How can you improve debugging and testing with ROS 2?

2 ROS 2 launch system

ROS 2 has a new launch system that enables you to start, stop, and manage multiple nodes and processes with a single command. You can use launch files to specify the parameters, arguments, dependencies, and conditions for launching your nodes and processes. You can also use launch actions to perform tasks such as setting environment variables, loading parameters, or launching tests. The launch system also supports debugging and testing features, such as attaching a debugger, enabling core dumps, or running unit tests.

3 ROS 2 command-line tools

ROS 2 provides a set of command-line tools that can help you debug and test your ROS 2 applications. Some of the most useful tools are:

- ros2 node : This tool allows you to list, inspect, and interact with the nodes in your system. You can use it to check the node names, namespaces, types, and status, and to call services or invoke actions.

- ros2 topic : This tool allows you to list, inspect, and interact with the topics in your system. You can use it to check the topic names, types, publishers, and subscribers, and to echo, publish, or record messages.

- ros2 service : This tool allows you to list, inspect, and interact with the services in your system. You can use it to check the service names, types, servers, and clients, and to call or offer services.

- ros2 action : This tool allows you to list, inspect, and interact with the actions in your system. You can use it to check the action names, types, servers, and clients, and to invoke or offer actions.

- ros2 param : This tool allows you to list, inspect, and interact with the parameters in your system. You can use it to check the parameter names, types, and values, and to get, set, or load parameters.

5 ROS 2 debugging tools

ROS 2 supports several debugging tools that can help you find and fix errors in your code. Some of the most useful tools are:

- gdb : This is a command-line debugger that allows you to inspect and manipulate the state of your C++ programs. You can use it to set breakpoints, examine variables, trace execution, and modify memory.

- lldb : This is a command-line debugger that allows you to inspect and manipulate the state of your C++ programs. It has similar features as gdb , but with a more modern and user-friendly interface.

- valgrind : This is a tool that can help you detect memory leaks, memory errors, and performance issues in your C++ programs. You can use it to check for invalid memory accesses, uninitialized memory usage, memory allocation and deallocation errors, and memory consumption.

- rosbag : This is a tool that allows you to record and replay ROS messages. You can use it to capture the data exchanged between your nodes, and to replay it later for analysis or testing.

6 ROS 2 best practices

Finally, to improve your debugging and testing with ROS 2, you should use meaningful and consistent names for nodes, topics, services, actions, and parameters. Configure the logging output according to your needs and use launch files to organize and manage nodes. Command-line tools can be used to monitor and interact with the system, while testing tools can be used to write and run tests, measure quality and reliability. Debugging tools enable you to find and fix errors in your code as well as optimizing its memory and speed. Lastly, rosbag is useful for recording and replaying data as well as reproducing and analyzing issues.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?