Mp3Tag Tools for DoubleCMD

A set of Python tools that bring Mp3Tag-style tag management directly into DoubleCMD, the cross-platform file manager.

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Features

Batch Tag Editor (mp3tag_batch.py)

A spreadsheet-style editor for ID3 tags across multiple MP3 files at once.

• Loads any number of MP3 files into a grid showing: File, Title, Artist, Album, Year, Track, Genre, Comment
• Double-click any cell to open an inline editor
• "Apply to ALL files" checkbox — change one field across every file in the list in a single operation (e.g. set the same Artist or Album for an entire album)
• Add files button to append more MP3s to the current session
• Save all writes ID3v2.3 + ID3v1 tags to every modified file
• Reads existing ID3v2 (UTF-8/UTF-16) and ID3v1 tags; writes ID3v2.3 with UTF-8 encoding for full Unicode support

Rename from Tags (mp3tag_rename.py)

Bulk-rename MP3 files using their ID3 tags with a live preview.

• Pattern-based renaming using variables substituted from the file's tags
• Live preview — the result column updates in real time as you type the pattern
• Color-coded preview: blue = will be renamed, gray = unchanged, red = conflict
• Conflict detection — warns about duplicate names before renaming

Available pattern variables:

Variable	Content	Example
%title%	Track title	Money
%artist%	Artist name	Pink Floyd
%album%	Album name	Dark Side
%year%	Release year	1973
%track%	Track number (zero-padded to 2 digits)	03
%genre%	Genre name	Rock
%ext%	Original file extension	.mp3

Example patterns:

%track% - %artist% - %title%             →  03 - Pink Floyd - Money.mp3
%artist% - %album% - %track% %title%     →  Pink Floyd - Dark Side - 03 Money.mp3
%year% - %album% - %track% - %title%     →  1973 - Dark Side - 03 - Money.mp3

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Requirements

Component	Version	Notes
DoubleCMD	0.9+	Windows, Linux, macOS, Android (proot)
Python	3.6+	Must be in system PATH
tkinter	—	Bundled with Python on Windows/macOS; separate package on Linux
audioinfo	—	Already bundled with DoubleCMD

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Installation

Windows

Double-click install_windows.bat (run as administrator if needed).

Then configure the DoubleCMD toolbar buttons with Parameters: %p.

Linux / macOS

chmod +x install_linux_macos.sh
./install_linux_macos.sh

Then configure the DoubleCMD toolbar buttons with Parameters: %p.

Android (Termux + proot-distro Ubuntu)

Step 1 — Install Termux:X11 from the Termux add-ons repository and start the X server before proceeding.

Step 2 — Enter Ubuntu and install dependencies:

proot-distro login ubuntu
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y python3 python3-tk doublecmd-gtk

Step 3 — Launch DoubleCMD once (to generate its config file), then close it:

export DISPLAY=:0
doublecmd &
sleep 3
pkill doublecmd

Step 4 — Run the Android installer inside proot:

cd /path/to/mp3tag_dist/android
chmod +x install_android.sh
./install_android.sh

The installer will:

1. Copy the scripts to your chosen folder (default: $HOME/Mp3TagTools)
2. Create run_batch.sh and run_rename.sh wrappers
3. Automatically add toolbar buttons to doublecmd.xml

Step 5 — Launch DoubleCMD:

export DISPLAY=:0
doublecmd

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DoubleCMD Configuration (manual)

If the auto-installer does not find your config, add the buttons manually:

Configuration → Options → Toolbar → Insert new button

Platform	Command	Parameters
Windows	cmd	/c "C:\path\to\run_batch.bat" %p
Linux / macOS	/path/to/Mp3TagTools/run_batch.sh	%p
Android/proot	$HOME/Mp3TagTools/run_batch.sh	%p

Note: %p passes the full paths of selected files as individual arguments. Despite what the DoubleCMD documentation suggests, %Lm passes a temporary filelist that is deleted before the script can read it on all tested platforms (Windows, Android/proot GTK2).

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Typical Workflow

Tagging an album from scratch

1. Navigate to the album folder in DoubleCMD
2. Select all MP3 files (Ctrl+A or Num+)
3. Click Batch Tag Editor
4. Double-click the Artist cell on any row, type the artist name, check "Apply to ALL files", click OK
5. Do the same for Album and Year
6. Edit Title and Track individually for each file
7. Click Save all

Renaming files after tagging

1. Select the MP3 files
2. Click Rename from Tags
3. Set the pattern, e.g. %track% - %title%
4. Check the preview (blue = will rename, red = conflict)
5. Click Rename

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File Structure

mp3tag_dist/
├── tools/
│   ├── id3lib.py           shared tag read/write library
│   ├── mp3tag_batch.py     batch tag editor
│   └── mp3tag_rename.py    rename from tags
├── android/
│   ├── install_android.sh      Android/proot installer
│   └── configure_doublecmd.py  auto-configures doublecmd.xml
├── install_windows.bat
├── install_linux_macos.sh
├── make_wrappers.py
└── README.md

After installation (example, install folder Mp3TagTools):

Mp3TagTools/
├── id3lib.py
├── mp3tag_batch.py
├── mp3tag_rename.py
├── run_batch.sh / run_batch.bat
└── run_rename.sh / run_rename.bat

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Technical Notes

• ID3v2.3 write: tags are written with UTF-8 encoding, supported by all modern players
• ID3v1 compatibility: an ID3v1 tag is always appended alongside ID3v2
• Audio data preserved: only the tag header is rewritten; the audio stream is never modified
• No external dependencies: pure Python standard library only
• Atomic writes: tag data is written to a temp file then swapped in with os.replace(), so a crash mid-write never corrupts the original file
• proot/Termux:X11 compatibility: the edit popup uses lift() + focus_force() instead of grab_set() for reliable focus handling