Many build fixes that turned up with GCC 4.6.
[collectd.git] / src / pyvalues.c
index 9a0c87f..cc7e296 100644 (file)
@@ -1,3 +1,29 @@
+/**
+ * collectd - src/pyvalues.c
+ * Copyright (C) 2009  Sven Trenkel
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a
+ * copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"),
+ * to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation
+ * the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense,
+ * and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the
+ * Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
+ * all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+ * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+ * AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+ * LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING
+ * FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER
+ * DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ *
+ * Authors:
+ *   Sven Trenkel <collectd at semidefinite.de>  
+ **/
+
 #include <Python.h>
 #include <structmember.h>
 
 
 #include "cpython.h"
 
-static PyObject *Values_new(PyTypeObject *type, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds) {
-       Values *self;
+static PyObject *cpy_common_repr(PyObject *s) {
+       PyObject *ret, *tmp;
+       static PyObject *l_type = NULL, *l_type_instance = NULL, *l_plugin = NULL, *l_plugin_instance = NULL;
+       static PyObject *l_host = NULL, *l_time = NULL;
+       PluginData *self = (PluginData *) s;
+       
+       if (l_type == NULL)
+               l_type = cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes("(type=");
+       if (l_type_instance == NULL)
+               l_type_instance = cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes(",type_instance=");
+       if (l_plugin == NULL)
+               l_plugin = cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes(",plugin=");
+       if (l_plugin_instance == NULL)
+               l_plugin_instance = cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes(",plugin_instance=");
+       if (l_host == NULL)
+               l_host = cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes(",host=");
+       if (l_time == NULL)
+               l_time = cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes(",time=");
+       
+       if (!l_type || !l_type_instance || !l_plugin || !l_plugin_instance || !l_host || !l_time)
+               return NULL;
+       
+       ret = cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes(s->ob_type->tp_name);
+
+       CPY_STRCAT(&ret, l_type);
+       tmp = cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes(self->type);
+       CPY_SUBSTITUTE(PyObject_Repr, tmp, tmp);
+       CPY_STRCAT_AND_DEL(&ret, tmp);
+
+       if (self->type_instance[0] != 0) {
+               CPY_STRCAT(&ret, l_type_instance);
+               tmp = cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes(self->type_instance);
+               CPY_SUBSTITUTE(PyObject_Repr, tmp, tmp);
+               CPY_STRCAT_AND_DEL(&ret, tmp);
+       }
+
+       if (self->plugin[0] != 0) {
+               CPY_STRCAT(&ret, l_plugin);
+               tmp = cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes(self->plugin);
+               CPY_SUBSTITUTE(PyObject_Repr, tmp, tmp);
+               CPY_STRCAT_AND_DEL(&ret, tmp);
+       }
+
+       if (self->plugin_instance[0] != 0) {
+               CPY_STRCAT(&ret, l_plugin_instance);
+               tmp = cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes(self->plugin_instance);
+               CPY_SUBSTITUTE(PyObject_Repr, tmp, tmp);
+               CPY_STRCAT_AND_DEL(&ret, tmp);
+       }
+
+       if (self->host[0] != 0) {
+               CPY_STRCAT(&ret, l_host);
+               tmp = cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes(self->host);
+               CPY_SUBSTITUTE(PyObject_Repr, tmp, tmp);
+               CPY_STRCAT_AND_DEL(&ret, tmp);
+       }
+
+       if (self->time != 0) {
+               CPY_STRCAT(&ret, l_time);
+               tmp = PyInt_FromLong(self->time);
+               CPY_SUBSTITUTE(PyObject_Repr, tmp, tmp);
+               CPY_STRCAT_AND_DEL(&ret, tmp);
+       }
+       return ret;
+}
+
+static char time_doc[] = "This is the Unix timestap of the time this value was read.\n"
+               "For dispatching values this can be set to 0 which means \"now\".\n"
+               "This means the time the value is actually dispatched, not the time\n"
+               "it was set to 0.";
+
+static char host_doc[] = "The hostname of the host this value was read from.\n"
+               "For dispatching this can be set to an empty string which means\n"
+               "the local hostname as defined in the collectd.conf.";
+
+static char type_doc[] = "The type of this value. This type has to be defined\n"
+               "in your types.db. Attempting to set it to any other value will\n"
+               "raise a TypeError exception.\n"
+               "Assigning a type is mandetory, calling dispatch without doing\n"
+               "so will raise a RuntimeError exception.";
+
+static char type_instance_doc[] = "";
+
+static char plugin_doc[] = "The name of the plugin that read the data. Setting this\n"
+               "member to an empty string will insert \"python\" upon dispatching.";
+
+static char plugin_instance_doc[] = "";
+
+static char PluginData_doc[] = "This is an internal class that is the base for Values\n"
+               "and Notification. It is pretty useless by itself and was therefore not\n"
+               "exported to the collectd module.";
+
+static PyObject *PluginData_new(PyTypeObject *type, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds) {
+       PluginData *self;
        
-       self = (Values *) type->tp_alloc(type, 0);
+       self = (PluginData *) type->tp_alloc(type, 0);
        if (self == NULL)
                return NULL;
        
-       self->values = PyList_New(0);
        self->time = 0;
-       self->interval = 0;
        self->host[0] = 0;
        self->plugin[0] = 0;
        self->plugin_instance[0] = 0;
@@ -24,18 +140,15 @@ static PyObject *Values_new(PyTypeObject *type, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds)
        return (PyObject *) self;
 }
 
-static int Values_init(PyObject *s, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds) {
-       Values *self = (Values *) s;
-       int interval = 0;
+static int PluginData_init(PyObject *s, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds) {
+       PluginData *self = (PluginData *) s;
        double time = 0;
-       PyObject *values = NULL, *tmp;
        const char *type = "", *plugin_instance = "", *type_instance = "", *plugin = "", *host = "";
-       static char *kwlist[] = {"type", "values", "plugin_instance", "type_instance",
-                       "plugin", "host", "time", "interval", NULL};
+       static char *kwlist[] = {"type", "plugin_instance", "type_instance",
+                       "plugin", "host", "time", NULL};
        
-       if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwds, "|sOssssdi", kwlist,
-                       &type, &values, &plugin_instance, &type_instance,
-                       &plugin, &host, &time, &interval))
+       if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwds, "|etetetetetd", kwlist, NULL, &type,
+                       NULL, &plugin_instance, NULL, &type_instance, NULL, &plugin, NULL, &host, &time))
                return -1;
        
        if (type[0] != 0 && plugin_get_ds(type) == NULL) {
@@ -43,17 +156,6 @@ static int Values_init(PyObject *s, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds) {
                return -1;
        }
 
-       if (values == NULL) {
-               values = PyList_New(0);
-               PyErr_Clear();
-       } else {
-               Py_INCREF(values);
-       }
-       
-       tmp = self->values;
-       self->values = values;
-       Py_XDECREF(tmp);
-       
        sstrncpy(self->host, host, sizeof(self->host));
        sstrncpy(self->plugin, plugin, sizeof(self->plugin));
        sstrncpy(self->plugin_instance, plugin_instance, sizeof(self->plugin_instance));
@@ -61,62 +163,36 @@ static int Values_init(PyObject *s, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds) {
        sstrncpy(self->type_instance, type_instance, sizeof(self->type_instance));
        
        self->time = time;
-       self->interval = interval;
        return 0;
 }
 
-static PyObject *Values_repr(PyObject *s) {
-       PyObject *ret, *valuestring = NULL;
-       Values *self = (Values *) s;
+static PyObject *PluginData_repr(PyObject *s) {
+       PyObject *ret;
+       static PyObject *l_closing = NULL;
+       
+       if (l_closing == NULL)
+               l_closing = cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes(")");
        
-       if (self->values != NULL)
-               valuestring = PyObject_Repr(self->values);
-       if (valuestring == NULL)
+       if (l_closing == NULL)
                return NULL;
        
-       ret = PyString_FromFormat("collectd.Values(type='%s%s%s%s%s%s%s%s%s',time=%lu,interval=%i,values=%s)", self->type,
-                       *self->type_instance ? "',type_instance='" : "", self->type_instance,
-                       *self->plugin ? "',plugin='" : "", self->plugin,
-                       *self->plugin_instance ? "',plugin_instance='" : "", self->plugin_instance,
-                       *self->host ? "',host='" : "", self->host,
-                       (long unsigned) self->time, self->interval,
-                       valuestring ? PyString_AsString(valuestring) : "[]");
-       Py_XDECREF(valuestring);
+       ret = cpy_common_repr(s);
+       CPY_STRCAT(&ret, l_closing);
        return ret;
 }
 
-static int Values_traverse(PyObject *self, visitproc visit, void *arg) {
-       Values *v = (Values *) self;
-       Py_VISIT(v->values);
-       return 0;
-}
-
-static int Values_clear(PyObject *self) {
-       Values *v = (Values *) self;
-       Py_CLEAR(v->values);
-       return 0;
-}
-
-static void Values_dealloc(PyObject *self) {
-       Values_clear(self);
-       self->ob_type->tp_free(self);
-}
-
-static PyMemberDef Values_members[] = {
-       {"time", T_DOUBLE, offsetof(Values, time), 0, "Parent node"},
-       {"interval", T_INT, offsetof(Values, interval), 0, "Keyword of this node"},
-       {"values", T_OBJECT_EX, offsetof(Values, values), 0, "Values after the key"},
-//     {"Children", T_OBJECT_EX, offsetof(Config, children), 0, "Childnodes of this node"},
+static PyMemberDef PluginData_members[] = {
+       {"time", T_DOUBLE, offsetof(PluginData, time), 0, time_doc},
        {NULL}
 };
 
-static PyObject *Values_getstring(PyObject *self, void *data) {
-       const char *value = ((char *) self) + (int) data;
+static PyObject *PluginData_getstring(PyObject *self, void *data) {
+       const char *value = ((char *) self) + (intptr_t) data;
        
-       return PyString_FromString(value);
+       return cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes(value);
 }
 
-static int Values_setstring(PyObject *self, PyObject *value, void *data) {
+static int PluginData_setstring(PyObject *self, PyObject *value, void *data) {
        char *old;
        const char *new;
        
@@ -124,14 +200,19 @@ static int Values_setstring(PyObject *self, PyObject *value, void *data) {
                PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError, "Cannot delete this attribute");
                return -1;
        }
-       new = PyString_AsString(value);
-       if (new == NULL) return -1;
-       old = ((char *) self) + (int) data;
+       Py_INCREF(value);
+       new = cpy_unicode_or_bytes_to_string(&value);
+       if (new == NULL) {
+               Py_DECREF(value);
+               return -1;
+       }
+       old = ((char *) self) + (intptr_t) data;
        sstrncpy(old, new, DATA_MAX_NAME_LEN);
+       Py_DECREF(value);
        return 0;
 }
 
-static int Values_settype(PyObject *self, PyObject *value, void *data) {
+static int PluginData_settype(PyObject *self, PyObject *value, void *data) {
        char *old;
        const char *new;
        
@@ -139,39 +220,284 @@ static int Values_settype(PyObject *self, PyObject *value, void *data) {
                PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError, "Cannot delete this attribute");
                return -1;
        }
-       new = PyString_AsString(value);
-       if (new == NULL) return -1;
+       Py_INCREF(value);
+       new = cpy_unicode_or_bytes_to_string(&value);
+       if (new == NULL) {
+               Py_DECREF(value);
+               return -1;
+       }
 
        if (plugin_get_ds(new) == NULL) {
                PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError, "Dataset %s not found", new);
+               Py_DECREF(value);
                return -1;
        }
 
-       old = ((char *) self) + (int) data;
+       old = ((char *) self) + (intptr_t) data;
        sstrncpy(old, new, DATA_MAX_NAME_LEN);
+       Py_DECREF(value);
        return 0;
 }
 
+static PyGetSetDef PluginData_getseters[] = {
+       {"host", PluginData_getstring, PluginData_setstring, host_doc, (void *) offsetof(PluginData, host)},
+       {"plugin", PluginData_getstring, PluginData_setstring, plugin_doc, (void *) offsetof(PluginData, plugin)},
+       {"plugin_instance", PluginData_getstring, PluginData_setstring, plugin_instance_doc, (void *) offsetof(PluginData, plugin_instance)},
+       {"type_instance", PluginData_getstring, PluginData_setstring, type_instance_doc, (void *) offsetof(PluginData, type_instance)},
+       {"type", PluginData_getstring, PluginData_settype, type_doc, (void *) offsetof(PluginData, type)},
+       {NULL}
+};
+
+PyTypeObject PluginDataType = {
+       CPY_INIT_TYPE
+       "collectd.PluginData",     /* tp_name */
+       sizeof(PluginData),        /* tp_basicsize */
+       0,                         /* Will be filled in later */
+       0,                         /* tp_dealloc */
+       0,                         /* tp_print */
+       0,                         /* tp_getattr */
+       0,                         /* tp_setattr */
+       0,                         /* tp_compare */
+       PluginData_repr,           /* tp_repr */
+       0,                         /* tp_as_number */
+       0,                         /* tp_as_sequence */
+       0,                         /* tp_as_mapping */
+       0,                         /* tp_hash */
+       0,                         /* tp_call */
+       0,                         /* tp_str */
+       0,                         /* tp_getattro */
+       0,                         /* tp_setattro */
+       0,                         /* tp_as_buffer */
+       Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT | Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE /*| Py_TPFLAGS_HAVE_GC*/, /*tp_flags*/
+       PluginData_doc,            /* tp_doc */
+       0,                         /* tp_traverse */
+       0,                         /* tp_clear */
+       0,                         /* tp_richcompare */
+       0,                         /* tp_weaklistoffset */
+       0,                         /* tp_iter */
+       0,                         /* tp_iternext */
+       0,                         /* tp_methods */
+       PluginData_members,        /* tp_members */
+       PluginData_getseters,      /* tp_getset */
+       0,                         /* tp_base */
+       0,                         /* tp_dict */
+       0,                         /* tp_descr_get */
+       0,                         /* tp_descr_set */
+       0,                         /* tp_dictoffset */
+       PluginData_init,           /* tp_init */
+       0,                         /* tp_alloc */
+       PluginData_new             /* tp_new */
+};
+
+static char interval_doc[] = "The interval is the timespan in seconds between two submits for\n"
+               "the same data source. This value has to be a positive integer, so you can't\n"
+               "submit more than one value per second. If this member is set to a\n"
+               "non-positive value, the default value as specified in the config file will\n"
+               "be used (default: 10).\n"
+               "\n"
+               "If you submit values more often than the specified interval, the average\n"
+               "will be used. If you submit less values, your graphs will have gaps.";
+
+static char values_doc[] = "These are the actual values that get dispatched to collectd.\n"
+               "It has to be a sequence (a tuple or list) of numbers.\n"
+               "The size of the sequence and the type of its content depend on the type\n"
+               "member your types.db file. For more information on this read the types.db\n"
+               "man page.\n"
+               "\n"
+               "If the sequence does not have the correct size upon dispatch a RuntimeError\n"
+               "exception will be raised. If the content of the sequence is not a number,\n"
+               "a TypeError exception will be raised.";
+
+static char meta_doc[] = "These are the meta data for this Value object.\n"
+               "It has to be a dictionary of numbers, strings or bools. All keys must be\n"
+               "strings. int and long objects will be dispatched as signed integers unless\n"
+               "they are between 2**63 and 2**64-1, which will result in a unsigned integer.\n"
+               "You can force one of these storage classes by using the classes\n"
+               "collectd.Signed and collectd.Unsigned. A meta object received by a write\n"
+               "callback will always contain Signed or Unsigned objects.";
+
+static char dispatch_doc[] = "dispatch([type][, values][, plugin_instance][, type_instance]"
+               "[, plugin][, host][, time][, interval]) -> None.  Dispatch a value list.\n"
+               "\n"
+               "Dispatch this instance to the collectd process. The object has members\n"
+               "for each of the possible arguments for this method. For a detailed explanation\n"
+               "of these parameters see the member of the same same.\n"
+               "\n"
+               "If you do not submit a parameter the value saved in its member will be submitted.\n"
+               "If you do provide a parameter it will be used instead, without altering the member.";
+
+static char write_doc[] = "write([destination][, type][, values][, plugin_instance][, type_instance]"
+               "[, plugin][, host][, time][, interval]) -> None.  Dispatch a value list.\n"
+               "\n"
+               "Write this instance to a single plugin or all plugins if 'destination' is obmitted.\n"
+               "This will bypass the main collectd process and all filtering and caching.\n"
+               "Other than that it works similar to 'dispatch'. In most cases 'dispatch' should be\n"
+               "used instead of 'write'.\n";
+
+static char Values_doc[] = "A Values object used for dispatching values to collectd and receiving values from write callbacks.";
+
+static PyObject *Values_new(PyTypeObject *type, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds) {
+       Values *self;
+       
+       self = (Values *) PluginData_new(type, args, kwds);
+       if (self == NULL)
+               return NULL;
+       
+       self->values = PyList_New(0);
+       self->meta = PyDict_New();
+       self->interval = 0;
+       return (PyObject *) self;
+}
+
+static int Values_init(PyObject *s, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds) {
+       Values *self = (Values *) s;
+       int interval = 0;
+       double time = 0;
+       PyObject *values = NULL, *meta = NULL, *tmp;
+       const char *type = "", *plugin_instance = "", *type_instance = "", *plugin = "", *host = "";
+       static char *kwlist[] = {"type", "values", "plugin_instance", "type_instance",
+                       "plugin", "host", "time", "interval", "meta", NULL};
+       
+       if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwds, "|etOetetetetdiO", kwlist,
+                       NULL, &type, &values, NULL, &plugin_instance, NULL, &type_instance,
+                       NULL, &plugin, NULL, &host, &time, &interval, &meta))
+               return -1;
+       
+       if (type[0] != 0 && plugin_get_ds(type) == NULL) {
+               PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError, "Dataset %s not found", type);
+               return -1;
+       }
+
+       sstrncpy(self->data.host, host, sizeof(self->data.host));
+       sstrncpy(self->data.plugin, plugin, sizeof(self->data.plugin));
+       sstrncpy(self->data.plugin_instance, plugin_instance, sizeof(self->data.plugin_instance));
+       sstrncpy(self->data.type, type, sizeof(self->data.type));
+       sstrncpy(self->data.type_instance, type_instance, sizeof(self->data.type_instance));
+       self->data.time = time;
+
+       if (values == NULL) {
+               values = PyList_New(0);
+               PyErr_Clear();
+       } else {
+               Py_INCREF(values);
+       }
+       
+       if (meta == NULL) {
+               meta = PyDict_New();
+               PyErr_Clear();
+       } else {
+               Py_INCREF(meta);
+       }
+       
+       tmp = self->values;
+       self->values = values;
+       Py_XDECREF(tmp);
+       
+       tmp = self->meta;
+       self->meta = meta;
+       Py_XDECREF(tmp);
+
+       self->interval = interval;
+       return 0;
+}
+
+static meta_data_t *cpy_build_meta(PyObject *meta) {
+       int i, s;
+       meta_data_t *m = NULL;
+       PyObject *l;
+       
+       if (!meta)
+               return NULL;
+
+       m = meta_data_create();
+       l = PyDict_Items(meta);
+       s = PyList_Size(l);
+       for (i = 0; i < s; ++i) {
+               const char *string, *keystring;
+               PyObject *key, *value, *item, *tmp;
+               
+               item = PyList_GET_ITEM(l, i);
+               key = PyTuple_GET_ITEM(item, 0);
+               Py_INCREF(key);
+               keystring = cpy_unicode_or_bytes_to_string(&key);
+               if (!keystring) {
+                       PyErr_Clear();
+                       Py_XDECREF(key);
+                       continue;
+               }
+               value = PyTuple_GET_ITEM(item, 1);
+               Py_INCREF(value);
+               if (value == Py_True) {
+                       meta_data_add_boolean(m, keystring, 1);
+               } else if (value == Py_False) {
+                       meta_data_add_boolean(m, keystring, 0);
+               } else if (PyFloat_Check(value)) {
+                       meta_data_add_double(m, keystring, PyFloat_AsDouble(value));
+               } else if (PyObject_TypeCheck(value, &SignedType)) {
+                       long long int lli;
+                       lli = PyLong_AsLongLong(value);
+                       if (!PyErr_Occurred() && (lli == (int64_t) lli))
+                               meta_data_add_signed_int(m, keystring, lli);
+               } else if (PyObject_TypeCheck(value, &UnsignedType)) {
+                       long long unsigned llu;
+                       llu = PyLong_AsUnsignedLongLong(value);
+                       if (!PyErr_Occurred() && (llu == (uint64_t) llu))
+                               meta_data_add_unsigned_int(m, keystring, llu);
+               } else if (PyNumber_Check(value)) {
+                       long long int lli;
+                       long long unsigned llu;
+                       tmp = PyNumber_Long(value);
+                       lli = PyLong_AsLongLong(tmp);
+                       if (!PyErr_Occurred() && (lli == (int64_t) lli)) {
+                               meta_data_add_signed_int(m, keystring, lli);
+                       } else {
+                               PyErr_Clear();
+                               llu = PyLong_AsUnsignedLongLong(tmp);
+                               if (!PyErr_Occurred() && (llu == (uint64_t) llu))
+                                       meta_data_add_unsigned_int(m, keystring, llu);
+                       }
+                       Py_XDECREF(tmp);
+               } else {
+                       string = cpy_unicode_or_bytes_to_string(&value);
+                       if (string) {
+                               meta_data_add_string(m, keystring, string);
+                       } else {
+                               PyErr_Clear();
+                               tmp = PyObject_Str(value);
+                               string = cpy_unicode_or_bytes_to_string(&tmp);
+                               if (string)
+                                       meta_data_add_string(m, keystring, string);
+                               Py_XDECREF(tmp);
+                       }
+               }
+               if (PyErr_Occurred())
+                       cpy_log_exception("building meta data");
+               Py_XDECREF(value);
+               Py_DECREF(key);
+       }
+       return m;
+}
+
 static PyObject *Values_dispatch(Values *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds) {
        int i, ret;
        const data_set_t *ds;
-       Py_ssize_t size;
+       int size;
        value_t *value;
        value_list_t value_list = VALUE_LIST_INIT;
-       PyObject *values = self->values;
-       double time = self->time;
+       PyObject *values = self->values, *meta = self->meta;
+       double time = self->data.time;
        int interval = self->interval;
-       const char *host = self->host;
-       const char *plugin = self->plugin;
-       const char *plugin_instance = self->plugin_instance;
-       const char *type = self->type;
-       const char *type_instance = self->type_instance;
+       const char *host = self->data.host;
+       const char *plugin = self->data.plugin;
+       const char *plugin_instance = self->data.plugin_instance;
+       const char *type = self->data.type;
+       const char *type_instance = self->data.type_instance;
        
        static char *kwlist[] = {"type", "values", "plugin_instance", "type_instance",
-                       "plugin", "host", "time", "interval", NULL};
-       if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwds, "|sOssssdi", kwlist,
-                       &type, &values, &plugin_instance, &type_instance,
-                       &plugin, &host, &time, &interval))
+                       "plugin", "host", "time", "interval", "meta", NULL};
+       if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwds, "|etOetetetetdiO", kwlist,
+                       NULL, &type, &values, NULL, &plugin_instance, NULL, &type_instance,
+                       NULL, &plugin, NULL, &host, &time, &interval, &meta))
                return NULL;
 
        if (type[0] == 0) {
@@ -187,9 +513,13 @@ static PyObject *Values_dispatch(Values *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds) {
                PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError, "values must be list or tuple");
                return NULL;
        }
-       size = PySequence_Length(values);
+       if (meta != NULL && meta != Py_None && !PyDict_Check(meta)) {
+               PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError, "meta must be a dict");
+               return NULL;
+       }
+       size = (int) PySequence_Length(values);
        if (size != ds->ds_num) {
-               PyErr_Format(PyExc_RuntimeError, "type %s needs %d values, got %zd", type, ds->ds_num, size);
+               PyErr_Format(PyExc_RuntimeError, "type %s needs %d values, got %i", type, ds->ds_num, size);
                return NULL;
        }
        value = malloc(size * sizeof(*value));
@@ -227,6 +557,7 @@ static PyObject *Values_dispatch(Values *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds) {
                }
        }
        value_list.values = value;
+       value_list.meta = cpy_build_meta(meta);
        value_list.values_len = size;
        value_list.time = time;
        value_list.interval = interval;
@@ -235,7 +566,6 @@ static PyObject *Values_dispatch(Values *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds) {
        sstrncpy(value_list.plugin_instance, plugin_instance, sizeof(value_list.plugin_instance));
        sstrncpy(value_list.type, type, sizeof(value_list.type));
        sstrncpy(value_list.type_instance, type_instance, sizeof(value_list.type_instance));
-       value_list.meta = NULL;
        if (value_list.host[0] == 0)
                sstrncpy(value_list.host, hostname_g, sizeof(value_list.host));
        if (value_list.plugin[0] == 0)
@@ -251,23 +581,178 @@ static PyObject *Values_dispatch(Values *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds) {
        Py_RETURN_NONE;
 }
 
-static PyGetSetDef Values_getseters[] = {
-       {"host", Values_getstring, Values_setstring, "help text", (void *) offsetof(Values, host)},
-       {"plugin", Values_getstring, Values_setstring, "help text", (void *) offsetof(Values, plugin)},
-       {"plugin_instance", Values_getstring, Values_setstring, "help text", (void *) offsetof(Values, plugin_instance)},
-       {"type_instance", Values_getstring, Values_setstring, "help text", (void *) offsetof(Values, type_instance)},
-       {"type", Values_getstring, Values_settype, "help text", (void *) offsetof(Values, type)},
+static PyObject *Values_write(Values *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds) {
+       int i, ret;
+       const data_set_t *ds;
+       int size;
+       value_t *value;
+       value_list_t value_list = VALUE_LIST_INIT;
+       PyObject *values = self->values, *meta = self->meta;
+       double time = self->data.time;
+       int interval = self->interval;
+       const char *host = self->data.host;
+       const char *plugin = self->data.plugin;
+       const char *plugin_instance = self->data.plugin_instance;
+       const char *type = self->data.type;
+       const char *type_instance = self->data.type_instance;
+       const char *dest = NULL;
+       
+       static char *kwlist[] = {"destination", "type", "values", "plugin_instance", "type_instance",
+                       "plugin", "host", "time", "interval", "meta", NULL};
+       if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwds, "|etOetetetetdiO", kwlist,
+                       NULL, &type, &values, NULL, &plugin_instance, NULL, &type_instance,
+                       NULL, &plugin, NULL, &host, &time, &interval, &meta))
+               return NULL;
+
+       if (type[0] == 0) {
+               PyErr_SetString(PyExc_RuntimeError, "type not set");
+               return NULL;
+       }
+       ds = plugin_get_ds(type);
+       if (ds == NULL) {
+               PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError, "Dataset %s not found", type);
+               return NULL;
+       }
+       if (values == NULL || (PyTuple_Check(values) == 0 && PyList_Check(values) == 0)) {
+               PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError, "values must be list or tuple");
+               return NULL;
+       }
+       size = (int) PySequence_Length(values);
+       if (size != ds->ds_num) {
+               PyErr_Format(PyExc_RuntimeError, "type %s needs %d values, got %i", type, ds->ds_num, size);
+               return NULL;
+       }
+       value = malloc(size * sizeof(*value));
+       for (i = 0; i < size; ++i) {
+               PyObject *item, *num;
+               item = PySequence_GetItem(values, i);
+               if (ds->ds->type == DS_TYPE_COUNTER) {
+                       num = PyNumber_Long(item);
+                       if (num != NULL)
+                               value[i].counter = PyLong_AsUnsignedLongLong(num);
+               } else if (ds->ds->type == DS_TYPE_GAUGE) {
+                       num = PyNumber_Float(item);
+                       if (num != NULL)
+                               value[i].gauge = PyFloat_AsDouble(num);
+               } else if (ds->ds->type == DS_TYPE_DERIVE) {
+                       /* This might overflow without raising an exception.
+                        * Not much we can do about it */
+                       num = PyNumber_Long(item);
+                       if (num != NULL)
+                               value[i].derive = PyLong_AsLongLong(num);
+               } else if (ds->ds->type == DS_TYPE_ABSOLUTE) {
+                       /* This might overflow without raising an exception.
+                        * Not much we can do about it */
+                       num = PyNumber_Long(item);
+                       if (num != NULL)
+                               value[i].absolute = PyLong_AsUnsignedLongLong(num);
+               } else {
+                       free(value);
+                       PyErr_Format(PyExc_RuntimeError, "unknown data type %d for %s", ds->ds->type, type);
+                       return NULL;
+               }
+               if (PyErr_Occurred() != NULL) {
+                       free(value);
+                       return NULL;
+               }
+       }
+       value_list.values = value;
+       value_list.values_len = size;
+       value_list.time = time;
+       value_list.interval = interval;
+       sstrncpy(value_list.host, host, sizeof(value_list.host));
+       sstrncpy(value_list.plugin, plugin, sizeof(value_list.plugin));
+       sstrncpy(value_list.plugin_instance, plugin_instance, sizeof(value_list.plugin_instance));
+       sstrncpy(value_list.type, type, sizeof(value_list.type));
+       sstrncpy(value_list.type_instance, type_instance, sizeof(value_list.type_instance));
+       value_list.meta = cpy_build_meta(meta);;
+       if (value_list.host[0] == 0)
+               sstrncpy(value_list.host, hostname_g, sizeof(value_list.host));
+       if (value_list.plugin[0] == 0)
+               sstrncpy(value_list.plugin, "python", sizeof(value_list.plugin));
+       Py_BEGIN_ALLOW_THREADS;
+       ret = plugin_write(dest, NULL, &value_list);
+       Py_END_ALLOW_THREADS;
+       if (ret != 0) {
+               PyErr_SetString(PyExc_RuntimeError, "error dispatching values, read the logs");
+               return NULL;
+       }
+       free(value);
+       Py_RETURN_NONE;
+}
+
+static PyObject *Values_repr(PyObject *s) {
+       PyObject *ret, *tmp;
+       static PyObject *l_interval = NULL, *l_values = NULL, *l_meta = NULL, *l_closing = NULL;
+       Values *self = (Values *) s;
+       
+       if (l_interval == NULL)
+               l_interval = cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes(",interval=");
+       if (l_values == NULL)
+               l_values = cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes(",values=");
+       if (l_meta == NULL)
+               l_meta = cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes(",meta=");
+       if (l_closing == NULL)
+               l_closing = cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes(")");
+       
+       if (l_interval == NULL || l_values == NULL || l_meta == NULL || l_closing == NULL)
+               return NULL;
+       
+       ret = cpy_common_repr(s);
+       if (self->interval != 0) {
+               CPY_STRCAT(&ret, l_interval);
+               tmp = PyInt_FromLong(self->interval);
+               CPY_SUBSTITUTE(PyObject_Repr, tmp, tmp);
+               CPY_STRCAT_AND_DEL(&ret, tmp);
+       }
+       if (self->values && (!PyList_Check(self->values) || PySequence_Length(self->values) > 0)) {
+               CPY_STRCAT(&ret, l_values);
+               tmp = PyObject_Repr(self->values);
+               CPY_STRCAT_AND_DEL(&ret, tmp);
+       }
+       if (self->meta && (!PyDict_Check(self->meta) || PyDict_Size(self->meta) > 0)) {
+               CPY_STRCAT(&ret, l_meta);
+               tmp = PyObject_Repr(self->meta);
+               CPY_STRCAT_AND_DEL(&ret, tmp);
+       }
+       CPY_STRCAT(&ret, l_closing);
+       return ret;
+}
+
+static int Values_traverse(PyObject *self, visitproc visit, void *arg) {
+       Values *v = (Values *) self;
+       Py_VISIT(v->values);
+       Py_VISIT(v->meta);
+       return 0;
+}
+
+static int Values_clear(PyObject *self) {
+       Values *v = (Values *) self;
+       Py_CLEAR(v->values);
+       Py_CLEAR(v->meta);
+       return 0;
+}
+
+static void Values_dealloc(PyObject *self) {
+       Values_clear(self);
+       self->ob_type->tp_free(self);
+}
+
+static PyMemberDef Values_members[] = {
+       {"interval", T_INT, offsetof(Values, interval), 0, interval_doc},
+       {"values", T_OBJECT_EX, offsetof(Values, values), 0, values_doc},
+       {"meta", T_OBJECT_EX, offsetof(Values, meta), 0, meta_doc},
        {NULL}
 };
 
 static PyMethodDef Values_methods[] = {
-       {"dispatch", (PyCFunction) Values_dispatch, METH_VARARGS | METH_KEYWORDS, "help text"},
+       {"dispatch", (PyCFunction) Values_dispatch, METH_VARARGS | METH_KEYWORDS, dispatch_doc},
+       {"write", (PyCFunction) Values_write, METH_VARARGS | METH_KEYWORDS, write_doc},
        {NULL}
 };
 
 PyTypeObject ValuesType = {
-       PyObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL)
-       0,                         /* Always 0 */
+       CPY_INIT_TYPE
        "collectd.Values",         /* tp_name */
        sizeof(Values),            /* tp_basicsize */
        0,                         /* Will be filled in later */
@@ -287,7 +772,7 @@ PyTypeObject ValuesType = {
        0,                         /* tp_setattro */
        0,                         /* tp_as_buffer */
        Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT | Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE | Py_TPFLAGS_HAVE_GC, /*tp_flags*/
-       "Cool help text later",    /* tp_doc */
+       Values_doc,                /* tp_doc */
        Values_traverse,           /* tp_traverse */
        Values_clear,              /* tp_clear */
        0,                         /* tp_richcompare */
@@ -296,7 +781,7 @@ PyTypeObject ValuesType = {
        0,                         /* tp_iternext */
        Values_methods,            /* tp_methods */
        Values_members,            /* tp_members */
-       Values_getseters,          /* tp_getset */
+       0,                         /* tp_getset */
        0,                         /* tp_base */
        0,                         /* tp_dict */
        0,                         /* tp_descr_get */
@@ -307,3 +792,273 @@ PyTypeObject ValuesType = {
        Values_new                 /* tp_new */
 };
 
+static char severity_doc[] = "The severity of this notification. Assign or compare to\n"
+               "NOTIF_FAILURE, NOTIF_WARNING or NOTIF_OKAY.";
+
+static char message_doc[] = "Some kind of description what's going on and why this Notification was generated.";
+
+static char Notification_doc[] = "The Notification class is a wrapper around the collectd notification.\n"
+               "It can be used to notify other plugins about bad stuff happening. It works\n"
+               "similar to Values but has a severity and a message instead of interval\n"
+               "and time.\n"
+               "Notifications can be dispatched at any time and can be received with register_notification.";
+
+static int Notification_init(PyObject *s, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds) {
+       Notification *self = (Notification *) s;
+       int severity = 0;
+       double time = 0;
+       const char *message = "";
+       const char *type = "", *plugin_instance = "", *type_instance = "", *plugin = "", *host = "";
+       static char *kwlist[] = {"type", "message", "plugin_instance", "type_instance",
+                       "plugin", "host", "time", "severity", NULL};
+       
+       if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwds, "|etetetetetetdi", kwlist,
+                       NULL, &type, NULL, &message, NULL, &plugin_instance, NULL, &type_instance,
+                       NULL, &plugin, NULL, &host, &time, &severity))
+               return -1;
+       
+       if (type[0] != 0 && plugin_get_ds(type) == NULL) {
+               PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError, "Dataset %s not found", type);
+               return -1;
+       }
+
+       sstrncpy(self->data.host, host, sizeof(self->data.host));
+       sstrncpy(self->data.plugin, plugin, sizeof(self->data.plugin));
+       sstrncpy(self->data.plugin_instance, plugin_instance, sizeof(self->data.plugin_instance));
+       sstrncpy(self->data.type, type, sizeof(self->data.type));
+       sstrncpy(self->data.type_instance, type_instance, sizeof(self->data.type_instance));
+       self->data.time = time;
+
+       sstrncpy(self->message, message, sizeof(self->message));
+       self->severity = severity;
+       return 0;
+}
+
+static PyObject *Notification_dispatch(Notification *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds) {
+       int ret;
+       const data_set_t *ds;
+       notification_t notification;
+       double t = self->data.time;
+       int severity = self->severity;
+       const char *host = self->data.host;
+       const char *plugin = self->data.plugin;
+       const char *plugin_instance = self->data.plugin_instance;
+       const char *type = self->data.type;
+       const char *type_instance = self->data.type_instance;
+       const char *message = self->message;
+       
+       static char *kwlist[] = {"type", "message", "plugin_instance", "type_instance",
+                       "plugin", "host", "time", "severity", NULL};
+       if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwds, "|etetetetetetdi", kwlist,
+                       NULL, &type, NULL, &message, NULL, &plugin_instance, NULL, &type_instance,
+                       NULL, &plugin, NULL, &host, &t, &severity))
+               return NULL;
+
+       if (type[0] == 0) {
+               PyErr_SetString(PyExc_RuntimeError, "type not set");
+               return NULL;
+       }
+       ds = plugin_get_ds(type);
+       if (ds == NULL) {
+               PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError, "Dataset %s not found", type);
+               return NULL;
+       }
+
+       notification.time = t;
+       notification.severity = severity;
+       sstrncpy(notification.message, message, sizeof(notification.message));
+       sstrncpy(notification.host, host, sizeof(notification.host));
+       sstrncpy(notification.plugin, plugin, sizeof(notification.plugin));
+       sstrncpy(notification.plugin_instance, plugin_instance, sizeof(notification.plugin_instance));
+       sstrncpy(notification.type, type, sizeof(notification.type));
+       sstrncpy(notification.type_instance, type_instance, sizeof(notification.type_instance));
+       notification.meta = NULL;
+       if (notification.time < 1)
+               notification.time = time(0);
+       if (notification.host[0] == 0)
+               sstrncpy(notification.host, hostname_g, sizeof(notification.host));
+       if (notification.plugin[0] == 0)
+               sstrncpy(notification.plugin, "python", sizeof(notification.plugin));
+       Py_BEGIN_ALLOW_THREADS;
+       ret = plugin_dispatch_notification(&notification);
+       Py_END_ALLOW_THREADS;
+       if (ret != 0) {
+               PyErr_SetString(PyExc_RuntimeError, "error dispatching notification, read the logs");
+               return NULL;
+       }
+       Py_RETURN_NONE;
+}
+
+static PyObject *Notification_new(PyTypeObject *type, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds) {
+       Notification *self;
+       
+       self = (Notification *) PluginData_new(type, args, kwds);
+       if (self == NULL)
+               return NULL;
+       
+       self->message[0] = 0;
+       self->severity = 0;
+       return (PyObject *) self;
+}
+
+static int Notification_setstring(PyObject *self, PyObject *value, void *data) {
+       char *old;
+       const char *new;
+       
+       if (value == NULL) {
+               PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError, "Cannot delete this attribute");
+               return -1;
+       }
+       Py_INCREF(value);
+       new = cpy_unicode_or_bytes_to_string(&value);
+       if (new == NULL) {
+               Py_DECREF(value);
+               return -1;
+       }
+       old = ((char *) self) + (intptr_t) data;
+       sstrncpy(old, new, NOTIF_MAX_MSG_LEN);
+       Py_DECREF(value);
+       return 0;
+}
+
+static PyObject *Notification_repr(PyObject *s) {
+       PyObject *ret, *tmp;
+       static PyObject *l_severity = NULL, *l_message = NULL, *l_closing = NULL;
+       Notification *self = (Notification *) s;
+       
+       if (l_severity == NULL)
+               l_severity = cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes(",severity=");
+       if (l_message == NULL)
+               l_message = cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes(",message=");
+       if (l_closing == NULL)
+               l_closing = cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes(")");
+       
+       if (l_severity == NULL || l_message == NULL || l_closing == NULL)
+               return NULL;
+       
+       ret = cpy_common_repr(s);
+       if (self->severity != 0) {
+               CPY_STRCAT(&ret, l_severity);
+               tmp = PyInt_FromLong(self->severity);
+               CPY_SUBSTITUTE(PyObject_Repr, tmp, tmp);
+               CPY_STRCAT_AND_DEL(&ret, tmp);
+       }
+       if (self->message[0] != 0) {
+               CPY_STRCAT(&ret, l_message);
+               tmp = cpy_string_to_unicode_or_bytes(self->message);
+               CPY_SUBSTITUTE(PyObject_Repr, tmp, tmp);
+               CPY_STRCAT_AND_DEL(&ret, tmp);
+       }
+       CPY_STRCAT(&ret, l_closing);
+       return ret;
+}
+
+static PyMethodDef Notification_methods[] = {
+       {"dispatch", (PyCFunction) Notification_dispatch, METH_VARARGS | METH_KEYWORDS, dispatch_doc},
+       {NULL}
+};
+
+static PyMemberDef Notification_members[] = {
+       {"severity", T_INT, offsetof(Notification, severity), 0, severity_doc},
+       {NULL}
+};
+
+static PyGetSetDef Notification_getseters[] = {
+       {"message", PluginData_getstring, Notification_setstring, message_doc, (void *) offsetof(Notification, message)},
+       {NULL}
+};
+
+PyTypeObject NotificationType = {
+       CPY_INIT_TYPE
+       "collectd.Notification",   /* tp_name */
+       sizeof(Notification),      /* tp_basicsize */
+       0,                         /* Will be filled in later */
+       0,                         /* tp_dealloc */
+       0,                         /* tp_print */
+       0,                         /* tp_getattr */
+       0,                         /* tp_setattr */
+       0,                         /* tp_compare */
+       Notification_repr,         /* tp_repr */
+       0,                         /* tp_as_number */
+       0,                         /* tp_as_sequence */
+       0,                         /* tp_as_mapping */
+       0,                         /* tp_hash */
+       0,                         /* tp_call */
+       0,                         /* tp_str */
+       0,                         /* tp_getattro */
+       0,                         /* tp_setattro */
+       0,                         /* tp_as_buffer */
+       Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT | Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE, /*tp_flags*/
+       Notification_doc,          /* tp_doc */
+       0,                         /* tp_traverse */
+       0,                         /* tp_clear */
+       0,                         /* tp_richcompare */
+       0,                         /* tp_weaklistoffset */
+       0,                         /* tp_iter */
+       0,                         /* tp_iternext */
+       Notification_methods,      /* tp_methods */
+       Notification_members,      /* tp_members */
+       Notification_getseters,    /* tp_getset */
+       0,                         /* tp_base */
+       0,                         /* tp_dict */
+       0,                         /* tp_descr_get */
+       0,                         /* tp_descr_set */
+       0,                         /* tp_dictoffset */
+       Notification_init,         /* tp_init */
+       0,                         /* tp_alloc */
+       Notification_new           /* tp_new */
+};
+
+static char Signed_doc[] = "This is a long by another name. Use it in meta data dicts\n"
+               "to choose the way it is stored in the meta data.";
+
+PyTypeObject SignedType = {
+       CPY_INIT_TYPE
+       "collectd.Signed",         /* tp_name */
+       sizeof(Signed),            /* tp_basicsize */
+       0,                         /* Will be filled in later */
+       0,                         /* tp_dealloc */
+       0,                         /* tp_print */
+       0,                         /* tp_getattr */
+       0,                         /* tp_setattr */
+       0,                         /* tp_compare */
+       0,                         /* tp_repr */
+       0,                         /* tp_as_number */
+       0,                         /* tp_as_sequence */
+       0,                         /* tp_as_mapping */
+       0,                         /* tp_hash */
+       0,                         /* tp_call */
+       0,                         /* tp_str */
+       0,                         /* tp_getattro */
+       0,                         /* tp_setattro */
+       0,                         /* tp_as_buffer */
+       Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT | Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE, /*tp_flags*/
+       Signed_doc                 /* tp_doc */
+};
+
+static char Unsigned_doc[] = "This is a long by another name. Use it in meta data dicts\n"
+               "to choose the way it is stored in the meta data.";
+
+PyTypeObject UnsignedType = {
+       CPY_INIT_TYPE
+       "collectd.Unsigned",       /* tp_name */
+       sizeof(Unsigned),          /* tp_basicsize */
+       0,                         /* Will be filled in later */
+       0,                         /* tp_dealloc */
+       0,                         /* tp_print */
+       0,                         /* tp_getattr */
+       0,                         /* tp_setattr */
+       0,                         /* tp_compare */
+       0,                         /* tp_repr */
+       0,                         /* tp_as_number */
+       0,                         /* tp_as_sequence */
+       0,                         /* tp_as_mapping */
+       0,                         /* tp_hash */
+       0,                         /* tp_call */
+       0,                         /* tp_str */
+       0,                         /* tp_getattro */
+       0,                         /* tp_setattro */
+       0,                         /* tp_as_buffer */
+       Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT | Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE, /*tp_flags*/
+       Unsigned_doc               /* tp_doc */
+};