Backslash instead of forward slash in playlist pathways not working in Windows 11

[Andrrison]

Raising this as an issue, as wasn't able to get this working from the comments in closed issue https://github.com/ericdaugherty/itunesexport-go/issues/6

I've downloaded 1.6.0 (Windows 11), but can't get this to work. Here's the code I'm running in Command Prompt to generate a backslash:

itunesexport.exe -includeAll -library "H:\iTunes\iTunes Library.xml" -pathSeparator "\\" -output "C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library - Backup\Audio Station Playlists" 

Here's an example of a line from the output .m3u file, showing the pathway still with a forward slash, when my code requested a back slash:

H:/iTunes/iTunes Media/Music/Erasure/The Innocents/01 A Little Respect.m4a

Note I also tried this code (using "\" instead of "\\"):

itunesexport.exe -includeAll -library "H:\iTunes\iTunes Library.xml" -pathSeparator "\" -output "C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library - Backup\Audio Station Playlists"

Which generates this error:

Unable to parse command line parameters.
Unexpected paramter purchases

Can this be investigated and resolved please - would be a really helpful function for me!

[Andrrison]

@ericdaugherty any update/progress on the above?

Thanks

[Andrrison]

@ericdaugherty any chance we'll get a fix for the above soon please? Thanks

[ericdaugherty]

I'm not sure how to fix this issue for you. I tried with the latest release on my mac (I don't have a windows computer) and
-pathSeparator "\\" and -pathSeparator "/" -pathSeparator "|" all resulted in the \ / | separators respectively in the output file.

Can you try with different values (any valid character can be used) to see if the parameter works at all for any inputs? Try something like -pathSeparator "|" or -pathSeparator "a" to make sure it works at all. If it does, then there is probably some problem with the character escaping in the windows.

You could also try single quotes, ie -pathSeparator '\'

[Andrrison]

Hi Eric, and thanks for your reply. I've tried all the alternatives in your message, and still get the same outcome as before. I delved into the shakey ground of asking ChatGPT to help my test or find a remedy. Here's a summary it created for me of what I did, and what it thought:

_I’ve done extensive testing on Windows 11 using CMD and PowerShell, and the issue does not appear to be related to command-line escaping.

Observed behaviour:

On Windows, -pathSeparator appears to have no effect at all.

This is true regardless of the value passed:

-pathSeparator ""

-pathSeparator "\"

-pathSeparator "/"

-pathSeparator "|"

-pathSeparator "a"

-pathSeparator THIS_SHOULD_BE_VISIBLE

The output path separator remains unchanged in all cases.

Shell-independent tests:

Tested in:

cmd.exe

PowerShell

Tested with PowerShell’s --% stop-parsing operator

Tested using an environment variable to pass the separator:

set SEP=
itunesexport-go.exe -pathSeparator %SEP%

None of the above change the output.

This rules out:

Quoting issues

Backslash escaping

CMD vs PowerShell differences

Trailing-backslash parsing bugs

Conclusion:

On Windows, the -pathSeparator flag appears to be ignored or overwritten internally, or the Windows release binary does not include the code path that applies the flag.

Suggested areas to investigate:

Whether the flag value is being overwritten on the Windows code path (e.g. OS-specific defaults)

Whether the Windows release binary is built from the same source as other platforms

Whether the flag is parsed but never actually used on Windows_

I'm not massively technical, but is the above any use to you to help find a fix or offer any sugegstions?

Thanks

[ericdaugherty]

I created a draft release (v1.7.1). Please download and run this and include the -flags argument.

This should dump out the arguments as processed and we can figure out if the issue is with the processing of the arguments or the export itself.

Please post the results back here so I can help figure out what is going on.

[Andrrison]

I created a draft release (v1.7.1). Please download and run this and include the -flags argument.

This should dump out the arguments as processed and we can figure out if the issue is with the processing of the arguments or the export itself.

Please post the results back here so I can help figure out what is going on.

Thanks Eric. I'm not massively technical, so please can you explain what you mean by "include the -flags argument"?

Thanks

[ericdaugherty]

It is a new parameter to the command line tool. So you would want to add it as follows:

itunesexport.exe -flags -includeAll -library "H:\iTunes\iTunes Library.xml" -pathSeparator "\\" -output "C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library - Backup\Audio Station Playlists" 

[Andrrison]

@ericdaugherty This is the code I used:

itunesexport.exe -flags -includeAll -library "H:\iTunes\iTunes Library.xml" -pathSeparator "\" -output "C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library - Backup\Audio Station Playlists" exclude "Audiobooks" "Decades - 1950s" "Decades - 1960s" "Decades - 1970s" "Decades - 1980s" "Decades - 1990s" "Decades - 2000s" "Decades - 2010s" "Decades - 2020s" "Missing album art" "Missing album artist" "Missing disc number" "Non-purchased files" "Purchased files" "Recently Played" "Videos" "Bandcamp" "Hi-Rez Switched Tracks 2023-01" "Internet Songs" "Re-downloaded protected purchases"

itunesexport.exe -flags -includeAll -library "H:\iTunes\iTunes Unofficial Music\iTunes Unofficial Library.xml" -pathSeparator "\" -output "C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library - Backup\Audio Station Playlists" exclude "Audiobooks" "Purchased files" "Recently Played" "Videos" "Internet Songs"

This is the output with -flag included:

iTunes Export (Go Version v1.7.1)
See http://www.ericdaugherty.com/dev/itunesexport/ for detailed instructions.

Arguments: [-flags -includeAll -library H:\iTunes\iTunes Library.xml -pathSeparator " -output C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library - Backup\Audio Station Playlists exclude Audiobooks Decades - 1950s Decades - 1960s Decades - 1970s Decades - 1980s Decades - 1990s Decades - 2000s Decades - 2010s Decades - 2020s Missing album art Missing album artist Missing disc number Non-purchased files Purchased files Recently Played Videos Bandcamp Hi-Rez Switched Tracks 2023-01 Internet Songs Re-downloaded protected purchases]

Library Path: 'H:\iTunes\iTunes Library.xml'
Output Path: ''
Export Type: 'M3U'
Include All Playlists: 'true'
Include All With Builtin Playlists: 'false'
Include Playlist With Regex: ''
Copy Type: 'NONE'
Music Path: ''
Music Path Original: ''
Include Folders: 'false'
Path Separator: '" -output C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes'
usage: itunesexport [<flags>] [include <playlist name>...] [exclude <playlist name>...]

Specify one of the -include<All|AllWithBuiltin|PlaylistWithRegex> flags or use
the include parameter with playlist names to specify the playlist to export.

Usage of exclude parameter will override any playlist included using the flag
or parameter.

Flags:
    -library <file path>        Path to iTunes Music Library XML File.
    -output <file path>         Path where the playlists should be written.
    -type <M3U|EXT|WPL|ZPL>     Type of playlist file to write.  Defaults to M3U
                                EXT = M3U Extended, WPL = Windows Playlist, ZPL = Zune Playlist
    -includeAll                 Include all user defined playlists.
    -includeAllWithBuiltin      Include All playlists, including iTunes defined playlists
    -includePlaylistWithRegex   Include all playlists matching the provided regular expression
    -copy <COPY TYPE>           Copy the music tracks as well, according the the COPY TYPE scheme...
        NONE                    (default) The music files will not be copied.
        PLAYLIST                Copies the music into a folder for each playlist.
        ITUNES                  Copies using the itunes music/<Artist>/<Album>/<Track> structure.
        FLAT                    Copies all the music into the output folder.
    -musicPath <new path>       Base path to the music files. This will override the Music Folder path from iTunes.
    -musicPathOrig <path>       When using -musicPath this allows you to override the Music Folder value that is replaced.
    -includeFolders             Playlists within folders will include the full path in the name.
    -pathSeparator <separator>  The character or string to use to separate path elements in the output playlist file.
                                If not specified it will use the operating system's default value.
    -flags                      Output the command line flags provided.
Unable to parse command line parameters.
Unexpected parameter purchases


C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library - Backup>itunesexport.exe -flags -includeAll -library "H:\iTunes\iTunes Unofficial Music\iTunes Unofficial Library.xml" -pathSeparator "\" -output "C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library - Backup\Audio Station Playlists" exclude "Audiobooks" "Purchased files" "Recently Played" "Videos" "Internet Songs"

iTunes Export (Go Version v1.7.1)
See http://www.ericdaugherty.com/dev/itunesexport/ for detailed instructions.

Arguments: [-flags -includeAll -library H:\iTunes\iTunes Unofficial Music\iTunes Unofficial Library.xml -pathSeparator " -output C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library - Backup\Audio Station Playlists exclude Audiobooks Purchased files Recently Played Videos Internet Songs]

Library Path: 'H:\iTunes\iTunes Unofficial Music\iTunes Unofficial Library.xml'
Output Path: ''
Export Type: 'M3U'
Include All Playlists: 'true'
Include All With Builtin Playlists: 'false'
Include Playlist With Regex: ''
Copy Type: 'NONE'
Music Path: ''
Music Path Original: ''
Include Folders: 'false'
Path Separator: '" -output C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes'
usage: itunesexport [<flags>] [include <playlist name>...] [exclude <playlist name>...]

Specify one of the -include<All|AllWithBuiltin|PlaylistWithRegex> flags or use
the include parameter with playlist names to specify the playlist to export.

Usage of exclude parameter will override any playlist included using the flag
or parameter.

Flags:
    -library <file path>        Path to iTunes Music Library XML File.
    -output <file path>         Path where the playlists should be written.
    -type <M3U|EXT|WPL|ZPL>     Type of playlist file to write.  Defaults to M3U
                                EXT = M3U Extended, WPL = Windows Playlist, ZPL = Zune Playlist
    -includeAll                 Include all user defined playlists.
    -includeAllWithBuiltin      Include All playlists, including iTunes defined playlists
    -includePlaylistWithRegex   Include all playlists matching the provided regular expression
    -copy <COPY TYPE>           Copy the music tracks as well, according the the COPY TYPE scheme...
        NONE                    (default) The music files will not be copied.
        PLAYLIST                Copies the music into a folder for each playlist.
        ITUNES                  Copies using the itunes music/<Artist>/<Album>/<Track> structure.
        FLAT                    Copies all the music into the output folder.
    -musicPath <new path>       Base path to the music files. This will override the Music Folder path from iTunes.
    -musicPathOrig <path>       When using -musicPath this allows you to override the Music Folder value that is replaced.
    -includeFolders             Playlists within folders will include the full path in the name.
    -pathSeparator <separator>  The character or string to use to separate path elements in the output playlist file.
                                If not specified it will use the operating system's default value.
    -flags                      Output the command line flags provided.
Unable to parse command line parameters.
Unexpected parameter Songs

Can you glean anything from the above?

Thanks

[ericdaugherty]

The problem with this example is the path separator. You have: -pathSeparator "\", however the \ is escaping the quote so it is not seen. You can tell because the program is seeing:

Path Separator: '" -output C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes'

Try it again with pathSeparator "\\" instead.

[Andrrison]

@ericdaugherty I ran it with this code:

itunesexport.exe -flags -includeAll -library "H:\iTunes\iTunes Library.xml" -pathSeparator "\\" -output "C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library - Backup\Audio Station Playlists" exclude "Audiobooks" "Decades - 1950s" "Decades - 1960s" "Decades - 1970s" "Decades - 1980s" "Decades - 1990s" "Decades - 2000s" "Decades - 2010s" "Decades - 2020s" "Missing album art" "Missing album artist" "Missing disc number" "Non-purchased files" "Purchased files" "Recently Played" "Videos" "Bandcamp" "Hi-Rez Switched Tracks 2023-01" "Internet Songs" "Re-downloaded protected purchases"

itunesexport.exe -flags -includeAll -library "H:\iTunes\iTunes Unofficial Music\iTunes Unofficial Library.xml" -pathSeparator "\\" -output "C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library - Backup\Audio Station Playlists" exclude "Audiobooks" "Purchased files" "Recently Played" "Videos" "Internet Songs"

And got this output:

iTunes Export (Go Version v1.7.1)
See http://www.ericdaugherty.com/dev/itunesexport/ for detailed instructions.

Arguments: [-flags -includeAll -library H:\iTunes\iTunes Library.xml -pathSeparator \ -output C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library - Backup\Audio Station Playlists exclude Audiobooks Decades - 1950s Decades - 1960s Decades - 1970s Decades - 1980s Decades - 1990s Decades - 2000s Decades - 2010s Decades - 2020s Missing album art Missing album artist Missing disc number Non-purchased files Purchased files Recently Played Videos Bandcamp Hi-Rez Switched Tracks 2023-01 Internet Songs Re-downloaded protected purchases]

Library Path: 'H:\iTunes\iTunes Library.xml'
Output Path: 'C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library - Backup\Audio Station Playlists'
Export Type: 'M3U'
Include All Playlists: 'true'
Include All With Builtin Playlists: 'false'
Include Playlist With Regex: ''
Copy Type: 'NONE'
Music Path: ''
Music Path Original: ''
Include Folders: 'false'
Path Separator: '\'
Include: [], Exclude [Audiobooks Decades - 1950s Decades - 1960s Decades - 1970s Decades - 1980s Decades - 1990s Decades - 2000s Decades - 2010s Decades - 2020s Missing album art Missing album artist Missing disc number Non-purchased files Purchased files Recently Played Videos Bandcamp Hi-Rez Switched Tracks 2023-01 Internet Songs Re-downloaded protected purchases] Loading Library: H:\iTunes\iTunes Library.xml
Library loaded successfully with 967 playlists and 28309 tracks.

iTunes Export (Go Version v1.7.1)
See http://www.ericdaugherty.com/dev/itunesexport/ for detailed instructions.

Arguments: [-flags -includeAll -library H:\iTunes\iTunes Unofficial Music\iTunes Unofficial Library.xml -pathSeparator \ -output C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library - Backup\Audio Station Playlists exclude Audiobooks Purchased files Recently Played Videos Internet Songs]

Library Path: 'H:\iTunes\iTunes Unofficial Music\iTunes Unofficial Library.xml'
Output Path: 'C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library - Backup\Audio Station Playlists'
Export Type: 'M3U'
Include All Playlists: 'true'
Include All With Builtin Playlists: 'false'
Include Playlist With Regex: ''
Copy Type: 'NONE'
Music Path: ''
Music Path Original: ''
Include Folders: 'false'
Path Separator: '\'
Include: [], Exclude [Audiobooks Purchased files Recently Played Videos Internet Songs] Loading Library: H:\iTunes\iTunes Unofficial Music\iTunes Unofficial Library.xml
Library loaded successfully with 135 playlists and 8300 tracks.

However the generated playlists still have the forward slash (extract below):

# M3U Playlist '1988' exported 2026-01-05 7:28AM by iTunes Export v. v1.7.1 (http://www.ericdaugherty.com/dev/itunesexport/)
H:/iTunes/iTunes Media/Music/Erasure/The Innocents/01 A Little Respect.m4a
H:/iTunes/iTunes Media/Music/Erasure/The Innocents/02 Ship Of Fools.m4a

Any ideas what's going on?

Thanks

[Andrrison]

@ericdaugherty some more info for you. I just ran iTunesExport again with the following code, substituting the backslashes for AAAA and ZZZZ separators instead:

itunesexport.exe -flags -includeAll -library "H:\iTunes\iTunes Library.xml" -pathSeparator "AAAA" -output "C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library - Backup\Audio Station Playlists" exclude "Audiobooks" "Decades - 1950s" "Decades - 1960s" "Decades - 1970s" "Decades - 1980s" "Decades - 1990s" "Decades - 2000s" "Decades - 2010s" "Decades - 2020s" "Missing album art" "Missing album artist" "Missing disc number" "Non-purchased files" "Purchased files" "Recently Played" "Videos" "Bandcamp" "Hi-Rez Switched Tracks 2023-01" "Internet Songs" "Re-downloaded protected purchases"

itunesexport.exe -flags -includeAll -library "H:\iTunes\iTunes Unofficial Music\iTunes Unofficial Library.xml" -pathSeparator "ZZZZ" -output "C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library - Backup\Audio Station Playlists" exclude "Audiobooks" "Purchased files" "Recently Played" "Videos" "Internet Songs"

Output:

iTunes Export (Go Version v1.7.1)
See http://www.ericdaugherty.com/dev/itunesexport/ for detailed instructions.

Arguments: [-flags -includeAll -library H:\iTunes\iTunes Library.xml -pathSeparator AAAA -output C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library - Backup\Audio Station Playlists exclude Audiobooks Decades - 1950s Decades - 1960s Decades - 1970s Decades - 1980s Decades - 1990s Decades - 2000s Decades - 2010s Decades - 2020s Missing album art Missing album artist Missing disc number Non-purchased files Purchased files Recently Played Videos Bandcamp Hi-Rez Switched Tracks 2023-01 Internet Songs Re-downloaded protected purchases]

Library Path: 'H:\iTunes\iTunes Library.xml'
Output Path: 'C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library - Backup\Audio Station Playlists'
Export Type: 'M3U'
Include All Playlists: 'true'
Include All With Builtin Playlists: 'false'
Include Playlist With Regex: ''
Copy Type: 'NONE'
Music Path: ''
Music Path Original: ''
Include Folders: 'false'
Path Separator: 'AAAA'
Include: [], Exclude [Audiobooks Decades - 1950s Decades - 1960s Decades - 1970s Decades - 1980s Decades - 1990s Decades - 2000s Decades - 2010s Decades - 2020s Missing album art Missing album artist Missing disc number Non-purchased files Purchased files Recently Played Videos Bandcamp Hi-Rez Switched Tracks 2023-01 Internet Songs Re-downloaded protected purchases] Loading Library: H:\iTunes\iTunes Library.xml
Library loaded successfully with 967 playlists and 28309 tracks.
Exporting 936 playlists...

iTunes Export (Go Version v1.7.1)
See http://www.ericdaugherty.com/dev/itunesexport/ for detailed instructions.

Arguments: [-flags -includeAll -library H:\iTunes\iTunes Unofficial Music\iTunes Unofficial Library.xml -pathSeparator ZZZZ -output C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library - Backup\Audio Station Playlists exclude Audiobooks Purchased files Recently Played Videos Internet Songs]

Library Path: 'H:\iTunes\iTunes Unofficial Music\iTunes Unofficial Library.xml'
Output Path: 'C:\Users\morri\Music\iTunes\iTunes Library - Backup\Audio Station Playlists'
Export Type: 'M3U'
Include All Playlists: 'true'
Include All With Builtin Playlists: 'false'
Include Playlist With Regex: ''
Copy Type: 'NONE'
Music Path: ''
Music Path Original: ''
Include Folders: 'false'
Path Separator: 'ZZZZ'
Include: [], Exclude [Audiobooks Purchased files Recently Played Videos Internet Songs] Loading Library: H:\iTunes\iTunes Unofficial Music\iTunes Unofficial Library.xml
Library loaded successfully with 135 playlists and 8300 tracks.
Exporting 124 playlists...

The resulting files still have the forward slash present - here's an extract:

# M3U Playlist '1988' exported 2026-01-06 6:36PM by iTunes Export v. v1.7.1 (http://www.ericdaugherty.com/dev/itunesexport/)
H:/iTunes/iTunes Media/Music/Erasure/The Innocents/01 A Little Respect.m4a
H:/iTunes/iTunes Media/Music/Erasure/The Innocents/02 Ship Of Fools.m4a

Could this relate to running iTunesExport from the Command Prompt at all? Any thoughts?