Keysight 33210A, User Manual

Page: 267 / 351

265
Chapter 4 Remote Interface Reference
An Introduction to the SCPI Language
4
An Introduction to the SCPI Language
SCPI (Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments) is an
ASCII-based instrument command language designed for test and
measurement instruments. Refer to “Simplified Programming Overview”
starting on page 160, for an introduction to the basic techniques used to
program the function generator over the remote interface.
SCPI commands are based on a hierarchical structure, also known as a
tree system. In this system, associated commands are grouped together
under a common node or root, thus forming subsystems. A portion of the
SOURce
subsystem is shown below to illustrate the tree system.
SOURce :
FREQuency
:STARt {<
frequency
>|MINimum|MAXimum}
:STARt? [MINimum|MAXimum]
FREQuency
:STOP {<
frequency
>|MINimum|MAXimum}
:STOP? [MINimum|MAXimum]
SWEep
:SPACing {LINear|LOGarithmic}
:SPACing?
SWEep
:TIME {<
seconds
>|MINimum|MAXimum}
:TIME? [MINimum|MAXimum]
SWEep
:STATe {OFF|ON}
:STATe?
SOURce
is the root keyword of the command,
FREQuency
and
SWEep
are
second-level keywords, and
STARt
and
STOP
are third-level keywords.
A colon (
:
) separates a command keyword from a lower-level keyword.
33210A users guide.book Page 265 Wednesday, July 16, 2008 11:16 AM