User manual

Section 13: Instrument Control Library (ICL) Series 3700 System Switch/Multimeter Reference Manual
13-86 3700S-901-01 Rev. C / July 2008
dataqueue.count
Attribute
The number of entries currently stored in the data queue.
Usage
count = dataqueue.count
count: Number of entries in the data queue.
Remarks
This attribute is a read-only attribute that indicates how many entries are in the data
queue.
dataqueue.next()
Function
Retrieve an entry from the data queue.
Usage
value = dataqueue.next([timeout])
timeout: Maximum amount of time in seconds to wait for data if the queue is empty.
value: The next entry from the data queue.
Remarks
This function will remove the next entry from the data queue and return its value. If the
queue is empty, this function will wait up to timeout seconds for data to arrive. If no
data arrives before the timeout expires, this function will return nil.
The timeout value may only be specified when called from the local node. If a timeout
value is not given, the function will not wait for data to be put in the queue if it is empty.
NOTE If the entry is a table, this function will return a deep copy of its contents at
the time the table was added to the data queue rather than returning a
reference to the original table.
delay functions
This function is used to hold up system operation for a specified period of time. It
is typically used to soak a device at a specific voltage or current for a period of
time.
delay()
Function
Delays system operation.
Usage
delay(seconds)
seconds: Set delay in seconds (100000 seconds maximum).
Remarks
This function will cause a delay for the specified number of seconds. It is
impossible to delay for zero seconds.
Delays smaller than 50µs (seconds) will be dominated by overhead such that the
actual delay might be as long as 50µs (typical). For delays longer than 50µs, the
delay may be as much as 10µs (typical) more than the requested delay.
Example
To pause program execution for 50ms:
delay(0.050)