Command separators
A colon (:) separates a command keyword from a lower- level keyword as shown below:
SOURce:CURRent:TRIGgered
A semicolon (;) is used to separate two commands within the same subsystem, and can also minimize typing. For
example, sending the following command string,
SOUR:VOLT MIN;CURR MAX
is the same as sending the following two commands:
SOUR:VOLT MIN
SOUR:CURR MAX
Use a colon and a semicolon to link commands from different subsystems. For example, in the following command
string, an error is generated if you do not use the colon and semicolon:
DISP:TEXT:CLE;:SOUR:CURR MIN
Using the MIN and MAX parameters
You can substitute MINimum or MAXimum in place of a parameter for many commands. For example, consider the
following command:
CURRent {<current>|MIN|MAX}
Instead of selecting a specific current, you can substitute MINimum to set the current to its minimum value or
MAXimum to set the current to its maximum value.
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 A:
CURR 5
You can query the value by executing:
CURR?
You can also query the maximum or minimum value allowed with the present function as follows:
CURR? MAX CURR? MIN
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.
35
Keysight E36100B Series Operating and Service Guide
