How to use the ROS 2 package generator

1. Name the package. ROS 2 package names use lowercase letters, digits and underscores and start with a letter, such as my_robot_driver. The generator cleans up anything else you type.
2. Choose the build type. ament_python for nodes written in Python with rclpy, ament_cmake for C++ nodes with rclcpp.
3. List dependencies and nodes. Add the message packages you will use (for example std_msgs sensor_msgs geometry_msgs) and one name per node. Every node gets a source file, a build entry and a line in the launch file.
4. Preview, then download. Click any file to inspect it, then download the zip, unpack it into the src folder of your workspace and build.

cd ~/ros2_ws/src
unzip ~/Downloads/my_robot_pkg.zip
cd ~/ros2_ws
colcon build --packages-select my_robot_pkg
source install/setup.bash
ros2 launch my_robot_pkg my_robot_pkg_launch.py

What the generator writes

We test the output by building both package types with colcon build on ROS 2 Jazzy and starting their launch files. The same layout works on Humble and Rolling.

After generating: next steps

• Add publishers and subscribers. Replace the timer callback with real work. The guide on writing your first publisher and subscriber below walks through it line by line.
• Add parameters. Declare parameters in the node and pass values from the launch file or a YAML file instead of hard-coding them.
• Add a dependency later. Add a <depend> line to package.xml; for C++ also add find_package() and the dependency on the target in CMakeLists.txt.
• Run the linters. colcon test --packages-select my_robot_pkg runs the test dependencies declared in package.xml once you add tests.