Catkin Command Line Tools

This Python package provides command line tools for working with the catkin meta-buildsystem and catkin workspaces.

Note

This is the documentation for the catkin command-line tool and not the Catkin package specification documentation. For documentation on writing catkin packages, see: http://docs.ros.org/api/catkin/html/

The catkin command

The catkin Command-Line Interface (CLI) tool is the single point of entry for most of the functionality provided by this package. All invocations of the catkin CLI tool take this form:

$ catkin [global options] <verb> [verb arguments and options]

The different capabilities of the catkin CLI tool are organized into different sub-command “verbs.” This is similar to common command-line tools such as git or apt-get. Verbs include actions such as build which builds a catkin workspace or list which simply lists the catkin packages found in one or more folders.

Additionally, global options can be provided before the verb, options like -d for debug level verbosity or -h for help on the catkin CLI tool itself. Verbs can take arbitrary arguments and options, but they must all come after the verb. For more help on the usage of a particular verb, simply pass the -h or --help option after the verb.

Built-in catkin command verbs

Each of the following verbs is built-in to the catkin command and has its own detailed documentation:

• build – Build packages in a catkin workspace
• config – Configure a catkin workspace’s layout and settings
• clean – Clean products generated in a catkin workspace
• create – Create structrures like Catkin packages
• init – Initialize a catkin workspace
• list – Find and list information about catkin packages in a workspace
• profile – Manage different named configuration profiles

Extending the catkin command

If you would like to add a verb to the catkin command without modifying its source, please read Extending the catkin command.