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Roboboat Workspace Setup

Set up your ROS2 development workspace on Ubuntu for Roboboat projects.

Prerequisites

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Install ROS2

Follow the official instructions for ROS2 Humble.

2. Create Your Workspace

Open a terminal and run: 

mkdir -p ~/roboboat_ws/src
cd ~/roboboat_ws

3. Clone Required Packages

Inside the src folder, clone the main control package and interfaces: 

cd src
git clone https://github.com/MHSeals/mhsboat_ctrl
git clone https://github.com/MHSeals/boat_interfaces

4. Build the Workspace

Return to the workspace root and build: 

cd ~/roboboat_ws
colcon build --symlink-install

5. Source the Workspace

After building, run: 

source install/setup.bash

Edit your .bashrc and add the following line to source automatically: 

source ~/roboboat_ws/install/setup.bash

Workspace Structure Example

Your workspace should look like this: 

roboboat_ws/
├── build/
├── install/
├── log/
└── src/
    ├── mhsboat_ctrl/
    └── boat_interfaces/

Tips & Troubleshooting

  • If you see build errors, check that all ROS2 dependencies are installed.
  • Always run source install/setup.bash in each new terminal before using ROS2 commands. (You can add this to your .bashrc to automate it.)
  • To add more packages, clone them into src and rebuild with colcon build.
  • For help, see the ROS2 documentation or ask a team member.