How do I use taglib-sharp?

Question

I'm having a bunch of troubles with this library (obviously because I'm a newbie). I'm using Microsoft Visual Studio 2015.

First of all I have absolutely no idea on how to add this library to my project. I didn't find anything helpful on Google, either.

And second, I've found two different libraries - taglib-sharp-master and taglib-sharp-2.1.0.0-windows . Which one should I use?

Answer 1

There are a few things you'll want to do in order to get taglib-sharp working in your project.

Firstly, you need to stick to a particular project type. Next, you are to install the suitable library version for that project. Next, you can use the library as you wish to. I shall also provide a minimal example to get you started and a link to a bunch of examples which you might find of help.

Choosing the correct version of TagLib:

There's some ambiguity in your question as you have tagged it with both c++ and c# . If you want to use c++ in your project, then your best bet is to use the taglib library. Note: Not the 'sharp' version.

However, almost the entire question and its title speaks of taglib-sharp . Given that, I shall presume that you are using c# for your project. Accordingly, your project is a .NET C# project. You can obviate the quandary over selecting the project type. Any of the project types ( WinForms , WPF , Console Application will work just fine as taglib-sharp is just an off-screen library.

And also, FYI, both taglib-sharp-master and taglib-sharp-2.1.0.0-windows are essentially the same stuff. The former is probably the latest version since the latter specifies a definite version 2.1.0.0. But again, 2.1.0.0 has long been the latest version of taglib-sharp. So, use either, and you should be fine.

Installing TagLib-Sharp aka TagLib#:

Next up, you must install TagLib-Sharp to your project. There are a few ways to do so:

• Install it via Nuget
• Add a reference to the binary

♦ Installing via Nuget:

This is probably the recommended way of installing any library/component in Visual Studio. Head over to the Nuget Package Manager Console. Once there, type in:

Install-Package taglib

Nuget Package link: Taglib-Sharp .

and press ENTER .

For more information on the Nuget Package Manager Console , how to open it and use it, visit this link .

You can also add it with the help of the Nuget Package Manager (GUI). Open the Package Manager and search for "taglib-sharp". Install the appropriate package that shows in the search results.

For more information on the Nuget Package Manager , how to open and use it, visit this link .

♦ Downloading the binary and adding a reference to it directly:

You can download the latest version of the taglib-sharp binaries here . The download is a .zip archive. Unzip the file.

In the unzipped folder, head over to \\Libraries . There, find the taglib-sharp.dll file. Keep a note of where the file is located.

Next, in Visual Studio, go to Project > Add Reference .

There, in the left panel, select Browse . Now in the dialog buttons section, click browse and locate the .dll file you extracted from the .zip archive. Make sure the CheckBox next to it is checked:

Click OK.

Now you are all set to use TagLib-Sharp .

Using TagLib-Sharp (Examples):

The minimal example of using the library would be opening a file and editing its Title property and retrieving the Year property:

var file = TagLib.File.Create("<yourFile.mp3>"); // Change file path accordingly.

file.Tag.Title = "My Own Song";

var year = file.Tag.Year;

// Save Changes:
file.Save();

You can also find a similar example here to get your started.

More examples:

• Set Bitmap as cover art for MP3
• https://github.com/mono/taglib-sharp/tree/master/examples
• https://www.codeproject.com/messages/3009089/extracting-id3-albumart-with-taglib-sharp.aspx

If you have further queries, feel free to ask in the comments below. And also, if the question deserves a separate thread, word it properly and ask it here on Stack Overflow itself.

Hope this answer helps. :)