Overview

Purpose

The purpose of VSM C++ SDK (further referred as SDK) is to create Vehicle Specific Modules (VSM) for Universal Ground Control Software(UgCS). Most importantly, SDK can be considered as a “glue” layer between VSM application user code which is able to interact with physical vehicles and UgCS infrastructure:

However, SDK is not limited to that. It facilitates (but not forces) developers to create cross-platform VSM applications using only features provided by SDK itself without using 3rd party libraries like Boost, Qt and similar.

Design goals

• Efficiency

  To achieve that, C++ programming language (C++14 standard) is used for SDK implementation and also is a requirement for VSM application development.

• Universality

  SDK provides additional cross-platform features which are considered to be demanded in a typical VSM application, for example:

  • File I/O using ugcs::vsm::File_processor.

  • Networking I/O using ugcs::vsm::Socket_processor.

  • Serial I/O using ugcs::vsm::Serial_processor.

  • Logging using ugcs::vsm::Log.

  • Asynchronous programming (see Asynchronous programming framework).

  • Coordinates manipulation using ugcs::vsm::Position.

  • Configuration file management using ugcs::vsm::Properties.

  The usage of additional features, however, is not mandated. VSM application developer is free to use platform-specific methods or any other libraries to communicate with vehicles and for other purposes. To facilitate cross-platform compilation, CMake build system is utilized by SDK.

• Developer friendliness

  SDK is mainly targeted for experienced developers and complex VSM applications and scenarios, but in the same time SDK can be used in a simple way by beginners or when one wants to play around with the simplest possible VSM application and gradually extend it:

  “Hello world” VSM application

Usage

The usage of SDK consists of the following:

• General guidelines

  Start here.

  • building_page

  • “Hello world” VSM application

• Vehicle interface

  Should be used by VSM application developer to communicate with UgCS.

  • Device interface

• Additional functionality

  Functionality not specific to UgCS, but provided for convenient cross-platform VSM application development. It is technically possible to develop a VSM application without using of additional functionality provided by SDK. Please note, that some additional features are dependent, for example, in order to use ugcs::vsm::Mavlink_decoder, the ugcs::vsm::Io_buffer should also be used. Following tutorials explains the usage of additional functionality:

  • Asynchronous programming framework

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