All versions of ID - JS: Automating keyboard shortcuts

Question

Hello everyone:

Once again I have an off-the-wall question. This small script used to change color settings that I am working on is almost complete; I just need to add a few more touches to it to make it perfect. My intention is to link it to a keyboard shortcut once it is distributed to the 100-odd machines (Mac and Windows) we have in the plant.

Actually linking the script to a keyboard shortcut, however, on all those computers is going to be tedious and time consuming. I would love to write a script to do the job, if that is possible in JS.

Looking at the documentation, however, I saw no information on how one might go about automating the setting up of a keyboard shortcut. Does anyone know if it is possible, and if so, where I can read about it?

TIA,
John

D Zurn · Answer

InDesign shortcuts are in a file that you can copy to your users' hard disks in the right spot. This would overwrite their existing shortcuts so it might be of limited use.

You can also add and COLOR the corresponding menu using menu sets. You can also make an entire "workspace" file which I believe can incorporate all those things at once.

As Peter said, installing these files on 100+ hard disks would NOT be scriptable through InDesign. [edit: NOT]

However you could likely write a Windows BAT file or an AppleScript to put the desired master ".indk" or XML files in the right spot:

~/Library/Preferences/Adobe InDesign/Version 5.0/InDesign Shortcut Sets/John's Colorsetting shortcut.indk

First start with a clean slate, then add the shortcut(s) normally in ID. Then copy the resulting file to another user's computer and see if the setting shows up correctly.

Hope this helps until Adobe adds it to the scripting model ;)

Darryl

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