Agilent Technologies E3631-90002, User Manual, Page: 106 / 166

Chapter 4 Remote Interface Reference
An Introduction to the SCPI Language
105
4
Querying Parameter Settings
You can query the value of most parameters by adding a question mark (?)
to the command. For example, the following command sets the output
current to 5 amps:
"CURR 5"
You can query the value by executing:
"CURR?"
You can also query the minimum or maximum value allowed with the
present function as follows:
"CURR? MAX"
"CURR? MIN"
C a u t i o n If you send two query commands without reading the response from the
first, and then attempt to read the second response, you may receive some
data from the first response followed by the complete second response. To
avoid this, do not send a query command without reading the response.
When you cannot avoid this situation, send a device clear before sending
the second query command.
SCPI Command Terminators
A command string sent to the power supply must terminate with a
<new line> character. The IEEE-488 EOI (end-or-identify) message is
interpreted as a <new line> character and can be used to terminate a
command string in place of a <new line> character. A <carriage return>
followed by a <new line> is also accepted. Command string termination will
always reset the current SCPI command path to the root level.
IEEE-488.2 Common Commands
The IEEE-488.2 standard defines a set of common commands that perform
functions like reset, self-test, and status operations. Common commands
always begin with an asterisk (
*
), are four to five characters in length,
and may include one or more parameters. The command keyword is
separated from the first parameter by a
blank space . Use a semicolon ( ; ) to
separate multiple commands as shown below:
"*RST; *CLS; *ESE 32; *OPC?"