sdformat install not relocatable: sdf::findFile searches original install location

[osrf-migration]

Original report (archived issue) by Steve Peters (Bitbucket: Steven Peters, GitHub: scpeters).

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As reported here: osrf/homebrew-simulation#479

The issue is that the install path searched by sdf::findFile is the install location at compile time:

• https://github.com/osrf/sdformat/blob/f3ab32d891e619861c513a86e9c10f72cac480bf/src/SDF.cc#L90:103
• https://github.com/osrf/sdformat/blob/f3ab32d891e619861c513a86e9c10f72cac480bf/cmake/sdf_config.h.in#L30:31

We would need to change the logic of sdf::findFile to make it fully relocatable.

[osrf-migration]

Original comment by Jeongseok Lee (Bitbucket: jlee02, GitHub: jslee02).

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DART also had the same issue and adopted the workaround of using the environment variable, which I believe sdformat already does. One possible solution I can think of now is searching typical install locations (like find_package does), which are platform dependent.

[osrf-migration]

Original comment by Steve Peters (Bitbucket: Steven Peters, GitHub: scpeters).

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Yes, SDF already checks the SDF_PATH environment variable:

• https://github.com/osrf/sdformat/blob/f3ab32d891e619861c513a86e9c10f72cac480bf/src/SDF.cc#L105:120

but it does take an extra step to set that.

[osrf-migration]

Original comment by Silvio Traversaro (Bitbucket: traversaro).

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Relevant issue (I was not finding it anymore, so I think it is useful to link it here): https://osrf-migration.github.io/sdformat-gh-pages/#!/osrf/sdformat/issues/141/embed-sdf-xml-files-into-library (#141) .

[traversaro]

xref: gazebosim/gz-sim#626 (comment)