Section 5: Remote commands
Models 707B and 708B Switching Matrix Reference Manual
5-2
707B-901-01 Rev. A / August 2010
Functions
Function-based commands control actions or activities. For example, performing a channel closure is
a function. A function-based command is not always directly related to instrument operation. For
example, the
bit.bitand
function will perform a logical AND operation on two numbers.
Each function consists of a function name followed by a set of parenthesis ( ). If the function does not
have a parameter, the parenthesis set is left empty.
Example 1
digio.writeport(15)
digio.writebit(3, 0)
reset()
digio.readport()
Sets digital I/O lines 1, 2, 3, and 4 high
Sets line 3 to low (0)
Returns the instrument to its default settings
Reads the digital I/O port
Example 2
The results of a function-based command can be used directly or can be assigned to variables for
later access. The following code saves the value an instrument operator enters from the front panel
and prints it.
value = display.inputvalue("+0.00")
print(value)
If the operator enters 2.36 from the front panel,
the resulting output is:
2.300
Attributes
Attribute-based commands are commands that set the characteristics of an instrument feature or
operation. For example, some characteristics of TSP-enabled instruments are the model number
(
localnode.model
) and the number of errors in the error queue (
errorqueue.count
).
To set the characteristics, attribute-based commands define a value. For many attributes, the value is
in the form of a number or a predefined constant.
Example 1: Set an attribute using a number
format.data = 3
This attribute sets the format of data printed by
other commands. Setting this attribute to 3 sets
the print format to double precision floating
point format.
Example 2: Set an attribute using a constant
format.data = format.REAL64
Using the constant
REAL64
instead of 3 also
sets the print format to double precision floating
point format.
