Finally solved the path problem

By changing the output directory for the wrapper module, it is now
stored within the PYTHONPATH and thus is found by `import` without
setting any path manually.

Author: Felix Widmaier

CMakeLists.txt

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ find_package(PythonLibs REQUIRED) # sets ${PYTHON_INCLUDE_DIRS}
 ## Uncomment this if the package has a setup.py. This macro ensures
 ## modules and global scripts declared therein get installed
 ## See http://ros.org/doc/api/catkin/html/user_guide/setup_dot_py.html
-# catkin_python_setup()
+catkin_python_setup() # this sets up the path /devel/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/boostpy_test
 
 
 
@@ -54,6 +54,10 @@ include_directories(
 add_library(mycpplib SHARED
   src/mycpplib.cpp
 )
+# change output directory, so python can find the module
+set_target_properties(mycpplib PROPERTIES
+  LIBRARY_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY ${CATKIN_DEVEL_PREFIX}/${CATKIN_PACKAGE_PYTHON_DESTINATION}
+)
 
 target_link_libraries(mycpplib
   ${catkin_LIBRARIES}

README.md

@@ -7,3 +7,13 @@ This page looks like a very nice and detailed tutorial: https://www.preney.ca/pa
 
 Maybe even better:
 https://github.com/ethz-asl/Schweizer-Messer/wiki/Adding-boost::python-exports-to-your-ROS-package
+
+Form http://wiki.ros.org/catkin/CMakeLists.txt:
+7.2 Custom output directory
+While the default output directory for executables and libraries is usual set to a reasonable
+value it must be customized in certain cases. I.e. a library containing Python bindings must be
+placed in a different folder to be importable in Python:
+
+    set_target_properties(python_module_library PROPERTIES
+      LIBRARY_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY ${CATKIN_DEVEL_PREFIX}/${CATKIN_PACKAGE_PYTHON_DESTINATION}
+    )

scripts/use_cpplib.py

@@ -1,18 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
-
-import rospy
-
-import sys
-# TODO: this is ugly... can this be set using cmake?
-sys.path.append("/home/felix/ws/ros/devel/lib")
-
-import libmycpplib as cpp
+import boostpy_test.libmycpplib as cpp
 
 # this is the equivalent to `main()` in c++
 if __name__ == '__main__':
-    rospy.init_node('use_cpplib')
-
     cpp.hello()
-
-    #rospy.spin()

setup.py

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+## ! DO NOT MANUALLY INVOKE THIS setup.py, USE CATKIN INSTEAD
+
+from distutils.core import setup
+from catkin_pkg.python_setup import generate_distutils_setup
+
+# fetch values from package.xml
+setup_args = generate_distutils_setup(
+    packages=['boostpy_test'],
+    package_dir={'': 'src'},
+)
+
+setup(**setup_args)