### FAQ

- No renamings are done
- No metadata
- Exif
- IPTC
- ID3
- KiB, MiB, GiB
- Loading sub directories
- Default date format
- Selected / Highlighted
- Completion
- Track
- Send To
- Different configurations
- Retrieve favorites
- Sharing expressions problem
- Translate Siren

Q : No renamings are done

A : No renamings will be done if the "New name" column is empty.
If this is the case, check :

1. That at least one file is selected (checkbox checked)
2. That the "Expression" field is not empty
3. That the expression is "validated".
   If the cursor is in the expression field then press the "Enter" key. This will validate the expression and start the computation of the new names.
   You can avoid this by checking "Immediate new name recompute" in "Preferences/New name computation"
4. That the expression you entered does not always give empty new names.
   Check this, for example, by removing modifiers, adding fixed text before and after variables (to check if they are empty) etc..

Q : Siren doesn't display any metadata

A : As explained in the metadata page, Siren analyzes files and extracts their metadata based on their extensions.
Here are some elements that you should check :

- That in "Preferences/General", "Extract metadata from files" is checked.
- That the files have an extension.
  You may have forgotten to add it in a renaming expression and so they may have been removed during the renaming.
- That the files have the right extension.
  For example, images may have been named as "jpg" but are in fact "tif" or "bmp" etc.
- That the files have an extension that Siren handles.
  You'll find a list in the metadata page.
- That Siren has the access rights to read their content.

Q : What relates to "Exif information" ?

A : Exif ("Exchangeable Image File Format") is a standard for storing information in image files. Most part of digital cameras use it.
They put in it data concerning the shot : Dates, focal length, speeds etc..
They can be used in renaming operations.
Softwares exist to modify some of them.

Q : What relates to "IPTC information" ?

A : The IPTC ("International Press Telecommunications Council") has defined a standard for storing information in image files.
If the Exif ones concern the technical aspect of the shot, the IPTC relate to its subject : place, copyright, categories, key words etc..
They can be used in renaming operations.
Softwares exist to modify them.

Q : What relates to "ID3 information" ?

R : It is a standard for audio files metadata (title, artist, etc.).
Two versions exist : ID3v1 and ID3v2. They can cohabit in the same file.
Softwares exist to modify them.

Q : File sizes are expressed in KiB, MiB and GiB. What are these units ?

A : They have been established the IEC, they are supposed to respectively replace kB, MB and GB.

- KiB stands for kibibyte and represents 2^10 bytes
- MiB stands for mebibyte and represents 2^20 bytes
- GiB stands for gibibyte and represents 2^30 bytes

Q : How to load a directory and its sub directories ?

A : Siren offers two directory loading modes : standard and with sub directories.
You can choose one or the other with the button

.

- The standard mode does the same as a file explorer. The directory is loaded and its content is listed.
- The "with sub directories" mode does the same but for the complete chosen directory tree.
  In this mode :
  - file names are prefixed with their relative path
  - directories can't be selected or renamed

Q : Why using YEAR MONTH DAY as the default date format ?

A : The interest of this format is that alphabetical and chronological sorts are the same.
By prefixing your file names with a date following this format they will be chronologically sorted in most of the programs you use.
For example, for the dates "2000-02-02" and "2011-01-01" :

- With the format Y-M-D, the string "2000-02-01" comes before "2011-01-01"
- With the format M-D-Y, the string "02-02-2000" comes after "01-01-2011"

Q : What is the difference, for a file, between being "selected" or being "highlighted" ?

A : These are two different notions for Siren :

- selected : its checkbox is checked, it will be part of the next renaming.
- highlighted : generally this corresponds to what your file explorer names "selected".
  For example, under a standard Windows version, the line background color is dark blue.
  For Siren, the file will be part of the ones on which a tool from the "Tools" menu will be executed.

It is perfectly possible for a file to be "selected" and "highlighted".

Q : How to access quickly the list of the variables available to the expressions ?

A : A system of completion has been created.
Click on the button just on the right of the "Expression" combo : a window will appear.
All available variables are in it. If you double click on the one you are interested in, the code is automatically inserted.

Q : What is the difference between "Track" and "Track Number" ?

A : As you have noticed, "Track" is only present in the "Audio" tags. Unlike its equivalent in the id3v1 tag, it's a "free" string. One of the defined standards is : "track number / number of tracks". Siren will automatically parse it and initialise "Track Number" and "Number of Tracks".

Q : Under Windows an error occurs when using the "Send To" shortcut.

A : Two principal causes can be at the origin of this :

- The "exe" changed place. Make an "Update" of the shortcut (Preferences/Shortcuts).
- Too many files were selected before the call.
  The system limits have been exceeded.

Q : How to use two different Siren configurations ?
For example, one for the "mp3" and another for the other files.

A : All Siren's configuration information is stored in a "flat" (or "text") file.
By default :

- Under Windows this file is named "Siren.ini" and stored in the same directory as the program
- Under GNU/Linux it is named ".siren" and is stored in your home directory

You can create many of them, name them as you want and store them where you want. Use the command line parameter "p" to start Siren with the desired configuration.
For example :

- Under Windows : `siren.exe /p C:\MonRep\Siren\Photos.ini`
- Under GNU/Linux : `siren -p /home/user/Siren/Photos.ini`

If you use a specific file, its name will appear in the title bar.

Q : Can I retrieve the favorites created with a previous version of Siren ?

A : Yes, you can.
The favorites and tools are stored in Siren's configuration file.
Get the file you want to reuse then copy and name it correctly :

- Under Windows : "Siren.ini" stored in the same directory as Siren's executable
- Under GNU/Linux : ".siren" stored in your home directory

During its startup, Siren will detect an old version of the configuration file and extract the favorites, the tools and some other data.
You can perfectly reuse under GNU/Linux a "Siren.ini" file created under Windows.

Q : Why someone using the same renaming expression as me doesn't get the same result ?

A : Many parameters used by an expression (date formats, element separators etc.) can be set in the "Preferences". Therefore, on different systems, exact same expressions can give different results. To avoid this issue you can embed those parameters directly in the expression.

For example if you want the `"%Xdo"` variable to be formated `"YYYY-MM-DD HH"`, rather than changing the default format to `"%Y-%m-%d %H"` in the "Preferences" use an expression like : `"%Xdo{"%Y-%m-%d %H"}"`.

For more details, have a look at the page dedicated to the modifiers.

Q : Is it possible to create a new translation of Siren ?

A : Yes. You'll find all details in the "How to ..." section of the web site forum.