Unfortunately it’s not easy to run this script without getting fairly technical … basically you need to set up your environment to run custom Ruby scripts first (see the FAQ), then you can run the actual script – there are various ways to do this, but Terminal might be the easiest if you’re new to this stuff (I’m assuming you’re using a Mac?).

Try getting rb-appscript up and running using Matt Neuberg’s instructions first off, and leave another comment if you get stuck.

For what it’s worth, I’ve been enjoying homebrew for installing Unix tools rather than MacPorts or Fink. Also, rvm lets you install various rubies and manage various gemsets. Perhaps installing a new ruby from scratch (such as the shiny new 1.9.2) will alleviate your symptoms.

Anyway: I re-wrote the script in ExtendScript, Adobe’s Javascript-based application programming language.


#target illustrator

var doc = app.activeDocument;
doc.artboards[0].artboardRect = doc.visibleBounds;


Simple, eh? If you save this with a .jsx extension it should be doubleclickable and perform the same task.

The advantage of ExtendScript is that it’s portable – it ought to run on Mac or Windows, without any dependencies. The huge disadvantage is that you don’t get the elegance and built-in libraries that ruby offers.

hth! ian