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).