Update documentation to add pixi.toml and to reflect move away from robostack-staging channel

[TedVanderfeen]

Initial change so that I can open the PR:
Changed installation > installing for clarity

Addresses #67 and better reflects #68

[TedVanderfeen]

Draft pixi.toml for comment.
I've setup the different distributions as environments so the setup steps for this would be:

#create the pixi project folder and pixi.toml file
pixi init robostack
#move to the pixi project folder
cd robostack

Open the created pixi.toml in any text editor and paste the below into the file (remove the configuration created by pixi init):

[project]
# Prerequisites:
# - Windows: Visual Studio Build Tools or Visual Studio (2019 or 2022)
#   see https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/build/vscpp-step-0-installation?view=msvc-160
# - Pixi package manager: https://pixi.sh
name = "robostack"
version = "0.1.0"
description = "Development environment for RoboStack ROS packages"
authors = ["Your Name <[email protected]>"]
channels = ["https://prefix.dev/conda-forge"]
platforms = ["linux-64", "win-64", "osx-64", "osx-arm64", "linux-aarch64"]

[dependencies]
python = "==3.11"
compilers = "*"
cmake = "*"
pkg-config = "*"
make = "*"
ninja = "*"

[environments]
noetic = { features = ["noetic"] }
humble = { features = ["humble"] }
jazzy = { features = ["jazzy"] }

[target.win-64.dependencies]
# if using Windows, uncomment ONE Visual Studio version:
#vs2019_win-64 = "*"  # For VS 2019
#vs2022_win-64 = "*"  # For VS 2022

#noetic
[feature.noetic]
#channels = ["https://prefix.dev/robostack-noetic"] 
channels = ["https://prefix.dev/robostack-staging"] ##TODO Remove staging once robostack-noetic is available in the prefix.dev catalog

[feature.noetic.dependencies]
ros-noetic-desktop = "*"
catkin_tools = "*"
rosdep = "*"

#humble
[feature.humble]
channels = ["https://prefix.dev/robostack-humble"]

[feature.humble.dependencies]
ros-humble-desktop = "*"
colcon-common-extensions = "*"
rosdep = "*"

#jazzy
[feature.jazzy]
channels = ["https://prefix.dev/robostack-jazzy"]

[feature.jazzy.dependencies]
ros-jazzy-desktop = "*"
colcon-common-extensions = "*"
rosdep = "*"

Save and Exit
Start an environment with your desired robostack distribution using one of the below commands:
ROS noetic

pixi shell -e noetic

ROS humble

pixi shell -e humble

ROS jazzy

pixi shell -e jazzy

[traversaro]

Thanks!

Regarding the section:

[target.win-64.dependencies]
# if using Windows, uncomment ONE Visual Studio version:
#vs2019_win-64 = "*"  # For VS 2019
#vs2022_win-64 = "*"  # For VS 2022

As of the latest version of February 2025, the compilers meta-package depends on vs2019_win-64, so vs2022_win-64 is only necessary if you only have VS2022 installed (and not VS2019) or if you strictly need VS2022. To be honest I do not know how to write down in a user friendly way at the moment, but I wanted to write it down this in a comment.

[TedVanderfeen]

Thanks for the heads up. Will have a look at that when I get a chance.

[TedVanderfeen]

Have set this up using tabs rather than sub-pages under gettingstarted. Tabs separate the page into mamba/pixi. At the moment the intention is for users to copy the pixi.toml config from the getting started guide and paste it into their own local copy created by pixi init __. But I'm not sure if I'm 100% happy with that solution. Any thoughts/comments/concerns?

It also looks like we're still blocked by #74, so not quite ready to merge yet.

[TedVanderfeen]

Having some issues with the environments and need to figure out if it's because of Windows or my pixi.toml..

[traversaro]

Have set this up using tabs rather than sub-pages under gettingstarted. Tabs separate the page into mamba/pixi.

Thanks for this! I think this is great.

At the moment the intention is for users to copy the pixi.toml config from the getting started guide and paste it into their own local copy created by pixi init __. But I'm not sure if I'm 100% happy with that solution. Any thoughts/comments/concerns?

I think this is probably a good idea. Once pixi will have more advanced templating capability we can use it (see prefix-dev/pixi#2837), but for now a good&old documentation to copy paste is already a great improvement on the current status quo.

[traversaro]

I opened RoboStack/ros-noetic#506 to unblock the situation on the noetic side.

[TedVanderfeen]

Humble and Jazzy environments tested and working.

[TedVanderfeen]

I am happy to report that all environments are now installing and activating correctly from the prefix.dev channels. This updated documentation should be good to go.

[traversaro]

I am happy to report that all environments are now installing and activating correctly from the prefix.dev channels. This updated documentation should be good to go.

Thanks a lot for all the work!

[traversaro]

Thanks! I left some minor comments inline, but as this is already a huge improvements over the status quo, for me the PR could also be merged as it is and do the improvements in follow up PRs.

[TedVanderfeen]

Suggestions committed, thanks @traversaro!

[Tobias-Fischer]

Thanks a lot @TedVanderfeen - this is great! And thanks for the review @traversaro.

[tony-p]

Powershell works for us? It can currupt the environment when using poxi shell, but that is the same for cmd. I thought the no PS support was a mamba issue?

[tony-p]

I think it would be good to add the automatic sourcing of the ros workspace environment on activation, and a default build task/command that includes cmake flags pointing python to the virtual installs

[tony-p]

Not technically true, they initialise by default from the project directory

[tony-p]

Or just pixi run rviz