2. Channel Organization — Channel Mapparr

Repository: Dispatcharr-Channel-Maparr-Plugin    

Goal

Standardize the names of channels that already exist in Dispatcharr using country-specific channel databases (US, UK, CA, AU, BR, DE, ES, FR, IN, MX), and optionally re-organize them into category groups (News, Sports, Entertainment, etc.).

Warning

This plugin does not create channels by default. It works on channels already in your lineup. The optional Import M3U Streams action can pull new streams in from an M3U source if you need it.

Back up your database first

This plugin makes bulk channel renames and group reassignments that cannot be undone. Back up the Dispatcharr database before running any actions.

Plugin Flow

flowchart TD
    A["Save settings<br/>Pick country databases"] --> B["Validate Settings"]
    B --> C{"Dry Run Mode"}
    C -->|enabled| D["Load and Process Channels<br/>CSV preview"]
    D --> E{"Review CSV"}
    E -->|too strict| F["Loosen Match Sensitivity"]
    F --> D
    E -->|looks good| G["Disable Dry Run Mode"]
    G --> H["Load and Process Channels<br/>apply renames"]
    H --> I["Tag Unknown Channels"]
    I --> J["Apply Logos"]
    J --> K["Organize by Category"]
    K --> Z(["Standardized lineup"])

Configuration Options

• Channel Databases: Comma-separated 2-letter country codes (default US).
• Match Sensitivity: strict / normal / loose (default normal). Lower it to loose if real channels are being missed; raise to strict to avoid false positives.
• Dry Run Mode: Boolean toggle. When enabled, all rename / organize / tag actions emit a CSV preview instead of writing changes.
• Channel Groups to Process and Channel Groups for Category Organization to limit scope.
• OTA Channel Name Format: Template using {NETWORK}, {STATE}, {CITY}, {CALLSIGN} (default {NETWORK} - {STATE} {CITY} ({CALLSIGN})).
• Ignored Tags: Tags stripped before matching (default [4K], [FHD], [HD], [SD], [Unknown], [Unk], [Slow], [Dead]). Handles both [] and ().
• Suffix for Unknown Channels: Default " [Unk]" (with leading space).
• Default Logo: Logo display name from Dispatcharr's Logo Manager.
• M3U Source, M3U Group Filter, Category Filter, Custom Import Group Name — used by the Import M3U Streams action.
• Rate Limiting: None / Low / Medium / High. Raise it if Dispatcharr starts returning errors during long runs.

Action Sequence

1. Save settings and select the country databases you want loaded.
2. Run Validate Settings to confirm configuration.
3. Enable Dry Run Mode and run Load & Process Channels to load and match channels against the selected databases. A CSV preview is exported.
4. Review the CSV. If too many channels are skipped, set Match Sensitivity to loose and re-run.
5. Disable Dry Run Mode and run Load & Process Channels again to apply standardized names.
6. Run Tag Unknown Channels to flag whatever did not match.
7. Optionally run Apply Logos for channels missing artwork.
8. For category sorting, run Organize by Category (with Dry Run Mode first to preview, then again with it disabled to commit).
9. Use Import M3U Streams if you need to pull streams from an M3U source, and Clear CSV Exports to clean up old preview files.

Important Notes

• Use the display name from the Dispatcharr Logos page for Default Logo, not the filename.
• Always preview with Dry Run Mode before running rename / organize / tag actions for the first time on a profile — they touch many channels at once.