How Grouping Schemes Work in foobar2000 Playlists

In foobar2000, a playlist is simply a list of tracks.
A grouping scheme is a set of rules that tells foobar2000 how to visually organize those tracks inside the playlist.

Grouping does not change:

• The order of tracks
• The audio files
• The tags

Grouping only changes how tracks are visually grouped and labeled in the playlist.

What “Grouping” Means in Practice

When grouping is enabled, foobar2000 inserts group headers into the playlist.
Each header represents a group of tracks that share something in common, such as:

• The same album
• The same artist
• The same year
• The same format or codec

For example, instead of seeing a flat list of tracks, you might see:

Radiohead — OK Computer (1997)
  Airbag
  Paranoid Android
  Subterranean Homesick Alien

That header line is created by a grouping scheme.

How Grouping Is Different from Sorting

This distinction is important for beginners.

• Sorting decides the order of tracks
• Grouping decides where headers appear

You can:

• Sort tracks by album and track number
• Group tracks by album artist and album name

Grouping does not automatically sort tracks.
If tracks are not sorted in a way that matches the grouping rules, grouping may look incorrect.

What a Custom Grouping Scheme Is

A custom grouping scheme is a user-defined rule that tells foobar2000:

1. When a new group should start
2. What text should appear in the group header

It uses title formatting, the same system used for playlist columns and status bar text.

Custom grouping schemes are used in both UIs

• The Default User Interface (DUI) playlist view
• The Columns UI playlist (with slightly different configuration)

The concept is the same in both:
title formatting defines group identity and group header text.

The Two Parts of a Grouping Scheme

A grouping scheme has two logical parts:

1. Grouping Key (What Defines a Group)

This determines which tracks belong together.

Example grouping key:

%album artist%|%album%

This means:

• All tracks with the same album artist and
• The same album name
  will be placed into the same group.

If either value changes, a new group starts.

2. Group Header Display (What You See)

This defines what text is shown as the group header.

Example header display:

%album artist% — %album% (%date%)

Displayed header:

Radiohead — OK Computer (1997)

This is purely visual and can include:

• Plain text
• Fields
• Conditional logic

A Simple Beginner Grouping Example

Grouping key:

%album%

Group header display:

Album: %album%

Result:

Album: OK Computer
  Airbag
  Paranoid Android

All tracks with the same album name are grouped together.

Why Grouping Often Uses Album Artist Instead of Artist

Many albums contain tracks by multiple artists.
If you group only by %artist%, compilation albums will split into many groups.

Using %album artist% avoids this:

%album artist%|%album%

This keeps the album intact under one header.

Grouping and Playlist Columns Work Together

Grouping schemes use title formatting, just like playlist columns.

• Playlist columns control what each track row shows
• Grouping controls what the header above those rows shows

They are independent but complementary.

You might show:

• Track number and title in the row
• Album, artist, and year in the group header

Grouping Does Not Replace Multiple Playlists

Grouping is visual organization, not logical separation.

• One playlist can contain many groups
• Groups do not behave like folders
• You cannot collapse groups into separate playlists automatically

Think of grouping as visual structure inside a single playlist.

Common Beginner Mistakes

• Grouping without sorting first
• Using %artist% instead of %album artist%
• Expecting grouping to change playback order
• Making grouping schemes too complex early on

A Practical Starter Grouping Scheme

Sort by:

%album artist% | %date% | %album% | %tracknumber%

Group by (key):

%album artist%|%album%

Group header:

%album artist% — %album% (%date%)

This produces clean, album-centric playlists suitable for most libraries.

Final Notes

• Grouping schemes are purely visual
• They rely on title formatting
• Sorting and grouping must agree
• Simple schemes work best for beginners

Once you understand grouping, foobar2000 playlists become far more readable and powerful without adding complexity.

Built-In Grouping Schemes in foobar2000 (And What They Produce)

Several predefined grouping schemes are already created. These are basic and simple title-formatting rules.

You can see them here:

Preferences → Display → Default User Interface → Playlist view → Grouping

1. “By Album” (Default)

This is the most commonly used grouping scheme and the one most users start with.

Grouping Key (Conceptual)

Tracks are grouped when the album artist and album name change.

Effectively based on:

%album artist% + %album%

Group Header Display

Typically shows:

• Album artist
• Album name
• Year (if available)

What the Playlist Looks Like

Pink Floyd — The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
  01 Speak to Me
  02 Breathe
  03 On the Run
Pink Floyd — Wish You Were Here (1975)
  01 Shine On You Crazy Diamond
  02 Welcome to the Machine

Why This Works Well

• Keeps albums intact
• Handles compilation albums correctly
• Matches how most people think about music collections

This is the recommended default for beginners.

2. “By Artist”

This grouping changes whenever the track artist changes.

Grouping Key

%artist%

Group Header Display

Usually just the artist name.

Outcome

David Bowie
  Space Oddity
  Heroes
  Ashes to Ashes
Talking Heads
  Psycho Killer
  Once in a Lifetime

Important Limitation

• Albums are not preserved
• Tracks from different albums by the same artist are mixed together

This grouping is useful for:

• Shuffled playlists
• “Best of” or mixed artist views

It is not ideal for album-oriented listening.

3. “By Album Artist”

This is similar to “By Artist” but uses %album artist%.

Grouping Key

%album artist%

Outcome

Various Artists
  Track from Compilation A
  Track from Compilation B
Daft Punk
  Track from Discovery
  Track from Random Access Memories

When This Is Useful

• Compilation-heavy libraries
• Soundtracks
• DJ-style playlists

Albums are still mixed together, but compilations stay intact.

4. “By Directory Structure”

This groups tracks based on their file path, not tags.

Grouping Key (Conceptual)

%path%

Outcome

D:\Music\Pink Floyd\The Wall\
  Another Brick in the Wall
  Comfortably Numb
D:\Music\Radiohead\OK Computer\
  Airbag
  Paranoid Android

Why This Exists

• Useful when tags are incomplete or inconsistent
• Reflects how files are physically organized

Downsides

• Breaks if you reorganize folders
• Ignores metadata entirely

This is mainly for troubleshooting or legacy libraries.

5. “No Grouping”

This disables grouping entirely.

Outcome

Airbag
Paranoid Android
Time
Comfortably Numb

When to Use It

• Temporary playlists
• Search results
• Debugging sorting issues

This is effectively a flat list.

How These Rules Are Actually Applied

Internally, each built-in grouping scheme defines:

1. When a new group starts
   (based on one or more title formatting fields)
2. What text appears in the group header

You can view and edit these rules by:

• Selecting a grouping scheme
• Clicking Edit
• Inspecting the title formatting expressions

This is how users learn grouping: by modifying existing schemes.

Why Sorting Matters (Again)

All built-in grouping schemes assume a compatible sort order.

Example:

• Grouping by album
• But playlist sorted randomly

Result:

• Multiple album headers
• Broken grouping

That’s why foobar2000 usually pairs:

• Sort pattern
• Grouping pattern

They are designed to work together.

What foobar2000 Does NOT Do Automatically

Even with built-in schemes, foobar2000 does not:

• Auto-fix bad tags
• Reorder tracks inside a group
• Merge albums with inconsistent metadata

Grouping is visual logic only.

Why Built-In Schemes Are Important for Learning

The built-in grouping schemes are:

• Real working examples
• Written using standard title formatting
• Safe to experiment with

The recommended learning path is:

1. Duplicate an existing scheme
2. Make small changes
3. Observe the playlist outcome

This is far easier than writing one from scratch.

Summary

• Built-in grouping schemes are prewritten title formatting rules
• “By Album” is the most balanced and beginner-friendly
• Grouping affects visual structure only
• Sorting and grouping must match
• Editing existing schemes is the best way to learn

References:

wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index.php?title=Foobar2000:Playlist_View#Custom_Grouping_Schemes