SteamIdler

steam-idler.c

/* A really dumb Steam Idler in C for Linux systems.
 * Might work on Mac OS too but I never tested it.
 * 
 * /!\ You need to have Steam currently running on the computer
 * ⁻⁻⁻ executing this software.
 * 
 * Short version :
 * gcc -o SteamIdler steam-idler.c libsteam_api.so
 * 
 * Long version :
 * 
 * The point :
 * This will make Steam believes you're currently running the game, 
 * increasing the 'Play Time' by the amount of 'seconds' this software
 * is running.
 * This program works for any game in your Steam library, whether it
 * is installed, not installed or not available for your platform.
 * 
 * The current interesting point of this software is "Cards drops".
 * "Cards drops" being influenced by the 'Play Time', by using this 
 * software you can obtain droppable cards from any game in your 
 * library without even installing them.
 * 
 * Getting the AppId of a Steam game/app :
 * The simplest way is to visit the Store Page of that game/app and
 * look at the number on the right side of the URL (within Steam, you 
 * might need to copy the URL and paste it elsewhere)
 * Let's take the game "Borderlands 2" as an example :
 * The Store Page URL   is http://store.steampowered.com/app/49520/
 * Therefore, the AppId is 49520
 * 
 * A more complex way is to parse the HTML of your "Badges" profile.
 * 
 * Compiling informations :
 * You need to link the executable to a library containing a 
 * 'SteamAPI_Init' symbol.
 * 
 * Such library is generally named "libsteam_api.so" and present in 
 * the folders of any Steam game installed.
 * 
 * You can check the symbol availability in a library with 'nm' :
 *  $ nm libsteam_api.so | grep SteamAPI_Init
 * => (numeric_address) T SteamAPI_Init
 * 
 * If nm returns nothing, or if there's no address before the symbol
 * name, look elsewhere.
 * If there's no address, chances are that the right library is in a 
 * folder nearby. `ldd library_name` could give you a hint.
 * 
 */

#include <stdio.h>     /* puts, printf, fflush */
#include <unistd.h>    /* sleep */
#include <stdint.h>    /* uint32_t */
#include <stdlib.h>    /* setenv, atoi */

/* Technically, SteamAPI_Init returns a bool */
extern uint32_t SteamAPI_Init();

void usage(const char*)            __attribute__((noreturn));
void idle_and_exit(const uint32_t) __attribute__((noreturn));

int main(const int argc, const char *argv[]) {

  /* ProgramName appId time -> argc == 3 */
  if (argc != 3) usage(argv[0]);

  const char *appId   = argv[1];
  const uint32_t time = atoi(argv[2]);
  
  /* The Steam API will use the SteamAppId environment variable to 
   * determine the application to initialise. */
  puts("Setting environment");
  setenv("SteamAppId", appId, 1);
  
  puts("Initialising Steam");
  if (SteamAPI_Init()) {
    puts("Steam Initialised");
    idle_and_exit(time);
  }
  
  puts("Could not initialise Steam correctly.");
  puts("This might happen if you're running too many games at once");
  return 1;
}

void usage(const char *program_name) { 
  printf("%s appId seconds\n", program_name); 
  exit(1);
}

void idle_and_exit(const uint32_t time) {
  printf("Sleeping for %d seconds\n", time);
  fflush(stdout);
  sleep(time);
  exit(0);
}