A message to set the clock to 8:45 AM would be SYSTEM:TIME 8,45,0. For example, the SYSTEM:TIME command requires three values to set the analyzer clock: one for hours, one for minutes, and one for seconds. In the following example, there is whitespace between STATE and ON.Ĭomma (,) - If a command requires more than one parameter, you must separate adjacent parameters using a comma. Always refer to the command documentation. You must use whitespace to separate these ending parameters from commands. Whitespace inside a keyword, such as :CALC ULATE, is not allowed. Whitespace characters, such as and, are generally ignored. For example, the following two commands are equivalent: Note: You can omit the leading colon if the command is the first of a new program line. For example, the colon in :SOURCE specifies that source is a root level command. When the colon is the first character of a command, it specifies that the following keyword is a root level command. For example, the colon in :SOURCE:POWER specifies that POWER is one level below SOURCE. Message terminators are described in Sending Messages to the Analyzer.Ĭolon (:) - When a colon is between two command keywords, it moves the current path down one level in the command tree. Many programming language output statements send message terminators automatically. Message Terminators - A message terminator, such as a character, sets the current path to the root command level. Power On and Reset - After power is cycled or after *RST, the current path is set to the root level commands. To keep track of the current branch, the analyzer's command parser uses the following rules: Sometimes the same keyword, such as STATE, is used in several branches of the command tree. A root command and the branches below it is sometimes known as a subsystem.įor example, under SOURce: POWer are several branch commands. The branching continues until each analyzer function is assigned to a branch.

Under these root commands are branches that contain one or more keywords. (See GPIB Command Finder for a list of SCPI root commands).

The following sections will help you learn to use SCPI commands in your programs.Īll major functions on the analyzer are assigned keywords which are called ROOT commands. Most of the commands used for controlling instruments on the GPIB are SCPI commands. The Rules and Syntax of SCPI Commands The Rules and Syntax of SCPI

Command syntax