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

# pmiPutText(3)

add help text for an metric or instance domain

## NAME

**pmiPutText** - add help text for an metric or instance domain

## C SYNOPSIS

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

**int pmiPutText(unsigned int** *type***,** **unsigned int** *class***,** **unsigned int** *id***,** **const char \****content***);**

**cc ... -lpcp\_import -lpcp**

## Perl SYNOPSIS

**use PCP::LogImport;**

**pmiPutText($***type***, $***class***, $***id***, $***content***);**

## Python SYNOPSIS

**from pcp import pmi**

**log.pmiPutText(***type***,** *cls***,** *id***,** *content***)**

## DESCRIPTION

As part of the Performance Co-Pilot Log Import API (see [**LOGIMPORT**(3)](/LOGIMPORT/3.md)), **pmiPutText** adds help text for a given metric or instance domain.

The *type* must be one of **PM\_TEXT\_PMID** or **PM\_TEXT\_INDOM**.

The *class* must be one of **PM\_TEXT\_ONELINE** or **PM\_TEXT\_HELP**.

If *type* is **PM\_TEXT\_PMID**, then *id* should match a pmid defined earlier in a call to [**pmiAddMetric**(3)](/pmiAddMetric/3.md). If *type* is **PM\_TEXT\_INDOM**, then *id* should match an instance domain defined earlier in a call to [**pmiAddMetric**(3)](/pmiAddMetric/3.md).

*content* is a string containing the content of the help text.

No data will be written until [**pmiWrite**(3)](/pmiWrite/3.md) is called, so multiple calls to **pmiPutText** are typically used to accumulate help text for several metrics or instance domains before calling [**pmiWrite**(3)](/pmiWrite/3.md).

## DIAGNOSTICS

**pmiPutText** returns zero on success else a negative value that can be turned into an error message by calling [**pmiErrStr**(3)](/pmiErrStr/3.md).

## SEE ALSO

[**LOGIMPORT**(3)](/LOGIMPORT/3.md), [**pmiAddInstance**(3)](/pmiAddInstance/3.md), [**pmiAddMetric**(3)](/pmiAddMetric/3.md), [**pmiErrStr**(3)](/pmiErrStr/3.md), [**pmiPutResult**(3)](/pmiPutResult/3.md), [**pmiPutValue**(3)](/pmiPutValue/3.md), [**pmiPutValueHandle**(3)](/pmiPutValueHandle/3.md), [**pmiPutLabel**(3)](/pmiPutLabel/3.md) and [**pmiWrite**(3)](/pmiWrite/3.md).