Syntax Conventions; Parameter Types - Agilent Technologies N8900 series Operating Manual

Autoranging system dc power supply

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Introduction to the SCPI Language

OUTPut:PROTection:CLEar;:STATus:OPERation:CONDition?

Note the use of the colon after the semicolon in order to return the command parser to the root.

Terminators

A command string sent to the instrument must terminate with a new line (<NL>) character. The IEEE-488 EOI (End-

Or-Identify) message is interpreted as a <NL> character and can be used to terminate a command string in place of an

<NL>. A carriage return followed by a new line (<CR><NL>) is also accepted. Command string termination will always

reset the current SCPI command path to the root level.

Syntax Conventions

Triangle brackets ( < > ) indicate that you must specify a value for the enclosed parameter. For example, in the

VOLTage <value> command syntax, the <value> parameter is enclosed in triangle brackets. The brackets are not

sent with the command string. You must specify a value for the parameter (Example: "VOLTage 50V") unless you

select another option shown in the syntax (Example: "VOLTage MAX").

A vertical bar ( | ) separates multiple parameter choices for a given command string. For example, RST|RCL0 in the

OUTPut:PON:STATe command indicates that you can specify "RST" or "RCL0". The bar is not sent with the com-

mand string.

Square brackets ( [ ]) enclose some syntax elements - nodes and parameters for example. This indicates that the

element is optional and can be omitted. The brackets are not sent with the command string. Any keyword

enclosed in brackets is optional and can be omitted. However, if you are combining several commands within the

same message string as previously described, you must include the optional commands to place the command

parser at the correct level in the hierarchy.

The SCPI language defines several data formats to be used in commands and queries.

Numeric Parameters

Commands that require numeric parameters will accept all commonly used decimal representations of numbers includ-

ing optional signs, decimal points, and scientific notation. If a command accepts only certain specific values, the instru-

ment will automatically round the input numeric parameters to the accepted values. The following command requires a

numeric parameter for the voltage value:

[SOURce:]VOLTage 50V|MIN|MAX

Note that special values for numeric parameters such as MINimum and MAXimum are also accepted. Instead of select-

ing a specific value for the voltage parameter, you can substitute MIN to set the voltage to its minimum allowable

value, MAX to set it to its maximum allowable value.

You can also send engineering unit suffixes with numeric parameters (e.g., V for volts, A for amperes, W for Watts). All

parameters values are in base units.

Discrete Parameters

Discrete parameters are used to program settings that have a limited number of values (like IMMediate, EXTernal, or

BUS). They may have a short form and a long form just like command keywords. You can use upper- or lower-case let-

Agilent N8900 Series Operating and Service Guide

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