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Build / install mwp (Generic)#

Overview#

If you just want to install mwp on a Debian /derivative, x64_64, then you can install the reasonably recent binary .deb package from the Release Area.

For Arch Linux, you can install the AUR package mwptools-git. This tracks master.

Otherwise, if you're using a different (not Debian based) distribution, just curious about building mwptools, you want to explore other tools and scripts in the repository or you're using a different architecture (ia32, Arm7, aarch64, riscv64, ppc etc.), or you want the most recent code, then you can build from source. This is the recommended installation method.

The mwptools suite is built using the meson and ninja toolchain. For most users these will be automatically provided by a build-essentials type of package.

For Debian and derivatives there is a "one stop" installation script, as well as a x86_64 "Release" .deb archive.

For Fedora, the is a also a documented list of packages.

For Arch, the PKGBLD lists the required packages.

For MacOS, use Homebrew to install required packages, having evinced the names from one of the Linux guides.

For Windows (MSys2), see Github discussion #182 for dependencies and workarounds).

For any other distribution / platform / OS, any of the above documents should give you an idea of the packages required, typically:

  • Gtk4 (4.14)
  • libsoup3 (3.2)
  • libshumate (1.3)
  • meson (1.40)
  • blueprint-compiler (0.12.0)
  • libvte4
  • libadwaita-1 (1.5)
  • libsecret-1

Numbers is parenthesis indicate a minimum version. Modern OS should be able to satisfy these requirements.

Usage#

Normative guide#

Note that the normative build reference is the INSTALL file in the source tree. This is most current documentation.

First time#

Set up the meson build system from the top level. Note that _build is a directory that is created by meson setup; you can use what ever name you wish, and can have multiple build directories for different options (e.g _build for local and _sysbuild for system wide installations.

meson setup _build --buildtype=release --strip [--prefix $HOME/.local]
  • For a user / non-system install, set --prefix $HOME/.local
    • This will install the binaries in $HOME/.local/bin, which should be added to $PATH as required.
  • For a Linux system wide install, set --prefix /usr
  • For FreeBSD (*BSD), for a system-wide install, don't set --prefix as the default (/usr/local) is suitable

Unless you need a multi-user setup, a local install is preferable, as you don't need sudo to install, and you'll not risk messing up build permissions.

"Easy" first-time install on Debian and derivatives#

  • Download the first time build script
  • Make it executable chmod +x deb-install.sh
  • Run it ./deb-install.sh -y
  • Note that the script may ask for a password to install system packages
  • The resulting executables are in ~/.local/bin. Ensure this exists on $PATH; modern distros should do this for you.

Build and update#

ninja -C _build
# for a local install
ninja -C _build install
# for system install
ninja -C _build
sudo ninja -C _build install

Accessing the serial port#

The user needs to have read / write permissions on the serial port in order to communicate with a flight controller. This is done by adding the user to a group:

  • Arch Linux: sudo usermod -aG uucp $USER
  • Debian / Fedora (and derivatives): sudo usermod -aG dialout $USER

  • All Linux with systemd: In you log in via systemd's loginctl, then you can create a udev rule that does not rquire the user being a member of a particular group:

    #less /etc/udev/rules.d/45-stm32.rules
SUBSYSTEMS=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="0483", ATTRS{idProduct}=="5740", MODE="0660", TAG+="uaccess", ENV{ID_MM_DEVICE_IGNORE}="1", ENV{ID_MM_CANDIDATE}="0"
SUBSYSTEMS=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="0483", ATTRS{idProduct}=="df11", MODE="0660", TAG+="uaccess"

  • FreeBSD: sudo pw group mod dialer -m $USER

Files built / installed#

Default#

Application Usage
mwp Mission planner, GCS, log replay etc.
mwp-plot-elevations 1 Mission elevation / terrain analysis
cliterm Interact with the CLI
fc-get, fc-set 2 Backup / restore CLI diff
inav_states.rb Summarise BBL state changes, also installed inav_states_data.rb
fcflash FC flashing tool, requires dfu-util and / or stmflash32
flashgo Tools to examine, download logs and erase from dataflash
bproxy Black maps tiles, for those covert operations

Libraries#

$prefix/lib/libmwpclib.*so.x.0.0
$prefix/lib/libmwpclib.a
$prefix/lib/libmwpvlib.*so.x.0.0
$prefix/lib/libmwpclib.a

Notes:

1. This may either be the new Go executable or the legacy, less functional Ruby script.

2. fc-set is a hard link to fc-get

Optional#

These are only built by explicit target name; they will be installed if built.

# one of more of the following targets
ninja ublox-cli
sudo ninja install
Application Usage
ublox-cli Ublox GPS tool
gmproxy Proxy for certain commercial TMS

Troubleshooting and Hints#

Migrate from a system install to a user install#

Either use separate build directories, or reconfigure.

cd _build
sudo ninja uninstall
meson --reconfigure --prefix=$HOME/.local
ninja install

Fixing build permissions#

If you install to system locations, it is possible that sudo ninja install will write as root to some of the install files, and they become non-writable to the normal user.

  • In the build directory, run sudo chown -R $USER .
  • Consider migrating to a local install.

Help!!!!#

You've installed a new version but you still get the old one!#

If you used the deb-install.sh script, then it installed everything into $HOME/.local/bin (and other folders under ~/.local). This is nice because:

  • mwp does not pollute the system directories;
  • you don't need sudo to install it.

Linux (like most other OS) has the concept of a PATH, a list of places where it looks for executable files). You can see this from a terminal:

## a colon separated list
echo $PATH

So check that $HOME/.local/bin is on $PATH; preferably near the front.

If it is, then the problem may be that the older mwp also exists elsewhere on the PATH, and the system will not re-evaluate the possible chain of locations if it previously found the file it wants.

So, maybe you have an old install. You didn't remove it (alas); so the system thinks that mwp is /usr/bin/mwp; in fact it's now $HOME/.local/bin/mwp

If $HOME/.local/bin is on the PATH before /usr/bin, the you have two choices:

# reset the path search
hash -r
# mwp, where art thou? Hopefully now is ~/.local/bin
which mwp
# From **this terminal** executing mwp will run the location reported by `which mwp`

or

Log out, log in. The PATH will be re-evaluated.

If $HOME/.local/bin is not on PATH. then it needs to be added to a login file (.profile, .bashrc, .bash_profile etc.). Modern distros do this for you, however if you've updated an older install you may have to add it yourself.

# set PATH so it includes user's private bin if it exists
if [ -d "$HOME/bin" ] ; then
    PATH="$HOME/bin:$PATH"
fi

# set PATH so it includes user's private bin if it exists
if [ -d "$HOME/.local/bin" ] ; then
    PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
fi

If an older (perhaps Makefile generated) mwp exists; then you should remove all evidence of an earlier system install.

find /usr -iname \*mwp\*

review the list and as root, delete the old files. Do similar for blackbox-decode.

If you're content with the list, then (caveat emptor):

sudo find /usr -iname \*mwp\* -delete

You'll still have to remove non-empty directories manually.

"ninja: error: loading 'build.ninja': No such file or directory#

Something, or persons unknown has removed this file.

cd mwptools
meson setup --reconfigure _build --prefix ~/.local
cd _build
ninja install

ERROR: Dependency "?????" not found, tried pkgconfig#

mwp requires a new dependency. This ~~will~~ should be documented in the wiki Recent Changes document.

  • Install the newly required dependencies
  • Rerun your build

Supporting data files#

File Target Usage
src/common/mwp_icon.svg $prefix/share/icons/hicolor/scalable/apps/ Desktop icon
src/mwp/org.stronnag.mwp.gschema.xml $prefix/share/glib-2.0/schemas/ Settings schema
src/mwp/volts.css $prefix/share/mwp/ Colours used by battery widget
src/mwp/beep-sound.ogg $prefix/share/mwp/ Alert sound
src/mwp/bleet.ogg $prefix/share/mwp/ Alert sound
src/mwp/menubar.ui $prefix/share/mwp/ Menu definition
src/mwp/mwp.ui $prefix/share/mwp/ UI definition
src/mwp/orange.ogg $prefix/share/mwp/ Alert sound
src/mwp/sat_alert.ogg $prefix/share/mwp/ Alert sound
src/mwp/mwp.desktop $prefix/share/applications/ Desktop launcher
src/mwp/mwp_complete.sh $prefix/share/bash-completion/completions/ bash completion for mwp
src/mwp/pixmaps $prefix/share/mwp/pixmaps/ UI Icons
docs/debian-ubuntu-dependencies.txt $prefix/share/doc/mwp/ Debian / Ubuntu dependencies
docs/fedora.txt $prefix/share/doc/mwp/ Fedora dependencies