---
name: "pmUseContext"
section: "3"
platform: "linux"
package: "pcp"
version: "7.2.2-2"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/pmUseContext"
---

# pmUseContext(3)

change current PMAPI context

## NAME

**pmUseContext** - change current PMAPI context

## C SYNOPSIS

**#include \<pcp/pmapi.h\>**

**int pmUseContext(int** *handle***);**

**cc ... -lpcp**

## DESCRIPTION

An application using the Performance Metrics Application Programming Interface (PMAPI) may manipulate several concurrent contexts, each associated with a source of performance metrics, e.g. [**pmcd**(1)](/pmcd/1.md) on some host, or an archive of performance metrics as created by [**pmlogger**(1)](/pmlogger/1.md).

Calling **pmUseContext** causes the current PMAPI context to be set to the context identified by *handle*. The value of *handle* must be one returned from an earlier call to [**pmNewContext**(3)](/pmNewContext/3.md) or [**pmDupContext**(3)](/pmDupContext/3.md).

Below the PMAPI, all contexts used by an application are saved in their most recently modified state, so **pmUseContext** restores the context to the state it was in the last time the context was used, not the state of the context when it was established.

## DIAGNOSTICS

**PM\_ERR\_NOCONTEXT**

-

  *handle* does not identify a valid PMAPI context

## SEE ALSO

[**PMAPI**(3)](/PMAPI/3.md), [**pmDestroyContext**(3)](/pmDestroyContext/3.md), [**pmDupContext**(3)](/pmDupContext/3.md), [**pmNewContext**(3)](/pmNewContext/3.md) and [**pmWhichContext**(3)](/pmWhichContext/3.md).