[ubuntu] Howto: Configure a double click on middle mouse button

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This is a short guide on how to configure your mouse such that the middle button (scroll wheel) generates a double click.

• Install packages xautomation and xbindkeys (download size only ~ 30 kB each; use Synaptic package manager or “sudo apt-get install xautomation” / “...xbindkeys”)
  
• Create the file “.xbindkeysrc” in your home directory (gedit ~/.xbindkeysrc)
  
• Paste the following two lines (2 stands for middle mouse button, at both occurrences), save the file:

"/usr/bin/xte 'mouseup 2' 'mouseclick 1' 'mouseclick 1' &"
b:2

• To test the setup and get diagnostic info, type “xbindkeys -n -v” in a terminal. Ctrl+C to exit.
  
• To start xbindkeys every time you log on: System - Preferences - Sessions - Add - “xbindkeys”, command = xbindkeys

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Some explanations:

xbindkeys is a tool which grabs keys and mouse events. xautomation includes the command-line tool xte which we use to send input to the kernel. Our configuration file specifies what we send (a double click) when the button is clicked.

This seems to be the easiest solution at present. The former solution using btnx does no longer run in Ubuntu 8.x; and just editing xorg.conf does not seem to make the double click possible. (Please let us know if you have better solutions...!!)

For a more extensive guide, check http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=316441 (that's where this post is inspired from)

If you don't like this kind of command-line solutions, vote for the idea to enhance this here:
http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/120/