[ros-users] Automated checkout of missing dependencies + roslocate git support

[Ken Conley]

On Mon, Aug 16, 2010 at 4:30 AM, Steven Bellens
<steven.bellens at mech.kuleuven.be> wrote:
> I'm trying to write a script/program to automate the download of
> missing dependencies. This instead of having to download the missing
> dependencies manually, or specify them in a .rosinstall file.
> Any suggestions on what's the best way to do this?
> I started writing a shell script for it, using `rospack depend
> <PackageName>` to get the missing dependencies, but perhaps a c++ file
> would be better?

I definitely wouldn't do this in C++. I would probably use Python plus
the roslib.package module.

Such a script is likely to be dangerous -- it requires the assumption
that "trunk" of all packages work together. At least for our code,
that assumption is always false.

> Furthermore, is it possible to add git support to the roslocate
> command? Is this already planned, and, if not, how hard would it be to
> add it myself?

It is possible, but IMHO, it's non-trival. There are two issues with
mapping it to the idea of roslocate:

 * partial checkouts are only supported in git 1.7+
 * the megamanifest code would have to be updated to determine the
correct git parameters for partial checkout

it's not hard, per se, but the git 1.7+ requirement, for example,
limits the audience/value of the command.

 - Ken