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3rd party solutions

Automator ( Mac - Native app )

Recently made a video about this.

1. Create a new Service
2. At the top: Service receives [no input] in [Adove Illustrator CC 2015.app]
   • If you don't specify application here, you can launch the script when any window is active, which can be useful.
3. Search and add action: Get Specified Finder Items.
   • Add the .jsx script here.
4. Search and add action: Open Finder Items.
   • Open with: "Adobe Illustrator CC 2015.app"
5. Save service: Cmd+S
   • Make sure you remember the name for this next step
6. Go to OSX System preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts
7. You should be able to find your script under General
   • Add a shortcut for it.

Alfred ( Mac - £17 to unlock feature required to do this )

Automator does this same thing quite well, but I always have to mention Alfred, since it has a few benefits:

• You got the workflow and the hotkey in one place.
• You can also have multiple workflows in one place. Something like this.
• Can sync workflows through dropbox. Meaning that if you trigger the scripts from dropbox, you can use the same workflow on multiple computers easily.
• You also have the option to trigger scripts via keywords in Alfred, which can be super helpful.

Recently made a video about this. Not the best video quality. Forgot to record it full screen.

1. Alfred Preferences > Workflows tab
2. From the bottom left: Click the + icon and add Blank Workflow
   • Give it a descriptive Workflow Name: and press Create
3. From the top right: Click the + Icon and add Triggers > Hotkey
   • In the first tab Hotkey settings, set a hotkey combination
   • In the second tab Related Apps, drag Illustrator.app inside the window and Save
4. From the top right: Click the + Icon and add Actions > Open File
   • Drag your .jsx file to that first box on the left
   • Drag Illustrator.app to the second box on the right and Save
5. Drag a line from the right side of the Trigger to the left side of the Action to connect them.

Autohotkey ( Windows - Free )

Note that this code will open open the given file in illustrator no matter what application is active. To my knowledge, you can't restrict this hotkey to Illustrator. My knowledge about AHK is very basic though.

1. Add this to notepad document:
   • ^!.::Run, Illustrator.exe C:\Users\Joonas\Dropbox\My script.jsx
   • Replace the path with your own.
   • The ^!. equals to Ctrl+Alt+. List of modifier key symbols.
2. Save that with an extension .ahk
3. You can now that file. You should see it running in the System tray.
   • You can close it from the System tray via context menu.
4. If you want the hotkey to always be accessible (and not just when you remember to open the .ahk file), just put the file in the windows startup folder.

Note that if you don't plan your hotkeys carefully, this can block other applications from using that hotkey combination.

And no. I don't know of a better way for windows.