Automatic timeline marks based on application output

[Kostas_Malinauskas]

Dear VTune developers,

This is a suggestion of a simple feature that I would find very useful in VTune.

Introduce an option to automatically set timeline marks based on application output.

For example, for each text line sent to stdout, or for each line starting with a given tag; allow user to see the application messages along with timeline marks. This would much save the profiling effort for a long running process. I know I can mark timelines interactively, but this is not very accurate and requires one to constantly watch the application activity. I also want to avoid using ITT API in my application.

Thanks,
Kostas

[Vitaly_S_Intel]

Hi Kostas,

Thanks for your proposal! Actually, ITT API is not the only way for enhancing analysis with application level context. Alternatively you can also import tasks, frames and events using CSV file which might not require any modification in the target application. Basically, you can create a script which will convert application output in the CSV file format supported by VTune. There is ability to import CSV files right in already finalized result.

Moreover, you can provide CSV file automatically in process of collection via creating custom collector. In this case you'll be provided with result directory data path where your custom script will need to create CSV file.

We consider this path as more generic which allows to use any application output or incorporated logging mechanism in order to supply application context data for VTune.

[Kostas_Malinauskas]

Thanks Vitaly, this feature may work for me.

However it requires user to do some extra time consuming work. A simple "push button" feature implemented in VTune would still be very useful: just launch profiling and see the marks on a timeline :)

Thanks,
Kostas

[Roman_K_Intel]

It is also possible to put marks via the command line:

amplxe-cl --command=mark --result-dir=path-to-result