Should C/C++ packages run_depend on *_msgs packages?

asked 2016-07-06 10:41:38 -0600

v4hn
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While cleaning up MoveIt!'s build structure ( https://github.com/ros-planning/movei... ), I noticed that the packages run_depend on all the *_msgs packages they use. (std_msgs, geometry_msgs, sensor_msgs, ...)

To the best of my knowledge all these _msgs packages w.r.t. C++-only projects only consist of header files that are not required at run-time. Should the run_depends be removed? Is it good/bad practice to have them in there?

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answered 2016-07-06 11:53:13 -0600

ahendrix

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In most cases, you should keep the run_depends on the message packages.

If you're building a ROS node in C++ that subscribes or publishes messages of a particular type, you should have a run_depend on that type so that it's available to debugging tools like rostopic that are written in python.

If you're building a C++ library that publishes or subscribes to messages, the same idea applies.

In either case, don't assume that another package will provide the dependency for you; that package may not need it.

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There is no need to have "another package provide the dependency", because the binary/library itself simply does not have that dependency. However, it does make sense to require the run_depend for generic python tools like rostopic!

v4hn ( 2016-07-06 13:39:09 -0600 )edit

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answered 2016-07-06 11:00:36 -0600

dornhege

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Good question. I'm not sure, if they're necessary in principle, but it sounds weird to me to run a binary on a system without the specific msg packages.

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Should C/C++ packages run_depend on *_msgs packages?

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