Script launcher with history list
In InDesign you run a script by double-clicking its name in the Script palette. The trouble with that palette is that it shows just one column in tiny type. On my screen that means 47 scripts and I have to press my nose to the screen to be able to read the names. To see more scripts I need to scroll down the list, then click. All this is tedious.
Another thing is that of the many scripts in my script folder, in any session of work I use maybe half a dozen scripts often. Time, therefore, for a script launcher with a history list that shows the last-run script on top of that history list.
Use
The easiest way to use the script launcher is when you assign it to a keyboard shortcut. I have it assigned to F4, so when I want to run a script I press F4 for the script launcher.
The script displays a dialog an entry field and a dropdown. (The first time you run the script launcher there is no history list but it will create an empty one.) To launch a script, type its name in the edit field at Script: (no need to type the .jsx extension) and press Enter or click OK.
Instead of typing the name of the script you want to run, you could also pick it from the dropdown. A quick way to pick a script in the dropdown is to go to it using the tab key and typing the first letter of the script's name. Keep pressing that key untill you see the name of the script you're after.
The next time you use the script launcher the name of the script you ran last is displayed in the dropdown field. The dropdown still contains all the scripts in the script folder: the name of the last-run script is simply placed at the top of the list. To run the script whose name is shown after Previous:, just press Enter/Return. So, in the situation shown in the screenshot, to run the script variables.jsx just press Enter/Return.
To pick another recently run script, press Tab to move to the drop-down and type the first letter of its name; nine times out of ten the script's name shows it the edit field; press Enter/Return to run it.
Show script (right click, Save Link/Target As to download)
Installing and running scripts
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