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Event Channel Managarr

Version: 1.26.2451734 Author: PiratesIRC Last Updated: Sep 02 2026, 17:44 UTC

Automates channel visibility by hiding channels without events and showing those with events, based on EPG data and channel names. Optionally manages dummy EPG for channels without real EPG.

License: MIT Repository

Dispatcharr min

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MD5:    083d0bb5255f6a32584428146b45e301
SHA256: 82c731a4872cad0f222f4b075859af66cb880c75e647b8a5fafcade9f0a8c549

All Versions

Version Download Built Commit MD5 SHA256
1.26.2451734 Download Sep 02 2026, 17:44 UTC ae887e3 083d0bb5255f6a32584428146b45e301 82c731a4872cad0f222f4b075859af66cb880c75e647b8a5fafcade9f0a8c549
1.26.2450117 Download Sep 02 2026, 11:21 UTC 48014a4 d911841d59779e38f53299cdeb7507ff f1ed710f69456104b2925071944ed6f25c9c743a20b3af611ec5a899495e779a
1.26.2420322 Download Aug 30 2026, 13:30 UTC f40f3fd 75e6db0e7707c7b2036cf34e4fbd795e 9db5f46d74e3c86618a2257d794b2749cc8416a172615f5dc8bb023eb12cc9c3
1.26.2351639 Download Aug 23 2026, 17:10 UTC 3438e76 c6152b19801fa24ca50ac4217ebc4f2e 3ac992b83e88617b2c38e6d8355d5ebfd293511c27cbdc0c94e77b4b2973439f
1.26.2341504 Download Aug 22 2026, 15:49 UTC 59fc293 708b7ca9b3b61155074785085d3d238d 56ae74a767fd8894585cbd30f6712d8100a7d48912b8c2e885b19a24a6fbff93
1.26.2261346 Download Aug 14 2026, 16:49 UTC 52b3511 d99c890450c3606efc456087d62029c3 e6ff89833f4bc4598a5a260c82f373abce54f00672765ef7a42598186c4fa128
1.26.2251616 Download Aug 13 2026, 16:23 UTC 148bd03 3f69f79d54292f6bb6ad84de9189b2e4 47e88589d0a7ad86deaf6f500650f70b0300677ea3f4084a3428acb0aa13b53e
1.26.2242049 Download Aug 12 2026, 23:06 UTC 97b0d17 9335dc02176e6cbeecfc9aa65dae46bd 32d96e74526298656b1769a4c1b24a9d8f6374acbefd02d0ab6c40483112e32b
1.26.2241846 Download Aug 12 2026, 19:50 UTC 601158f c2736cf656c2d91bd8d50cb42d295bca 247bc76f9760d75708569cc92e90b7bb4824c2fcbd90778baf610d22275147ec
1.26.1711720 Download Jun 20 2026, 18:15 UTC 786eefb 4f1d809b5dd0048126bd3ec4af9d9bb9 a3bace272d08d95d9ec7d4ee2e900f2afddf267812d92d7629a505b3555d2fa6
Maintainers: PiratesIRC Source: Browse Plugin

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Plugin README

Event Channel Managarr

Automates channel visibility in Dispatcharr for event-driven channels, the kind whose names carry a date and a fixture rather than a permanent station identity. It hides channels that currently have no event on them and shows the ones that do, deciding from EPG program data and from the channel name itself. It can also generate dummy EPG entries for channels that have no real guide data.

What it does

Event channels are usually named for a specific fixture on a specific day. Once that event has passed, the channel stays in the lineup with nothing on it. This plugin scans the channel groups you select, works out whether each channel has a live or upcoming event, and sets its visibility in the chosen channel profile accordingly.

Two sources of truth are available and can be combined. The plugin can read the EPG program data attached to a channel, and it can parse the date out of the channel name. Channel names are read in the timezone you configure, which matters because providers commonly label event channels in a timezone other than your own.

Preview first. The Dry Run action reports exactly which channels would be hidden and which shown, and changes nothing.

Actions

Action What it does
Validate Configuration Tests every setting and the database connection before anything else runs
Update Schedule Saves settings and rewrites the scheduled run times
Dry Run Reports which channels would be hidden or shown, without making any change
Run Now Scans immediately and applies channel visibility from current EPG data
Run After M3U Refresh Runs a visibility scan automatically after each M3U refresh, when the auto-rescan setting is on
Remove EPG From Hidden Strips EPG data from every channel hidden in the selected profile
Clear CSV Exports Deletes every CSV export this plugin has written
Cleanup Periodic Tasks Removes orphaned scheduled tasks left behind by older versions of the plugin
Check Scheduler Status Shows the scheduler thread state and diagnostic information

Settings

Scope. Channel Profile Names is required and names the profile whose visibility is changed. Channel Groups limits which channels are considered. Name Source and Date Format in Channel Names tell the plugin how to read a date out of a channel name.

Hide rules. Hide Rules Priority orders the rules against each other. Three regular expression settings give direct control: one lists channels to ignore entirely, one marks channels inactive, and one forces channels visible whatever else decides. Past Date Grace Period keeps a channel visible for a set number of hours after its event has finished.

Duplicates. Duplicate Handling Strategy and Keep Duplicate Channels decide what happens when several channels describe the same event.

EPG management. Auto-Remove EPG on Hide strips guide data when a channel is hidden. Manage Dummy EPG generates placeholder guide entries for channels with no real EPG, with the entry length set by Event Duration and the channel naming set by Channel Name Format. Channel Name Event Timezone is the timezone the provider uses in its channel names, which is often not your local one. Override Empty Existing EPG allows replacing an EPG assignment that carries no programs.

Scheduling and export. Scheduled Run Times takes 24-hour times for unattended runs. Enable Scheduled CSV Export writes a CSV on each scheduled run. Auto-rescan after M3U refresh triggers a scan whenever an M3U source refreshes.

Advanced. Rate Limiting slows database writes on large runs.

Two things that catch people out

A channel named for tomorrow’s event is visible on purpose. The rule that handles upcoming events, [FutureDate:2], hides a channel only when its date is more than two days away, so a fixture tomorrow stays on the lineup today. If you want a channel to appear only on the day of its event, change that tag to [FutureDate:0].

Hiding only affects Dispatcharr’s profile-scoped outputs. A client such as Jellyfin, Plex or Emby must be pointed at the URLs for the profile you are managing, and it must be given the guide URL rather than the playlist URL:

Client field URL
Tuner / M3U playlist http://<dispatcharr>:<port>/output/m3u/<Profile>
Guide / XMLTV provider http://<dispatcharr>:<port>/output/epg/<Profile>

Putting the M3U URL into the guide field is the single most common mistake: an XMLTV parser cannot read a playlist, so the client ends up with no guide and keeps the channel list it imported previously. Clients also cache, so run their guide refresh after a change rather than waiting for the nightly one.

Note that Dispatcharr’s own TV Guide page shows hidden channels when its filter is set to All Profiles. Select the managed profile to see what your clients get.

Reading a run

Every run writes a CSV giving the action, the reason and the rule that decided each channel. Two things are reported that would otherwise be silent: channel group names that matched no channels, and regular expression settings that matched nothing. A setting that is quietly doing nothing shows up rather than looking like it works.

Channel Groups is comma-separated. The | character belongs only in the three regular expression settings; using it to separate group names joins them into one name that matches nothing.

Getting started

  1. Install the plugin and open its page in Dispatcharr.
  2. Set Channel Profile Names to the profile you want managed. This setting is required and nothing runs without it.
  3. Set Channel Groups to the groups holding your event channels.
  4. Set Channel Name Event Timezone to the timezone your provider uses in its channel names, not your own, unless they happen to be the same.
  5. Run Validate Configuration, then Dry Run, and read the result.
  6. When the preview looks right, run Run Now, and only then set Scheduled Run Times for unattended operation.

Full documentation

The source repository carries the complete user guide, covering every setting and action, the hide rules in detail, the managed dummy EPG, client setup, file locations, the CSV format, and troubleshooting by symptom.