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Using parameters in a class (Python)

Goal: Create and run a class with ROS parameters using Python (rclpy).

Tutorial level: Beginner

Time: 20 minutes

Background

When making your own nodes you will sometimes need to add parameters that can be set from the launch file.

This tutorial will show you how to create those parameters in a Python class, and how to set them in a launch file.

Prerequisites

In previous tutorials, you learned how to create a workspace and create a package. You have also learned about parameters and their function in a ROS 2 system.

Tasks

1 Create a package

Open a new terminal and source your ROS 2 installation so that ros2 commands will work.

Navigate into the dev_ws directory created in a previous tutorial.

Recall that packages should be created in the src directory, not the root of the workspace. Navigate into dev_ws/src and create a new package:

ros2 pkg create --build-type ament_python python_parameters --dependencies rclpy

Your terminal will return a message verifying the creation of your package python_parameters and all its necessary files and folders.

The --dependencies argument will automatically add the necessary dependency lines to package.xml and CMakeLists.txt.

1.1 Update package.xml

Because you used the --dependencies option during package creation, you don’t have to manually add dependencies to package.xml or CMakeLists.txt.

As always, though, make sure to add the description, maintainer email and name, and license information to package.xml.

<description>Python parameter tutorial</description>
<maintainer email="you@email.com">Your Name</maintainer>
<license>Apache License 2.0</license>

2 Write the Python node

Inside the dev_ws/src/python_parameters/python_parameters directory, create a new file called python_parameters_node.py and paste the following code within:

import rclpy
import rclpy.node
from rclpy.exceptions import ParameterNotDeclaredException
from rcl_interfaces.msg import ParameterType

class MinimalParam(rclpy.node.Node):
    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__('minimal_param_node')
        timer_period = 2  # seconds
        self.timer = self.create_timer(timer_period, self.timer_callback)

        self.declare_parameter('my_parameter', 'world')

    def timer_callback(self):
        my_param = self.get_parameter('my_parameter').get_parameter_value().string_value

        self.get_logger().info('Hello %s!' % my_param)

        my_new_param = rclpy.parameter.Parameter(
            'my_parameter',
            rclpy.Parameter.Type.STRING,
            'world'
        )
        all_new_parameters = [my_new_param]
        self.set_parameters(all_new_parameters)

def main():
    rclpy.init()
    node = MinimalParam()
    rclpy.spin(node)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

2.1 Examine the code

Note: Declaring a parameter before getting or setting it is compulsory, or a ParameterNotDeclaredException exception will be raised.

The import statements below are used to import the package dependencies.

import rclpy
import rclpy.node
from rclpy.exceptions import ParameterNotDeclaredException
from rcl_interfaces.msg import ParameterType

The next piece of code creates the class and the constructor. timer is initialized (with timer_period set as 2 seconds), which causes the timer_callback function to be executed once every two seconds. The line self.declare_parameter('my_parameter', 'world') of the constructor creates a parameter with the name my_parameter and a default value of world.

class MinimalParam(rclpy.node.Node):
    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__('minimal_param_node')
        timer_period = 2  # seconds
        self.timer = self.create_timer(timer_period, self.timer_callback)

        self.declare_parameter('my_parameter', 'world')

The first line of our timer_callback function gets the parameter my_parameter from the node, and stores it in my_param. Next,the get_logger function ensures the message is logged. Then, we set the parameter ‘my_parameter’ back to the default string value ‘world’.

def timer_callback(self):
    my_param = self.get_parameter('my_parameter').get_parameter_value().string_value

    self.get_logger().info('Hello %s!' % my_param)

    my_new_param = rclpy.parameter.Parameter(
        'my_parameter',
        rclpy.Parameter.Type.STRING,
        'world'
    )
    all_new_parameters = [my_new_param]
    self.set_parameters(all_new_parameters)

Following the timer_callback is the main function where ROS 2 is initialized. Then an instance of the class MinimalParam named node is defined. Finally, rclpy.spin starts processing data from the node.

def main():
    rclpy.init()
    node = MinimalParam()
    rclpy.spin(node)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

2.1.1 (Optional) Add ParameterDescriptor

Optionally, you can set a descriptor for the parameter. Descriptors allow you to specify the type of the parameter and some description text. For that to work, the __init__ code has to be changed to:

# ...

class MinimalParam(rclpy.node.Node):
    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__('minimal_param_node')
        timer_period = 2  # seconds
        self.timer = self.create_timer(timer_period, self.timer_callback)

        from rcl_interfaces.msg import ParameterDescriptor
        my_parameter_descriptor = ParameterDescriptor(type=ParameterType.PARAMETER_STRING,
                                                      description='This parameter is mine!')

        self.declare_parameter('my_parameter',
                               'default value for my_parameter',
                               my_parameter_descriptor)

The rest of the code remains the same. Once you run the node, you can then run ros2 param describe /minimal_param_node my_parameter to see the type and description.

2.2 Add an entry point

Open the setup.py file. Again, match the maintainer, maintainer_email, description and license fields to your package.xml:

maintainer='YourName',
maintainer_email='you@email.com',
description='Python parameter tutorial',
license='Apache License 2.0',

Add the following line within the console_scripts brackets of the entry_points field:

entry_points={
    'console_scripts': [
        'param_talker = python_parameters.python_parameters_node:main',
    ],
},

Don’t forget to save.

3 Build and run

It’s good practice to run rosdep in the root of your workspace (dev_ws) to check for missing dependencies before building:

LinuxmacOSWindows

rosdep install -i --from-path src --rosdistro dashing -y

Navigate back to the root of your workspace, dev_ws, and build your new package:

colcon build --packages-select python_parameters

Open a new terminal, navigate to dev_ws, and source the setup files:

LinuxmacOSWindows

. install/setup.bash

Now run the node:

ros2 run python_parameters param_talker

Except the first message where the parameter had a default value (an empty string), the terminal should return the following message every 2 seconds:

[INFO] [parameter_node]: Hello world!

There are two ways to change the parameter:

3.1 Change via the console

This part will use the knowledge you have gained from the tutoral about parameters and apply it to the node you have just created.

Make sure the node is running:

ros2 run python_parameters param_talker

Open another terminal, source the setup files from inside dev_ws again, and enter the following line:

ros2 param list

There you will see the custom parameter my_parameter. To change it simply run the following line in the console:

ros2 param set /minimal_param_node my_parameter earth

You know it went well if you get the output Set parameter successful. If you look at the other terminal, you should see the output change to [INFO] [minimal_param_node]: Hello earth!

Since the Python talker then set the parameter back to world, further outputs show [INFO] [minimal_param_node]: Hello world!

3.2 Change via a launch file

You can also set parameters in a launch file, but first you will need to add a launch directory. Inside the dev_ws/src/python_parameters/ directory, create a new directory called launch. In there, create a new file called python_parameters_launch.py

emulate_tty, which prints output to the console, is not available in Dashing.

from launch import LaunchDescription
from launch_ros.actions import Node

def generate_launch_description():
    return LaunchDescription([
        Node(
            package='python_parameters',
            node_executable='param_talker',
            node_name='custom_parameter_node',
            output='screen',
            parameters=[
                {'my_parameter': 'earth'}
            ]
        )
    ])

Here you can see that we set my_parameter to earth when we launch our node parameter_node.

Now open the setup.py file. Add the import statements to the top of the file, and the other new statement to the data_files parameter to include all launch files:

import os
from glob import glob
# ...

setup(
  # ...
  data_files=[
      # ...
      (os.path.join('share', package_name), glob('launch/*_launch.py')),
    ]
  )

Open a console and navigate to the root of your workspace, dev_ws, and build your new package:

colcon build --packages-select python_parameters

Then source the setup files in a new terminal:

LinuxmacOSWindows

. install/setup.bash

Now run the node using the launch file we have just created:

ros2 launch python_parameters python_parameters_launch.py

Because emulate_tty, which prints output to the console, is not available in Dashing, there won’t be any output. In a newer version, the terminal would return the following message:

[parameter_node-1] [INFO] [custom_parameter_node]: Hello earth!

Summary

You created a node with a custom parameter, that can be set either from the launch file or the command line. You wrote the code of a parameter talker: a Python node that declares, and then loops getting and setting a string parameter. You added the entry point so that you could build and run it, and used ros2 param to interact with the parameter talker.

Next steps

You’ve completed the beginner level tutorials!