User`s guide

Chapter 2 37
Overview of Remote Control
Sending SCPI command messages
2. Overview of Remote Control
Figure 2-6 Using colons and semicolons
Grammar of messages
This section describes the grammar to send program messages via GPIB. Program
messages are messages that the user sends to the instrument from the external controller to
control the instrument. A program message consists of 1 or more commands and their
necessary parameters.
Upper/lower case sensitivity
Upper/lower case insensitive.
Program message terminator
A program message must be terminated with one of the 3 program message terminators:
<new line>, <^END>, or <new line><^END>. <^END> indicates that EOI on the GPIB
interface becomes active at the instant when the immediately previous data byte is sent. For
example, the OUTPUT command of HTBasic automatically sends the message terminator
after the last data byte.
Parameters
A space (ASCII code: 32) is required between a command and its first parameter. When
sending several parameters in a single command, separate each parameter with a comma
(,).
Message including several commands
When sending 2 or more commands in a single message, separate each command with a
semicolon (;). The following example shows how to send the *CLS command and the
:STAT:PRES command in a single message using HTBasic.
OUTPUT 717;"*CLS;:STAT:PRES"