NAME

       pmdaText - extract metric help text for a PMDA

C SYNOPSIS

       #include <pcp/pmapi.h>
       #include <pcp/pmda.h>

       int pmdaText(int ident, int type, char **buffer, pmdaExt *pmda);

       cc ... -lpcp_pmda -lpcp

DESCRIPTION

       As  part  of  the  Performance  Metrics Domain Agent (PMDA) API (see PMDA(3)), pmdaText uses the standard
       PMDA(3) data structures to return the help text for metric ident  in  buffer.   The  help  text  must  be
       located  in help text files created with newhelp(1), and the associated files are automatically opened by
       pmdaInit(3).

       The path to the (basename of the) help text files can be set in the calls to pmdaDSO(3) or  pmdaDaemon(3)
       and overridden by the -h command line option in pmdaGetOpt(3).

       The  encoding  of  ident  follows  the  internal  scheme  used  below  the  routines  pmLookupText(3) and
       pmLookupInDomText(3), namely ident encodes either a metric identifier or an instance  domain  identifier,
       according to the value of type.

       The  type  argument is a bit mask that encodes the interpretation of ident and the requested form of help
       text, as follows: either PM_TEXT_PMID if ident is a metric identifier, or PM_TEXT_INDOM if  ident  is  an
       instance  domain  identifier,  plus either PM_TEXT_ONELINE for the one line help text or PM_TEXT_HELP for
       the full help text.

       The buffer is managed internally (usually it is cached), and it should not be released or  freed  by  the
       caller of pmdaText.

DIAGNOSTICS

       If the requested help text could not be obtained, pmdaText will return PM_ERR_TEXT.

CAVEAT

       The PMDA must be using PMDA_PROTOCOL_2 or later, as specified in the call to pmdaDSO(3) or pmdaDaemon(3).

SEE ALSO

       newhelp(1),  malloc(3),  PMAPI(3),  PMDA(3), pmdaDaemon(3), pmdaDSO(3), pmdaInit(3), pmLookupInDomText(3)
       and pmLookupText(3).