How do you share robot control system code?

1 Choose a license

The first step to share your robot control system code is to choose a license that defines how others can use, modify, and distribute your code. A license can protect your rights as a creator, as well as clarify the terms and conditions for the users. There are different types of licenses, such as open source, proprietary, or mixed, depending on the level of freedom and restriction you want to grant. Some popular open source licenses for robot control system code are GNU General Public License (GPL), MIT License, and Apache License. You can use online tools, such as Choose a License, to help you select a suitable license for your project.

2 Use a version control system

A version control system (VCS) is a software that helps you manage the changes and revisions of your code over time. It allows you to track the history of your code, compare different versions, and merge or revert changes as needed. A VCS also enables you to collaborate with other developers, by creating branches, forks, and pull requests. Some common VCS for robot control system code are Git, Subversion, and Mercurial. You can use online platforms, such as GitHub, Bitbucket, or GitLab, to host your code repositories and share them with others.

3 Write clear and consistent code

Writing clear and consistent code that follows standards and conventions is an important aspect of sharing robot control system code. Doing so can make your code easier to read, understand, and debug for yourself and others. Meaningful and descriptive names for variables, functions, and classes should be used, as well as comments and documentation to explain the purpose and logic of the code. Additionally, a consistent coding style should be followed, such as indentation, spacing, and formatting. Modular and reusable code should be used to avoid duplication and complexity, while code analysis tools, such as Pylint, Flake8, or Code Climate can check and improve the code quality.

4 Test and debug your code

Before sharing your robot control system code, you should test and debug it to verify its functionality, performance, and reliability. Testing and debugging can also help you identify and fix any issues or defects. Some methods and tools for testing and debugging robot control system code are unit testing frameworks like PyTest, CUnit, or Google Test; simulation tools like Gazebo, CoppeliaSim, or Webots; debugging tools like GDB, PyCharm, or Visual Studio Code; and logging and monitoring tools such as ROS, rqt, or Grafana. These tools can help you record and visualize the data and events of your code.

5 Share your code and feedback

Sharing your robot control system code is the final step. You can use online communities, such as Stack Overflow, to ask and answer questions and get feedback from other developers. Or you could use online repositories, such as GitHub, to showcase your projects and collaborate with other developers. Additionally, you could use online journals, blogs, or podcasts to share your research and insights. And if you want to present your work, webinars or workshops like ROSCon or RoboBusiness are great options. Depending on your goals and audience, there are many channels and platforms available for sharing your code and feedback.

6 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?