"There is no service named" when using "[ ]" in descriptions

[Lars Langner]

Example checks

check process "NTP"       with pidfile /run/ntpd.pid
check process "NTP Test"  with pidfile /run/ntpd.pid
check process "NTP[Test]" with pidfile /run/ntpd.pid
check process "[Test]NTP" with pidfile /run/ntpd.pid

Local CLI test

> monit start "NTP[Test]"
There is no service named "NTP[Test]"
> monit start "[Test]NTP"
There is no service named "NTP[Test]"

> monit start "NTP"       => OK
> moint start "NTP Test"  => OK

This effect shows to be locally as well as from M/Monit GUI call.

> tail /var/log/monit/monit.log
[2023-10-05T11:47:27+0200] info     : 'NTP' start on user request
[2023-10-05T11:47:27+0200] info     : Monit daemon with PID 1681898 awakened
[2023-10-05T11:47:27+0200] info     : Awakened by User defined signal 1
[2023-10-05T11:47:27+0200] info     : 'NTP' start action done
[2023-10-05T11:47:29+0200] info     : 'NTP Test' start on user request
[2023-10-05T11:47:29+0200] info     : Monit daemon with PID 1681898 awakened
[2023-10-05T11:47:29+0200] info     : Awakened by User defined signal 1
[2023-10-05T11:47:29+0200] info     : 'NTP Test' start action done
[2023-10-05T11:47:35+0200] error    : HttpRequest: error -- client [::1]: HTTP/1.0 400 There is no service named "NTP[Test]"
[2023-10-05T11:47:35+0200] error    : There is no service named "NTP[Test]"

‌

[hauk]

The check NAME must (unfortunately) only contain URL-safe chars as it is part of the URL when you check the web, like http://localhost:2812/NAME

[Lutz Mader]

As a comment only.
You can use a service name like "NTP[Test]" but you must quote the "[" in the command line, you try to find a service named "NTPT", "NTPe", etc., but not "NTP[Test]".

monit summary "NTP.*"
monit summary 'NTP\[Test]'
Monit 5.33.0 uptime: 46d 14h 40m
 Service Name                     Status                      Type
 NTP[Test]                        OK                          Directory

But, if you use such service names, the most people are angry and you will got some problems, because the names are not url-safe.

Lutz

p.s.
Use service names like "NTP_Test" or "NTP-Test" and not "NTP Test" (with a space/blank in the name), this is a bad idea, also.