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.

CAVEAT

       The  PMDA  must be using PMDA_INTERFACE_2 or later, as specified in the call to pmdaDSO(3)
       or pmdaDaemon(3).

DIAGNOSTICS

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

SEE ALSO

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