installing ros-*-mavlink from source -> $ROSINSTALL does not exist

[ChristophTobler]

https://github.com/mavlink/mavros/blob/master/mavros/README.md

catkin_make_isolated --install-space $ROSINSTALL --install -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release

-> $ROSINSTALL should be replaced by (the beginning of?) $ROS_PACKAGE_PATH

[mhkabir]

-> $ROSINSTALL should be replaced by (the beginning of?) $ROS_PACKAGE_PATH

Yep, that's correct.

As-such I'd recommend that you switch to the new catkin build tool, which is much more simpler to use, and you can directly build mavlink in the same workspace.

[vooon]

Not exactly $ROS_PACKAGE_PATH provide several paths: workspace, installation (+ possible another workspace).

$ROSINSTALL should be manually set to place where you want to install package.

But new catkin tool is much easier, simply place mavlink-gpb package and build.

$ rosinstall_generator --rosdistro jade mavlink

- git:
    local-name: mavlink
    uri: https://github.com/mavlink/mavlink-gbp-release.git
    version: release/jade/mavlink/2015.10.10-0

[LorenzMeier]

Could you please fix the README accordingly? It's too verbose and outdated. It should contain less instructions, but those should be accurate.

[vooon]

Ok. But need to decide what tool to use: old catkin_make or catkin.

Catkin tools in my opinion more user friendly, also it is available for Indigo+ (even Hydro - Travis use it now).

[vooon]

@ChristophTobler updates?

[ChristophTobler]

when i follow these new source installation instructions I get (after wstool merge -t src /tmp/mavros.rosinstall):
ERROR in config: /home/christophtobler/catkin_ws_mavros/src has no workspace configuration file '.rosinstall'

[ChristophTobler]

And if I try to install it like this: http://answers.ros.org/answers/115386/revisions/
with a file named mavros_catkin.rosinstall with:

• git:
  uri: https://github.com/mavlink/mavros.git
  local-name: src/mavros
  version: master

as soon as I run "catkin_make" I get the error:
/home/christophtobler/mavros_test/src/mavros/mavros/src/plugins/sys_status.cpp: In member function ‘void mavplugin::SystemStatusPlugin::handle_extended_sys_state(const mavlink_message_t*, uint8_t, uint8_t)’:
/home/christophtobler/mavros_test/src/mavros/mavros/src/plugins/sys_status.cpp:594:3: error: ‘mavlink_extended_sys_state_t’ was not declared in this scope
mavlink_extended_sys_state_t state;
^
/home/christophtobler/mavros_test/src/mavros/mavros/src/plugins/sys_status.cpp:594:32: error: expected ‘;’ before ‘state’
mavlink_extended_sys_state_t state;
^
/home/christophtobler/mavros_test/src/mavros/mavros/src/plugins/sys_status.cpp:595:47: error: ‘state’ was not declared in this scope
mavlink_msg_extended_sys_state_decode(msg, &state);
^
/home/christophtobler/mavros_test/src/mavros/mavros/src/plugins/sys_status.cpp:595:47: note: suggested alternative:
In file included from /usr/include/boost/thread.hpp:24:0,
from /opt/ros/jade/include/diagnostic_updater/diagnostic_updater.h:48,
from /home/christophtobler/mavros_test/src/mavros/mavros/include/mavros/mavros_plugin.h:21,
from /home/christophtobler/mavros_test/src/mavros/mavros/src/plugins/sys_status.cpp:17:
/usr/include/boost/thread/future.hpp:168:14: note: ‘boost::future_state::state’
enum state { uninitialized, waiting, ready, moved, deferred };
^
/home/christophtobler/mavros_test/src/mavros/mavros/src/plugins/sys_status.cpp:595:52: error: ‘mavlink_msg_extended_sys_state_decode’ was not declared in this scope
mavlink_msg_extended_sys_state_decode(msg, &state);
^

[vooon]

https://github.com/mavlink/mavros/tree/master/mavros#source-installation - Build error note.

If you has uninitialized workspace - use init. Just read wstool init --help!

[ChristophTobler]

works, thanks!

[LorenzMeier]

@vooon could we update the docs accordingly? It seems quite a few people are challenged with building mavros.

[LorenzMeier]

Will close this once we are confident it's foolproof.

[vooon]

@LorenzMeier perhaps good idea is to merge mavlink and mavros source installation.
Because with catkin we may simply drop sources and that's it.

With that will be guaranteed that mavlink is newest (which usually required for master branch).