THORLABS PM100USB Operation Manual page 21

7 Computer Interface
Command Format
The format used to show commands in this manual is shown below:
CURRent[:DC]:RANGe {MINimum|MAXimum|<numeric_value>[A]}
CORRection:BEAMdiameter {MINimum|MAXimum|DEFault|<numeric_value>[mm]}
The command syntax shows most commands (and some parameters) as a mixture of upper-
and lower-case letters. The upper-case letters indicate the abbreviated spelling for the com-
mand. For shorter program lines, send the abbreviated form. For better program readability,
send the long form.
For example, in the above syntax statement, CURR and CURRENT are both acceptable forms.
You can use upper- or lower-case letters. Therefore, CURRENT, current and Current are
all acceptable. Other forms, such as CUR and CURREN, will generate an error.
Braces ( { } ) enclose the parameter choices for a given command string. The braces are not
sent with the command string. A vertical bar ( | ) separates multiple parameter choices for a
given command string.
Triangle brackets ( < > ) indicate that you must specify a value for the enclosed parameter. For
example, the above syntax statement shows the range parameter enclosed in triangle brackets.
The brackets are not sent with the command string. You must specify a value for the parameter
(such as "CURR:DC:RANG 50E-6").
Some parameters are enclosed in square brackets ( [ ] ). The brackets indicate that the
parameter is optional and can be omitted. The brackets are not sent with the command string.
In this example [:DC] can be omitted, so the command string can be shortened to
"CURR:RANG 50E-6". If you do not specify a value for an optional parameter, the power/en-
ergy meter chooses a default value.
Command Separators
A colon ( : ) is used to separate a command keyword from a lower-level keyword. You must in-
sert a blank space to separate a parameter from a command keyword. If a command requires
more than one parameter, you must separate adjacent parameters using a comma as shown
below:
"SYST:TIME 10, 34, 48"
A semicolon ( ; ) is used to separate commands within the same subsystem, and can also mini-
mize typing. For example, sending the following command string:
"CORR:BEAM 1; WAVE 1310"
... is the same as sending the following two commands:
"CORR:BEAM 1"
"CORR:WAVE 1310"
Use a colon and a semicolon to link commands from different subsystems. For example, in the
following command string, an error is generated if you do not use both the colon and semi-
colon:
"CORR:BEAM 1;:AVER 300"
Using the MIN and MAX Parameters
You can substitute MINimum or MAXimum in place of a parameter for many commands. For
example, consider the following command:
CURRent[:DC]:RANGe {MINimum|MAXimum|<numeric_value>[A]}
Instead of selecting a specific current range, you can substitute MIN to set the range to its min-
imum value or MAX to set the range to its maximum value.
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