Specifications

2-5
Programming the HP 71612 Series
SCPI Command Structure
Command Syntax
Commands may be up to twelve characters long but a shortform version is also available
which has a preferred length of four characters. In this document the longform and
shortform versions are shown as a single word with the shortform being shown in upper-
case letters. For example, the longform node command SOURce has the shortform SOUR.
Using the shortform saves time when entering a program, however using the longform
makes a program more descriptive and easy to understand.
In the Command Reference chapter any command used to set the value of any
configurable parameter also has a query form. For brevity, the query form of each
command is not shown in the text. Where a command ending in a question mark does
appear, it is a query only command.
Optional Commands
Some layers in the SCPI command structure are optional. A typical example is where a
command is unique to one module. In this case the top layer (that is, the Root Keyword) of
the command structure may be omitted.
Sending Commands
Commands are sent over the GP-IB in the same way that GP-IB and IEEE 488.2 common
commands are sent. HP controllers use the HP BASIC instruction OUTPUT to send
commands strings. The only difference with SCPI is the structure of the command string.
Command Separators
The SCPI command structure is hierarchical and is governed by a number of symbols. For
example, a change in the command hierarchy is indicated by a colon, similar level
commands are separated by a semi-colon and parameters are separated by a comma. This
is explained in more detail in the following section, SCPI Command Structure.
SCPI Command Structure
As previously stated the SCPI command set has a hierarchical layered structure.
The structure is as follows:
Root Keyword + Command Keyword + Parameter(s)