How to read and write parameters in ros1 and ros2

Yaml Params

Written by Bayode Aderinola

13/07/2022

In this post, you will learn how to read and write parameters in ros1 and ros2, using C++ nodes. You will see the slight differences in the ros1 and ros2 nodes and parameter files.

Step 1: Get a Copy of the ROS package containing the code used in the post

Click here to copy the project. It would be copied to your cloud account at The Construct. That done, open the project using the Run button. This might take a few moments, please be patient.

Run rosject

PS: If you don’t have an account on the The Construct, you would need to create one. Once you create an account or log in, you will be able to follow the steps to read and write parameters in ros1 and ros2.

You might also want to try this on a local PC if you have ROS installed. In that case you need to read on and duplicate the source code of the package in your own local workspace. However, please note that we cannot support local PCs and you will have to fix any errors you run into on your own.

Step 2: Explore the source code using the IDE

Open Code Editor

Open the IDE by clicking on the icon as shown above. You should now see something similar to the image below:

Yaml Params

The six main files we will work with in this post are highlighted in red in the image above. These files are:

ROS1:

  1. catkin_ws/src/yaml_parameters_ros1/config/params_demo_ros1.yaml
  2. catkin_ws/src/yaml_parameters_ros1/launch/ros1_params_cpp_demo.launch
  3. catkin_ws/src/yaml_parameters_ros1/src/yaml_params_ros1.cpp

ROS2:

  1. ros2_ws/src/yaml_parameters/config/params_demo_ros2.yaml
  2. ros2_ws/src/yaml_parameters/launch/yaml_parameters.launch.py
  3. ros2_ws/src/yaml_parameters/src/yaml_params_ros2.cpp

Double-click on each of the files in the IDE to open and study the contents. We will examine some of these files in the following steps.

Step 3: Understand how to read and write (load) parameters in ROS1

Now it’s time to see how to read and write parameters in ros1, working in the ros1 workspace.

Open a web shell and run the following commands:

Open webshell
cd ~/catkin_ws
source /opt/ros/noetic/setup.bash
source devel/setup.bash
roscore

The code block above changes to the ros1 workspace, sources it, and then starts the roscore (needed for ros1). Now let’s see a list of the current ros1 parameters available. Open another web shell and type the following:

user:~/catkin_ws$ rosparam list

Your output should be similar to the following.

/rosdistro
/roslaunch/uris/host_1_xterm__41731
/rosversion
/run_id

On the same web shell, run the following command to print out the ros parameters:

rosrun yaml_parameters_ros1 yaml_parameters_ros1_node

Your output should be the following:

[ INFO] [1657670307.494093666]: Integer parameter: 1
[ INFO] [1657670307.495689754]: Double parameter: 0.100000
[ INFO] [1657670307.495741256]: String parameter: default
[ INFO] [1657670307.495773876]: Nested integer parameter: 1
[ INFO] [1657670307.495797588]: Nested string parameter: default
[ INFO] [1657670307.495819891]: Boolean parameter: 0

The logic that produced the output above in contained in the catkin_ws/src/yaml_parameters_ros1/src/yaml_params_ros1.cpp file. Let’s see its content.

#include "ros/ros.h"
#include <string>

int main(int argc, char **argv) {
  ros::init(argc, argv, "my_node");

  ros::NodeHandle nh;

  int param0 = 1;
  double param1 = 0.1;
  std::string param2 = "default";
  int p3weight = 1;
  std::string p3name = "default";
  bool param4 = false;
  std::vector<bool> param5{false, false, false};
  std::vector<int> param6{1, 1, 1};
  std::vector<double> param7{0.1, 0.1, 0.1};
  std::vector<std::string> param8{"default", "default", "default"};

  nh.getParam("param0", param0);
  nh.getParam("param1", param1);
  nh.getParam("param2", param2);
  nh.getParam("param3/weight", p3weight);
  nh.getParam("param3/name", p3name);
  nh.getParam("param4", param4);
  nh.getParam("param5", param5);
  nh.getParam("param6", param6);
  nh.getParam("param7", param7);
  nh.getParam("param8", param8);

  ROS_INFO("Integer parameter: %d", param0);
  ROS_INFO("Double parameter: %f", param1);
  ROS_INFO("String parameter: %s", param2.c_str());
  ROS_INFO("Nested integer parameter: %d", p3weight);
  ROS_INFO("Nested string parameter: %s", p3name.c_str());
  ROS_INFO("Boolean parameter: %d", param4);
  ROS_INFO("Boolean vector parameter [0]: %d", static_cast<int>(param5[0]));
  ROS_INFO("Integer vector parameter [0]: %d", static_cast<int>(param6[0]));
  ROS_INFO("Double vector parameter [0]: %f", static_cast<double>(param7[0]));
  ROS_INFO("String vector parameter [0]: %s", param8[0].c_str());

  return 0;
}

But wait…are we getting the parameters in the YAML file (catkin_ws/src/yaml_parameters_ros1/config/params_demo_ros1.yaml) and their correct values? Let’s see what’s the in there!

# interger array
param0: 2
# double
param1: 0.2
# string
param2: "R2-D2"
# nested parameters
param3: 
  weight: 2
  name: "wood"
# boolean
param4: true
# boolean array
param5: [true, true, true]
# interger array
param6: [5,6,7,8]
# double array
param7: [0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5]
# string array
param8: ["Bedroom", "Bathroom", "Laundry room", "Kitchen", "Living room"]

Gosh, we are not getting these parameters nor their values, and you probably know why! So far we have been reading the parameters but have loaded them. Now let’s get that done: enter the launch file catkin_ws/src/yaml_parameters_ros1/launch/ros1_params_cpp_demo.launch.

<launch>
    <rosparam file="$(find yaml_parameters_ros1)/config/params_demo_ros1.yaml" />
</launch>

This file, when launched, loads the YAML parameter file. Let’s see that in action. Run the following command in the open web shell:

roslaunch yaml_parameters_ros1 ros1_params_cpp_demo.launch

You should get something like the following:

... logging to /home/user/.ros/log/c5f51462-023c-11ed-bb5c-0242ac180007/roslaunch-1_xterm-13868.log
Checking log directory for disk usage. This may take a while.
Press Ctrl-C to interrupt
Done checking log file disk usage. Usage is <1GB.

started roslaunch server http://1_xterm:45437/

SUMMARY
========

PARAMETERS
 * /param0: 2
 * /param1: 0.2
 * /param2: R2-D2
 * /param3/name: wood
 * /param3/weight: 2
 * /param4: True
 * /param5: [True, True, True]
 * /param6: [5, 6, 7, 8]
 * /param7: [0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5]
 * /param8: ['Bedroom', 'Bath...
 * /rosdistro: noetic
 * /rosversion: 1.15.11

NODES

ROS_MASTER_URI=http://1_xterm:11311

No processes to monitor
shutting down processing monitor...
... shutting down processing monitor complete

Well we have some fancy output there, but what has changed? Let’s see that by running two previous commands:

rosparam list
rosrun yaml_parameters_ros1 yaml_parameters_ros1_node

Your output should now look like this:

user:~/catkin_ws$ rosparam list
/param0
/param1
/param2
/param3/name
/param3/weight
/param4
/param5
/param6
/param7
/param8
/rosdistro
/roslaunch/uris/host_1_xterm__41731
/roslaunch/uris/host_1_xterm__45437
/rosversion
/run_id
user:~/catkin_ws$ rosrun yaml_parameters_ros1 yaml_parameters_ros1_node
[ INFO] [1657671513.558912623]: Integer parameter: 2
[ INFO] [1657671513.560352415]: Double parameter: 0.200000
[ INFO] [1657671513.560386238]: String parameter: R2-D2
[ INFO] [1657671513.560404606]: Nested integer parameter: 2
[ INFO] [1657671513.560420530]: Nested string parameter: wood
[ INFO] [1657671513.560435749]: Boolean parameter: 1
[ INFO] [1657671513.560450679]: Boolean vector parameter [0]: 1
[ INFO] [1657671513.560465819]: Integer vector parameter [0]: 5
[ INFO] [1657671513.560484622]: Double vector parameter [0]: 0.200000
[ INFO] [1657671513.560497372]: String vector parameter [0]: Bedroom

Can you spot the differences between the formal and the latter outputs of these commands? Sure you can! So, well, that’s how to read and load parameter in ros1!

Step 4: Understand how to read and write (load) parameters in ROS2

Now let’s change to the ros2 workspace.

cd ~/ros2_ws
source /opt/ros/foxy/setup.bash
source install/setup.bash

In ros2 we need to have a node running before we can check for parameters, because there is no parameter server in ros2. Let’s try running the node then. The logic behind this node is contained in the ros2_ws/src/yaml_parameters/src/yaml_params_ros2.cpp file:

#include <rclcpp/rclcpp.hpp>

class MainNode : public rclcpp::Node {
public:
  MainNode() : rclcpp::Node("node", rclcpp::NodeOptions()) {

    // example: declare parameters, default value given
    declare_parameter("param0", 1);
    declare_parameter("param1", 0.1);
    declare_parameter("param2", "default");
    declare_parameter("param3.weight", 1);
    declare_parameter("param3.name", "default");
    declare_parameter("param4", false);
    // example: declare a variable when declaring a parameter
    declare_parameter("param5", std::vector<bool>(3, false));
    declare_parameter("param6", std::vector<int64_t>(4, 1));
    declare_parameter("param7", std::vector<double>(4, 0.1));
    declare_parameter("param8", std::vector<std::string>(5, "default"));

    // Get parameter values one by one
    auto p0 = get_parameter("param0").as_int();
    auto p1 = get_parameter("param1").as_double();
    auto p2 = get_parameter("param2").as_string();
    auto p3weight = get_parameter("param3.weight").as_int();
    auto p3name = get_parameter("param3.name").as_string();
    auto p4 = get_parameter("param4").as_bool();
    auto p5 = get_parameter("param5").as_bool_array();
    auto p6 = get_parameter("param6").as_integer_array();
    auto p7 = get_parameter("param7").as_double_array();
    auto p8 = get_parameter("param8").as_string_array();

    // Print parameters
    RCLCPP_INFO(get_logger(), "Integer parameter: %ld", p0);
    RCLCPP_INFO(get_logger(), "Double parameter: %f", p1);
    RCLCPP_INFO(get_logger(), "String parameter: %s", p2.c_str());
    RCLCPP_INFO(get_logger(), "Nested integer parameter: %ld", p3weight);
    RCLCPP_INFO(get_logger(), "Nested string parameter: %s", p3name.c_str());
    RCLCPP_INFO(get_logger(), "Boolean parameter: %d", p4);
    RCLCPP_INFO(get_logger(), "Boolean vector parameter [0]: %d",
                static_cast<int>(p5[0]));
    RCLCPP_INFO(get_logger(), "Integer vector parameter [0]: %d",
                static_cast<int>(p6[0]));
    RCLCPP_INFO(get_logger(), "Double vector parameter [0]: %f",
                static_cast<double>(p7[0]));
    RCLCPP_INFO(get_logger(), "String vector parameter [0]: %s", p8[0].c_str());
  }
};

int main(int argc, char **argv) {
  rclcpp::init(argc, argv);

  rclcpp::spin(std::make_shared<MainNode>());
  rclcpp::shutdown();
  return 0;
}

Go for it: run the node:

ros2 run yaml_parameters main_node

The output will be something like:

INFO] [1657672243.344585940] [node]: Integer parameter: 1
[INFO] [1657672243.344674910] [node]: Double parameter: 0.100000
[INFO] [1657672243.344704157] [node]: String parameter: default
[INFO] [1657672243.344720646] [node]: Nested integer parameter: 1
[INFO] [1657672243.344730700] [node]: Nested string parameter: default
[INFO] [1657672243.344745410] [node]: Boolean parameter: 0
[INFO] [1657672243.344755485] [node]: Boolean vector parameter [0]: 0
[INFO] [1657672243.344769947] [node]: Integer vector parameter [0]: 1
[INFO] [1657672243.344780509] [node]: Double vector parameter [0]: 0.100000
[INFO] [1657672243.344795534] [node]: String vector parameter [0]: default

Next, let’s get the list of ROS2 parameters:

user:~$ ros2 param list
/node:
  param0
  param1
  param2
  param3.name
  param3.weight
  param4
  param5
  param6
  param7
  param8
  use_sim_time

Buff…are we getting the values of the parameters in the YAML file ros2_ws/src/yaml_parameters/config/params_demo_ros2.yaml?

# if a namespace is specified
# ns_name: 
# node name
parameter_types_example: 
  ros__parameters:
    # int
    param0: 2
    # double
    param1: 0.2
    # string
    param2: "R2-D2"
    # nested parameters
    param3: 
      weight: 2
      name: "wood"
    # boolean
    param4: true
    # boolean array
    param5: [true, true, true]
    # interger array
    param6: [5,6,7,8]
    # double array
    param7: [0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5]
    # string array
    param8: ["Bedroom", "Bathroom", "Laundry room", "Kitchen", "Living room"]

No, we are not :(. But not to worry, the launch file ros2_ws/src/yaml_parameters/launch/yaml_parameters.launch.py comes to the rescue! Let’s examine its content.

#!/usr/bin/env python3

import os
from launch import LaunchDescription
from launch_ros.actions import Node
from ament_index_python.packages import get_package_share_directory


def generate_launch_description():
    return LaunchDescription([
        Node(
            package='yaml_parameters',
            executable='main_node',
            name='parameter_types_example',
            parameters=[os.path.join(
                get_package_share_directory('yaml_parameters'),
                'config', 'params_demo_ros2.yaml')],
            output='screen'),
    ])

Oh my, it’s a Python! Let’s set it loose and see what happens! Stop the currently running program with Ctrl + C and run the following in its place and check that your output is similar.

user:~/ros2_ws$ ros2 launch yaml_parameters yaml_parameters.launch.py
[INFO] [launch]: All log files can be found below /home/user/.ros/log/2022-07-13-00-40-35-558545-1_xterm-18432
[INFO] [launch]: Default logging verbosity is set to INFO
[INFO] [main_node-1]: process started with pid [18434]
[main_node-1] [INFO] [1657672835.736702673] [parameter_types_example]: Integer parameter: 2
[main_node-1] [INFO] [1657672835.736792219] [parameter_types_example]: Double parameter: 0.200000
[main_node-1] [INFO] [1657672835.736810397] [parameter_types_example]: String parameter: R2-D2
[main_node-1] [INFO] [1657672835.736842588] [parameter_types_example]: Nested integer parameter: 2
[main_node-1] [INFO] [1657672835.736847188] [parameter_types_example]: Nested string parameter: wood
[main_node-1] [INFO] [1657672835.736855303] [parameter_types_example]: Boolean parameter: 1
[main_node-1] [INFO] [1657672835.736863129] [parameter_types_example]: Boolean vector parameter [0]: 1
[main_node-1] [INFO] [1657672835.736870819] [parameter_types_example]: Integer vector parameter [0]: 5
[main_node-1] [INFO] [1657672835.736878422] [parameter_types_example]: Double vector parameter [0]: 0.200000
[main_node-1] [INFO] [1657672835.736887246] [parameter_types_example]: String vector parameter [0]: Bedroom

The launch file simply loads the parameters in the YAML file and also runs the node we run earlier.

Well, that’s it!

Step 5: Check your learning

  1. Do you understand how to read and write parameters in ros1 and ros2, using C++ nodes?
  2. Did you notice the slight differences in the format of the YAML files for ros1 and ros2?
  3. Did you notice that you the ros2 parameters are tied to specific nodes vs existing in a parameter server in ros1?

If you didn’t get any of the points above, please go over the post again, more carefully this time.

Extra Step: Watch the video to understand how to read and write parameters in ros1 and ros2

Here you go:

Feedback

Did you like this post? Do you have any questions about how to read and write parameters in ros1 and ros2? Whatever the case, please leave a comment on the comments section below, so we can interact and learn from each other.

If you want to learn about other ROS topics, please let us know in the comments area and we will do a video or post about it.

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