Autoware Planning Test Manager

Background

In each node of the planning module, when exceptional input, such as unusual routes or significantly deviated ego-position, is given, the node may not be prepared for such input and could crash. As a result, debugging node crashes can be time-consuming. For example, if an empty trajectory is given as input and it was not anticipated during implementation, the node might crash due to the unaddressed exceptional input when changes are merged, during scenario testing or while the system is running on an actual vehicle.

Purpose

The purpose is to provide a utility for implementing tests to ensure that node operates correctly when receiving exceptional input. By utilizing this utility and implementing tests for exceptional input, the purpose is to reduce bugs that are only discovered when actually running the system, by requiring measures for exceptional input before merging PRs.

Features

Confirmation of normal operation

For the test target node, confirm that the node operates correctly and publishes the required messages for subsequent nodes. To do this, test_node publish the necessary messages and confirm that the node’s output is being published.

Robustness confirmation for special inputs

After confirming normal operation, ensure that the test target node does not crash when given exceptional input. To do this, provide exceptional input from the test_node and confirm that the node does not crash.

(WIP)

Usage

TEST(PlanningModuleInterfaceTest, NodeTestWithExceptionTrajectory)
{
  rclcpp::init(0, nullptr);

  // instantiate test_manager with PlanningInterfaceTestManager type
  auto test_manager = std::make_shared<autoware::planning_test_manager::PlanningInterfaceTestManager>();

  // get package directories for necessary configuration files
  const auto autoware_test_utils_dir =
    ament_index_cpp::get_package_share_directory("autoware_test_utils");
  const auto target_node_dir =
    ament_index_cpp::get_package_share_directory("target_node");

  // set arguments to get the config file
  node_options.arguments(
    {"--ros-args", "--params-file",
     autoware_test_utils_dir + "/config/test_vehicle_info.param.yaml", "--params-file",
     autoware_planning_validator_dir + "/config/planning_validator.param.yaml"});

  // instantiate the TargetNode with node_options
  auto test_target_node = std::make_shared<TargetNode>(node_options);

  // publish the necessary topics from test_manager second argument is topic name
  test_manager->publishOdometry(test_target_node, "/localization/kinematic_state");
  test_manager->publishMaxVelocity(
    test_target_node, "velocity_smoother/input/external_velocity_limit_mps");

  // set scenario_selector's input topic name(this topic is changed to test node)
  test_manager->setTrajectoryInputTopicName("input/parking/trajectory");

  // test with normal trajectory
  ASSERT_NO_THROW(test_manager->testWithNominalTrajectory(test_target_node));

  // make sure target_node is running
  EXPECT_GE(test_manager->getReceivedTopicNum(), 1);

  // test with trajectory input with empty/one point/overlapping point
  ASSERT_NO_THROW(test_manager->testWithAbnormalTrajectory(test_target_node));

  // shutdown ROS context
  rclcpp::shutdown();
}

Implemented tests

Important Notes

During test execution, when launching a node, parameters are loaded from the parameter file within each package. Therefore, when adding parameters, it is necessary to add the required parameters to the parameter file in the target node package. This is to prevent the node from being unable to launch if there are missing parameters when retrieving them from the parameter file during node launch.

Future extensions / Unimplemented parts

(WIP)

Changelog for package autoware_planning_test_manager

1.1.0 (2025-05-01)

1.9.0 (2026-06-24)

• Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into tmp/bot/bump_version_base

• perf(autoware_planning_test_manager): harden planning_test_manager_utils (#1150)

  * perf(autoware_planning_test_manager): harden planning_test_manager_utils Refactor the header-only utils module so the lanelet map / RouteHandler is loaded once per makeBehaviorRouteFromLaneId call instead of three times, and make the pose construction safe and testable.

  - Add a createPoseFromLaneID(const RouteHandler &, lanelet::Id) overload so a single already-loaded RouteHandler can be reused for start- and goal-pose extraction and route planning (map loads cut from 3 to 1). The existing file-loading overload is kept and now delegates to it (additive, ABI-safe).

  - Guard the centerline access: return an identity-orientation pose for centerlines with fewer than two points instead of reading center_line[idx+1] out of bounds; return early for empty centerlines.

  - Remove the std::cerr primitive/preferred_primitive debug loop that printed on every call on the production path.

  - Switch the geometry include/namespace to autoware_utils_geometry and declare the previously-transitive autoware_route_handler and autoware_utils_geometry dependencies in package.xml.

  - Add test_planning_test_manager_utils.cpp covering the previously-untested utils functions: pose-on-centerline, overload equivalence, the route happy path (non-empty segments) and the planning-failure path (empty route), and makeInitialPoseFromLaneId. Refs: autowarefoundation/autoware_core#1096

  * fix(autoware_planning_test_manager): include <cmath> in utils test The test uses std::isfinite and std::sqrt but relied on a transitive include from the header under test. Include <cmath> directly so the test no longer depends on the header's include set. Refs: autowarefoundation/autoware_core#1096

  * test(autoware_planning_test_manager): extract poseFromCenterline and pin degenerate-centerline branches (#77) Extract the centerline->Pose computation into a pure ROS/map-free poseFromCenterline() that createPoseFromLaneID delegates to, and add direct unit tests pinning the empty / single-point / two-point / multi-point branch postconditions (the OOB guard added by this PR). Refs: autowarefoundation/autoware_core#1096 ---------

• Contributors: Yutaka Kondo, github-actions

1.8.0 (2026-05-01)

• Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into tmp/bot/bump_version_base
• refactor(autoware_core): add USE_SCOPED_HEADER_INSTALL_DIR to common and testing packages (#967) Co-authored-by: github-actions <<github-actions@github.com>> Co-authored-by: Junya Sasaki <<j2sasaki1990@gmail.com>>
• Contributors: Vishal Chauhan, github-actions

1.7.0 (2026-02-14)

1.6.0 (2025-12-30)

• Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into tmp/bot/bump_version_base
• chore: tf2_ros to hpp headers (#616)
• Contributors: Tim Clephas, github-actions

1.5.0 (2025-11-16)

• Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into humble

• feat: replace [ament_auto_package]{.title-ref} to [autoware_ament_auto_package]{.title-ref} (#700)

  • replace ament_auto_package to autoware_ament_auto_package

  * style(pre-commit): autofix ---------Co-authored-by: pre-commit-ci[bot] <66853113+pre-commit-ci[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>

• chore: bump version (1.4.0) and update changelog

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