1st tick 'assign hotkey' next to required presets, then restart mb and go to edit> prefs> hotkeys. look for 'additional tagging tools: asr: <preset name>'.
Briliant, this worked as described, thanks a ton! Guess the restart after ASR hotkey enabling was the essential bit I as missing for the hotkeys to turn up in hotkey editor.
One odd side effect after creating the hotkeys for all:
Ctrl + 1 = set value 1 to custom field
...
Ctrl + 9 = set value 9 to custom field
Now the default MB star-rate-selected file hotkeys have moved 'up an octave' and is persistent now
i.e.
Alt + 1 = 1 star rating, which used to be just that is a non rating now
Alt + 2 = 2 star rating, which used to be just that, results in a 1 star rating now
Alt + 3 = 3 star rating, which used to be just that, results in a 2 star rating now
Alt + 4 = 4 star rating, which used to be just that, results in a 3 star rating now
and so on and forth.
Also, the MB hotkey editor still claims
Alt + 1 = 1 star rating
But, the value set on file do not support that anymore as the above scheme is in effect for whatever reason...
Strange... but can work around it and get used to the 'up shift' for this.
Cheers.
c.
ps. Going into the hotkey editor and re-assigning the same i.e. to what it still is in hotkey editor, but just for the sake I've redone the standard assignments by hand, i.e. Alt + 1 = 1 star rating etc) and they now work again as before. There was a slight delay... I assigned 1, closed hotkey editor, same upshift still, did it again for Alt+2 & Alt+3, Alt+4, same 'up shift' still for the first 3 hotkey executions, but the 4th or 5th time executing the same hotkeys, the star values suddenly "shifted 'down" again to what they originally were....
Just documenting that here and in case it rings a bell for Steven or boroda74.