EADAros2codespaces

Welcome to your ROS 2 Jazzy lab! You will be using a cloud computer that has two main parts:

1. VS Code: Where you write your code.
2. Virtual Desktop (VNC): Where you see the robot (Turtlesim/RViz) moving.

⚠️ IMPORTANT: MANAGING YOUR TIME

• You have 60 hours of free usage per month.
• Closing the browser tab DOES NOT stop the timer. The machine keeps running for 30 minutes after you leave.
• You must manually "Stop" the Codespace when you finish to save hours (see Step 6).

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Step 1: Start the Codespace

1. Click the green Code button at the top of this repository.
2. Select the Codespaces tab.
3. Click Create codespace on main.
4. Wait: It will take 2–5 minutes to build the computer.
5. Once it loads, you will see VS Code inside your browser.

Step 2: Prepare VS Code

Before starting, ensure your environment is ready:

1. Open the Integrated Terminal:
   • Press Ctrl + Shift + p.
   • Or Click the "Hamburger Menu" (≡) top-left → Terminal → New Terminal (with profile) → Bash.
2. Check Extensions:
   • You might see a notification in the bottom right: "Installing extensions..."
   • Please wait 1 minute for the ROS, Python, Dev container extensions to finish installing automatically.

Step 3: Initialize the Virtual Screen

We need to manually start the connection to the robot's screen.

1. Copy and paste this exact command into your terminal and press Enter:

   websockify --web=/usr/lib/novnc 6080 localhost:5901 &

   (Note: If you see a "Job" number like [1] 1234, that is good! It means it is running in the background.)

Note, if the novnc webpage asks for a password try with ubuntu.

Step 4: Open the Robot Display

Now that the connection is running, open the screen: Note: You might not need steps 1-4 on all machines; skip this section if the display already opens for you.

1. Look at the bottom panel and click the PORTS tab.
   • Don't see it? Press F1, type "Ports", and select "Focus on Ports View".
2. Find Port 6080 (Label: Ubuntu Desktop (VNC)).
3. Right-click the row and verify Port Visibility is set to Public.
4. Click the Globe Icon 🌐 (Open in Browser) next to Port 6080.
5. A new tab will open. Click Connect. You should see a gray desktop.

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Step 5: Your Workflow

You now have two browser tabs open.

• Tab A (VS Code): Use this to edit files.
  • Your workspace is in /workspaces/EADAros2codespaces.
• Tab B (Virtual Desktop): Use this to run commands.
  • Right-click the gray background → System Tools → Terminator.
  • Type: ros2 run turtlesim turtlesim_node.

Note: Any file you save in VS Code appears instantly in the Virtual Desktop.

Step 6: STOPPING (Crucial!)

When you are done with the lab, do not just close the browser.

1. In VS Code, press F1 (or Ctrl+Shift+P).
2. Type Stop.
3. Select Codespaces: Stop Current Codespace.
4. Wait until you see the "Codespace is stopped" message.

This stops the billing timer immediately.

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Saving Your Code (Optional)

If you want a copy of your work outside the Codespace, you need to download it or push it to GitHub (for example, by forking this repo and pushing your changes).