ROS2 Colcon Build
A Visual Studio Code extension for ROS2 developers that provides a visual interface for building colcon packages.
Features
- Dynamic Package Discovery: Automatically scans and discovers all ROS2 packages in your workspace
- Visual Package Selection: Select packages with checkboxes, grouped by functional area
- Build Type Selection: Choose between Release, Debug, and RelWithDebInfo
- Real-time Error Parsing: Compiler errors and warnings are parsed and displayed in the Problems panel
- Click to Jump: Click on errors to jump directly to the source code location
- Docker Cross-Compilation: Build for ARM64 targets using Docker buildx
- Build History: Track and replay previous builds
- Selection Persistence: Package selections are saved across VSCode sessions
- Copy Errors: One-click copy build errors for AI analysis
- Git Smart Select: Auto-select packages based on Git changes
- Cancel Build: Cancel long-running builds at any time
- System Monitoring: Real-time CPU and memory usage display
- Progress Tracking: Build progress with package count and percentage
- Resizable Panels: Drag to resize the package list area
Installation
From VSIX
- Download the
.vsix file
- Open VSCode
- Press
Ctrl+Shift+X to open Extensions
- Click
... menu → Install from VSIX...
- Select the downloaded file
From Marketplace
Search for "ROS2 Colcon Build" in the VSCode Extensions marketplace.
Quick Start
- Open a ROS2 workspace in VSCode
- Click the ROS2 Build icon in the Activity Bar
- Select packages to build
- Click Build Selected
Usage
The extension adds a "ROS2 Build" icon to the Activity Bar. Click it to open the build panel.
+------------------------------------------+
| Build Mode: [Local] [Docker ARM64] |
+------------------------------------------+
| Configuration: |
| Build Type: [Release ▼] |
| Parallel Workers: [====|====] 4 |
| [✓] Symlink Install |
| [ ] Continue on Error |
+------------------------------------------+
| Packages [All][Git][Clear][Refresh] |
| ▼ my_drivers (5) |
| [✓] motor_driver |
| [ ] sensor_driver |
| ▼ my_navigation (8) |
| [ ] path_planner |
| [ ] obstacle_avoidance |
| ▼ my_perception (4) |
| [ ] camera_node |
| [ ] lidar_processor |
| ---- Drag to resize ---- |
+------------------------------------------+
| CPU: 45% Workers: 4 |
| Mem: 62% (8.2GB/13.2GB) Swap: 12% |
| 2/5 (40%) |
| [===========> ] |
+------------------------------------------+
| Status: Building: path_planner... |
+------------------------------------------+
Example Workflow
# 1. Open your ROS2 workspace
cd /home/user/my_robot_ws
code .
# 2. Click the ROS2 Build icon in the Activity Bar
# 3. Select packages to build
# - Click "All" to select all packages
# - Or click individual checkboxes
# - Use "Git" to auto-select packages with recent changes
# 4. Configure build options
# - Build Type: Release (for production) or Debug (for debugging)
# - Parallel Workers: Auto-adjusted based on CPU/Memory
# 5. Click "Build Selected" to start building
# 6. Monitor progress
# - Progress bar shows current/total packages
# - CPU and memory usage displayed
# - Errors shown in Problems panel
# - Click errors to jump to source code
Commands
| Command |
Description |
| ROS2: Build Selected Packages |
Build selected packages |
| ROS2: Build Current Package |
Build package containing current file |
| ROS2: Build All Packages |
Build all packages |
| ROS2: Build Package with Dependencies |
Build with dependencies |
| ROS2: Clean Build |
Remove build directories |
| ROS2: Clean + Rebuild All |
Clean and rebuild everything |
| ROS2: Build in Docker (ARM64) |
Cross-compile using Docker |
| ROS2: Show Build History |
View previous builds |
| ROS2: Scan Packages |
Rescan workspace packages |
Configuration
| Setting |
Description |
Default |
ros2-colcon-build.defaultBuildType |
Default build type |
Release |
ros2-colcon-build.defaultParallelWorkers |
Default parallel workers |
4 |
ros2-colcon-build.defaultSymlinkInstall |
Use symlink install |
true |
ros2-colcon-build.defaultContinueOnError |
Continue on error |
false |
ros2-colcon-build.docker.enabled |
Enable Docker |
false |
ros2-colcon-build.docker.builderName |
Docker builder name |
arm64-builder |
ros2-colcon-build.docker.platform |
Docker platform |
linux/arm64 |
ros2-colcon-build.colconArgs |
Extra colcon arguments |
[] |
Remote SSH Support
This extension fully supports VSCode Remote SSH mode:
- Connect to remote host via VSCode Remote SSH
- Open ROS2 workspace on remote host
- Use the extension normally
All operations (file scanning, command execution, system monitoring) run on the remote host.
Requirements
- VSCode 1.80 or later
- ROS2 Humble installed
- colcon build tools installed
- Docker (optional, for cross-compilation)
Known Issues
- Large workspaces may take a moment to scan on first activation
- Docker build output parsing may not capture all error formats
Release Notes
1.1.0
- Added Git Smart Select: auto-select packages based on Git changes
- Added Cancel Build: cancel long-running builds
- Added Clear Selection: clear all selected packages
- Added Select All: toggle select all packages
- Added System Monitoring: real-time CPU and memory usage
- Added Progress Tracking: build progress with package count
- Added Resizable Panels: drag to resize package list
- Added Runtime Logging: detailed logs for debugging
- Fixed package tree rendering after Git selection
1.0.0
- Initial release
- Package scanning and discovery
- Visual package selection
- Local and Docker builds
- Error parsing and diagnostics
- Build history
License
MIT
Repository
GitHub - vscode-ros2-colcon-build
