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General

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 table below shows the standard default properties available in Media Center. File properties are listed and managed under:

 Tools > Options... > Library & Folders > Manage Library Fields...

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.

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.

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.

Field Specifications

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. (TBD: need refs)
Unknown An unspecific catch-all type, not specifically defined.

Each field defined in Media Center:

  • Has a standard, unchangeable name
  • Has a display name and its plural version (not currently shown in table)
  • Is valid for the specified media/file types (Audio, Image, Video, Data, TV)
  • Stores a particular type of data, or may be automatically calculated via expression (see Field Data Types)
  • Has rules about its editability (see Field Edit Types)
  • May have a list of acceptable values
  • May be stored in file tags (when possible)
  • May be searched when performing search queries, via the specified keyword(s) (not currently shown in table)
  • May or may not be relational (no default fields are currently relational)
  • May be hidden from normal view/usage (field names in italics)
Field Edit Types
Edit Type Description
Standard A free-format, editable field.
Clear-only A clear-only field, whose value is set or updated by Media Center.
Large A free-format, editable field, used for large data (e.g. lyrics, notes, descriptions). (TBD: recommended for data larger than XXX characters).
Not editable A non-editable field.
File A file-path specification field.
5 Star A selectable, 5-star graphical field, typically used for ratings.
Calculated, Editable A calculated, editable field, whose initial value is automatically set.
Calculated,
Not editable
A calculated, non-editable field whose value is automatically set.

Predefined Fields

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.

(TBD: in the source code, fields are grouped by certain categories (eg. statistics). are these useful to show?)

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.


Media Center Predefined Fields
 Field Name
 search keyword(s)
Media
Types
 S 
t
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r
e
d
 S 
e
a
r
c
h
Data Type
Edit Type
Description
 Access Rating
 accessrating=
 A I V D T       String
Standard
Specifies the access rating when access control is in effect.

See also: Access Control

 Actors
 actors=
     V            List
Standard
A semicolon-separated list of a movie's actors.
 Album
 album=  al=
 A I V D T      String
Standard
The name of the album.
 Album Artist
 albumartist=
 A               String
Standard
Designates the artist to use for compilation albums.

See also: Album Artist and Album Artist (Auto)

 Album Artist (auto)
 autoalbumartist=
 A                String
Calculated, Editable
Automatically calculated based on the contents of an album's Artist tracks.

Expression: AlbumArtist()

See also: Album Artist and Album Artist (Auto)

 Album Gain
 albumgain=  ag=
 A                Decimal
Clear-only
Automatically calculated gain for an album, based on Replay Gain.

See also: Album Gain

 Album Type
 albumtype=
 A                String
Calculated, Not editable
Automatically calculated value indicating if the album has a single artist or multiple artists, and if the album is complete.

Expression: AlbumType()

See also: Multiple Artist Albums#Complete Albums

 Altitude    I              String
Standard
Camera's GPS altitude when photo was taken.

See also: Photo Tagging

 Aperture    I              String
Not editable
Camera's aperture setting used to create the photo.

See also: Photo Tagging

 Artist
 artist=  ar=
 A I V D T      String
Standard
Track artist, or movie's director.

See also: Album Artist and Album Artist (Auto), YADB

 Artist - Album (Year)  A                String
Calculated, Not editable
Automatically calculated field used for album grouping.

Expression: Clean([Artist] - [Album] /([FormatDate([Date, 0), Year)/))

 Aspect Ratio
 aspect=
     V            String
Standard
Video aspect ratio.
 Audio Analysis Info  A                String
Not editable
Automatically calculated data created and used by audio analysis engine.

See also: Audio Settings and Analysis, Analyze Audio

 Author        D          List
Standard
A semicolon-separated list of a document's authors.
 Band
 band=  bd=
 A              String
Standard
Designates a track's band.
 Bios
 bios=  bio=
 A               String
Large
Musician or group biography. (Musicmatch)
 Bit Depth
 bitrate=
 A   V            Integer
Not editable
Audio / video bit depth.
 Bitrate  A   V           Integer
Not editable
Audio / video bitrate, in bits per second (bps).
 Bookmark  A   V            String
Clear-only
Specifies the bookmark location for resumption of playback.
 BPM
 bpm=
 A               Integer
Standard
Beats-per-minute, calculated automaticaly during audio analysis.
 Budget      V            String
Standard
A movie's financial budget.
 Camera    I             String
Standard
Camera EXIF tag.

See also: Photo Tagging

 Caption
 caption=
   I            String
Standard
An image's caption.
 Catalog #  A I V D T       String
Standard
***TBD***
 Category Image Category    I              String
Not editable
***TBD***
 Channels  A   V            Integer
Not editable
Number of playback channels
 Cinematographer      V            List
Standard
A semicolon-separated list of a movie's cinematographer(s).
 Comment
 comment=  c=
 A I V D T      String
Standard
A general use comment field.
 Complete Album
 completealbum=
 A                Integer
Not editable
Indicates if an album is a complete album.

See also: Multiple Artist Albums#Complete Albums

 Composer
 composer=
 A              String
Standard
The composer of a piece or work, typically used with classical music.
 Compression  A   V            String
Not editable
The compression type and scheme used for compressed audio/video.
 Conductor
 conductor=
 A               String
Standard
The conductor of a piece or work, typically used with classical music.
 Copyright
 copyright=
 A I V D T       String
Standard
Media copyright information.
 Country
 country=
 A I V D T        List
Standard
A semicolon-separated list of countries relevant to the media.
 Credits
 credits=
     V            List
Standard
A semicolon-separated list of movie credits.
 Custom  A I V D T       String
Standard
General use custom field.
 Custom 1  A I V D T       String
Standard
General use custom field (may not exist).
 Custom 2  A I V D T       String
Standard
General use custom field (may not exist).
 Custom 3  A I V D T       String
Standard
General use custom field (may not exist).
 Date
 date=  d=
 A I V D T       Date
Standard
General date of media.
 Date (filename friendly)  A I V D T        String
Calculated, Not editable
A version of Date that has been cleaned for use in filenames.

Expression: FormateDate(Filename)

 Date Created  A I V D T        Unknown
Not editable
A file's creation date/time as reported by the system.
 Date Imported
 dateimported=
 A I V D T        Unknown
Not editable
The date the media was imported into the MC / MJ database.

See also: [1]

 Date Modified  A I V D T        Unknown
Not editable
A file's modification date/time, as reported by the system.
 Date Recorded      V   T       Date
Standard
The date/time of a video recording.
 Day  A I V D T        Integer
Calculated, Editable
Day segment of Date.

Expression: FormatDate(Day)&DataType=[Number]

 Description  A I V D T      String
Large
A general description of the media.
 Dimensions    I V            String
Calculated, Not editable
Automatically calculated image/video dimensions.

Expression: Clean([Width] x [Height])

 Direction    I              String
Standard
Camera's directional heading when photo was taken.

See also: Photo Tagging

 Director
 director=
     V            List
Standard
A semicolon-separated list of a movie's directors.
 Disc #  A   V          Integer
Standard
The disc number, for multi-disc audio or video sets.

See also: Multidisc Albums

 Distributor      V            List
Standard
A semicolon-separated list of a movie's distrubutors.
 DLNA Server Info  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Internal information for the MC DLNA server.
 Duration
 length=  duration=
 A   V            Unknown
Not editable
The duration of an audio / video track.
 DVD Video Info      V            String
Standard
Internal information used for a DVD.
 Edit Info    I              String
Not editable
Internal information used for image editting.
 Editor      V            List
Standard
A semicolon-separated list of the editor(s) used to capture/create a video.
 Encoding Settings  A I V D T        String
Standard
Description
 Episode      V   T       String
Standard
Episode number of a television / video series.
 Episode URL  A I V D T       String
Not editable
URL of a single podcast episode.
 Events
 events=
 A I V D T      List
Standard
A semicolon-separated list to specifiy relevant events for the media.
 Feed URL  A I V D T       String
Not editable
URL of a podcast feed.
 File Size
 size=
 A I V D T        Unknown
Not editable
A file's on disc size (human readable, unitized and rounded).
 File Type
 filetype=
 A I V D T       String
Standard
The type of file (eg. mp3, jpg, flac, pdf).
 Filename
 filename=  location=
 A I V D T       Unknown
File
The full pathname to the location of a file.
 Filename (name)  A I V D T        String
Calculated, Editable
The name-only portion of [Filename].

Expression: FileName()

 Filename (path)  A I V D T        Unknown
Calculated, Editable
The path-only portion of [Filename].

Expression: FilePath()&DataType[Path]

 Flash    I              String
Not editable
Indicates if a camera's flash was used to take image.

See also: Photo Tagging

 Flickr Info    I V            String
Not editable
Description
 Focal Length    I              String
Not editable
The lens focal length used when a image was captured.

See also: Photo Tagging

 FPS
 framerate=  fps=
     V            Decimal
Standard
The number of frames-per-second in a video/movie.
 Genre
 genre=  g=
 A I V D T      String
Standard
Genre of media.

See also: YADB

 Get Cover Art Info  A   V D          String
Not editable
Description
 Gross Revenue      V            String
Standard
A movie's gross reported revenue.
 Grouping  A I V D T       String
Standard
For support of the iTunes Grouping field.

See also: [2]

 Height
 height=
   I V            Integer
Not editable
The height dimension of an image/video (see also Dimensions above).
 Image File
 imagefile=
 A   V           Unknown
Not editable
The name of the associated artwork for audio/video.
 Instrument  A               String
Standard
A song's primary instrument.
 Intensity
 intensity=
 A               Integer
Standard
A musical intensity metric automatically calculated during audio analysis.
Values: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
 ISO    I              String
Not editable
The ISO standard film speed used when an image was captured.

See also: Photo Tagging

 Keywords
 keyword=  keywords=  kw=
 A I V D T      List
Standard
A semicolon-separated list of user-defined keywords.
 Language  A I V D T        List
Standard
A semicolon-separated list of languages.
 Last Played
 lastplayed=
 A I V D T        Unknown
Clear-only
Date / time the file was last played or viewed.
 Last Skipped
 lastskipped=
 A I V D T        Unknown
Clear-only
Date / time the file was last skipped.

See also: Skip Count

 Latitude    I              String
Standard
Camera's GPS latitude when photo was taken.

See also: Photo Tagging

 Library Server Info  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Internal information used to manage state for Library Server.
 Library Server Key  A I V D T        Integer
Not editable
Internal authorization key used to help secure Library Server.
 Library Server URL  A I V D T        String
Not editable
URL used to specify location of Library Server.
 Longitude    I              String
Standard
Camera's GPS longitude when photo was taken.

See also: Photo Tagging

 Lyricist  A   V           String
Standard
The lyricist resonsible for a work.
 Lyrics
 lyrics=
 A   V           String
Large
User-stored lyrics or transcription.
 Media Sub Type
 mediasubtype=
 A I V D T       String
Standard
More specific sub-classification of Media Type.
Values: Adult, Audiobook, Home Video, Karaoke, Movie, Music Video, Other, Podcast, Radio, Remix, Short, Single, TV Show
 Media Type
 mediatype=
 A I V D T       String
Standard
General classification of media type.
Values: Audio, Image, Video, TV, Data, Playlist
 Mix Album
 mixalbum=
 A               Integer
Not editable
Used to specify if an album is a mix album.
 Month  A I V D T        String
Calculated, Editable
Month segment of Date.

Expression: FormatDate(Month)&DataType=[Month]

 Mood
 mood=
 A               String
Standard
General mood classification of a song. (Musicmatch)
 MPAA Rating
 mpaa=
     V            String
Standard
A movies MPAA rating.
 MPAA Rating Description      V            String
Standard
A textual description of MPAA rating.
 Music By      V            List
Standard
A semicolon-separated list of people responsible for a movie's music.
 Name
 name=  title=  n=
 A I V D T      String
Standard
The primary name assosciated with a file.
 Notes
 notes=
 A I V D T       String
Large
General notes assosciated with a file.
 Number Plays
 numberplays=
 A I V D T        Integer
Clear-only
An automatically updated statistic indicating the number of times a file has been played/viewed.

See also: Changing the number of plays

 Orchestra  A               String
Standard
The name of the orchestra responsible for performing a piece, typically used with classical music.
 Original Title  A I V D T        String
Standard
The original title given to a work.
 Peak Level
 peaklevel=
 A               Percentage
Clear-only
An automatically calculated value indicating the percentage of an audio track's maximum level before clipping would occur.

See also: Overflow Handling, Technical Information on Replay Gain Adjustment, Analyze Audio, [3]

 People
 people=
 A I V D T      List
Standard
A semicolon-separated list of people assosciated with a work.
 Period  A               String
Standard
A musical period, typically used with classical music.
 Places
 places=
 A I V D T      List
Standard
A semicolon-separated list of places assosciated with a work.
 Playback Channel Key          T        Integer
Not editable
Description
 Playback Device          T        String
Not editable
Description
 Playback Info  A   V            String
Standard
Description
 Playback Range
 playbackrange=
 A   V            String
Standard
Specifies the begin and end times for A-B repeat.

See also: [4]

 Preference
 preference=
 A               String
Standard
A subjective classification of a user's preference for a song. (Musicmatch)
 Prequel      V            List
Standard
The prequel to a movie.
 Producer
 producer=
 A I V D T        List
Standard
A semicolon-separated list of responsible producer(s)
 Protection Type
 protectiontype=
 A   V            String
Not editable
Indication of the type of DRM protection.
 Publisher  A I V D T       String
Standard
A work's publisher.
 Rating
 rating=  r=
 A I V D T      Integer
5 Star
A 5-star user rating.
 Read Only
 readonly=
 A I V D T        Integer
Not editable
Indicates if the file is read-only.
Values: 0, 1
 Recording Rule ID          T        Integer
Not editable
An internal ID representing a TV recording rule.
 Removable
 removable=
 A I V D T        Integer
Calculated, Not editable
Indicates if the file resides on removable media.

Expression: IsRemovable()

 Replay Gain
 replaygain=  rg=
 A               Decimal
Clear-only
An automatically calculated value indicating the gain to be applied to an audio track.

See also: Replay Gain, Album Gain, Audio Settings and Analysis, Analyze Audio

 Rotation    I              Integer
Standard
The rotation (in degrees) applied to an image.
 Sample Rate  A   V            Integer
Not editable
The rate of sampling for an audio/video file.
 Screenwriter
 screenwirter=
     V            List
Standard
The screenwriter responsible for a movie.
 Season      V   T       String
Standard
The season of a movie/video series.
 Sequel      V            List
Standard
The sequel to a movie.
 Series      V   T      String
Standard
The series information for a movie or TV show.
 Series Description      V   T      String
Standard
A description of the series for a movie or TV show.
 Shutter Speed    I              String
Not editable
The shutter speed used to capture an image.

See also: Photo Tagging

 Situation
 situation=
 A               String
Standard
A subjective choice of situations for when playing the song would be appropriate or relevant. (Musicmatch)
 Skip Count
 skipcount=
 A I V D T        Integer
Clear-only
An automatically updated statistic indicating the number of times a file has been skipped.

See also: Last Skipped

 Soloists  A               List
Standard
A semicolon-separated list of soloists for a music work, typically used in classical music.
 Stack Conversion Type  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Stack Files  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Stack Tag
 stacktag=
 A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Stack Top  A I V D T        Integer
Not editable
Indicates if the file is the top of a stack.
 Stack View  A I V D T        Integer
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Album ID  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Album Popularity  A I V D T        Integer
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Amg Album Review  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Amg Artist Bio  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Artist ID  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Artist Popularity  A I V D T        Integer
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Asset Code  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Assosciated Video ID  A I V D T        List
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Available Asset  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Download Date  A I V D T        Date
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Genre ID  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: License Count  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: License Reissue Count  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: MP3 Available  A I V D T       String
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: MusicNet File GUID  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: New Release  A I V D T        Integer
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Number of Tracks  A I V D T        Integer
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Playlist Description  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Playlist Guid  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Playlist Image  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Playlist Name  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Playlist Type  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Purchase Date  A I V D T        Date
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Purchase Description  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Ranking  A I V D T        Integer
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Similar Artists  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Store Name  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Store Field: Track ID  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Studios
 studios=
     V            List
Standard
A semicolon-separated list of responsible movie studios.
 Style  A               String
Standard
A musical style, typically used to further refine genre.
 Tag Line
 tagline=
     V            String
Standard
A movie's branding or slogan.
 Tempo
 tempo=
 A               String
Standard
A subjective indication of a track's tempo. (Musicmatch)
 Text        D          String
Not editable
General text describing a data file.
 Thumbnail Info  A I V D T        Integer
Not editable
Internal information used for view thumbnails.
 Thumbnail Info (Local)  A I V D T        Integer
Not editable
Internal information used for view thumbnails.
 Thumbnail Offset Large  A I V D T        Integer
Not editable
Internal information used for view thumbnails.
 Thumbnail Offset Medium  A I V D T        Integer
Not editable
Internal information used for view thumbnails.
 Thumbnail Offset Small  A I V D T        Integer
Not editable
Internal information used for view thumbnails.
 Track #
 tracknumber=  t=
 A              Integer
Standard
The track number of the song within an album.
 TV Channel          T        String
Not editable
The TV channel used for a TV recording.

See also: [5]

 TV Channel Number          T        String
Standard
Defines remote channel number used to tune TV Channel.

See also: [6]

 TV Tuner Input Type          T        String
Not editable
Description
 TV XMLTV ID          T        String
Standard
Stores ID used when mapping a channel to XMLTV data.

See also: [7]

 UPC  A I V D T       String
Standard
Universal Product Code.
 Usage Reporting Info  A I V D T        String
Not editable
Description
 Use Bookmarking  A   V            String
Standard
Specifies if bookmarking is active for the track / video.
Values: Default, Yes, No
 Video Standard      V            String
Standard
The encoding/decoding video standard in use (eg. NTSC, PAL, SECAM).
 Volume Name
 volume=
 A I V D T        String
Standard
The name of the volume on which the file resides.

Expression: FileVolume()

 Web Media Info  A I V D T       String
Standard
Description
 Web Media Search  A I V D T       String
Standard
Description
 Web Media URL  A I V D T       String
Standard
The URL of a remote media file.
 Width
 width=
   I V            Integer
Not editable
The width dimension of an image/video (see also Dimensions above).
 Year
 year=
 A I V D T        Integer
Calculated, Editable
Year segment of Date.

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

See also: YADB

 Year - Album  A                String
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.

Tag Import Options

Media Center provides a few options for the importation of tags for some file types. These options are available via Plug-in Manager > Input for the given file type. Select the Configure button for a given type, if available.

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?)

Classical Music

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

Photos

For more comprehensive information on tagging photos, see Photo Tagging.

More


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

  • mp3: [9]
  • Vorbis/FLAC: [10]
  • exif: ...
  • jpg: ...
  • ...