Warning

This is still a work in progress project, not all of the features are implemented.

CANnect

CANnect is a C++ toolkit for interacting with Controller Area Network (CAN) interfaces. It provides a modular command-line interface and core components for logging, dispatching, bridging, and handling CAN frames.

The main purpose of this project is to offer an easy-to-use tool for controlling and experimenting with CAN-based protocols, such as CAN-TS. CANnect is designed for flexibility and extensibility, helping developers build, monitor, and analyze CAN systems efficiently.

Usage

Building

To build CANnect, run:

make

The compiled binary will be located at build/cannect.

Running

You can run CANnect with various options. Some common examples:

• Listen to a CAN interface:

  ./build/cannect --iface can0

  Replace can0 with your CAN interface name.

• Bridge two CAN interfaces:

  ./build/cannect --iface-a can0 --iface-b can1

• Use a specific protocol (e.g., CAN-TS):

  ./build/cannect --iface can0 --protocol cants

• Show all available options:

  ./build/cannect --help

Common Options

• --can-iface : CAN interface name (e.g. can0, vcan0)
• --iface-a : Source CAN interface (for bridge)
• --iface-b : Destination CAN interface (for bridge)
• --protocol : Protocol: raw | canopen | cants (default: raw)
• --output : Output file (record)
• --input : Input file (replay)
• --filter : Frame filter expression
• --decode : Decode frames using selected protocol
• --id : CAN ID (hex)
• --data : CAN data bytes (e.g. "DE AD BE EF")
• --help : Show help message

For more advanced usage, combine options as needed.

To create a virtual CAN interface

#!/bin/bash
# Make sure the script runs with super user privileges.
[ "$UID" -eq 0 ] || exec sudo bash "$0" "$@"
# Load the kernel module.
modprobe vcan
# Create the virtual CAN interface.
ip link add dev vcan0 type vcan
# Bring the virtual CAN interface online.
ip link set up vcan0

Add it to your project

Simple example of how it can be integrated in other projects.

#include "cannect/Cannect.hpp"

using namespace cannect;

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
  Cannect cannect;

  return cannect.run(argc, argv);
}

To compile the example:

g++ -c main.cpp -o main.o 
g++ main.o libcannect.a -o my_project