Question regarding mass editing the "Options" field in ProppFrexx Tagger

[rascas]

Hello, Sir!

I am trying to mass-edit the "Options" field (specifically to set tags like SuppressOverlay and SuppressSongTitleUpdate) for hundreds of files using the standalone ProppFrexx Tagger.exe.

However, I am struggling with the logic of the TAG Editor form. When I select multiple files (sometimes over a hundred) and open the editor, the interface forces me to edit them sequentially, one by one, using the navigation arrows (1 of X). There doesn't seem to be a way to apply a single change to the "Options" field across all selected files simultaneously.

Is there a way to mass-update the "Options" field for all selected files at once in the standalone Tagger?

If not, please consider this a feature request. The current behavior feels highly counterintuitive and makes bulk processing incredibly time-consuming.

Thank you in advance for your help.

[radio42]

The TAG Editor is for single track editing.

If you want to mass edit the entries of a playlist, first enable the ‚Direct TAG Editing…‘ in the MetaData tab (just click on that button).
Now you can select multiple entries in the playlist and directly edit the column values. All selected tracks will be changed at once when leaving a column.
Note, that you can drag any column into the playlist view using the ‚Column Chooser…‘.
In your case, make sure the ‚Option‘ column is visible and as such editable in the playlist/explorer view.

In the external Tagger app - the direct TAG Editing is always enabled by default. The rest is the same.

[rascas]

Hello Bernd,

Thank you for the detailed explanation regarding the "Direct TAG Editing" feature and the Column Chooser.

I followed your instructions exactly: I enabled direct editing (it is indeed enabled by default in the external Tagger app), added the "Options" column to the grid, selected multiple tracks, and attempted to change the values.

However, while this batch editing method works perfectly for standard text fields (like Artist, Genre, or Year), it does NOT work for the "Options" field.

Because the "Options" field consists of multiple checkboxes (SuppressOverlay and SuppressSongTitleUpdate, etc.), when I select multiple files, edit the Options cell for one of them, and click away/leave the column, the changes are NOT applied to the rest of the selected tracks. The mass-edit logic seems to ignore this specific field.

I have attached a video demonstrating this exact behavior so you can see the issue firsthand.

Could you please review the video and confirm if this is a known limitation/bug with the "Options" column, or if there is another workaround?

A video from YouTube usually appears here. Please contact an administrator.

A video from YouTube usually appears here. Please contact an administrator.

As a follow-up, I would also like to point out that many modern audio editors and players support batch editing of multiple selected files not only through a Table Grid, but also directly through an Editing Form (TAG Editor window).

It is a very common standard that when a user selects multiple files and opens the properties/tags form, any changes made and saved within that form are automatically applied to the entire selection at once.

Could you please consider looking into this and implementing this intuitive and widely adopted behavior for batch editing in the TAG Editor? It would greatly improve the user experience and speed up the workflow, especially when dealing with fields that cannot be easily edited via the grid.

Thank you for your support.

[radio42]

ProppFrexx can do the same as you request... also without using the direct tag editing!

Just click on the 'Apply' button in the TAG Editor dialog (at the left of the navigation bar at the bottom) to apply the 'Options' value to all selected entries.
Hold down the CTRL button to also save the TAG data to the related audio file.
This is actually the same as pressing the 'Save' button, except that it is applied to all selected (multiple) entries at once.

Note, that within the playlist window of ProppFrexx OnAir you can also set the options directly to all selected tracks using the context menu:

[rascas]

Hello Bernd,

Thank you very much for the clarification! I was not aware of the CTRL + Apply shortcut in the TAG Editor. I just tested it, and it does exactly what I need. I also appreciate the reminder about the context menu method (Track Settings -> Options) from the playlist view, which is indeed very fast.

While I am glad this functionality is available and it solves my immediate problem, I would still like to leave a small piece of UX feedback.

The CTRL + Apply modifier is a very "hidden" feature, and I couldn't find any clear mention of this specific behavior in the manual either. While I noticed there is a tooltip when hovering over the button, it contains a very long block of text, making it extremely easy to miss this crucial shortcut at a glance.

For most users coming from other standard audio software, selecting multiple files and clicking a standard "Save" button naturally implies saving the changes to the entire selection. Having to hold down CTRL and click "Apply" instead of "Save" is not user-friendly without asking support.

Perhaps adding a dedicated "Save All" button, making the tooltip much more concise, or simply making the default "Save" button apply to the entire selection in Batch Mode would make the software much more intuitive for new users.

Nevertheless, thank you for providing the solution so quickly!

[radio42]

That’s why I already changed the default behavior in the new version
I.e. the save button now behaves directly in the same way…
Just try the new v4.5.3.4

[rascas]

Hello Bernd,

I just updated to version 4.5.3.4 and tested the new behavior. It works perfectly and exactly as expected!

Thank you very much for listening to the feedback and implementing this change so quickly. Having the standard "Save" button apply changes to the entire selection makes bulk editing much more intuitive, logical, and user-friendly.

I really appreciate your excellent support and the continuous improvements you make to ProppFrexx!