Limited debugging capabilities

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 40 views

Introduction

In the world of robotics and automation, the use of Colcon as a build tool has become increasingly popular. Colcon provides a simple and efficient way to build and manage complex robotic projects. However, the current implementation of Colcon in the VSCode-Ros extension does not provide enough flexibility in terms of how the build command is invoked. This article proposes a feature to allow configuration of the Colcon build command, enabling users to specify additional parameters and options for the invocation of Colcon.

What is Needed

Currently, the generated build command for Colcon builds simply executes colcon build. This is a basic and straightforward approach, but it lacks the flexibility that users need to customize their build process. For instance, users may want to specify additional event handlers to get access to the build logs or to log the build output to the console. To achieve this, users have to navigate the logs directory hierarchy, which can be time-consuming and error-prone.

Why is it Needed

The current implementation of Colcon in the VSCode-Ros extension does not provide any flexibility in terms of how Colcon is invoked. This lack of flexibility can lead to several issues, including:

Inflexibility: The current implementation does not allow users to customize the build process to suit their needs.
Limited debugging capabilities: Users have to navigate the logs directory hierarchy to get access to the build logs, which can be time-consuming and error-prone.
Inability to log build output: Users cannot log the build output to the console, which can make it difficult to diagnose and debug issues.

Proposed Solution

To address these issues, we propose a feature to allow configuration of the Colcon build command. This feature would enable users to specify additional parameters and options for the invocation of Colcon. For example, users could specify --event-handlers console_cohesion+ to log the build output to the console.

Benefits of the Proposed Solution

The proposed solution would provide several benefits, including:

Increased flexibility: Users would be able to customize the build process to suit their needs.
Improved debugging capabilities: Users would be able to get access to the build logs more easily, making it easier to diagnose and debug issues.
Ability to log build output: Users would be able to log the build output to the console, making it easier to diagnose and debug issues.

Implementation Details

To implement this feature, we would need to modify the VSCode-Ros extension to allow users to specify additional parameters and options for the invocation of Colcon. This could be achieved by adding a new configuration option to the extension's settings file. For example, users could add the following configuration option to their settings file:

{
    "colcon.buildCommand": "colcon build --event-handlers console_cohesion+"
}

This configuration option would specify the additional parameters and options to be used when invoking Colcon.

Example Use Cases

Here are a few example use cases for this feature:

Logging build output to console: Users could specify --event-handlers console_cohesion+ to log the build output to the console.
Getting access to build logs: Users could specify --event-handlers console_cohesion+ to get access to the build logs.
Customizing build process: Users could specify additional parameters and options to customize the build process to suit their needs.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the proposed feature to allow configuration of the Colcon build command would provide several benefits, including increased flexibility, improved debugging capabilities, and the ability to log build output. We believe that this feature would be a valuable addition to the VSCode-Ros extension and would make it easier for users to build and manage complex robotic projects.

Future Work

In the future, we could consider adding more features to the VSCode-Ros extension to make it even more powerful and flexible. Some potential features that could be added include:

Support for multiple build tools: The extension could be modified to support multiple build tools, such as CMake and Meson.
Improved debugging capabilities: The extension could be modified to provide improved debugging capabilities, such as the ability to set breakpoints and inspect variables.
Support for multiple programming languages: The extension could be modified to support multiple programming languages, such as C++ and Python.

References

Acknowledgments

Frequently Asked Questions

In this article, we will answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the proposed feature to allow configuration of the Colcon build command.

Q: What is the current implementation of Colcon in the VSCode-Ros extension?

A: The current implementation of Colcon in the VSCode-Ros extension simply executes colcon build. This is a basic and straightforward approach, but it lacks the flexibility that users need to customize their build process.

Q: Why is it necessary to allow configuration of the Colcon build command?

A: The current implementation of Colcon in the VSCode-Ros extension does not provide any flexibility in terms of how Colcon is invoked. This lack of flexibility can lead to several issues, including inflexibility, limited debugging capabilities, and inability to log build output.

Q: What benefits would the proposed feature provide?

A: The proposed feature would provide several benefits, including increased flexibility, improved debugging capabilities, and the ability to log build output.

Q: How would the proposed feature be implemented?

A: The proposed feature would be implemented by modifying the VSCode-Ros extension to allow users to specify additional parameters and options for the invocation of Colcon. This could be achieved by adding a new configuration option to the extension's settings file.

Q: What are some example use cases for the proposed feature?

A: Some example use cases for the proposed feature include logging build output to the console, getting access to build logs, and customizing the build process.

Q: How would the proposed feature be configured?

A: The proposed feature would be configured by adding a new configuration option to the extension's settings file. For example, users could add the following configuration option to their settings file:

{
    "colcon.buildCommand": "colcon build --event-handlers console_cohesion+"
}

Q: What are some potential future developments for the VSCode-Ros extension?

A: Some potential future developments for the VSCode-Ros extension include support for multiple build tools, improved debugging capabilities, and support for multiple programming languages.

Q: How can users provide feedback on the proposed feature?

A: Users can provide feedback on the proposed feature by submitting issues on the VSCode-Ros extension's GitHub page or by participating in the extension's community forums.

Q: What are some resources for learning more about Colcon and the VSCode-Ros extension?

A: Some resources for learning more about Colcon and the VSCode-Ros extension include the Colcon documentation, the VSCode-Ros extension documentation, and online tutorials and courses.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the proposed feature to allow configuration of the Colcon build command would provide several benefits, including increased flexibility, improved debugging capabilities, and the ability to log build output. We hope that this Q&A article has provided some helpful information for users who are interested in learning more about this feature.