PMDATEXT(3)						     Library Functions Manual						       PMDATEXT(3)

NAME

       pmdaText - extract metric help text for a PMDA

C SYNOPSIS

       #include <pcp/pmapi.h>
       #include <pcp/impl.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).

Performance Co-Pilot							PCP							       PMDATEXT(3)