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Enable building as a native ROS package #574

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ea26397
chore: make reflect-cpp compilable as ros pacakge
TomCC7 Jan 11, 2026
f91ccf4
doc: ros2 install instruction
TomCC7 Jan 13, 2026
d105467
fix: apply gemini suggestions
TomCC7 Jan 13, 2026
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3 changes: 2 additions & 1 deletion .gitignore
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -54,6 +54,7 @@
*.toml
*.ubjson
*.xml
!package.xml
*.yml
*.yaml

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -94,4 +95,4 @@ share/python-wheels/
MANIFEST

# Docs
site/
site/
6 changes: 6 additions & 0 deletions CMakeLists.txt
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Expand Up @@ -143,6 +143,8 @@ endif ()

project(reflectcpp VERSION 0.23.0 LANGUAGES CXX)

find_package(ament_cmake QUIET)

if (PROJECT_IS_TOP_LEVEL)
set(REFLECTCPP_INSTALL ON)
endif()
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -508,3 +510,7 @@ set(CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_REQUIRES "")

include(CPack)

if (ament_cmake_FOUND)
ament_package()
endif()

39 changes: 39 additions & 0 deletions docs/install.md
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Expand Up @@ -128,3 +128,42 @@ If you want to include all formats supported on Conan, do the following:
```bash
conan build . --build=missing -s compiler.cppstd=gnu20 -o *:with_cbor=True -o *:with_flatbuffers=True -o *:with_msgpack=True -o *:with_toml=True -o *:with_ubjson=True -o *:with_xml=True -o *:with_yaml=True
```

## Option 7: Integrate as a ROS2 package

reflect-cpp now ships with an `ament_cmake` package manifest so it can be
built directly in a ROS 2 workspace and consumed like any other
CMake-config package.

1. Fetch the sources with `vcs` using the `.repos` file from the
[tea-ros2](https://github.com/getml/tea-ros2) workspace, which already
tracks `reflect-cpp`:

```bash
mkdir -p ~/ros2_ws/src
cd ~/ros2_ws
# adding the entry to your vcs .repos file, or create one
# reflect-cpp:
# type: git
# url: git@github.com:getml/reflect-cpp.git
# version: main
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@gemini-code-assist gemini-code-assist bot Jan 13, 2026

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high

Pinning the dependency to the main branch is not recommended for production use as it can lead to non-reproducible builds. It's better practice to pin to a specific release tag (e.g., v0.23.0) or a specific commit hash to ensure build stability.

Suggested change
# version: main
# version: v0.23.0

vcs import src < src/.repos
```

2. Build the package with `colcon` (package name: `reflectcpp`). The build
enables installation automatically when invoked from an ament workspace:

```bash
colcon build --packages-select reflectcpp
```

3. Link against reflect-cpp from your ROS 2 package via the exported CMake
config.

```cmake
find_package(reflectcpp REQUIRED)
target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} reflectcpp::reflectcpp)
```

This makes the `reflectcpp::reflectcpp` target available to your nodes
while keeping the ROS build flow unchanged.
15 changes: 15 additions & 0 deletions package.xml
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@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<?xml-model href="http://download.ros.org/schema/package_format3.xsd" schematypens="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"?>
<package format="3">
<name>reflectcpp</name>
<version>0.23.0</version>
<description>C++ reflection library</description>
<maintainer email="liuzicheng1987@example.com">liuzicheng1987</maintainer>
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@gemini-code-assist gemini-code-assist bot Jan 13, 2026

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medium

The maintainer email liuzicheng1987@example.com appears to be a placeholder. Please replace it with a valid contact email for the package maintainer.

<license>MIT</license>

<buildtool_depend>ament_cmake</buildtool_depend>

<export>
<build_type>ament_cmake</build_type>
</export>
</package>
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