Python Tkinter script to help start launch files from my laptop and to start windows that show the values of ros topics.

ROS_GUI_v7.py

#!/usr/bin/env python
#

import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import ttk
import subprocess
import time
'''
issues: 
- speed up the login process by looking for the $ which shows the login has completed
- add steps for cmd_vel
- add display for heading


'''

class Steps_to_Process(tk.Frame):
    def __init__(self, parent, *args, **kwargs):
        super().__init__(parent, *args, **kwargs)

        self.name = tk.StringVar()
        self.title_string = tk.StringVar()
        self.title_string.set("Lawn Tractor Startup")
        title_label = ttk.Label(self, textvariable=self.title_string, font=("TkDefaultFont", 12), wraplength=200)        

        step_1_button = ttk.Button(self, text="Start Sensors", width=50, command=self.step_1_actions)
        step_2_button = ttk.Button(self, text="Launch Teleop", width=50, command=self.step_2_actions)
        step_3_button = ttk.Button(self, text="NMEA Driver", width=50, command=self.step_3_actions)
        step_4_button = ttk.Button(self, text="GPS ODOM", width=50, command=self.step_4_actions)
        step_5_button = ttk.Button(self, text="Move Base Launch", width=50, command=self.step_5_actions)
        step_6_button = ttk.Button(self, text="Save Rosbag", width=50, command=self.step_6_actions)        


        # Layout form
        self.columnconfigure(0, weight=1)             
        title_label.grid(row=0, column=0, columnspan=2)
        step_1_button.grid(row=1, column=0, sticky=tk.W)
        step_2_button.grid(row=2, column=0, sticky=tk.W)
        step_3_button.grid(row=3, column=0, sticky=tk.W)
        step_4_button.grid(row=4, column=0, sticky=tk.W)
        step_5_button.grid(row=5, column=0, sticky=tk.W)
        step_6_button.grid(row=6, column=0, sticky=tk.W)     

    def RPi_login_steps(self):
        time.sleep(2)
        cmd_RPi_login = "plink RPI_local -pw ubuntu"  # command to login to RPi
        time.sleep(.1)
        subprocess.check_output(["xdotool", "type", cmd_RPi_login + "\n"])
        time.sleep(5) # delay for the login process to the RPi
        subprocess.check_output(["xdotool", "type", "\n"])
        time.sleep(.5)

    def step_1_actions(self): # main launch of sensors
        working_directory1 = "--working-directory=/home/al"
        subprocess.call(["xdotool", "exec", "gnome-terminal", "--geometry=120x10+150+800", "--name='title 1'", working_directory1])
        self.RPi_login_steps()
        cmd = "bash ros_start.sh" # bash file on RPi which has the main start launch file 
        subprocess.check_output(["xdotool", "type", cmd + "\n"])
        time.sleep(10) # delay for sensors to fire up
        cmd = 'python3 /home/al/python/ros_gui/steer_angle_low_res.py'  # starts a window that displays front angle sensor
        subprocess.Popen(cmd, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, shell=True)
    def step_2_actions(self):   # joystick and teleop
        working_directory1 = "--working-directory=/home/al"
        subprocess.call(["xdotool", "exec", "gnome-terminal", "--geometry=120x10+350+800", working_directory1])
        self.RPi_login_steps()
        # this starts the joystick/gamepad process for the gamepad connected to the RPi on input js0
        # the 2.4 GHz gamepad should have been connected
        subprocess.check_output(["xdotool", "type", "roslaunch tractor_teleop drive.launch" + "\n"])        
    def step_3_actions(self):   # nmea driver
        working_directory1 = "--working-directory=/home/al"
        subprocess.call(["xdotool", "exec", "gnome-terminal", "--geometry=120x10+550+800", working_directory1])
        self.RPi_login_steps()
        # this starts the node to access the GPS signal connected to the udev port "<arg name="port" default="/dev/gps" />"
        # the package will also parse the sentence and publish the data
        subprocess.check_output(["xdotool", "type", "cd /home/ubuntu/catkin_ws/src/nmea_navsat_driver/launch" + "\n"])
        time.sleep(.5)
        subprocess.check_output(["xdotool", "type", "roslaunch nmea_serial_driver.launch" + "\n"])
        time.sleep(10) 
        cmd = 'python3 /home/al/python/ros_gui/NavSatFix.py'  # starts a window that displays gps quality status
        subprocess.Popen(cmd, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, shell=True)
    def step_4_actions(self):  # gps odom
        working_directory1 = "--working-directory=/home/al"
        subprocess.call(["xdotool", "exec", "gnome-terminal", "--geometry=120x10+750+800", working_directory1])
        self.RPi_login_steps()
        subprocess.check_output(["xdotool", "type", "cd ~/catkin_ws" + "\n"])
        time.sleep(.5)
        subprocess.check_output(["xdotool", "type", "rosrun beginner_tutorials gps_odom.py" + "\n"])
    def step_5_actions(self): # move base
        working_directory1 = "--working-directory=/home/al"
        subprocess.call(["xdotool", "exec", "gnome-terminal", "--geometry=120x10+950+700", working_directory1])
        self.RPi_login_steps()
        subprocess.check_output(["xdotool", "type", "cd ~/catkin_ws" + "\n"])
        time.sleep(.5)
        subprocess.check_output(["xdotool", "type", "roslaunch lawn_tractor_sim lawn_tractor.launch" + "\n"])   
    def step_6_actions(self):  # rosbag
        working_directory1 = "--working-directory=/home/al"
        subprocess.call(["xdotool", "exec", "gnome-terminal", "--geometry=120x10+1150+700", working_directory1])
        self.RPi_login_steps()
        subprocess.check_output(["xdotool", "type", "bash ros_bagfile.sh" + "\n"])  


class ROS_GUI(tk.Tk):
    """ROS GUI Main Application"""
    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
        super().__init__(*args, **kwargs)

        # set the window properties
        self.title("ROS GUI")
        self.geometry("200x300")
        self.resizable(width=False, height=False)

        # Define the UI
        Steps_to_Process(self).grid(sticky=(tk.E + tk.W + tk.N + tk.S))
        self.columnconfigure(0, weight=1)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app = ROS_GUI()
    app.mainloop()

ROS Lawn Tractor Startup GUI Overview - to be clear, I'm less than a novice, but this works for me.

One of the actions will then call a script that displays a ros topic(cmd = 'python3 /home/al/python/ros_gui/steer_angle_low_res.py'). The script is here:

`import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import ttk
import time
from random import randint
import rospy
from std_msgs.msg import Int16

"""
subscribes to a ROS topic (/front_angle_low_res) which in my case is outputing an integer result and displays the result in a tkinter window

credit: https://www.pythontutorial.net/tkinter/tkinter-after/
credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAAd5vXA8lE&t=260s

before running make sure to $ rostopic echo /front_angle_low_res to make sure data is available
This script can be started from the folder it resides in with $ python3 sensor_display.py

"""

class Display_Sensor_1(tk.Tk):

    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__()
        self.sub = rospy.Subscriber("/front_angle_low_res", Int16, self.callback_sensor_1)
        self.sensor_1_data = tk.IntVar()

        # configure the root window
        self.title('front_angle_low_res')
        self.resizable(0, 0)
        # width x height = 1920 x 1080 (in pixels) of the Ubuntu laptop
        #self.geometry('250x70+220+80')
        self.geometry('250x70+1600+100')
        self['bg'] = 'black'
        
        # change the background color to black
        self.style = ttk.Style(self)
        self.style.configure('TLabel', background='black', foreground='red')
        self.label = ttk.Label(self, text=self.get_sensor_data(), font=('Digital-7', 20))
        self.label.pack(expand=True)
        self.label.after(1000, self.update)     # schedule an update every 1 second

    def callback_sensor_1(self, data):   
        self.sensor_1_data = data.data
        #print(self.sensor_1_data)
        #rospy.loginfo(rospy.get_caller_id() + "I heard %s", data.data)

    def get_sensor_data(self):
        return self.sensor_1_data

    def update(self):
        """ update the label every 1 second """
        self.label.configure(text=self.get_sensor_data())
        self.label.after(1000, self.update)     # schedule another timer
 
if __name__ == "__main__":
    rospy.init_node('listener', anonymous=True)
    sensor = Display_Sensor_1()
    sensor.mainloop()`

The image of that display value is below:

Output from a newer version