Allow keyboard shortcuts to run scripts by name

[SteveKirby]

Keyboard shortcuts can already be used to run scripts but they are assigned by index, not name, and are limited to the first 20 scripts in the Scripts folder. If you assign a keyboard shortcut to a script called 'Very Important Script.jsx' and later add another script called 'Another Script.jsx' to the Scripts folder, the keyboard shortcut gets unseated because A comes before V.  Now the shortcut fires whatever script was before Very Important Script in the list of scripts.

This is confusing behaviour for most users and is not well documented. It's especially bad because it seems to work by name, until it doesn't. There are a number of videos out there (from very reputable sources), which show users how to assign shortcuts to scripts, but don't explain this issue.

Ideally, scripts would be assigned shortcuts by filename, and all the scripts in the Scripts folder would be available. This could also allow developers to access the shortcuts .txt file and add a permanent shortcut to their script (without having to know it's index), making the entire process easier for end users.

[Mathias Moehl]

That would be amazing!

[ConstantinMaier]

Yeah, this should totally happen and the limitation to 20 scripts should also be removed. Not sure how likely it's that's going to happen, though?

The only workaround I could think of right now would be to actually create a C++ plugin that registers a menu command (or multiple ones) and then just execute the script file from there. And you can much easier apply a shortcut to a regular menu command than to a script itself. Haven't gotten into plugin development yet though, but probably just registering a menu command shouldn't be too difficult.

[SteveKirby]

@JohnColombo Could this be re-assigned as an Idea not a Discussion? Could swear I marked it as such but I guess not.

[JohnColombo]

Thanks for the request @SteveKirby! I've changed this thread into an Idea so it can continue gathering upvotes.

Cheers,

- John, After Effects Engineering Team 

[SteveKirby]

Thanks!

[Carlos Zenzuke Albarran]

Oh yes, very much this, please. For now I had to change Keycloner scripts names with numbers in front of them because they were being unconfigured constantly.