Track 03 · Advanced · Free
Node-style C++17 design, then real ROS 2 C++ from nodes to lifecycle nodes.
Phase 6 trains your C++ for ROS 2's architecture without ROS installed: node-like classes, callbacks, event loops, thread-safe queues and timers. Phase 7 is the actual ROS 2 C++ course: nodes, publishers, subscribers, services, actions, parameters, launch files, TF2, URDF, Gazebo, Nav2, packages, executors and lifecycle nodes.
Prerequisite: C++ Intermediate, or working experience with smart pointers, lambdas, templates and CMake.
You will be able to
A class that owns its state, publishers and timers, the shape every ROS 2 node has.
60–90 minOpen lessonPassing behaviour into objects, binding member functions, and callback lifetimes.
60–90 minOpen lessonAn event loop, dispatching events to handlers, and never blocking inside a handler.
60–90 minOpen lessonFutures, worker threads and posting results back to the main loop safely.
60–90 minOpen lessonSmall interfaces, strong types, const-correctness and hard-to-misuse functions.
45–75 minOpen lessonLog levels, structured messages, throttling and keeping logging out of hot loops.
45–75 minOpen lessonGrouping settings in a struct, defaults, validation and loading from a file or map.
45–75 minOpen lessonA blocking queue with a mutex and condition variable for passing work between threads.
60–90 minOpen lessonFixed-rate loops with steady_clock and sleep_until, without drift.
45–75 minOpen lessoncreate_subscription, callback signatures, shared-pointer messages and QoS matching.
60–90 minOpen lessondeclare_parameter, get_parameter, defaults, and reacting to changes.
60–90 minOpen lessonStarting several nodes with parameters and remappings from one Python launch file.
45–75 minOpen lessonCoordinate frames, broadcasting transforms and looking them up in C++.
90–120 minOpen lessonDescribing links and joints, and publishing the robot's transforms from joint states.
90–120 minOpen lessonSpawning a URDF in Gazebo, bridging topics and controlling a simulated robot.
90–120 minOpen lessonMaps, localization, planners and controllers, and sending a NavigateToPose goal.
90–120 minOpen lessonpackage.xml, CMakeLists.txt with ament_cmake, installing targets and testing.
90–120 minOpen lessonSingleThreadedExecutor vs MultiThreadedExecutor and avoiding blocked callbacks.
90–120 minOpen lessonManaged states: unconfigured, inactive, active, and the transition callbacks.
90–120 minOpen lessonA small event dispatcher with a blocking thread-safe queue, a worker thread and a fixed-rate timer, built without ROS so the ideas are clear.
queue.push(Event{"temperature", 42.0});
auto e = queue.pop(); // blocks until an event arrives
handlers.at(e.type)(e);A publisher and subscriber package with parameters, a launch file and a gtest, built with colcon and inspected with the ros2 CLI.
pub_ = create_publisher<std_msgs::msg::Float64>("temperature", 10);
timer_ = create_wall_timer(500ms, [this] { publish_sample(); });A URDF robot spawned in Gazebo, driven by a C++ node, with TF2 frames and a Nav2 goal sent through the NavigateToPose action.
auto client = rclcpp_action::create_client<Nav>(node, "navigate_to_pose");
client->async_send_goal(goal);Free course
23 lessons · 2 phases · self-paced. Curriculum aligned with the ISO C++ reference material and verified September 2026.
ISO C++ resources