'''{{monospace|<nowiki>Extract(6,[Name],-==,==-)</nowiki>}}'''<br>Where ''[Name]'' is <span style="color: blue;">''String Quartet No. 11 in F minor Op. 95 -==Serioso==- I. Allegro con brio''</span>, this returns: Serioso


'''Mode 3 - "Everything after, and including"'''

'''{{monospace|<nowiki>Extract(3,[Filename],[Composer])</nowiki>}}'''<br>Where ''[Filename]'' is <span style="color: blue;">''<nowiki>\\NAS\Share1\Music\CD\Bach\Flac\Concertos for Orchestra\Concerto for 2 Harpsichords - BWV 1062: I. Vivace</nowiki>''</span> and ''[Composer]'' is <span style="color: blue;">''Bach''</span>, this returns:<br>Bach\Flac\Concertos for Orchestra\Concerto for 2 Harpsichords - BWV 1062: I. Vivace


'''Mode 104 - "Everything after, but not including, <u>with case-sensitivity</u>"'''

'''{{monospace|<nowiki>Extract(104,Nocturne OP9 NO2,NO)</nowiki>}}'''<br>Returns: 2

}}

=== <span id="Find">Find(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Finds a string or character in another string, returning its zero-based position in that string.

{{function description box
| name=Find
| arguments=Search, Find, Start, Flags
| description=
{{argument optional|Start|0}}
{{argument optional|Flags|0}}

: ''"Search"'' is the string to be searched and can be a literal given string, library field, or nested expression result.
: ''"Find"'' is the character or string you wish to locate within the ''"Search"'' value.
: ''"Start"'' specifies numerically, where in the string the function should begin working. '''<i>This is ignored if searching from the end of the string</i>'''.
: ''"Flags"'' has three available values... 0 performs a case-insensitive search from the start of the string, 1 performs a case sensitive search from the start of the string and 2 performs a case '''<i>in</i>'''sensitive search from the '''<i>end</i>''' of the string. These can be combined, so, a ''"Flags"'' value of 3 would perform a case sensitive search from the end of the string.

If no match is found, the function returns a value of -1

Regardless of where in ''"Search"'' ''"Start"'' is initiated, the result is always zero-based, counting from the first character in ''"Search"''.

When a match is found, the result returned is 'zero-based', meaning that if the result is zero, that points to the first character in ''"Search"''. This means that results will be compatible for use in combination with other zero-based functions, such as [[Mid()]], for example.

| examples=
'''{{monospace|Find(John LenNon, N, 0, 0)}}'''
: A case insensitive search for N, from the start, where "J" is counted as zero. The result is "3"
'''{{monospace|Find(John LenNon, N, 4, 0)}}'''
: A case insensitive search for N, from the fourth character from the start, in this case, the space after "John", where "J" is counted as zero. The result is "7", the first "N" in LenNon.
'''{{monospace|Find(John LenNon, N, 4, 2)}}'''
: A case insensitive search for N, from the end of the string. The result is "10", the last "N" in LenNon.
'''{{monospace|Find(John LenNon, N, 9, 3)}}'''
: A case sensitive search for N, from the end of the string. The result is "8", the only "N" in LenNon. Note that start position is ignored.
}}

=== <span id="FixCase">FixCase(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Changes the case of a given string.

{{function description box
| name=FixCase
| arguments=string, mode
| description=
{{argument optional}}
The [[#FixCase|FixCase()]] function will convert the supplied text <i>string</i> according to the specified <i>mode</i>.
{{argument table
| name=mode
| contents=
{{argument table row|0|Title Case}}
{{argument table row|1|All words}}
{{argument table row|2|First word}}
{{argument table row|3|All uppercase}}
{{argument table row|4|All lowercase}}
{{argument table row|5|All words (preserve existing capitalization)}}
}}
| examples=
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>fixcase(enjoy the silence)</nowiki>}}'''
: The default <i>mode</i> 0 is used, so the output is: <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">Enjoy the Silence</span>.
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>fixcase(enjoy the silence, 1)</nowiki>}}'''
: Using <i>mode</i> 1, all words are uppercased, so the output is: <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">Enjoy The Silence</span>.
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>fixcase(MY ALbUm IS cAlLeD: adam, 4)</nowiki>}}'''
: Outputs: <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">my album is called: adam</span>.
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>fixcase(MY ALbUm IS cAlLeD: adam, 5)</nowiki>}}'''
: Using ''mode'' 5, the initial character of each word is uppercased, but other existing capitalization is preserved, so the output is: {{monospace|MY ALbUm IS CAlLeD: Adam}}.
}}

=== <span id="FixSpacing">FixSpacing(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Intelligently splits adjacent camel-cased words.

{{function description box
| name=FixSpacing
| arguments=string, mode
| description=
{{argument optional|mode|1}}
The [[#FixSpacing|FixSpacing()]] function inserts spaces between adjacent camel-cased words in <i>string</i>. It is useful for helping to clean and convert metadata that favors compactness over standard sentence structure.
{{argument table
| name=mode
| contents=
{{argument table row|0|Disables conversion}}
{{argument table row|1|Enables camel-case conversion}}
}}
| examples=
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>fixspacing(OneWorld)</nowiki>}}'''
: Outputs <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">One World</span>.
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>fixspacing([name], 1)</nowiki>}}'''
: Outputs the name field with any camel-case converted into standard sentence structure. If the value of name was, <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">MiracleOn34thStreet</span>, the output would be <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">Miracle On 34th Street</span>.
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>fixspacing(Another [name])</nowiki>}}'''
: Assuming the same [name] as above, this would return <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">Another Miracle On 34th Street</span>.
}}

=== <span id="Hexify">Hexify(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Hexifies a string to make it suitable for web usage.

{{function description box
| name=Hexify
| arguments=string
| description=
The [[#Hexify|Hexify()]] function URI encodes a <i>string</i> to make it useable by a browser or search engine. [[#Hexify|Hexify()]] is typically used by expressions generating or working on URLs in Media Center's [[Link Manager]].
| examples=
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>hexify(Oasis - /(What's The Story/) Morning Glory?)</nowiki>}}'''
: The result is <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">Oasis%20-%20%28What%27s%20The%20Story%29%20Morning%20Glory%3F</span>.
}}

=== <span id="Left">Left(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Retrieves a specified number of characters from the left of a string.

{{function description box
| name=Left
| arguments=string, quantity
| description=
The [[#Left|Left()]] function retrieves no more than <i>quantity</i> characters from the left of the <i>string</i>.
| examples=
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>left([filename], 3)</nowiki>}}'''
: Return the Windows drive letter, colon and first back-slash from the filename (for filenames beginning with a windows drive letter).
}}

=== <span id="Length">Length(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Returns the number of characters in a string.

{{function description box
| name=Length
| arguments=string
| description=
The [[#Length|Length()]] function returns the number of characters contained in <i>string</i>.
| examples=
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>length(A Simple Plan)</nowiki>}}'''
: Returns 13.
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>if(compare(length([filename]), &gt;=, 68), Long, Short)</nowiki>}}'''
: The length of the filename is calculated, and compared against 68, outputting <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">Long</span> when the length is greater than or equal to 68, and <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">Short</span> otherwise.
}}

=== <span id="Letter">Letter(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Returns the starting letter or letters of a given string.

{{function description box
| name=Letter
| arguments=string, number, mode
| description=
{{argument optional|number|1}}
{{argument optional|mode|0}}
The [[#Letter|Letter()]] function returns the starting letter or letters of a given <i>string</i>, which can be given literally or as a library field. The function's ''mode'' defaults to "Ignore Articles", and for this, it uses the existing, user managed articles list. It also defaults to "number grouping", meaning that if the first character is a number, regardless of that number, a hash (#) is returned. ''Number'' specifies the number of starting characters to return, and defaults to one.
{{argument table
| name=mode
| contents=
{{argument table row|0|Ignore articles and group numbers}}
{{argument table row|1|Do not group numbers, return the actual number. Articles are ignored.}}
{{argument table row|2|Do not ignore articles, but perform number grouping}}
{{argument table row|3|Do not ignore articles and do not group numbers}}

These modes are useful when working with a selection of multiple files that may have a mix of articles and numbers and allow you to achieve whichever combination of results you require.
}}
| examples=
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>letter(10CC)</nowiki>}}'''
: Returns #.
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>letter(10CC,2)</nowiki>}}'''
: Returns ##.
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>letter(10CC,2,1)</nowiki>}}'''
: Returns 10.
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>letter(The Band,2)</nowiki>}}'''
: Returns Ba.
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>letter(The Band,2,3)</nowiki>}}'''
: Returns Th.
}}

=== <span id="Mid">Mid(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Retrieves specified characters from a string.

{{function description box
| name=Mid
| arguments=string, start position, quantity, mode
| description=
{{argument optional|start position|0}}
{{argument optional|quantity|1}}
{{argument optional}}
By default, the [[#Mid|Mid()]] function returns a specified <i>quantity</i> of characters from the <i>start position</i> in <i>string</i>.
It is also possible to return characters between two indices by specifying that the function operates in ''mode 1''. When mode 1 is specified, ''quantity'' is taken as the end index and the function will return all characters from ''start'', up to, but not including, ''end''.

The <i>start position</i> is 0-based (i.e. the first character is considered position 0). A quantify of -1 returns all characters from the start positionning to the end of <i>string</i>.
| examples=
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>mid(12345)</nowiki>}}'''
: Returns <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">1</span>, using is the default <i>quantity</i> (1) of characters from the default <i>start position</i> of (0 - the beginning of the <i>string</i>).
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>mid(12345, 1, 2)</nowiki>}}'''
: Returns 2 characters beginning at <i>start position</i> 1, which is <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">23</span>.
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>mid(12345, 1, 3, 1)</nowiki>}}'''
: '''''Mode 1''''' has been specified here, therefore, this returns characters from <i>start position</i> 1, up to, but not including, end position 3, which is <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">23</span>.
'''Additional Examples:'''
* [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=52809.0 An example that uses Mid() to re-order a date field.]
* [http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=75891.0 An example that uses Mid() to output a number of stars based on an arbitrary rating value.]
}}

=== <span id="MoveArticles">MoveArticles(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Takes "The Beatles" and reverses it to "Beatles, The"

{{function description box
| name=MoveArticles
| arguments=string
| description=
The [[#MoveArticles|MoveArticles()]] function is similar to the Swap() function, except that it operates on strings with prefixed articles (such as "The Beatles" or "A Flock of Seagulls".)
| examples=
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>MoveArticles(The Beatles)</nowiki>}}'''
: Moves the article to the end of the name <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">Beatles, The</span>.
}}

=== <span id="NoArticles">NoArticles(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Takes "The Beatles" and returns "Beatles".

{{function description box
| name=NoArticles
| arguments=string
| description=
{{argument table
| name=string
| contents=
{{argument table row|String|Can be given literally, or refenced via library field or other expression.}}
}}
Using the user defined list of articles found in Media Center options at "Tree & View > Sorting", the [[#NoArticles|NoArticles()]] function removes any articles from a given string.
| examples=
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>NoArticles([Artist])</nowiki>}}'''
: Returns the artist with any articles in the user defined list removed.
}}

=== <span id="PadLeft">PadLeft(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Pads any given string to the left, with any given amount of any given character.

{{function description box
| name=PadLeft
| arguments=value, characters, padding
| description=
{{argument optional|padding|" " (space)}}

: '''Value''' is the value you wish to pad. This can be given literally, or sourced from a given library field.
: '''Characters''' is required and specifies how much padding is to be applied.
: '''Padding''' is the string you wish to pad with. This can be given literally, or sourced from a given library field. If not specified, this will default to a single space.

''See also: [[PadNumber()]]''

| examples=
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>PadLeft(1,3)</nowiki>}}'''
: Returns: "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1" (without the quotes). No padding value has been specified, therefore, the function pads with spaces by default.

'''{{monospace|<nowiki>PadLeft(1,3,0)</nowiki>}}'''
: Returns: 0001

'''{{monospace|<nowiki>PadLeft(1,3,Padding-)</nowiki>}}'''
: Returns: Padding-Padding-Padding-1
}}

=== <span id="PadRight">PadRight(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Pads any given string to the right, with any given amount of any given character.

{{function description box
| name=PadRight
| arguments=value, characters, padding
| description=
{{argument optional|padding|" " (space)}}

: '''Value''' is the value you wish to pad. This can be given literally, or sourced from a given library field.
: '''Characters''' is required and specifies how much padding is to be applied.
: '''Padding''' is the string you wish to pad with. This can be given literally, or sourced from a given library field. If not specified, this will default to a single space.

''See also: [[PadNumber()]]''

| examples=
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>PadRight(1,3)</nowiki>}}'''
: Returns: "1&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;" (without the quotes). No padding value has been specified, therefore, the function pads with spaces by default.

'''{{monospace|<nowiki>PadRight(1,3,0)</nowiki>}}'''
: Returns: 1000

'''{{monospace|<nowiki>PadRight(1,3,Padding-)</nowiki>}}'''
: Returns: 1Padding-Padding-Padding-
}}

=== <span id="Regex">Regex(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Regular expression pattern matching and capture.

{| style="width: 100%; border-spacing: 0; border: 0px solid black;" align="top" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"
|- id="Regex" valign="top"
! scope="row" style="background: #ecedf3; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 2px 1px 0 2px; border-right: 1px solid #bbb;" width="100" | Description
| style="background: #f9f9f9; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 2px 2px 0 0" width="1200" | <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em; color:#0f3f8d; font-size:110%"><b>regex(</b><i>string</i><b>, </b><i>regexp</i><b>, </b><i>run mode</i><b>, </b><i>case sensitivity</i><b>)</b></span>
The [[#Regex|Regex()]] function performs regular expression (RE) pattern matching on a <i>string</i>.
The <i>string</i> is evaluated against the regular expression <i>regexp</i>, and <i>run mode</i> dictates the values output by [[#Regex|Regex()]].
The three modes allow for match testing, capture output, silent operation or return all captures in a semicolon delimited string.

Up to 9 match captures, one for each capture group, are placed into special variables referenced as [R1], [R2], ... [R9], which can be used in later in the expression.
The contents of the captures [R1] ... [R9] are available until the end of the expression, or [[#Regex|Regex()]] is run again, whereby they are replaced.

[[Regular expression syntax|Additional information]] is available regarding the full syntax and other implementation details.

Available <i>run mode</i> values:

<div style="margin-left: 20pt;"><table style="border-spacing:0px; border-collapse:collapse; background: #f9f9f9">
<tr><td style="text-align:left; padding-right:20pt"><b>0</b></td><td>Runs in Boolean test mode, returning either a 1 or 0, indicating whether the <i>string</i> matched (1) or did not match (0) the <i>regexp</i>. This <i>run mode</i> is useful within an [[#If|If()]] test, so that different true or false actions may be taken.</td></tr>
<tr><td style="text-align:left; padding-right:20pt"><b>1 to 9</b></td><td>Outputs the specified Nth capture group's contents, where N ranges from 1 to 9. Only a single capture is output in this mode, but all captures are available in the [R1] ... [R9] capture variables. This <i>run mode</i> is used to easily output a single matching sub-<i>string</i>.</td></tr>
<tr><td style="text-align:left; padding-right:20pt"><b>-1</b></td><td>Runs in silent mode, with no output being produced.  This <i>run mode</i> is useful as a means to capture portions of the <i>string</i> to be later used in subsequent portions of an expression.</td></tr>
<tr><td style="text-align:left; padding-right:20pt"><b>-2</b></td><td>Outputs all captures as a semi-colon delimited list.</td></tr>
</table></div>

The <i>case sensitivity</i> argument toggles the case-sensitivity of regular expression matching.
Note that case insensitivity does not apply to characters inside a character class <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">[ ]</span>.
Use both uppercase and lowercase characters when necessary to match either case (e.g. <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">[aAbB]</span> to match either uppercase or lowercase <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">A</span> or <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">B</span>).

Available <i>case sensitivity</i> values:

<div style="margin-left: 20pt;"><table style="border-spacing:0px; border-collapse:collapse; background: #f9f9f9">
<tr><td style="text-align:left; padding-right:20pt"><b>0</b></td><td>Ignore case when matching (e.g. the letters E and e are identical)</td></tr>
<tr><td style="text-align:left; padding-right:20pt"><b>1</b></td><td>Consider case when matching (e.g. the letters E and e are considered different)</td></tr>
</table></div>

The regular expression language assigns special meaning to many characters.
A few of these meta-characters, such as forward slash <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">/</span>, comma <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">,</span> and both <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">(</span> and <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">)</span> are also reserved and used by the Media Center expression language.
To force the Media Center expression engine to ignore the meta-characters in <i>regexp</i>, surround the entire regular expression with <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">/#</span> <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">#/</span>.
This is one of Media Center's escapements, which tells the expression engine to ignore everything inside, so that the entire, uninterpreted <i>regexp</i> can be provided to the [[#Regex|Regex()]] regular expression evaluator.
Although surrounding <i>regexp</i> by <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">/#</span> <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">#/</span> is not necessary or required when no conflicting characters are in use, and you may manually escape the expression languages meta-characters with a forward slash <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">/</span>, it is probably a safe practice to always encase every <i>regexp</i> within <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">/#</span> <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">#/</span>.

Argument <i>run mode</i> is optional (defaults to 0).
Argument <i>case sensitivity</i> is optional (defaults to 0).

'''Important Notes'''<br>
Proficient users of Regex should be aware of the following points regarding Media Center's implementation:
::'''1:''' The Regex() function will ONLY return results for things that are explicitly placed in a capture group, for example:
::''[\w\s]+'' is a recognised regular expression, however, in order for this to work in Media Center, it must be modified, like so: '''''('''[\w\s]+''')'''''
::Putting parens around it creates a capture group, and that is the only way MC will return a result.<br><br>
::'''2:''' All Regex() modes except ''-2'' will return exactly one result for each defined capture group.<br><br>
::'''3:''' Care must be taken when working with strings of indeterminate length, or lists with an indeterminate number of elements, as if you have more capture groups in your expression than there exist matches in the string, Regex() will return nothing at all.<br><br>
Regex mode ''-2'' was devised specifically to get around the above issues, without which, it would be almost impossible to deal with lists with a variable number of elements.

|- valign="top"
! scope="row" style="background: #ecedf3; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px 1px 2px 2px; border-top: 1px solid #bbb; border-right: 1px solid #bbb;" | Examples
|style="background: #f9f9f9; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px 2px 2px 0; border-top: 1px solid #bbb;" | <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;"><b><nowiki>ifelse(regex([name], /#^(the|an|a)\b#/, 0, 1), Fix your case!)</nowiki></b></span>
<p style="margin-left:20pt;">Searches the name field for any of the lowercase articles <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">the</span>, <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">and</span> and <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">a</span> at the beginning of name, and outputs <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">Fix your case!</span> when the match succeeds.
The <i>run mode</i> is 0 which is a test and capture mode, and <i>case sensitivity</i> is enabled.</p>
<span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;"><b><nowiki>if(regex([artist], /#([[:punct:]])#/, 0), [R1] --&gt; [Artist], No Punctuation)</nowiki></b></span>
<p style="margin-left:20pt;">Using the default mode 0, [[#Regex|Regex()]] will output a Boolean for use inside a conditional to cause some action to occur based on the match success or failure.
This example matches against the artist field looking for any punctuation character.
If the match succeeds (a punctuation character was found), that character is output followed by the <i>string</i> <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;"> --> </span> and the artist. In there was no match, the <i>string</i> <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">No Punctuation</span> is output.</p>
<span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;"><b><nowiki>regex(D03T02 some track.mp3, /#^D(\d+)T(\d+)#/, 1)Disc: [R1], Track: [R2]</nowiki></b></span>
<p style="margin-left:20pt;">The <i>string</i> is matched against the <i>regexp</i> that is looking for a <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">D</span> followed by any number of digits, followed by a <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">T</span> and then more digits.
Those digits were captured, and later used to output the value <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">Disc: 03, Track: 02</span>.</p>
<span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;"><b><nowiki>regex([filename (name)], /#^(\d+)-#/, -1)Track number is [R1]</nowiki></b></span>
<p style="margin-left:20pt;">Using <i>run mode</i> -1, the file's name is pattern tested against the <i>regexp</i> which is looking for leading digits followed by a dash.
Those digits are captured in buffer [R1] which is used later in the expression.  If the file name was <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">2-foo.mp3</span>, the output would be <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">Track number is 2</span>.</p>
<span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;"><b><nowiki>regex([filename], /#(\d{1,2})\.(\d{1,2}).(\d{4})#/, -1)[R3]//[R1]//[R2]</nowiki></b></span>
<p style="margin-left:20pt;">Matches and captures a date formatted as dd.mm.yyyy anywhere within the filename, and rearranges it in a standard format of yyyy/mm/dd.
Since <i>run mode</i> is -1, no output occurs.
However, captured match segments are made available for subsequent use.
The three captures, [R1], [R2] and [R3] are arranged in the textual output so that we get the desired year/month/day ordering, such as <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">2011/08/19</span>.</p>
<span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;"><b><nowiki>Regex([Actors],/#([\w\s\.]+(?=\s\[))#/,-2)</nowiki></b></span>
<p style="margin-left:20pt;">Where '''''[Actors]''''' is a semicolon delimited list of indeterminate length, and each list item contains the actor names followed by the character played in square brackets. For example:<br>
For an [Actors] field containing:<br><nowiki>F. Murray Abraham [Antonio Salieri];Tom Hulce [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart];Elizabeth Berridge [Constanze Mozart];Roy Dotrice [Leopold Mozart];Simon Callow [Emanuel Schikaneder];Christine Ebersole [Katerina Cavalieri];Jeffrey Jones [Emperor Joseph II];Barbara Bryne [Mrs. Weber]</nowiki>, this regular expression example will return:<br><br><nowiki>F. Murray Abraham;Tom Hulce;Elizabeth Berridge;Roy Dotrice;Simon Callow;Christine Ebersole;Jeffrey Jones;Barbara Bryne</nowiki></p>
|}
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=== <span id="RemoveCharacters">RemoveCharacters(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Removes a list of characters from a string.

{| style="width: 100%; border-spacing: 0; border: 0px solid black;" align="top" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"
|- id="RemoveCharacters" valign="top"
! scope="row" style="background: #ecedf3; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 2px 1px 0 2px; border-right: 1px solid #bbb;" width="100" | Description
| style="background: #f9f9f9; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 2px 2px 0 0" width="1200" | <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em; color:#0f3f8d; font-size:110%"><b>removecharacters(</b><i>string</i><b>, </b><i>character list</i><b>, </b><i>mode</i><b>)</b></span>
The [[#RemoveCharacters|RemoveCharacters()]] function will remove from <i>string</i> any characters in the <i>character list</i>.  The characters removed depend upon the <i>mode</i> specified.
The function operates in a case-sensitive manner.

Available <i>mode</i> values:

<div style="margin-left: 20pt;"><table style="border-spacing:0px; border-collapse:collapse; background: #f9f9f9">
<tr><td style="text-align:left; padding-right:20pt"><b>0</b></td><td>Remove all instances</td></tr>
<tr><td style="text-align:left; padding-right:20pt"><b>1</b></td><td>Remove from the beginning only</td></tr>
<tr><td style="text-align:left; padding-right:20pt"><b>2</b></td><td>Remove from the end only</td></tr>
<tr><td style="text-align:left; padding-right:20pt"><b>3</b></td><td>Remove from each end</td></tr>
</table></div>

Argument <i>mode</i> is optional (defaults to 0).

|- valign="top"
! scope="row" style="background: #ecedf3; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px 1px 2px 2px; border-top: 1px solid #bbb; border-right: 1px solid #bbb;" | Examples
|style="background: #f9f9f9; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px 2px 2px 0; border-top: 1px solid #bbb;" | <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;"><b><nowiki>removecharacters(Paper, Ppr)</nowiki></b></span>
<p style="margin-left:20pt;">Removes <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">P</span>, <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">p</span>, and <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">r</span> from <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">Paper</span>, resulting in <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">ae</span>.
The default <i>mode</i> 0 is in effect, removing all instances of the characters specified in the <i>character list</i>.</p>
<span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;"><b><nowiki>removecharacters(Paper, Ppr, 1)</nowiki></b></span>
<p style="margin-left:20pt;">With <i>mode</i> 1 set, only the initial character <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">P</span> is removed, resulting in <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">aper</span>.</p>
<span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;"><b><nowiki>removecharacters(Paper, Ppr, 2)</nowiki></b></span>
<p style="margin-left:20pt;">In <i>mode</i> 2, only one character from the end of the <i>string</i> are removed, leaving "Pape.</p>
<span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;"><b><nowiki>removecharacters(Paper, Ppr, 3)</nowiki></b></span>
<p style="margin-left:20pt;">Both the front and back are affected in <i>mode</i> 3, causing the removal of the leading <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">P</span> and trailing <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">r</span> resulting in <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">ape</span>.</p>
<span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;"><b><nowiki>removecharacters([artist], /(/))</nowiki></b></span>
<p style="margin-left:20pt;">Removes any <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">(</span> and <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">)</span> characters from anywhere within the [artist] field.</p>
|}
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=== <span id="RemoveLeft">RemoveLeft(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Trims characters from the beginning of a string.

{| style="width: 100%; border-spacing: 0; border: 0px solid black;" align="top" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"
|- id="RemoveLeft" valign="top"
! scope="row" style="background: #ecedf3; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 2px 1px 0 2px; border-right: 1px solid #bbb;" width="100" | Description
| style="background: #f9f9f9; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 2px 2px 0 0" width="1200" | <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em; color:#0f3f8d; font-size:110%"><b>removeleft(</b><i>string</i><b>, </b><i>quantity</i><b>)</b></span>
The [[#RemoveLeft|RemoveLeft()]] function removes a specified <i>quantity</i> of characters from the left side of a <i>string</i>.
If the <i>quantity</i> is larger than the length of the <i>string</i>, the output will be empty.
|- valign="top"
! scope="row" style="background: #ecedf3; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px 1px 2px 2px; border-top: 1px solid #bbb; border-right: 1px solid #bbb;" | Examples
|style="background: #f9f9f9; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px 2px 2px 0; border-top: 1px solid #bbb;" | <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;"><b><nowiki>removeleft(Good Deeds, 5)</nowiki></b></span>
<p style="margin-left:20pt;">Removes the first 5 characters from resulting in <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">Deeds</span> being output.</p>
|}
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=== <span id="RemoveRight">RemoveRight(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Trims characters from the end of a string

{| style="width: 100%; border-spacing: 0; border: 0px solid black;" align="top" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"
|- id="RemoveRight" valign="top"
! scope="row" style="background: #ecedf3; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 2px 1px 0 2px; border-right: 1px solid #bbb;" width="100" | Description
| style="background: #f9f9f9; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 2px 2px 0 0" width="1200" | <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em; color:#0f3f8d; font-size:110%"><b>removeright(</b><i>string</i><b>, </b><i>quantity</i><b>)</b></span>
The [[#RemoveRight|RemoveRight()]] function removes a specified <i>quantity</i> of characters from the right side of a <i>string</i>.
If the <i>quantity</i> is larger than the length of the <i>string</i>, the output will be empty.
|- valign="top"
! scope="row" style="background: #ecedf3; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px 1px 2px 2px; border-top: 1px solid #bbb; border-right: 1px solid #bbb;" | Examples
|style="background: #f9f9f9; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px 2px 2px 0; border-top: 1px solid #bbb;" | <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;"><b><nowiki>removeright(03-02-1959,5)</nowiki></b></span>
<p style="margin-left:20pt;">Removes the last 5 characters from the given date, leaving only the month and year <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">03-02</span>.</p>
|}
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=== <span id="Replace">Replace(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Replace or remove a string segment

{| style="width: 100%; border-spacing: 0; border: 0px solid black;" align="top" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"
|- id="Replace" valign="top"
! scope="row" style="background: #ecedf3; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 2px 1px 0 2px; border-right: 1px solid #bbb;" width="100" | Description
| style="background: #f9f9f9; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 2px 2px 0 0" width="1200" | <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em; color:#0f3f8d; font-size:110%"><b>replace(</b><i>string</i><b>, </b><i>old</i><b>, </b><i>new</i><b>)</b></span>
The [[#Replace|Replace()]] function replaces all instances of <i>old</i> within <i>string</i> with <i>new</i>.
If <i>new</i> is unspecified, it defaults to an empty value, causing <i>old</i> to be removed.
[[#Replace|Replace()]] operates in a case-sensitive manner.

Argument <i>new</i> is optional (defaults to EMPTY).

|- valign="top"
! scope="row" style="background: #ecedf3; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px 1px 2px 2px; border-top: 1px solid #bbb; border-right: 1px solid #bbb;" | Examples
|style="background: #f9f9f9; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px 2px 2px 0; border-top: 1px solid #bbb;" | <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;"><b><nowiki>replace(The Daily Show with John Oliver, hn Oliver, n Stewart)</nowiki></b></span>
<p style="margin-left:20pt;">Now that John Oliver has completed his summer stand-in for Jon Stewart, it is time for a replacement.
The <i>old</i> sequence <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">hn Oliver</span> will be replaced with the <i>new</i> sequence <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">n Stewart</span>, resulting in
<span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">The Daily Show with Jon Stewart</span>.</p>
<span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;"><b><nowiki>replace(Sample String, s, Replaced)</nowiki></b></span>
<p style="margin-left:20pt;">In this example, the original <i>string</i> does not contain the <i>old</i> value <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">s</span> anywhere,
so no replacement occurs and the original <i>string</i> is returned.</p>
<span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;"><b><nowiki>replace(Led Zeppelin.[remastered], .[remastered])</nowiki></b></span>
<p style="margin-left:20pt;">Removes the trailing <i>old</i> value <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">.[remastered]</span> from the original <i>string</i>, resulting in <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">Led Zeppelin</span>.
Because no <i>new</i> <i>string</i> is specified, the default empty value is used as a replacement,
effectively stripping the <i>old</i> value.</p>
|}
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=== <span id="Right">Right(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Retrieves a specified number of characters from the right of a string.

{| style="width: 100%; border-spacing: 0; border: 0px solid black;" align="top" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"
|- id="Right" valign="top"
! scope="row" style="background: #ecedf3; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 2px 1px 0 2px; border-right: 1px solid #bbb;" width="100" | Description
| style="background: #f9f9f9; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 2px 2px 0 0" width="1200" | <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em; color:#0f3f8d; font-size:110%"><b>right(</b><i>string</i><b>, </b><i>quantity</i><b>)</b></span>
The [[#Right|Right()]] function retrieves the specified <i>quantity</i> of characters from the right of the <i>string</i>.
If <i>quantity</i> is larger than the length of <i>string</i>, the original <i>string</i> is returned.
|- valign="top"
! scope="row" style="background: #ecedf3; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px 1px 2px 2px; border-top: 1px solid #bbb; border-right: 1px solid #bbb;" | Examples
|style="background: #f9f9f9; color: #111; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px 2px 2px 0; border-top: 1px solid #bbb;" | <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;"><b><nowiki>right([filename], 3)</nowiki></b></span>
<p style="margin-left:20pt;">Returns the last three characters from the filename (typically this is the file's suffix).</p>
|}
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=== <span id="Swap">Swap(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Takes Firstname Lastname and swaps to Lastname, Firstname.

{{function description box
| name=Swap
| arguments=string
| description=
The [[#Swap|Swap()]] function is used to reverse the order of a personal name in a string (converting Firstname Lastname into Lastname, Firstname). The function has special handling for strings that end with Jr., Sr., I, II, III, IV, V (so that these common suffixes are handled properly), and it can also handle semicolon-delimited string lists (such as {{monospace|[Artist]}}, {{monospace|[Actors]}}, and {{monospace|[Director]}}).
| examples=
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>swap(Paul Simon)</nowiki>}}'''
: Reverses the lexical order of the name to {{monospace|Simon, Paul}}.
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>swap(Sammy Davis Jr.)</nowiki>}}'''
: Handles most common name suffixes and results in {{monospace|Davis, Sammy Jr}}.
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>swap(Paul Simon; Art Garfunkel)</nowiki>}}'''
: Reverses the lexical order of the list of names to {{monospace|Simon, Paul; Garfunkel, Art}}.
}}

=== <span id="Trim">Trim(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Removes leading and trailing non-printable characters and new lines from a given string.

{{function description box
| name=Trim
| arguments=string
| description=
The [[#Trim|Trim()]] function takes any given <i>string</i>, removing any leading and trailing non-printable characters and new lines
| examples=
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>Trim([Lyrics])</nowiki>}}'''
}}

=== <span id="TrimLines">TrimLines(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Removes leading, trailing and double new lines from a given string.

{{function description box
| name=TrimLines
| arguments=string, mode
| description=
{{argument optional|mode|3}}
The [[#TrimLines|TrimLines()]] function can remove leading, trailing and double newlines from a given <i>string</i>, which can be given literally or as a library field. The function's ''mode'' defaults to removing all three, ''mode 3''.
{{argument table
| name=mode
| contents=
{{argument table row|1|Trims double new lines.}}
{{argument table row|2|Trims leading and trailing new lines}}
{{argument table row|3|Trims leading, trailing and double new lines}}
{{argument table row|4|Trims 3 or more new lines to double new lines}}

}}
| examples=
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>TrimLines([Lyrics])</nowiki>}}'''
: Defaults to mode 3, removing all leading, trailing and double new lines.
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>TrimLines([Lyrics],2)</nowiki>}}'''
: Removes leading and trailing new lines.
}}

=== <span id="UnMoveArticles">UnMoveArticles(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Takes "Beatles, The" and reverses it to restore the normal word order, "The Beatles"

{{function description box
| name=UnMoveArticles
| arguments=string
| description=
The [[#UnMoveArticles|UnMoveArticles()]] function is the opposite of the MoveArticles() function. It is used to restore the normal order of an band name with a prefix article in a string (converting Beatles, The into The Beatles).
| examples=
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>UnMoveArticles(Flock of Seagulls, A)</nowiki>}}'''
: Restores the normal order of the name to <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">A Flock of Seagulls</span>.
'''Please Note''': These examples were simplified and ignore the commas in the string arguments. For these expressions to work properly (when entered directly), you would need to escape the comma in the string literal: {{monospace|UnMoveArticles(Beatles/, The)}}. However, this function is typically used with a field value (or the output of another function), and would therefore be treated as a single argument even if the resulting string contains a comma. See [[Expression Language#Function Arguments|Function Arguments]] for further details.
}}

=== <span id="Unswap">Unswap(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Takes Lastname, Firstname and reverses it to Firstname Lastname.

{{function description box
| name=Unswap
| arguments=string
| description=
The [[#Unswap|Unswap()]] function is the opposite of the Swap() function. It is used to restore the normal western-style order of a personal name in a string (converting Lastname, Firstname into Firstname Lastname). This command also works properly with semicolon-delimited list data (such as the {{monospace|[Artist]}} field), and like the [[#Swap|Swap()]] command, it handles common name suffixes such as Jr., Sr., I, II, III, IV, V, etc.
| examples=
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>Unswap(Simon, Paul)</nowiki>}}'''
: Reverses the lexical order of the name to <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">Paul Simon</span>.
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>Unswap(Simon, Paul; Garfunkel, Art)</nowiki>}}'''
: Reverses the lexical order of the name list to <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;">Paul Simon; Art Garfunkel</span>.
'''Please Note''': These examples were simplified and ignore the commas in the string arguments. For these expressions to work properly (when entered directly), you would need to escape the comma in the string literal: {{monospace|Unswap(Simon/, Paul; Garfunkel/, Art)}}. However, this function is typically used with a field value (or the output of another function), and would therefore be treated as a single argument even if the resulting string contains a comma. See [[Expression Language#Function Arguments|Function Arguments]] for further details.
}}

=== <span id="Urlify">Urlify(&hellip;)</span> ===
: Takes a string and applies html formatting for browser consumption

{{function description box
| name=Urlify
| arguments=string
| description=
The [[#Urlify|Urlify()]] function takes a given string and outputs with HTML formatting suitable for browser consumption. This function is typically used by expressions generating or working on URLs in Media Center's [[Link Manager]]. It does not apply full formatting, for example, spaces remain as spaces, therefore, better mileage may be found using the [[#Hexify|Hexify()]] function.
| examples=
'''{{monospace|<nowiki>https:////www.metacritic.com//search//movie//urlify(Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw)//results</nowiki>}}'''
: Returns: <span style="font-family: monospace,monospace; font-size:1em;"><nowiki>https://www.metacritic.com/search/movie/Fast &amp;amp; Furious Presents: Hobbs &amp;amp; Shaw/results</nowiki></span>.
}}