# Feature Request: Add "external tool" support in Actions

**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/feature-request-add-external-tool-support-in-actions/7327
**Category:** General Discussion
**Created:** [October 13, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/feature-request-add-external-tool-support-in-actions/7327 "2008-10-13T23:08:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 3

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### Author: ![DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/detlevd/32/123_2.png) [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)
#### Post date: [February 7, 2010, 10:44am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/feature-request-add-external-tool-support-in-actions/7327/3 "2010-02-07T10:44:50Z")

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> [@Moonbase](#):
>
> I’d wish for the possibility to have something like the "Tools" available for Action Groups. This would help a lot in building _the_ universal Tagger – and leave all the options to the user. ...

I throw in my vote + 1.

There are some variations possible to run an external application ...

1. **Run** Runs a program as a normal window.

Syntax:  
Run (program-name, parameters)

Parameters:  
(s) program-name the name of the desired .EXE, .COM, .PIF, .BAT file, or a data file.

(s) parameters optional parameters as required by the application.

Returns:  
(i) @TRUE if the program was found; @FALSE if it wasn't.

2. **RunShell** An advanced form of the Run function that even allows the specification of a working directory, along with the window view mode and whether or not to wait for completion of the run program in a single function. See Also: ShellExecute

Syntax:  
RunShell (program-name, params, directory, display mode, waitflag)

Parameters:  
(s) program-name the name of the desired .EXE, .COM, .PIF, .BAT file or a data file.

(s) params optional parameters as required by the application.

(s) directory target directory (if applicable).

(i) display mode @NORMAL, @ICON, @ZOOMED, @HIDDEN

(i) waitflag @WAIT, @NOWAIT, @GETPROCID, @GETEXITCODE.

Returns:  
(i) @TRUE if the program was found.; @FALSE if it wasn't.

3. **ShellExecute** Runs a program via the Windows ShellExecute command

Syntax:  
ShellExecute (program-name, params, directory, display mode, operation)

Parameters:  
(s) program-name the name of the desired .EXE, .COM, .PIF, .BAT file or a data file.

(s) params optional parameters as required by the application.

(s) directory current working directory (if applicable).

(i) display mode @NORMAL, @ICON, @ZOOMED, @HIDDEN.; or 0 for the default mode.

(i) operation operation to perform on the specified file.

Returns:  
(i) @TRUE on success; @FALSE on failure.

Florian, it should not be too heavy to write such an extension to the Mp3tag scripting language as well as having a special action "Run external application" or "RunWait, RunHideWait, RunIcon, RunIconWait, RunZoom, RunZoomWait" or such.

DD.20100207.1244.CET

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