What are the best practices for ROS version control?
If you are a robotics developer, you probably use ROS (Robot Framework for Operating System) to create and manage your projects. ROS is a powerful and flexible framework that allows you to communicate with different hardware and software components, reuse existing code, and test your applications in simulation or real environments. However, ROS also comes with some challenges, especially when it comes to version control. Version control is the process of tracking and managing changes to your code and data over time. It helps you to collaborate with other developers, avoid conflicts and errors, and revert to previous states if needed. In this article, we will discuss some of the best practices for ROS version control, based on the recommendations of the ROS community and experts.
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Clear branch naming:Ensure branches in your version control are named with clarity. This facilitates easier navigation and understanding when dealing with multiple lines of development. It's like labeling the contents of a box before you store it - you'll know exactly where to find what you need later on.
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Agreed conventions:Establish team-wide agreements on commit and branch names. This unifies your team's approach to version control, much like setting ground rules before starting a group project ensures everyone is on the same page from the beginning.