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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).