# MetricFamily.msg

## Overview

`MetricFamily.msg` groups a set of related metrics under a shared name and description. It is the top-level container returned by the metrics read service.

## Fields

| Field | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `name` | `string` | The family name, used to identify the metric family. |
| `description` | `string` | A human-readable description of what the family measures. |
| `metrics` | `cartographer_ros_msgs/Metric[]` | The individual metrics belonging to this family. |

## Usage

- A family typically contains one or more `Metric` instances that share a name but differ in their labels.
- `MetricFamily` instances are returned in the `metric_families` array of `ReadMetrics.srv`.