cross-compile-tool 0.2.0

A generic fast cross-compilation tool using Docker and Sysroots

cross-compile-tool

A blazing fast, generic cross-compilation utility for C++ and ROS 2. It uses Docker to generate an ARM64 sysroot and standard native tools (GCC/Ninja) for compilation.

Prerequisites

• Docker: For building the sysroot & dev environments.
• Cross Compiler: sudo apt install g++-aarch64-linux-gnu qemu-user-static (Required for Host builds and Docker ARM64 emulation).

Installation

# Recommended: Install in a virtual environment
pip install .

Usage

The tool uses subcommands: init, status, prep, build, clean, build-dev, and run-dev.

1. Initialize (New Project)

Create a template apt_packages.txt for your dependencies.

cct init

2. Status check

Check the current environment and sysroot staleness.

cct status

3. Build (The Daily Driver)

Compiles your code. It automatically prepares the sysroot if it's missing.

# Basic usage (compiles current directory)
# Results go into build_arm64/ and install_arm64/
cct build

# Clean build
cct build --clean

# ROS 2 Specific: Build only selected packages
cct build --packages-select my_pkg1 my_pkg2

Common Options:

• --packages-select: Build specific packages only (colcon only).
• --packages-up-to: Build specified packages and their dependencies (colcon only).
• --packages-ignore: Skip specific packages during the build.
• --clean: Wipe build directory before compiling.
• --build-tool [colcon|cmake]: Force a specific tool (default: auto).

4. Docker-based Development

For a reproducible environment without installing cross-compilers on your host:

1. Prepare Sysroot: Run cct prep --rosdep on your Host system (e.g., cct prep --base-image ros:jazzy-ros-base --rosdep).
2. Build Dev Image: Run cct build-dev to create the cross-compilation container.
3. Enter Environment: Run cct run-dev to start and enter the container.
4. Compile: Run cct build inside the container to compile your project.

5. Packaging (Debian)

Generate a Debian package for the target architecture.

# Automatically detects ROS distro (Humble, Jazzy, Kilted, Rolling) and builds the .deb
cct deb

Note: Sysroot generation (via cct prep) must be run on the Host system. Once you have a populated sysroot, you can run cct deb anywhere.

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🛠 Advanced Features

• Status Check: cct status to verify environment and sysroot staleness.
• Selective Build: cct build --packages-select pkg1 (colcon only).
• Environment Variables: Use CCT_BASE_IMAGE or CCT_SYSROOT to skip flags.
• CI/CD: Run cct prep on the runner host, then mount sysroot_arm64 into your build.
• Multi-Package Projects: Put multiple packages in src/ (for colcon) or use a root CMakeLists.txt with add_subdirectory() (for cmake).

🧹 Cleanup

cct clean          # Remove build/install artifacts
cct clean --all    # Also wipe the sysroot