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 PM‐
       DA(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 pm‐
       daInit(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 pmLookupIn‐
       DomText(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  pmdaDae‐
       mon(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).

Performance Co-Pilot                                   PCP                                           PMDATEXT(3)