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Quick Module Creation

XRobot provides a module generator tool xrobot_create_mod that lets you quickly create a module directory, a standard header with a MANIFEST, and a README. It's ideal for beginners to get started with module development.

1. Create a Module​

Just one command:

xrobot_create_mod MySensor --desc "IMU interface module" --hw imu scl sda

Example output:

[OK] Module MySensor generated at Modules/MySensor

You will get the following structure:

Modules/
└── MySensor/
    ├── MySensor.hpp        # Module header with MANIFEST
    ├── README.md           # Auto-generated documentation
    ├── CMakeLists.txt      # Build configuration
    └── .github/workflows/build.yml # GitHub CI workflow

2. View Module Info​

After creation, you can inspect the module using xrobot_mod_parser:

xrobot_mod_parser --path ./Modules/MySensor/

Example output:

=== Module: MySensor.hpp ===
Description       : IMU interface module

Constructor Args  :
Required Hardware : imu, scl, sda
Depends           : None

3. MANIFEST Format Explanation​

The module metadata is written in a special block inside the header file:

/* === MODULE MANIFEST V2 ===
module_description: IMU interface module
constructor_args: []
template_args: []
required_hardware:
  - imu
  - scl
  - sda
depends: []
=== END MANIFEST === */

This MANIFEST is the core metadata source for generating main functions, docs, and dependency trees.

4. More Argument Options​

You can also add constructor args, template args, and dependencies:

xrobot_create_mod PIDController   --desc "A generic PID controller"   --hw input output   --constructor kp=1.0 ki=0.2 kd=0.0   --template T=float   --depends MySensor

5. Constructor & Template Arguments​

  • --constructor kp=1.0 ki=0.2 will be automatically written into both MANIFEST and README
  • --template T=float supports template parameters
  • All fields support automatic type inference (int, float, bool)

6. CMake and CI Configuration​

The generated module includes:

  • A build script compatible with Modules/CMakeLists.txt
  • A GitHub Actions CI workflow in build.yml

You can freely customize these templates as needed.