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 over
ridden by the -h command line option in pmdaGetOpt(3).
The encoding of ident follows the internal scheme used
below the routines pmLookupText(3) and pmLookupInDom
Text(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 interpre
tation of ident and the requested form of help text, as
follows: either PM_TEXT_PMID if ident is a metric identi
fier, 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 allocated using malloc(3) and should be
released by the caller of pmdaText with a call to free(3).
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 speci
fied 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
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