The ARGoS Forum

Posted: **Fri Apr 03, 2015 5:08 pm**

Hi, I'd like to have a basic robot controller class, then subclass it for specific controllers. I am struggling to make the makefile instructions for this in the controllers/CMakeLists.txt file of my argos project.

If you had only a single class, you would do:

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add_library(baseRobot SHARED baseRobot.h baseRobot.cpp)

target_link_libraries(
  baseRobot
  ${GSL_LIBRARIES}
  argos3core_simulator
  argos3plugin_simulator_actuators
  argos3plugin_simulator_footbot
  argos3plugin_simulator_genericrobot
  argos3plugin_simulator_sensors)

#${GSL_LIBRARIES}

So for a new subclass of baseRobot, called localBroadcaster, I am trying:

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add_library(baseRobot SHARED baseRobot.h baseRobot.cpp)

target_link_libraries(
  baseRobot
  ${GSL_LIBRARIES}
  argos3core_simulator
  argos3plugin_simulator_actuators
  argos3plugin_simulator_footbot
  argos3plugin_simulator_genericrobot
  argos3plugin_simulator_sensors)

add_library(localBroadcaster SHARED localBroadcaster.h localBroadcaster.cpp)
target_link_libraries(
  baseRobot
  ${GSL_LIBRARIES}
  argos3core_simulator
  argos3plugin_simulator_actuators
  argos3plugin_simulator_footbot
  argos3plugin_simulator_genericrobot
  argos3plugin_simulator_sensors)

#${GSL_LIBRARIES}

But I keep getting linkage errors like:

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Scanning dependencies of target localBroadcaster
[ 40%] Building CXX object controllers/CMakeFiles/localBroadcaster.dir/localBroadcaster.cpp.o
Linking CXX shared library liblocalBroadcaster.dylib
Undefined symbols for architecture x86_64:
  "argos::CCI_Controller::~CCI_Controller()", referenced from:
      BaseRobot::~BaseRobot() in localBroadcaster.cpp.o

How could I do this?

Posted: **Fri Apr 03, 2015 5:23 pm**

I should also say, if I just go for having the localBroadcaster built, by using

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add_library(localBroadcaster SHARED localBroadcaster.h localBroadcaster.cpp baseRobot.h baseRobot.cpp)
target_link_libraries(
  localBroadcaster
  ${GSL_LIBRARIES}
  argos3core_simulator
  argos3plugin_simulator_actuators
  argos3plugin_simulator_footbot
  argos3plugin_simulator_genericrobot
  argos3plugin_simulator_sensors)
#${GSL_LIBRARIES}

And then I use it in the argos . xml file as

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<footbot_foraging_controller id="localBroadcasterController" library="build/controllers/liblocalBroadcaster.dylib">

The constructor and functions that are running are from the base class, not the overridden functions of the subclass.

Posted: **Fri Apr 03, 2015 6:43 pm**

Ok, so after googling and fiddling around, I found a solution to having a super class (BaseRobot) and 2 different controllers that subclass it (Solitary and LocalBroadcaster). I was making a number of mistakes before, this is how it should be:

In controllers/CMakeLists.txt:

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add_library(baseRobot SHARED baseRobot.h baseRobot.cpp)
target_link_libraries(
	baseRobot
  ${GSL_LIBRARIES}
  argos3core_simulator
  argos3plugin_simulator_actuators
  argos3plugin_simulator_footbot
  argos3plugin_simulator_genericrobot
  argos3plugin_simulator_sensors)
  
  
add_library(solitary SHARED solitary.h solitary.cpp)
target_link_libraries(
	solitary
	baseRobot
  ${GSL_LIBRARIES}
  argos3core_simulator
  argos3plugin_simulator_actuators
  argos3plugin_simulator_footbot
  argos3plugin_simulator_genericrobot
  argos3plugin_simulator_sensors)
  
add_library(localBroadcaster SHARED localBroadcaster.h localBroadcaster.cpp)
target_link_libraries(
	localBroadcaster
	baseRobot
  ${GSL_LIBRARIES}
  argos3core_simulator
  argos3plugin_simulator_actuators
  argos3plugin_simulator_footbot
  argos3plugin_simulator_genericrobot
  argos3plugin_simulator_sensors)

Then, at the end of each cpp file for the subclassed controllers, add lines like:

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REGISTER_CONTROLLER(Solitary, "solitaryController")

To register the classes with argos. The 2nd argument is the name of the node in the xml config file.

You can then make a config file like:

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...

<controllers>
      
      <localBroadcasterController id="localBroadcasterController" library="build/controllers/liblocalBroadcaster.dylib">
          ...
      </localBroadcasterController>
      
      <solitaryController id="solitaryController" library="build/controllers/libsolitary.dylib">
          ...
      </solitaryController>

  </controllers>

and use any of the controllers later in the config file to instantiate robots, e.g.:

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<distribute>
        <position method="uniform" min="-2,-2,0" max="2,2,0" />
        <orientation method="uniform" min="0,0,0" max="360,0,0" />
        <entity quantity="2" max_trials="100">
            <foot-bot id="robot">
                <controller config="solitaryController" />
            </foot-bot>
        </entity>
    </distribute>

The fact that in the make file, a separate library is created for the base class and for the subclasses means that you can e.g. loop through the robots in a loop function, no matter their class. To do that, add the baseRobot library in the loop functions/CMakeLists.txt:

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...
add_library(mainLoopFunctions MODULE ${mainLoopFunctions_SOURCES})
target_link_libraries(mainLoopFunctions
  baseRobot
  argos3core_simulator
  argos3plugin_simulator_actuators
  argos3plugin_simulator_dynamics2d
  argos3plugin_simulator_entities
  argos3plugin_simulator_footbot
  argos3plugin_simulator_genericrobot
  argos3plugin_simulator_media
  argos3plugin_simulator_sensors)

...

This allows you to do things like this in your loop function:

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CSpace::TMapPerType& m_cFootbots = GetSpace().GetEntitiesByType("foot-bot");

	for(CSpace::TMapPerType::iterator it = m_cFootbots.begin(); it != m_cFootbots.end(); ++it) {

      	CFootBotEntity& footBotEntity = *any_cast<CFootBotEntity*>(it->second);
      	BaseRobot& footBot = dynamic_cast<BaseRobot&>(footBotEntity.GetControllableEntity().GetController());

Posted: **Fri Apr 03, 2015 7:38 pm**

Hi Eledurwen,

I was about to reply with the very same solution you have posted. Great job!

Cheers,
Carlo

Posted: **Fri Apr 03, 2015 7:40 pm**

Thanks Carlo, I almost threw away my computer during the process of discovery though

Posted: **Fri Apr 03, 2015 7:42 pm**

C++ is a game of patience

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