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Use CPU_METER_STEAL for 'virtualized' CPU time in non-detailed mode #1922

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Use CPU_METER_STEAL for 'virtualized' CPU time in non-detailed mode #1922

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d77fae9
Allow guest time to be hidden in "non-detailed" CPU meter
Explorer09 Mar 17, 2026
c4d9978
netbsd & openbsd: Adjust CPU meter value assignment code
Explorer09 Jun 16, 2026
c076c65
Revert "Fix CPU virtualization bar color and help text in non-detaile…
Explorer09 Jun 16, 2026
7b8233f
Restore "virtualized" word for non-detailed CPU meter in help screen
Explorer09 Jun 16, 2026
b04df08
Use CPU_METER_STEAL for 'virtualized' CPU time in non-detailed mode
Explorer09 Jun 16, 2026
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7 changes: 5 additions & 2 deletions Action.c
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -803,9 +803,12 @@ static Htop_Reaction actionHelp(State* st) {
addbartext(CRT_colors[CPU_GUEST], "/", "guest");
addbartext(CRT_colors[CPU_IOWAIT], "/", "io-wait");
addbartext(CRT_colors[BAR_SHADOW], " ", "used%");
} else if (CRT_colorScheme == COLORSCHEME_MONOCHROME) {
addbartext(CRT_colors[CPU_STEAL], "/-/-/", "virtualized");
addbartext(CRT_colors[BAR_SHADOW], " ", "used%");
} else {
addbartext(CRT_colors[CPU_GUEST], "/", "virt");
addbartext(CRT_colors[BAR_SHADOW], " ", "used%");
addbartext(CRT_colors[CPU_STEAL], "/", "virtualized");
addbartext(CRT_colors[BAR_SHADOW], " ", "used%");
}
addattrstr(CRT_colors[BAR_BORDER], "]");

Expand Down
18 changes: 3 additions & 15 deletions CPUMeter.c
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -36,13 +36,6 @@ static const int CPUMeter_attributes[] = {
CPU_IOWAIT
};

static const int CPUMeter_attributes_summary[] = {
CPU_NICE,
CPU_NORMAL,
CPU_SYSTEM,
CPU_GUEST
};

typedef struct CPUMeterData_ {
unsigned int cpus;
Meter** meters;
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -89,11 +82,6 @@ static void CPUMeter_updateValues(Meter* this) {

const Machine* host = this->host;
const Settings* settings = host->settings;
if (settings->detailedCPUTime) {
this->curAttributes = CPUMeter_attributes;
} else {
this->curAttributes = CPUMeter_attributes_summary;
}

unsigned int cpu = this->param;
if (cpu > host->existingCPUs) {
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -197,10 +185,10 @@ static void CPUMeter_display(const Object* cast, RichString* out) {
len = xSnprintf(buffer, sizeof(buffer), "%5.1f%% ", this->values[CPU_METER_NICE]);
RichString_appendAscii(out, CRT_colors[METER_TEXT], "low:");
RichString_appendnAscii(out, CRT_colors[CPU_NICE_TEXT], buffer, len);
if (isNonnegative(this->values[CPU_METER_IRQ])) {
len = xSnprintf(buffer, sizeof(buffer), "%5.1f%% ", this->values[CPU_METER_IRQ]);
if (isNonnegative(this->values[CPU_METER_STEAL])) {
len = xSnprintf(buffer, sizeof(buffer), "%5.1f%% ", this->values[CPU_METER_STEAL]);
RichString_appendAscii(out, CRT_colors[METER_TEXT], "vir:");
RichString_appendnAscii(out, CRT_colors[CPU_GUEST], buffer, len);
RichString_appendnAscii(out, CRT_colors[CPU_STEAL], buffer, len);
}
}

Expand Down
10 changes: 8 additions & 2 deletions linux/Platform.c
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -370,8 +370,14 @@ double Platform_setCPUValues(Meter* this, unsigned int cpu) {
v[CPU_METER_IOWAIT] = cpuData->ioWaitPeriod / total * 100.0;
} else {
v[CPU_METER_KERNEL] = cpuData->systemAllPeriod / total * 100.0;
v[CPU_METER_IRQ] = (cpuData->stealPeriod + cpuData->guestPeriod) / total * 100.0;
this->curItems = 4;
this->curItems = 3;

v[CPU_METER_IRQ] = 0.0; // Accounted in 'kernel'
v[CPU_METER_SOFTIRQ] = 0.0; // Accounted in 'kernel'
v[CPU_METER_STEAL] = (cpuData->stealPeriod + cpuData->guestPeriod) / total * 100.0;
if (settings->accountGuestInCPUMeter) {
this->curItems = 6;
}
Comment on lines +378 to +380

@coderabbitai coderabbitai Bot May 17, 2026

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🛠️ Refactor suggestion | 🟠 Major | ⚡ Quick win

Drop braces for the single-statement if.

Use brace-less form here to match project control-flow style for trivial single statements.

Suggested patch 
-      if (settings->accountGuestInCPUMeter) {
-         this->curItems = 6;
-      }
+      if (settings->accountGuestInCPUMeter)
+         this->curItems = 6;

As per coding guidelines, "Omit braces around simple single statements (return, break, continue, trivial assignments); never put control flow body on same line as condition; if any block in an if/else chain needs braces, all blocks get braces".

📝 Committable suggestion

‼️ IMPORTANT
Carefully review the code before committing. Ensure that it accurately replaces the highlighted code, contains no missing lines, and has no issues with indentation. Thoroughly test & benchmark the code to ensure it meets the requirements.

Suggested change
if (settings->accountGuestInCPUMeter) {
this->curItems = 6;
}
if (settings->accountGuestInCPUMeter)
this->curItems = 6;

Comment on lines +373 to +380

@coderabbitai coderabbitai Bot Jun 16, 2026

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⚠️ Potential issue | 🟠 Major | ⚡ Quick win

Non-detailed virtualized CPU mapping is currently dropped/misreported after moving it to CPU_METER_STEAL.

You now write virtualized time to CPU_METER_STEAL, but default curItems = 3 excludes that slot from sumPositiveValues() and bar rendering, and the non-detailed CPUMeter text path still reads CPU_METER_IRQ for vir:. Result: virtualized time is either hidden or shown as 0.0 in non-detailed mode.

  • linux/Platform.c#L373-L380: include the STEAL slot in non-detailed curItems whenever virtualized time is populated, so totals/bar include it.
  • pcp/Platform.c#L577-L585: apply the same curItems fix so non-detailed totals/bar do not drop STEAL.
  • Also update the non-detailed CPUMeter consumer (vir: source index) to read from the same slot you now populate for virtualized time.

Based on the provided CPUMeter display snippet (CPUMeter.c:152-193), non-detailed vir: still consumes CPU_METER_IRQ.

📍 Affects 2 files
  • linux/Platform.c#L373-L380 (this comment)
  • pcp/Platform.c#L577-L585

}

percent = sumPositiveValues(v, this->curItems);
Expand Down
16 changes: 8 additions & 8 deletions netbsd/Platform.c
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -267,17 +267,17 @@ double Platform_setCPUValues(Meter* this, int cpu) {
if (host->settings->detailedCPUTime) {
v[CPU_METER_KERNEL] = cpuData->sysPeriod / total * 100.0;
v[CPU_METER_IRQ] = cpuData->intrPeriod / total * 100.0;
v[CPU_METER_SOFTIRQ] = 0.0;
v[CPU_METER_STEAL] = 0.0;
v[CPU_METER_GUEST] = 0.0;
v[CPU_METER_IOWAIT] = 0.0;
v[CPU_METER_FREQUENCY] = NAN;
this->curItems = 8;
this->curItems = 4;
} else {
v[CPU_METER_KERNEL] = cpuData->sysAllPeriod / total * 100.0;
v[CPU_METER_IRQ] = 0.0; // No steal nor guest on NetBSD
this->curItems = 4;
v[CPU_METER_IRQ] = 0.0;
this->curItems = 3;
}
v[CPU_METER_SOFTIRQ] = 0.0;
v[CPU_METER_STEAL] = 0.0;
v[CPU_METER_GUEST] = 0.0;
v[CPU_METER_IOWAIT] = 0.0;

totalPercent = v[CPU_METER_NICE] + v[CPU_METER_NORMAL] + v[CPU_METER_KERNEL] + v[CPU_METER_IRQ];
totalPercent = CLAMP(totalPercent, 0.0, 100.0);
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Expand Down
17 changes: 8 additions & 9 deletions openbsd/Platform.c
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -218,19 +218,18 @@ double Platform_setCPUValues(Meter* this, unsigned int cpu) {
if (host->settings->detailedCPUTime) {
v[CPU_METER_KERNEL] = cpuData->sysPeriod / total * 100.0;
v[CPU_METER_IRQ] = cpuData->intrPeriod / total * 100.0;
v[CPU_METER_SOFTIRQ] = 0.0;
v[CPU_METER_STEAL] = 0.0;
v[CPU_METER_GUEST] = 0.0;
v[CPU_METER_IOWAIT] = 0.0;
v[CPU_METER_FREQUENCY] = NAN;
this->curItems = 8;
this->curItems = 4;
} else {
v[CPU_METER_KERNEL] = cpuData->sysAllPeriod / total * 100.0;
v[CPU_METER_IRQ] = 0.0; // No steal nor guest on OpenBSD
this->curItems = 4;
v[CPU_METER_IRQ] = 0.0;
this->curItems = 3;
}
totalPercent = v[CPU_METER_NICE] + v[CPU_METER_NORMAL] + v[CPU_METER_KERNEL] + v[CPU_METER_IRQ];
v[CPU_METER_SOFTIRQ] = 0.0;
v[CPU_METER_STEAL] = 0.0;
v[CPU_METER_GUEST] = 0.0;
v[CPU_METER_IOWAIT] = 0.0;

totalPercent = v[CPU_METER_NICE] + v[CPU_METER_NORMAL] + v[CPU_METER_KERNEL] + v[CPU_METER_IRQ];
totalPercent = CLAMP(totalPercent, 0.0, 100.0);

v[CPU_METER_TEMPERATURE] = NAN;
Expand Down
10 changes: 8 additions & 2 deletions pcp/Platform.c
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -574,9 +574,15 @@ static double Platform_setOneCPUValues(Meter* this, const Settings* settings, pm
v[CPU_METER_IOWAIT] = values[CPU_IOWAIT_PERIOD].ull / total * 100.0;
} else {
v[CPU_METER_KERNEL] = values[CPU_SYSTEM_ALL_PERIOD].ull / total * 100.0;
this->curItems = 3;

v[CPU_METER_IRQ] = 0.0;
v[CPU_METER_SOFTIRQ] = 0.0;
value = values[CPU_STEAL_PERIOD].ull + values[CPU_GUEST_PERIOD].ull;
v[CPU_METER_IRQ] = value / total * 100.0;
this->curItems = 4;
v[CPU_METER_STEAL] = value / total * 100.0;

@natoscott natoscott Mar 18, 2026

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"value" here is not "steal" time though - its the sum of steal+guest now. So this hasn't really solved things for your unmerged graphing PR. IOW, there's a problem switching on/off detailed CPU mode because the historical data in the steal slot transitions between sum/not-sum/sum/not-sum ... so the "steal" value is incorrect whenever detailed mode changes state.

@Explorer09 Explorer09 Mar 18, 2026

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I didn't get it… What are you suggesting? I think the historical data having "sum/not-sum/sum/not-sum", will not present any visual display glitch.

Because "steal" and "guest" are presented as the same color in all color schemes of htop

@natoscott natoscott Mar 18, 2026

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| Because "steal" and "guest" are presented as the same color

Good point, it'll work by luck until someone wants to separate out those categories like in most tools.

@Explorer09 Explorer09 Mar 18, 2026

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Good point, it'll work by luck until someone wants to separate out those categories like in most tools.

I won't call it working "by luck", because I can anticipate that the "steal" and "guest" colors be separate like this:

[CPU_STEAL] = A_BOLD | ColorPair(Cyan, Black),
[CPU_GUEST] = ColorPair(Cyan, Black),

But then, how is it wrong by merging the "steal" and "guest" into a single item in the non-detailed CPU meter mode?

Isn't that the whole point of the non-detailed mode? That the unnecessary details of CPU time items can be merged (just like "irq" and "sort-irq" merged with "kernel")?

I really don't get what you are suggesting.

@natoscott natoscott Mar 18, 2026

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| I won't call it working "by luck",

It is just luck - we very rarely have two items sharing a color in a Meter.

| But then, how is it wrong by merging the "steal" and "guest" into a single item

Its not wrong - it just remains obfuscated - like the existing code has always been, overloading one CPU values slot with multiple values from another. The bug can be fixed by a trivial change compared to this proposal, so its a nack for me.

@Explorer09 Explorer09 Mar 18, 2026

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| But then, how is it wrong by merging the "steal" and "guest" into a single item

Its not wrong - it just remains obfuscated - like the existing code has always been, overloading one CPU values slot with multiple values from another. The bug can be fixed by a trivial change compared to this proposal, so its a nack for me.

I would claim the use of IRQ slot for virtual CPU time is plain wrong despite your fix looks trivial. The CPU meter code has fixed ("fixing" for the "making things unmovable" meaning) that item/slot as CPU_METER_IRQ and it shouldn't be overloaded with another use such as "virtualized". It breaks forward compatibility - such as with the not-yet-merged #714.

#714 relies on an assumption that the meanings of item indices of a meter to remain stable. It's also so for the meter character allocation (|#*@$%&.) in the monochrome mode. It would be more of a UX surprise when the @ character in CPU meter suddenly means different things with the "detailed CPU time" toggle. I would rather have "virtual" CPU time permanently represented by % and & and document such in the manual.

if (settings->accountGuestInCPUMeter) {
this->curItems = 6;
}
Comment on lines +583 to +585

@coderabbitai coderabbitai Bot May 17, 2026

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🛠️ Refactor suggestion | 🟠 Major | ⚡ Quick win

Remove braces around this trivial single-line if.

This block is a single assignment and should follow the repository control-flow style.

Suggested patch 
-      if (settings->accountGuestInCPUMeter) {
-         this->curItems = 6;
-      }
+      if (settings->accountGuestInCPUMeter)
+         this->curItems = 6;

As per coding guidelines, "Omit braces around simple single statements (return, break, continue, trivial assignments); never put control flow body on same line as condition; if any block in an if/else chain needs braces, all blocks get braces".

📝 Committable suggestion

‼️ IMPORTANT
Carefully review the code before committing. Ensure that it accurately replaces the highlighted code, contains no missing lines, and has no issues with indentation. Thoroughly test & benchmark the code to ensure it meets the requirements.

Suggested change
if (settings->accountGuestInCPUMeter) {
this->curItems = 6;
}
if (settings->accountGuestInCPUMeter)
this->curItems = 6;

}

percent = sumPositiveValues(v, this->curItems);
Expand Down
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