mouseclicks_counter.sh

#!/bin/bash

# our script takes one arg which could be either (currently): -log, -process, -stop
# -log starts logging, dumping output from xinput to a mouse.log file.
# -stop will stop logging.
# -process will process the log file and get the actual number of clicks.
# This attempt isn't the very best, as you could just make another script, which will do the processing of whatever
# this dumps to the log file, but since we're only using one script, you need to kill it first then process the log.
# the 2nd and 3rd steps might be redundant, they could be mixed as one, it's up to you.
# you might find some use of that separation later on, if you don't, then just mix them.

# here we go, catching the arg
arg="$1";

# we're gonna put the log file in a .log dir in $HOME
test -d $HOME/.log
if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
    mkdir $HOME/.log
fi

# getting in our log dir so that we don't have to re-type the whole path over and over again.
cd $HOME/.log

# use your own mouse -_-
mouse="SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad"

# using case branching :)
case $arg in

# don't forget the '&' to run it in the background (daemonize it) I'm not gonna do it here,
# you do it when you run the script.
# I didn't include the 2nd mouse button (middle click), because I have it disabled :) (annoying 2nd Linux clipboard)
# we'll use nohup as well, so that we can safely close the terminal we ran the script from safely,
# not worrying about the process
# dying, cuz, postfixing the thing with '&' isn't enough, it's true if you 'close' the terminal it will
# remain there runnnig, but not if you KILL the terminal (with a stronger signal, which is what my Win+Q keybinding # does in awesome window manager)
# PLEASE note that the below pattern of egrep is so sensetive, you might wanna check what xinput test
# mouse_name gives you first
# before you attempt this, it could be 'mouse press' or 'mouse button' instead
# of 'button press' or one space instead of 3, etc.
# Since we're depeding on the mouse' name, it's limitation is that it's mouse-dependent, meaning that if you use
# another mouse, it won't work unless you give it the right name.
# Note that I can't just grep things out from xinput list output, cuz that output differs from one computer to
# another, so no way of trying to be a smarty pants there ~_~

"-log" )    nohup unbuffer xinput test "$mouse" \
                | unbuffer -p egrep "button press   1|button press   3" \
            > mouseclicks.log &
            ;;
"-stop" )       pkill xinput
        ;;
"-process" )    n_clicks=$(wc -l mouseclicks.log | cut -d\  -f1)
        # let's make it pretty, some time/date formatting... :)
        report="$n_clicks mouse clicks in total @ $(date)"
        echo "$report" >> mouseclicks.report
esac

exit 0;