An APE tag item key is a key for accessing special meta-information in an audio file.
Member of APE Tag Item.
APE tag item keys can have a length of 2 (including) up to 255 (including) characters in the range from 0x20 (Space) until 0x7E (Tilde).
Typical keys should have a length of 2 ... 16 characters using the following characters:
Space (0x20), Slash (0x2F), Digits (0x30...0x39), Letters (0x41...0x5A, 0x61...0x7A).
Not allowed are the following keys: ID3, TAG, OggS and MP+.
Currently the following keys are defined:
| key | meaning | recommended format of value |
| Title | Music Piece Title Music Work | UTF-8 String |
| Subtitle | Title when TITLE contains the work or additional sub title | UTF-8 String |
| Artist | Performing artist List of Performing Artists | UTF-8 String List of UTF-8 Strings |
| Album | Album name | UTF-8 String |
| Debut Album | Debut Album name | UTF-8 String |
| Publisher | Record label or Publisher | UTF-8 String |
| Conductor | Conductor | UTF-8 String |
| Track | Track Number Track Number/Total Tracks Number | Integer Integer/Integer |
| Composer | Name of the original composer Name of the original arranger | UTF-8 String List of UTF-8 Strings |
| Comment | User comment(s) | UTF-8 String List of UTF-8 Strings Link List of Links |
| Copyright | Copyright holder | UTF-8 String List of UTF-8 Strings |
| Publicationright | Publication right holder | UTF-8 String List of UTF-8 Strings |
| File | File location | Link List of Links |
| EAN/UPC | EAN-13/UPC-A bar code identifier | 12 or 13 digit Integer |
| ISBN | ISBN number with check digit | 9 digit number with a check digit, which can be 0...9 or X |
| Catalog | Catalog number | sometimes the EAN/UPC, often some letters followed by some numbers |
| LC | Label Code | LC + 4 or 5 digit Integer |
| Year °) | Release date | Date |
| Record Date | Record date | Date |
| Record Location | Record location(s) | UTF-8 String List of UTF-8 Strings |
| Genre °°) | Genre(s) | UTF-8 String List of UTF-8 Strings |
| Media | Source Source Media Number/Total Media Number Source Time | Media Media Integer/Integer Media Time |
| Index | Indexes for quick access | Index Time List of Index Times |
| Related | Location of related information | Link List of Links |
| ISRC | International Standard Recording Number | ASCII String |
| Abstract | Abstract | Link |
| Language | Used Language(s) for music/spoken words | UTF-8 String List of UTF-8 Strings |
| Bibliography | Bibliography/Dicography | Link |
| Introplay | Characteric part of piece for intro playing | Index Time Range |
| Dummy | place holder | zero data |
°) This key name is used to be upward compatible.
°°) Genre keywords should be normally English terms. A native language supporting plugin can translate common expression to the local language and vice versa when storing the genre in the file.