Quickly Changing File Attributes

SCENARIO:  You want to change the wording of an attribute field in a whole bunch of MP3 files, scattered across various directories, without having to go into all of those directories to make the change.

SOLUTION:  Do a query search to find all the applicable files, and drag the whole found-list into Army Knife. Simple step-by-step instructions follow...

1. Do a BeOS query search to find all the files on your system that meet the criteria...

• Click on the desktop background and do Ctrl-F or Alt-F (depending on how you have your system set up)
• Change "All Files and Folders" to "mpeg audio file" or "mp3 sound file" (the option varies a bit)
• Change "By Name" to "By Attribute"
• A new "Name Button" appears...change it to "Comment" (see where we're going?)
• In the text box "Contains," type in your search criteria
• Click Search

You'll get a list of all the files on your system matching the criteria. When the query search is complete, select "All" from the "Window" pulldown menu.


2. Change them in Army Knife

• Open Army Knife, which is found in the TuneTracker System "Extras" folder
• Drag your selected grouping of files from the query window and drop it on Army Knife.
• It's also possible to use a right-click and "Open With" for Army Knife, but large numbers of files will gag it when you do it that way.
• In Army Knife, where you see the "Comment" field, type in what you would prefer it to say
• Click "Apply" in the lower right corner of the window.

This same procedure can be used to find any grouping of files, regardless of attribute. Instead of "Comment" above, you could just as easily edit the attribute for a cluster of songs by "Genre" or "Artist" or "Album," as examples.

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