AlbumTypes Plugin
=================

The ``albumtypes`` plugin adds the ability to format and output album types,
such as "Album", "EP", "Single", etc. For the list of available album types,
see the `MusicBrainz documentation`_.

To use the ``albumtypes`` plugin, enable it in your configuration
(see :ref:`using-plugins`). The plugin defines a new field ``$atypes``, which
you can use in your path formats or elsewhere.

.. _MusicBrainz documentation: https://musicbrainz.org/doc/Release_Group/Type

A bug introduced in beets 1.6.0 could have possibly imported broken data into
the ``albumtypes`` library field. Please follow the instructions `described
here <https://github.com/beetbox/beets/pull/4582#issuecomment-1445023493>`_ for
a sanity check and potential fix. :bug:`4528`

Configuration
-------------

To configure the plugin, make a ``albumtypes:`` section in your configuration
file. The available options are:

- **types**: An ordered list of album type to format mappings. The order of the
  mappings determines their order in the output. If a mapping is missing or
  blank, it will not be in the output.
- **ignore_va**: A list of types that should not be output for Various Artists
  albums. Useful for not adding redundant information - various artist albums
  are often compilations.
- **bracket**: Defines the brackets to enclose each album type in the output.

The default configuration looks like this::

    albumtypes:
        types:
            - ep: 'EP'
            - single: 'Single'
            - soundtrack: 'OST'
            - live: 'Live'
            - compilation: 'Anthology'
            - remix: 'Remix'
        ignore_va: compilation
        bracket: '[]'

Examples
--------
With path formats configured like::

    paths:
        default: $albumartist/[$year]$atypes $album/...
        albumtype:soundtrack: Various Artists/$album [$year]$atypes/...
        comp: Various Artists/$album [$year]$atypes/...


The default plugin configuration generates paths that look like this, for example::

    Aphex Twin/[1993][EP][Remix] On Remixes
    Pink Floyd/[1995][Live] p·u·l·s·e
    Various Artists/20th Century Lullabies [1999]
    Various Artists/Ocean's Eleven [2001][OST]