How to install irobot_create_msgs?

[slowrunner]

I noticed that irobot_create_msgs repository has releases, and ROS2 programmers wishing to interface to a particular Create3 need a procedure/tutorial for setting up their ROS2 workspace with the irobot_create_msgs release corresponding to their targeted Create3 "version"

The Create3 "About" page of the webserver of my Create3 shows:

>>>>>>> system version
G.3.1

I am guessing that rather than cloning the current Galactic irobot_create_msgs repository to my workspace, I need the matching irobot_create_msgs "release". (These appear to be compressed tar files - I have not worked with GitHub releases before).

What is the process I should follow now to setup my ROS2 (TurtleBot4 and) Create3 development workspace, and again if I choose to update my Create3 firmware in the future?

(Discussion #240 shows two users that have hit this mismatch recently)

[alsora]

Hi @slowrunner,
most developers shouldn't use the github repository for irobot_create_msgs repository.

The irobot_create_msgs should be installed from debian packages using the following command.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ros-galactic-irobot-create-msgs

---

If you really need to build the irobot_create_msgs (the only reasons I can think of is if you are cross-compiling the code or building the code on a non-officially supported platform), then you should check which version you need in the Create 3 Docs Firmware release pages.
For example, you can see that G.3.1 uses version 1.2.4 of the messages https://iroboteducation.github.io/create3_docs/releases/g_3_1/

then you can clone the right version and build it using

mkdir -p ~/ws/src
git clone -b 1.2.4  https://github.com/iRobotEducation/irobot_create_msgs.git ~/ws/src/irobot_create_msgs
cd ~/ws
colcon build

[slowrunner]

My particular combination of following the TurtleBot4 getting started manual, and the Create3 doc pages seems to have confused me and that workspace. I have rebuilt with the following steps and my TurtleBot4/Create3 client node builds and runs successfully:

1. ==== Install TurtleBot 4 packages

sudo apt update
sudo apt install ros-galactic-turtlebot4-description \
ros-galactic-turtlebot4-msgs \
ros-galactic-turtlebot4-navigation \
ros-galactic-turtlebot4-node

2. ==== Install TurtleBot 4 Desktop

sudo apt install ros-galactic-turtlebot4-desktop

3. ==== Install TurtleBot 4 Simulator

• Install Dev Tools (probably already present)

sudo apt install -y \
python3-colcon-common-extensions \
python3-rosdep \
python3-vcstool

• Install sim packages

sudo apt install ros-galactic-turtlebot4-simulator ros-galactic-irobot-create-nodes

4. === Setup ROSDEP

sudo rosdep init
rosdep update

5. === BULDING A TURTLEBOT4 Node (My node is WaLI: Wall follower Looking for Intelligence)

make sure to include in <workspace>/src/<package>/package.xml:

  <depend>rclpy</depend>
  <depend>irobot_create_msgs</depend>

• run rosdep:

rosdep install --from-paths src -y --ignore-src  

• do build

colcon build --symlink-install --packages-select wali  

• add to environment

source ~/tb4desk/install/setup.bash  

• run the node:

ros2 run wali wali_node

This is the log of WaLi node running successfully today:

2022-11-23 22:03|------------ boot ------------
2022-11-24 06:58|wali_node.py| WaLI node started
2022-11-24 06:59|wali_node.py| ** WaLI Undocking: success at battery 99% **
2022-11-24 08:42|wali_node.py| ** WaLi Docking: success at battery 24% **
2022-11-24 08:54|lifelogger.dEmain| execution: 10.85

[slowrunner]

Closing - solved and stale.