Types of Commands
Commands can be separated into two groups, common commands
and subsystem commands.
Common commands
are generally not
measurement related. They are used to manage macros, status
registers, synchronization, and data storage. Common commands
are easy to recognize because they all begin with an asterisk,
such as *IDN?,
and *RST. Common commands are defined
by IEEE 488.2.
Subsystem commands
include all measurement
functions and some general purpose functions. Subsystem commands
are distinguished by the colon used between keywords, as in
:
:CW?. Each command subsystem is a set of commands
that roughly corresponds to a functional block inside the instrument.
For example, the
subsystem contains commands for power
generation, while the STAT
US
subsystem contains commands for
accessing status registers.
:MEAS:VOLT?
Figure l-24.
Command Types
The remaining paragraphs in this subsection discuss subsystem
commands in more detail. Remember, some commands are
implemented in one instrument and not in another, depending on its
measurement function.
Getting Started Programming 1-67