Merge branch 'main' into ah/pipeline_vis

Author: bhashemian

README.md

@@ -207,21 +207,36 @@ Make sure you build the application (if applicable) before running it.
 
 ## Cleanup
 
-You can run the command below to reset your `build` directory:
+> [!IMPORTANT]
+> Many applications use custom container environments with specific build and runtime dependencies. If you encounter issues with missing or broken build tools between different applications, clearing the build cache should be your first troubleshooting step.
 
-  ```sh
-  ./holohub clear-cache
-  ```
+Clear cache directories using the `clear-cache` command:
 
-In some cases you may also want to clear out datasets downloaded by applications to the `data` folder:
+```sh
+# Clear all cache folders (build, data, install)
+./holohub clear-cache
 
-  ```sh
-  rm -rf ./data
-  ```
+# Clear specific cache types
+./holohub clear-cache --build      # Build folders only
+./holohub clear-cache --data       # Data folders only
+./holohub clear-cache --install    # Install folders only
+
+# Combine flags to clear multiple types
+./holohub clear-cache --build --data
+
+# Preview what would be removed without actually deleting
+./holohub clear-cache --dryrun
+./holohub clear-cache --build --dryrun
+```
 
-Note that many applications supply custom container environments with build and runtime dependencies.
-Failing to clean the build cache between different applications may result in unexpected behavior where build
-tools or libraries appear to be broken or missing. Clearing the build cache is a good first check to address those issues.
+> [!TIP]
+> If you encounter permission issues when clearing cache, run the command inside a container with root privileges:
+>
+> ```sh
+> ./holohub run-container --as-root -- ./holohub clear-cache
+> ```
+>
+> This is safer than using `sudo` directly, as it maintains proper container isolation and avoids changing file ownership.
 
 ## Contributing
 

operators/dds/base/README.md

@@ -1,11 +1,15 @@
-### DDS Base Operator
+# DDS Base Operator
 
 The DDS Base Operator provides a base class which can be inherited by any
 operator class which requires access to a DDS domain.
 
-This operator requires an installation of [RTI Connext Express](https://content.rti.com/l/983311/2025-07-08/q5x1n8) to provide access to the DDS domain, as specified by the [OMG Data-Distribution Service](https://www.omg.org/omg-dds-portal/). To obtain a license/activation key, please [click here](https://content.rti.com/l/983311/2025-07-25/q6729c). Please see the [usage rules](https://www.rti.com/products/connext-express) for Connext Express.
+This operator requires an installation of [RTI Connext](https://content.rti.com/l/983311/2025-07-08/q5x1n8) to provide access to the DDS domain, as specified by the [OMG Data-Distribution Service](https://www.omg.org/omg-dds-portal/).
 
-#### `holoscan::ops::DDSOperatorBase`
+You can obtain a license/activation key for RTI Connext directly from RTI by downloading it [here](https://content.rti.com/l/983311/2025-07-25/q6729c). For additional information on RTI Connext and how it integrates with NVIDIA products, please refer to the [RTI-NVIDIA integration page](https://www.rti.com/products/third-party-integrations/nvidia).
+
+If you have questions, please email [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
+
+## `holoscan::ops::DDSOperatorBase`
 
 Base class which provides the parameters and members required to access a
 DDS domain.
@@ -14,7 +18,7 @@ For more documentation about how these parameters (and other similar
 inheriting-class parameters) are used, see the
 [RTI Connext Documentation](https://community.rti.com/documentation).
 
-##### Parameters
+### Parameters
 
 - **`qos_provider`**: URI for the DDS QoS Provider
   - type: `std::string`

operators/dds/dds_shapes_subscriber/README.md

@@ -1,24 +1,28 @@
-### DDS Shape Subscriber Operator
+# DDS Shape Subscriber Operator
 
 The DDS Shape Subscriber Operator subscribes to and reads from the `Square`, `Circle`, and
 `Triangle` shape topics as used by the [RTI Shapes Demo](https://www.rti.com/free-trial/shapes-demo).
 It will then translate the received shape data to an internal `Shape` datatype for output
 to downstream operators.
 
-This operator requires an installation of [RTI Connext Express](https://content.rti.com/l/983311/2025-07-08/q5x1n8) to provide access to the DDS domain, as specified by the [OMG Data-Distribution Service](https://www.omg.org/omg-dds-portal/). To obtain a license/activation key, please [click here](https://content.rti.com/l/983311/2025-07-25/q6729c). Please see the [usage rules](https://www.rti.com/products/connext-express) for Connext Express.
+This operator requires an installation of [RTI Connext](https://content.rti.com/l/983311/2025-07-08/q5x1n8) to provide access to the DDS domain, as specified by the [OMG Data-Distribution Service](https://www.omg.org/omg-dds-portal/).
 
-#### `holoscan::ops::DDSShapesSubscriberOp`
+You can obtain a license/activation key for RTI Connext directly from RTI by downloading it [here](https://content.rti.com/l/983311/2025-07-25/q6729c). For additional information on RTI Connext and how it integrates with NVIDIA products, please refer to the [RTI-NVIDIA integration page](https://www.rti.com/products/third-party-integrations/nvidia).
+
+If you have questions, please email [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
+
+## `holoscan::ops::DDSShapesSubscriberOp`
 
 Operator class for the DDS Shapes Subscriber.
 
 This operator also inherits the parameters from [DDSOperatorBase](../base/README.md).
 
-##### Parameters
+### Parameters
 
 - **`reader_qos`**: The name of the QoS profile to use for the DDS DataReader
   - type: `std::string`
 
-##### Outputs
+### Outputs
 
 - **`output`**: Output shapes, translated from those read from DDS
   - type: `holoscan::ops::DDSShapesSubscriberOp::Shape`

operators/dds/video/README.md

@@ -1,39 +1,43 @@
-### DDS Video Operators
+# DDS Video Operators
 
 The DDS Video Operators allow applications to read or write video buffers
 to a DDS databus, enabling communication with other applications via the
 [VideoFrame](VideoFrame.idl) DDS topic.
 
-This operator requires an installation of [RTI Connext Express](https://content.rti.com/l/983311/2025-07-08/q5x1n8) to provide access to the DDS domain, as specified by the [OMG Data-Distribution Service](https://www.omg.org/omg-dds-portal/). To obtain a license/activation key, please [click here](https://content.rti.com/l/983311/2025-07-25/q6729c). Please see the [usage rules](https://www.rti.com/products/connext-express) for Connext Express.
+This operator requires an installation of [RTI Connext](https://content.rti.com/l/983311/2025-07-08/q5x1n8) to provide access to the DDS domain, as specified by the [OMG Data-Distribution Service](https://www.omg.org/omg-dds-portal/).
 
-#### `holoscan::ops::DDSVideoPublisherOp`
+You can obtain a license/activation key for RTI Connext directly from RTI by downloading it [here](https://content.rti.com/l/983311/2025-07-25/q6729c). For additional information on RTI Connext and how it integrates with NVIDIA products, please refer to the [RTI-NVIDIA integration page](https://www.rti.com/products/third-party-integrations/nvidia).
+
+If you have questions, please email [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
+
+## `holoscan::ops::DDSVideoPublisherOp`
 
 Operator class for the DDS video publisher. This operator accepts `VideoBuffer` objects
 as input and publishes each buffer to DDS as a [VideoFrame](VideoFrame.idl).
 
 This operator also inherits the parameters from [DDSOperatorBase](../base/README.md).
 
-##### Parameters
+### Parameters
 
 - **`writer_qos`**: The name of the QoS profile to use for the DDS DataWriter
   - type: `std::string`
 - **`stream_id`**: The ID to use for the video stream
   - type: `uint32_t`
 
-##### Inputs
+### Inputs
 
 - **`input`**: Input video buffer
   - type: `nvidia::gxf::VideoBuffer`
 
-#### `holoscan::ops::DDSVideoSubscriberOp`
+## `holoscan::ops::DDSVideoSubscriberOp`
 
 Operator class for the DDS video subscriber. This operator reads from the
 [VideoFrame](VideoFrame.idl) DDS topic and outputs each received frame as
 `VideoBuffer` objects.
 
 This operator also inherits the parameters from [DDSOperatorBase](../base/README.md).
 
-##### Parameters
+### Parameters
 
 - **`reader_qos`**: The name of the QoS profile to use for the DDS DataReader
   - type: `std::string`
@@ -42,7 +46,7 @@ This operator also inherits the parameters from [DDSOperatorBase](../base/README
 - **`allocator`**: Allocator used to allocate the output data
   - type: `std::shared_ptr<Allocator>`
 
-##### Outputs
+### Outputs
 
 - **`output`**: Output video buffer
   - type: `nvidia::gxf::VideoBuffer`

utilities/cli/holohub.py

@@ -388,6 +388,9 @@ def _create_parser(self) -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
         )
         self.subparsers["test"] = test
         test.add_argument("project", nargs="?", help="Project to test")
+        test.add_argument(
+            "--local", action="store_true", help="Test locally instead of in container"
+        )
         test.add_argument("--verbose", action="store_true", help="Print extra output")
         test.add_argument(
             "--dryrun", action="store_true", help="Print commands without executing them"
@@ -433,6 +436,11 @@ def _create_parser(self) -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
         clear_cache.add_argument(
             "--dryrun", action="store_true", help="Print commands without executing them"
         )
+        clear_cache.add_argument("--build", action="store_true", help="Clear build folders only")
+        clear_cache.add_argument("--data", action="store_true", help="Clear data folders only")
+        clear_cache.add_argument(
+            "--install", action="store_true", help="Clear install folders only"
+        )
         clear_cache.set_defaults(func=self.handle_clear_cache)
 
         # Add vscode command
@@ -833,7 +841,9 @@ def handle_test(self, args: argparse.Namespace) -> None:
         container.dryrun = args.dryrun
         container.verbose = args.verbose
 
-        if not skip_docker_build:
+        is_local_mode = bool(args.local or os.environ.get("HOLOHUB_BUILD_LOCAL"))
+
+        if not is_local_mode and not skip_docker_build:
             build_args = args.build_args or ""
             extra_scripts = (getattr(args, "extra_scripts", None) or []).copy()
 
@@ -864,11 +874,14 @@ def handle_test(self, args: argparse.Namespace) -> None:
         # TAG is used in CTest scripts by default
         if getattr(args, "build_name_suffix", None):
             tag = args.build_name_suffix
+        elif is_local_mode:
+            tag = "local"
         else:
-            if skip_docker_build:
-                image_name = getattr(args, "img", None) or container.image_name
-            else:
-                image_name = args.base_img or container.default_base_image()
+            image_name = (
+                (getattr(args, "img", None) or container.image_name)
+                if skip_docker_build
+                else (args.base_img or container.default_base_image())
+            )
             tag = image_name.split(":")[-1]
 
         ctest_cmd = f"{xvfb} ctest "
@@ -919,6 +932,23 @@ def handle_test(self, args: argparse.Namespace) -> None:
         if args.verbose:
             ctest_cmd += "-VV "
 
+        if is_local_mode:
+            print(
+                holohub_cli_util.format_cmd(f"cd {HoloHubCLI.HOLOHUB_ROOT}", is_dryrun=args.dryrun)
+            )
+            if not args.dryrun:
+                os.chdir(HoloHubCLI.HOLOHUB_ROOT)
+
+            env = os.environ.copy()
+            env["PYTHONPATH"] = (
+                f"{env.get('PYTHONPATH', '')}:{self.DEFAULT_SDK_DIR}/python/lib:{self.HOLOHUB_ROOT}"
+            )
+            env["HOLOHUB_DATA_PATH"] = str(self.DEFAULT_DATA_DIR)
+            env.setdefault("HOLOSCAN_INPUT_PATH", str(self.DEFAULT_DATA_DIR))
+
+            holohub_cli_util.run_command(["bash", "-c", ctest_cmd], dry_run=args.dryrun, env=env)
+            return
+
         container.run(
             img=getattr(args, "img", None),
             use_tini=True,
@@ -2013,21 +2043,48 @@ def handle_install(self, args: argparse.Namespace) -> None:
                 extra_args=extra_args,
             )
 
+    def _collect_cache_dirs(self, patterns: list[str], default_dir=None) -> list:
+        """Helper to collect cache directories matching patterns."""
+        dirs = []
+        if default_dir is not None:
+            dirs.append(default_dir)
+        for pattern in patterns:
+            for path in HoloHubCLI.HOLOHUB_ROOT.glob(pattern):
+                if path.is_dir() and path not in dirs:
+                    dirs.append(path)
+        return dirs
+
     def handle_clear_cache(self, args: argparse.Namespace) -> None:
         """Handle clear-cache command"""
+        # Determine which folders to clear
+        clear_build = getattr(args, "build", False)
+        clear_data = getattr(args, "data", False)
+        clear_install = getattr(args, "install", False)
+
+        # If no flags are provided, clear all (backward compatibility)
+        clear_all = not (clear_build or clear_data or clear_install)
+
         if args.dryrun:
             print(Color.blue("Would clear cache folders:"))
         else:
             print(Color.blue("Clearing cache..."))
 
-        cache_dirs = [
-            self.DEFAULT_BUILD_PARENT_DIR,
-            self.DEFAULT_DATA_DIR,
-        ]
-        for pattern in ["build", "build-*", "data", "data-*", "install"]:
-            for path in HoloHubCLI.HOLOHUB_ROOT.glob(pattern):
-                if path.is_dir() and path not in cache_dirs:
-                    cache_dirs.append(path)
+        cache_dirs = []
+
+        # Collect build folders if needed
+        if clear_all or clear_build:
+            cache_dirs.extend(
+                self._collect_cache_dirs(["build", "build-*"], self.DEFAULT_BUILD_PARENT_DIR)
+            )
+
+        # Collect data folders if needed
+        if clear_all or clear_data:
+            cache_dirs.extend(self._collect_cache_dirs(["data", "data-*"], self.DEFAULT_DATA_DIR))
+
+        # Collect install folders if needed
+        if clear_all or clear_install:
+            cache_dirs.extend(self._collect_cache_dirs(["install", "install-*"]))
+
         for path in set(cache_dirs):
             if path.exists() and path.is_dir():
                 if args.dryrun:

utilities/cli/util.py

@@ -580,14 +580,15 @@ def find_hsdk_build_rel_dir(local_sdk_root: Optional[Union[str, Path]] = None) -
 
 def get_compute_capacity() -> str:
     """Get GPU compute capacity"""
-    if not shutil.which("nvidia-smi"):
+    nvidia_smi = shutil.which("nvidia-smi")
+    if not nvidia_smi:
         return "0.0"
     try:
         output = subprocess.check_output(
-            ["nvidia-smi", "--query-gpu=compute_cap", "--format=csv,noheader"]
+            [nvidia_smi, "--query-gpu=compute_cap", "--format=csv,noheader"]
         )
         return output.decode().strip().split("\n")[0]
-    except subprocess.CalledProcessError:
+    except (subprocess.CalledProcessError, OSError):
         return "0.0"