specifying custom path in "catkin list"

[ptiza-v-nebe]

System Info

• Operating System: uname -a
  Linux hero 5.4.0-71-generic list: Adding exception handling with prettier error reporting when a directory contains an invalid package #79~18.04.1-Ubuntu SMP Thu Mar 25 05:45:39 UTC 2021 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

• Python Version: python --version
  Python 2.7.17

• Version of catkin_tools: catkin --version OR Git revision
  catkin_tools 0.6.1 (C) 2014-2021 Open Source Robotics Foundation
  catkin_tools is released under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0)
  Using Python 2.7.17 (default, Feb 27 2021, 15:10:58) [GCC 7.5.0]

• ROS Distro: echo $ROS_DISTRO
  melodic

Expected Behavior

As in the documentation stated by issuing following command, a all nodes inside of a specific directory will be build. (in this case a metapackage)

catkin build $(catkin list -u ./src/my_metapackage/)

Actual Behavior

The command:

catkin list -u ./src/my_metapackage

does not recognize additional path argument

catkin: error: unrecognized arguments: ./src/my_metapackage/

Suggestion

Making it simpler to build a metapackage by doing just:

catkin build my_metapackage

Thank you!

[timonegk]

The problem is that you have to use -d before the directory.
This issue is a duplicate of #571, the documentation is already updated upstream but not deployed, sorry.

[ptiza-v-nebe]

thanks!

The suggestion with metapackage was actually unneccesary as this is already normal functionality. I was just missing few <exec_depend>packagename</exec_depend> in the metapackage package.xml.