Technical data

864 Agilent InfiniiVision 3000 X-Series Oscilloscopes Programmer's Guide
36 More About Oscilloscope Commands
No space or separator is allowed between the asterisk (*) and the
command header. *CLS is an example of a common command header.
Program Data Syntax Rules
Program data is used to convey a parameter information related to the
command header. At least one space must separate the command header
or query header from the program data.
<program mnemonic><separator><data><terminator>
When a program mnemonic or query has multiple program data, a comma
separates sequential program data.
<program mnemonic><separator><data>,<data><terminator>
For example, :MEASure:DELay CHANnel1,CHANnel2 has two program data:
CHANnel1 and CHANnel2.
Two main types of program data are used in commands: character and
numeric.
Character
Program Data
Character program data is used to convey parameter information as alpha
or alphanumeric strings. For example, the :TIMebase:MODE command can
be set to normal, zoomed (delayed), XY, or ROLL. The character program
data in this case may be MAIN, WINDow, XY, or ROLL. The command
:TIMebase:MODE WINDow sets the time base mode to zoomed.
The available mnemonics for character program data are always included
with the command's syntax definition.
When sending commands, you may either the long form or short form (if
one exists). Uppercase and lowercase letters may be mixed freely.
When receiving query responses, uppercase letters are used exclusively.
Numeric Program
Data
Some command headers require program data to be expressed numerically.
For example, :TIMebase:RANGe requires the desired full scale range to be
expressed numerically.
For numeric program data, you have the option of using exponential
notation or using suffix multipliers to indicate the numeric value. The
following numbers are all equal:
28 = 0.28E2 = 280e-1 = 28000m = 0.028K = 28e-3K.
When a syntax definition specifies that a number is an integer, that means
that the number should be whole. Any fractional part will be ignored,
truncating the number. Numeric data parameters accept fractional values
are called real numbers.