The id3tag command is a tool that allows users to read, write, and manipulate ID3v1 and ID3v2 tags of MP3 files. It is particularly useful for organizing and managing the metadata of MP3 files, such as artist, title, album, and more.

Use case 1: Set artist and title tag of an MP3 file

Code:

id3tag --artist=artist --title=title path/to/file.mp3

Motivation: One common use case for the id3tag command is to update the artist and title tags of an MP3 file. This is useful when the existing tags are incorrect or missing. By using this command, you can easily set the correct artist and title tags for a specific MP3 file.

Explanation:

• --artist=artist: This argument is used to set the artist tag of the MP3 file. Replace “artist” with the desired artist name.
• --title=title: This argument is used to set the title tag of the MP3 file. Replace “title” with the desired title name.
• path/to/file.mp3: This argument represents the path to the MP3 file you want to update the tags for. Replace “path/to/file.mp3” with the actual file path.

Example Output:

Artist: John Doe
Title: My Song

After running the command id3tag --artist=John Doe --title=My Song path/to/file.mp3, the artist tag of the MP3 file will be set to “John Doe” and the title tag will be set to “My Song”.

Use case 2: Set album title of all MP3 files in the current directory

Code:

id3tag --album=album *.mp3

Motivation: Another common use case for the id3tag command is to update the album title tag of multiple MP3 files at once. This is useful when you have a collection of MP3 files that all belong to the same album and you want to set the album title tag for all of them.

Explanation:

• --album=album: This argument is used to set the album title tag of the MP3 files. Replace “album” with the desired album title.
• *.mp3: This argument represents the wildcard pattern for selecting all MP3 files in the current directory.

Example Output:

Album: My Album

After running the command id3tag --album=My Album *.mp3, the album title tag of all the MP3 files in the current directory will be set to “My Album”.

Use case 3: Get more help

Code:

id3tag --help

Motivation: Whenever you need more information about the id3tag command or its available options, you can use the --help argument to access the command’s help documentation. This will provide you with a list of all the available options and their descriptions.

Explanation:

• --help: This argument is used to display the help documentation for the id3tag command.

Example Output:

Usage: id3tag [OPTION]... [FILE]...
Tool for reading, writing, and manipulating ID3v1 and ID3v2 tags of MP3 files.

Options:
  --artist=ARTIST  Set the artist tag
  --title=TITLE    Set the title tag
  --album=ALBUM    Set the album title tag

...

Running the id3tag --help command will display the usage information, along with a list of available options.

Conclusion:

The id3tag command is a powerful tool for managing the ID3v1 and ID3v2 tags of MP3 files. Whether you need to update specific tags for an individual MP3 file or modify tags for multiple files at once, the id3tag command provides the necessary functionality. Additionally, the --help argument can be used to access the command’s help documentation, providing further guidance on how to use the command effectively.