Subsystems
A colon (':') separates each subsystem. For example, the command
:SENSe:FREQuency:STARt <freq> sets the start frequency. The start frequency
is part of the :FREQuency subsystem which is part of the :SENSe subsystem. Stop
frequency is also part of the :SENSe:FREQuency subsystem. It is specified by
:SENSe:FREQuency:STOP.
Optional Subsystems
One subsystem at each "tree" level can be specified as optional. That is, the optional
subsystem does not need to be specified to create a valid command. For example, if the
specification is written as [:SENSe]:FREQuency:STARt, the :SENSe subsystem is
optional. So, both :SENS:FREQ:STAR and :FREQ:START are valid commands and
will have the same result.
Long Format vs. Short Format
Each keyword has a long format and a short format. The start frequency can be specified
by :SENSe:FREQuency:STARt or :SENS:FREQ:STAR. The capital letters in the
command specification indicate the short form of the command.
Only the short form and the long form are acceptable. For example,
:SENS:FREQuen:STA is not an acceptable form of the command.
Case Sensitivity
Commands are not case sensitive. For example, :SENS:FREQ:STAR 1 MHZ and
:sens:freq:star 1 mhz will have the same result.
Parameters
The command and its parameters are separated by a space. Parameters may be specified
with optional units, depending on the command.
For example, :SENS:FREQ:STAR 1 MHZ sets the start frequency to 1 MHz.
Multiple parameters are separated by a comma (",").
Query Format
Many commands have a query format that will return a parameter value or other data.
For example, :SENS:FREQ:STAR? will return the current value of the start frequency.
Combining Multiple Commands
Multiple commands can be sent together if separated by a semi-colon (';'). For example,
:SENSe:FREQ:STAR 1MHZ;:SENSe:FREQ:STOP 2 MHZ would set the start
frequency to 1 MHz and then set the stop frequency to 2 MHz.
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