rticonnextdds-connector 0.3.3

RTI Connector for Connext DDS

RTI Connector for Connext DDS

RTI Connector for Connext DDS is a quick and easy way to access the power and functionality of RTI Connext DDS. It is based on XML Application Creation and Dynamic Data.

Connector was created by the RTI Research Group to quickly and easily develop demos and proof of concept. We think that it can be useful for anybody who needs a quick way to script tests and interact with DDS using different scripting languages.

It can be used to quickly create tests for your distributed system and, thanks to the binding with scripting languages and the use of XML, to easily integrate with tons of other available technologies.

The Connector library is provided in binary form for selected architectures. Scripting language bindings and examples are provided in source format.

Language Support

• Node.js/JavaScript: we use libffi to call our library, but we try to hide that from you using a nice JavaScript wrapper. We tested our Node.js/JavaScript implementation with node v8.7.0; it should work also with lower versions.

• Python: here we use ctypes to call our native functions; everything is hidden in a nice Python wrapper. We tested our Python implementation with both Python 2.7.14 and Python 3.6.3

• Lua: (Lua version 5.1) we have supported Lua in RTI Prototyper for a while now. Check more information on our blog or in the Getting Started Guide. Also, stay tuned: a version that can be used directly with the standard Lua interpreter is coming.

• C: for the native code lovers, we have header files so you can call the Connector API directly in your C application; that’s how Prototyper is implemented. The Lua version used is 5.1.

Platform support

We are building our library for a few architectures only. Check them out here. If you need another architecture, please contact your RTI account manager or [e-mail].

Windows Note: We tested the Node.js/JavaScript Connector on Win10 64 bit. We notice that npm works best with VS Express 2013. Feel free to ask questions on the RTI Community forum for more details on Windows and Connector.

If you want to check the version of the libraries, run the following command:

strings librtiddsconnector.dylib | grep BUILD

Threading model

The Connector Native API does not yet implement any mechanism for thread safety. Originally the Connector native code was built to work with Prototyper and Lua. That was a single threaded loop. We then introduced support for JavaScript and Python. For now, the responsibility of protecting calls to the Connector is left to you. (In future we may add thread safety in the native layer.) In Node.js/JavaScript, threading should not be a problem due to the ‘callback’ style of the language itself. In Python, you will have to protect the calls to the Connector if you are using different threads. For an example, see Protecting calls to the Connector library in the Python README.

What is this git repository

This git repository is our way to make Connector available to you! As of today we included Node.js, Python, and Lua (through Prototyper) for selected architectures.

Also, for Node.js users, we will use this repository for the npm registry.

Support

This is an experimental RTI product. As such, we offer support through the RTI Community forum.

Documentation

The best way to learn Connector is to look at the examples and their corresponding README files:

• For an overview of the Connector API in JavaScript, check this page.

• For the Python version, visit this page.

For information on how to access the data sample fields, see Section 6.4 Data Access API of the RTI Prototyper Getting Started Guide

Getting started with Node.js

Be sure you have all the tools to work with Node.js. Then invoke:

$ npm install rticonnextdds-connector

When the installation is complete, cd into your node_modules directory and have a look at examples/nodejs/README.md. ### Getting started with Python Be sure you have Python. Then clone this repository:

$ git clone https://github.com/rticommunity/rticonnextdds-connector.git

You can also use pip:

$ pip install rticonnextdds_connector

Or, you can download the zip file and unzip it.

When the installation is complete, cd into your new directory and have a look at examples/python/README.md.

License

With the sole exception of the contents of the “examples” subdirectory, all use of this product is subject to the RTI Software License Agreement included at the top level of this repository. Files within the “examples” subdirectory are licensed as marked within the file.

This software is an experimental (“pre-production”) product. The Software is provided “as is,” with no warranty of any type, including any warranty for fitness for any purpose. RTI is under no obligation to maintain or support the software. RTI shall not be liable for any incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use the software.