The command

bashsudo apt-get install python-catkin-tools

installs the python-catkin-tools package on a Debian-based Linux system (such as Ubuntu). This package provides the catkin command-line tools, which are essential for building and managing ROS (Robot Operating System) workspaces and packages.

What is catkin-tools?

• Catkin is the official build system for ROS, replacing the older rosbuild system3.
• catkin-tools is an improved set of command-line tools for working with catkin workspaces, offering a more user-friendly and flexible workflow compared to the original catkin_make command.
• The tools allow you to:
  • Create and initialize catkin workspaces
  • Build, clean, and manage multiple ROS packages efficiently
  • Use commands like catkin build, catkin clean, and catkin create pkg6

Why use python-catkin-tools?

• It streamlines the process of developing, building, and testing ROS packages.
• It supports more advanced workflows, such as building packages in isolation and parallelizing builds for faster development cycles36.
• It is widely used in the ROS community for managing Python-based ROS packages as well as C++ packages6.

Typical Usage Example

After installing, you can use commands like:

bashcatkin build catkin clean catkin create pkg my_new_package

to manage your ROS workspace and packages.

Summary Table

In summary, installing python-catkin-tools equips your system with advanced tools to efficiently develop and manage ROS packages and workspaces36.

Citations:

1. https://answers.ros.org/question/339563/why-catkin-package-is-still-needed-at-ros-runtime/