Specifications

Chapter 17 277
GPIB Command Reference
Parameters
17. GPIB Command Reference
Parameters
The section titled “Parameters” describes the parameters required to transmit the
command. If a parameter is of a numeric (integer or floating-point) or a character string
type and enclosed within angle brackets (< >), the “Parameters” section contains the
parameter’s description, range, initial setting, etc. If a parameter is enclosed within braces
({ }), i.e., selectable, the section contains a description of the options.
Data format
The E4991A uses the following data types for parameter input. These also apply to Query
responses.
1. Numeric data (ASCII data)
Numeric values are transmitted in one of the following formats:
• Integer type
A numeric value is represented as an integer. For example, numeric value 201 is
represented as "+201". The sign at the head is omitted in some cases.
• Floating-point type
Floating-point data are represented as a numeric value including the decimal point.
For example, numeric value 1000 is represented as "+1.0E+3". The sign at the
head is omitted in some cases.
The real and imaginary parts of complex data are represented in floating-point
format.
2. Character data
ASCII character data are used for character data. For example, POL represents the
polar coordinate format used when the E4991A setting is verified by Query. Character
data are similar to character string data; however, character string data are enclosed
within double quotation marks (" "), whereas character data are not.
3. Character string data
ASCII character data enclosed within double quotation marks are used for character
string data. For example, when setting the trace title, type a character string enclosed
within double quotations to represents the title (e.g., "Measurement Data").
4. Block data (binary data)
The first digit following the pound symbol (# ) represents the number of digits in the
number of bytes of the subsequent data. The next digit actually represents the number
of bytes of the data transferred. For example, the seven-byte data ABC+XYZ is
represented as "#17ABC+XYZ<newline><^END>".