~~Title: Programmatic setting of Metadata ~~
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Using the **[[:reference:command_reference:internal_commands:setattr|SetAttr]] META** command it is possible to automate changes to file metadata.

{{ :media:13:star_rating_menu.png?nolink|}}

For example, you could set up a menu to apply different ratings to files.

This menu was created from six different commands, each of which applies a different rating to selected files.
  * The command for //Clear rating// is `SetAttr META rating:0`
  * The command for //1 star// is `SetAttr META rating:1`
  * The command for 2// stars// is `SetAttr META rating:2` (and so on.)

The general template for this command is:

`SetAttr META keyword:<value> keyword:<value> ...`


You can specify as many //**keyword:**<value>// pairs on the command line as you like. The keyword must be one of the metadata keywords listed on the [[:reference:metadata_keywords:keywords_for_setattr_meta|Keywords for SetAttr META]] page. //<value>// will vary depending on the field you are setting.

If the //<value>// part is missing, the specified keyword will be cleared. For example,

`SetAttr META album`

It is important to remember that if //<value>// contains any embedded spaces, the entire //**keyword:**<value>// pair must be enclosed with quotes. For example,

`SetAttr META "album:Dark Side Of The Moon" "albumartist:Pink Floyd"`

The specified keyword can also contain [[:reference:wildcard_reference:pattern_matching_syntax|wildcards]], to apply the same value to multiple metadata fields at once. You could, for instance, set the **artist**, **albumartist** and **origartist** fields all at once with ***artist**. You can also use this to clear all metadata fields:

`SetAttr META`

Some metadata values support more complex data than a simple string. For example, you can apply an offset to the EXIF //date taken// field, to adjust the current value rather than replacing it completely. To subtract one hour, the command would be:

`SetAttr META datetaken:-1`

See the [[:reference:metadata_keywords:keywords_for_setattr_meta|Keywords for SetAttr META]] page for a full list of keywords and they values they can accept.

You can also copy certain combinations of metadata from a source file to the target files, using the **copyfrom** keyword. The template for this is:

`SetAttr META copyfrom:<type>,<filename>`

 In the above, //<type>// is a numeric value that represents which type of properties should be copied. The available values for //<type>// are:

^Type^Category^Copies^
|1|Music|Artist, Album, Year, Genre|
|2|Music|All except Title and Track|
|3|Music|All|
|4|Documents|Author and Ownership|
|5|Documents|All except Title and Subject|
|6|Documents|All|
|7|Movie|Director, Producer, Writer|
|8|Movie|All except Title|
|9|Movie|All|
|10|Picture|Author and Ownership|
|11|Picture|GPS|
|12|Picture|GPS and Camera|
|13|Picture|Author, Ownership, Camera|
|14|Picture|Author, Ownership, GPS|
|15|Picture|All|


//<file>// is the source file to copy the specified metadata from. Remember that if the filename contains spaces, the //**keyword:**<value>// pair must be enclosed with quotes. For example,

`SetATTR META "copyfrom:8,/myvideos/my home movie1.avi"`