# Using metadata in texts

Metadata can be used in header/footer texts and comments. The general format of a metadata value in a text is %{name}, where name is the name of the metadata item.

It is also possible to conditionally substitute texts depending on the value of metadata items.

%{name|true-text|false-text}
%{name|true-text}

If metadata item name, the controlling item, has a value, the true-text is substituted. If metadata item name has no value, the false-text is substituted. Both alternatives may be left out.

It is possible to test for specific values using the = (equality) operator:

%{name=value|true-text|false-text}

For even more power, true-text and false-text may contain other metadata substitutions. The special %{} can be used to substitute the value of the controlling item. See. however, nested substitutions below.

For example, if metadata item album has the value “Yes”, %{album|Album: %{}} expands to “Album: Yes”. If album did not have a value, the expansion would be empty.

All metadata items can have multiple values. To get multiple values, just issue multiple directives. For example:

{album: Cover Stories}
{album: Greatest Hits}

Now album has two values. When substituted, the values are concatenated using the configuration setting metadata.separator. To access the individual values, use album.1 for the first value, album.2 for the second value, and so on. Negative numbers count from the end, e.g. album.-1 will give the last value.

Metadata values passed on the command line (--meta) are always inserted first.

If necessary, the special meaning of the characters \, {, }, and | can be escaped by preceding it a \. Note that in the configuration files the strings are JSON strings and each \ must be doubled: "\\{" is an escaped {. "\\\\" is an escaped backslash.

# Nested substitutions

Care must be taken if substituted values contain special characters. For example:

{year: 1939|1967}

When used in a substitution %{year} this will yield, as expected, 1939|1967.

However, when used in %{anything|%{year}} first %{year} is expanded, resulting in %{anything|1939|1967}}. This accidentally introduces an ’else’ part. Then anything is examined. It is empty so it expands to the ’else’ part… 1967.

This can be considered a bug or a feature, depending on how you look at it.

A better way to supply multiple values is by using multiple directives as shown above.

# Standard metadata

See meta directive for the standard metadata items.

The ChordPro reference implementation provides additional metadata:

  • chords: A comma-separated list of chords used in this song.

  • chordpro: The string "ChordPro".

  • chordpro.songsource: The input file name for the song.

  • chordpro.version: The ChordPro version.

  • instrument: Short for instrument.type.

  • instrument.description: Set by instrument configs. For the default guitar config this is "Guitar, 6 strings, standard tuning".

  • instrument.type: The name of the instrument as set by instrument configs. Default "guitar".

  • numchords: The number of chords used in this song.

  • songindex: The index (serial number) of the song in the songbook.

  • today: The current date in the format defined in the config file. See Dates and Times.

  • tuning: The tuning of the instrument. For the default guitar config this is "E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4".

  • user: Short for user.name.

  • user.fullname: The full name of the user running ChordPro. Initial value is derived from the environment, if possible.

  • user.name: The (login) name of the user running ChordPro. Initial value is derived from the environment.

The values of instrument and user can be used for directive selection

# Page related metadata

Page related metadata are only available in headings and footers.

  • page: The starting page number of the song.

  • page.side: The current page side, left or right.

  • page.class: The current page class, default, title or first. See page headers and footers.

  • pages: The total number of pages of the current song.

# Command line metadata

Additional metadata can be provided on the command line.

# Song key

As can be expected, %{key} yields the song key as specified with the key directive.

ChordPro provides two additional metadata for substitution:

  • key_actual: The actual key, which is initially identical to key but will change when transpositions are in effect.

  • key_from: If a transposition is in effect, the key before the transposition.

# Additional metadata for CSV generation

See Configuration for CSV output.

  • pagerange: The pages of the song, either a single page number or a range like 3-7.

# Chord format string

Chord format strings support a limited set of metadata for substitutions.

  • name: The given name of the chord.

  • root: The root of the chord.

  • qual: The quality of the chord. Qualities are m, min, - (minor), maj (major), aug, + (augmented) and dim, o, 0 (diminished).

  • ext: The rest, e.g. 7sus4.

  • bass: The bass part, if the chord has a bass note separated by a slash /.

In all cases, %{root}%{qual}%{ext}%{bass|/%{}} yields the full chord name.

The default chord format string is the value of config item chord-formats with a format string for each of the supported chord formats.

"chord-formats" : {
    "common" :    "%{root|%{}%{qual|%{}}%{ext|%{}}%{bass|/%{}}|%{name}}",
    "roman" :     "%{root|%{}%{qual|<sup>%{}</sup>}%{ext|<sup>%{}</sup>}%{bass|/<sub>%{}</sub>}|%{name}}",
    "nashville" : "%{root|%{}%{qual|<sup>%{}</sup>}%{ext|<sup>%{}</sup>}%{bass|/<sub>%{}</sub>}|%{name}}",
},

If property root is known this means that the chord was successfully parsed. The format will use the chord properties root, qual, ext and bass. Otherwise it uses the name property.

Experimental: If a chord has been transposed and/or transcoded there will be additional metadata:

  • xp: The metadata for the chord before transposing.

  • xc: The metadata for the chord before transcoding.

These have all the metadata for chords (i.e. root, qual etc.), and in addition:

  • formatted: The formatted chord name.

For example, when you transcode a song to Roman and want to show the roman notation alongside the original (common) notation, you can use the following value for chord-formats.roman:

%{root|%{}%{qual|<sup>%{}%{ext|%{}}</sup>}%{bass|/<sub>%{}</sub>}|%{name}}%{xc.root| (%{xc.formatted})}

The first part is the normal format for Roman notation. To this, the following is appended:

%{xc.root| (%{xc.formatted})}

When the chord was transcoded there is an xc.root and the formatted chord name xc.formatted is appended between parentheses.