Tagging III

TAGGING TOOLS

If tags were simple and the standards were carefully followed, tagging tools would be unnecessary. Unfortunately, as we'll see in my next entry, things are often not that simple. As a result, there are tag editing tools for every purpose. I'll go into their use for solving various problems later, but for now wanted to at least mention them.

The Windows XP Format SDK
Many people don't realize that Windows XP includes the Windows Media Format SDK, which provides ID3 and WMA tag reading and writing functions to the Windows Shell and ISVs. Thus, most media players and ID3 editors on Windows need not reinvent the wheel by researching and interpreting the ID3 and WMA specs and writing their own code. As we'll see, Windows exposes this functionality to users in a number of useful places.

The Windows XP file Properties dialog
The Windows XP file properties dialog utilizes the Format SDK to read and write tags. Users can simply select a file, click properties, and view/edit the tags in the file. This also enables bulk-editing for multiple selections. I use this all the time for quick-and-dirty changes to tags without booting up an editor or player while I'm navigating through my media library.

Windows XP Shell "details" view
The shell uses the Format SDK to allow users to view and sort based on nearly every detail about their files right in the shell in the details view. This view can be customized from a context menu from the column heading. Even more detail is accessible from the "more..." item on that menu. I find this extremely useful for sorting and filtering through files based on format, bitrate, album, etc... right inside of the shell.

Digital Media Players
Most digital media players include at least rudimentary tagging tools (many also built on the Windows Format SDK), and recently some have become quite powerful. Windows Media Player and MusicMatch both have nice ones that are useful for both bulk and individual file editing. In WMP, you access the through a context menu in the media library, and can do bulk or individual editing of over a hundred tag fields.

Power User Editors
Sadly, these are often needed by most users for resolving complex tagging problems. My personal favorite is Tag&Rename, which can edit WMA, ID3v1, and ID3v2 tags. There are many others. Beyond the functions offered by media players, it also has very powerful tools for:

* Creating folder hierarchies based on tags
* automatically applying serial track numbers to files
* Case Correction of tag content (Title, lower, or upper)
* many other essential but geeky features.

I love these tools and use them often, but wish they were unnecessary.

Single-Purpose Editors
Just for fun, I can't resist mentioning one other class of tag tools, built by hobbyists. One example is Otter (http://otterbarn.tripod.com/), a utility for organizing and tagging files from Old Time Radio shows. The program actually includes a database of the dates and show titles of every episode of hundreds of different radio shows from the 30's to the 60's. Point it at a directory full of OTR files, and it parses the filenames to determine the title or date and classify the show. Then it can fill in missing data, rename the files, and advise collectors of what shows they're missing that are known to be available. This sort of tool is a tribute to the doggedness of some user communities and the importance of a strong specialized developer community.

NEXT TIME...
I'll discuss the many hassles and problems caused by missing tag data, inconsistent tag implementations, and the "informal" nature of the ID3 specification. Then I'll show how to use the tools above to resolve many of the most common ones.