Launching Slicer

After building and sourcing the workspace, start Slicer with the wrapper script:

source ~/ros2_ws/install/setup.bash
ros2 run slicer_ros2_module slicer

The wrapper launches the Slicer executable through the ROS 2 launch system and configures the module and library paths needed by SlicerROS2. This is the recommended way to start Slicer for normal use.

Wrapper vs Launch File

The ros2 run slicer_ros2_module slicer command is a convenience wrapper around the package launch file:

ros2 launch slicer_ros2_module slicer.launch.py

Both commands start Slicer with the same ROS 2 workspace environment, module paths, extension paths, and library paths. The wrapper is easier for day-to-day interactive use because Slicer arguments can be written directly after the command. The launch file is the lower-level ROS 2 entry point and is useful for automation, tests, and launch compositions that need to include Slicer alongside other ROS 2 nodes.

For normal use, prefer the wrapper:

ros2 run slicer_ros2_module slicer

Use the launch file when you specifically need ROS 2 launch-system behavior:

ros2 launch slicer_ros2_module slicer.launch.py slicer_args:="--no-splash"

Passing Arguments

Arguments after the wrapper command are passed to Slicer:

ros2 run slicer_ros2_module slicer --no-splash --homedir /tmp/slicer-ros2

Python scripts can be run at startup:

ros2 run slicer_ros2_module slicer --python-script my_script.py

Extension Paths

Extensions installed with the SlicerROS2 extension manager are registered in the workspace install tree. The launcher reads these paths so the extensions are available when Slicer starts.

ros2 run slicer_ros2_module manage_extensions.py

Directly starting the Slicer executable can work for unrelated Slicer tasks, but it bypasses the ROS 2 workspace environment and may prevent SlicerROS2 or managed extensions from loading correctly.