Updating existing custom message types with rosgenmsg

Hello-

I am trying to use the Leap Motion ROS package through matlab. The ROS toolbox came preloaded with the following message types related to Leap Motion

 leap_motion/leap
 leap_motion/leapros

However, these message type relate to version 0.0.4 of the leap motion ros package. The ROS group has since come out with version 0.0.9 that contains the same message names but completely different msg files.

I have tried, but keep failing, when I try to create the custom message package for these message types. Every time I create the package, the created message type refers back to the 0.0.4 format. I have tried removing the leap_motion folder from the matlab toolbox/robotics folder and I have tried also removing the same folder and jar file from the addons folders, but the created package still refers back to the 0.0.4 format. When I look at the .m files created in matlab_gen for this package, the message information does not reflect the .msg files for the newer package.

I also created a package leap_motion_test that contained the exact same msg files and the same package.xml (with the name changed) and ran this through rosgenmsg. This creates the correct message package that relates to 0.0.9. This leads me to believe that there is something in the matlab code that is seeing the existing message types and then alters the way rosgenmsg works.

Can anyone help me with this? It is extremely frustrating. I thought I was onto the right solution by removing the existing packages from matlab. When I ran

rosmsg list

the messages types for leap_motion no longer appeared but when I ran the rosgenmsg, the results were incorrect. Is there another place where matlab stores information about its existing headers? Is there someway that I should format the new package so that matlab accepts that it is ok to update it.

Thank you for any help. I can post the package info here too if that would help. -Dan

Answer 1

[MathWorks Robotics and Autonomous Systems Team]

Hi Daniel,

Sorry that you are having trouble updating the message definition for the leap_motion package. You can replace the builtin definition as follows:

• Download the leap_motion folder containing the new message definitions. I think you already have this folder. In the remainder of the instructions, I will assume that this leap_motion folder is placed in c:\customrosmsg.
• Run rosgenmsg on the folder containing the custom message definitions:

rosgenmsg c:\customrosmsg

• Follow the instructions to edit the javaclasspath.txt file. In addition to the JAR file path, you also need to tell MATLAB to use this JAR file instead of the builtin one. Add the "before" token in front of the JAR file file path:

<before>
c:\customrosmsg\matlab_gen\jar\leap_motion-0.0.9.jar

• Restart MATLAB
• Delete the previously generated MATLAB files and run rosgenmsg again. Now, it should pick up the new definitions:

rmdir('c:\customrosmsg\matlab_gen\msggen\+robotics\+ros\+custom\+msggen\+leap_motion', 's')
rosgenmsg c:\customrosmsg

• You should now be able to use these new message definitions. All references to the leap_motion message types will automatically use this new definition.

msg = rosmessage('leap_motion/leapros')

Please let me know if this resolved your problem.

[Daniel Strassberg]

Thank you very much. That solved the problem.

[Jiyo Palatti]

Hi,

I was instructed follow these steps to update the built-in geometry_msgs to the latest version (corresponding to ROS melodic) and it doesn't seem to have any effect.

My rosmsg list is as folows

geometry_msgs/Accel                                            
geometry_msgs/AccelStamped                                     
geometry_msgs/AccelWithCovariance                              
geometry_msgs/AccelWithCovarianceStamped                       
geometry_msgs/Inertia                                          
geometry_msgs/InertiaStamped                                   
geometry_msgs/Point                                            
geometry_msgs/Point                                            
geometry_msgs/Point32                                          
geometry_msgs/Point32                                          
geometry_msgs/PointStamped                                     
geometry_msgs/PointStamped                                     
geometry_msgs/Polygon                                          
geometry_msgs/Polygon                                          
geometry_msgs/PolygonStamped                                   
geometry_msgs/PolygonStamped                                   
geometry_msgs/Pose                                             
geometry_msgs/Pose                                             
geometry_msgs/Pose2D                                           
geometry_msgs/Pose2D                                           
geometry_msgs/PoseArray                                        
geometry_msgs/PoseArray                                        
geometry_msgs/PoseStamped                                      
geometry_msgs/PoseStamped                                      
geometry_msgs/PoseWithCovariance                               
geometry_msgs/PoseWithCovariance                               
geometry_msgs/PoseWithCovarianceStamped                        
geometry_msgs/PoseWithCovarianceStamped                        
geometry_msgs/Quaternion                                       
geometry_msgs/Quaternion                                       
geometry_msgs/QuaternionStamped                                
geometry_msgs/QuaternionStamped                                
geometry_msgs/Transform                                        
geometry_msgs/Transform                                        
geometry_msgs/TransformStamped                                 
geometry_msgs/TransformStamped                                 
geometry_msgs/Twist                                            
geometry_msgs/Twist                                            
geometry_msgs/TwistStamped                                     
geometry_msgs/TwistStamped                                     
geometry_msgs/TwistWithCovariance                              
geometry_msgs/TwistWithCovariance                              
geometry_msgs/TwistWithCovarianceStamped                       
geometry_msgs/TwistWithCovarianceStamped                       
geometry_msgs/Vector3                                          
geometry_msgs/Vector3                                          
geometry_msgs/Vector3Stamped                                   
geometry_msgs/Vector3Stamped                                   
geometry_msgs/Wrench                                           
geometry_msgs/Wrench                                           
geometry_msgs/WrenchStamped                                    
geometry_msgs/WrenchStamped   

I seem to have versions of message types and new ones are not registered (Accel for example). I am not able to built other custom msgs that use these new message types. I am really stuck.

I tried in both MATLAB 2020a and 2019b.

Please help.

[Mihael Simonic]

I'm stuck with the same problem and opened a new question here https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/539627-updating-ros-controller_manager_msgs-to-melodic

It seems that the problem is only with certian common messages that were built differently in the more recent versions, probbably to gain on performance.