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Generate ComicInfo.xml

Depending on your configured metadata providers and whether you are processing a single file or an entire folder, CLU uses structured search hierarchies to find and apply comic metadata.

Get Metadata for All Comics in a Folder

To fetch metadata and embed a ComicInfo.xml file across all issues in a folder, click the Fetch Metadata for All Comics in Folder button.

CLU queries configured providers using the following search hierarchy:

  1. {Series Name} ({Year}): Uses the series name and publication year extracted from the folder structure to find an exact volume match.
  2. {Series Name}: If no exact year match is found, queries for the exact series title.
  3. % {Series Name} %: If no exact title match is found, performs fuzzy keyword matching across provider records.

Folder Structure Examples

Series Name (Year)

Series Name (Year)

Searching for a structured folder like H.A.R.D. Corps (1992) matches the series and publication year directly, applying metadata tags across all issues. Any issues already containing valid metadata are skipped.

Progress is displayed in a toast notification and updates in the top navigation header, allowing you to browse elsewhere while scraping continues in the background.

Metadata Generation Progress

Nested Volume Folders: Series Name \ v(Year)

Series Name v(Year)

When managing multi-volume series organized into subfolders (e.g. Archer & Armstrong/v1992), CLU combines the parent directory name with the volume year to query the provider for Archer & Armstrong (1992).

If multiple potential volumes match (e.g. Archer & Armstrong (2012)), an interactive selection modal displays candidate series along with issue counts and date ranges:

Series Name - Select Match

Select the correct series entry to begin scraping and writing metadata.

Get metadata for a single issue

When fetching metadata for an individual issue, CLU applies a targeted search hierarchy:

  1. {Series Name} {Year} {Issue Number}: Attempts to identify the exact volume and issue number directly.
  2. {Series Name} {Year}: Locates the series volume, then searches for the specific issue number within it.
  3. % {Series Name} %: Performs a keyword search across series titles, displays candidate matches, and matches the issue upon selection.

Single Issue Matching

Select the matching volume and issue card to generate and write the ComicInfo.xml tag file.

GCD API Considerations

When utilizing the Grand Comics Database (GCD) via its API, keep the following characteristics in mind:

  • Language Filtering: GCD catalogs international comics across numerous languages. If a search yields multiple foreign editions, use the language filter dropdown in the results modal to isolate your preferred language.
  • Result Details: Unlike ComicVine and Metron, basic GCD API search results do not always return cover art previews or publisher summaries. These fields populate once an issue is selected and downloaded.