Introduction to the SCPI Language
2
Rule to format mnemonics
1) If the letter number of an English word is less than or equal to 4, then the word itself can be
the mnemonic.(such as “Free” can be “FREE”);
2) If the letter number of an English word exceeds 4, then the first four letters will be the
mnemonic.(such as “Frequency” can be “FREQ”);
3) If the forth letter is vowel, then mnemonic uses the former three letters. Vowels consists of a,
e, i, o, and u.(such as “Power” can be “POW”);
4) If it is not a word but a sentence, then use the first letters of the former words and the whole
of the last word. (such as “Input Voltage “ can be “IVOLtage”)
Usage of symbols
1) Space
The space is used to separate command and parameter.
2) Colon:
If the colon is in front of the first character, it means the following is Root Command. When the
colon is set between two keywords, then it means moving from the current level to the next level.
3) *asterisk
The commands start with asterisk are named Common Command, which is used to execute
IEEE488.2 common commands.
4) Braces{}
The parameters enclosed in the braces are optional and are usually separated by the vertical bar
