User manual

Part 5: IEEE 488.2 Programming Reference
Using the Waveform Query
The WAVEFORM? query is an effective way to transfer waveform data in block formats defined by the
IEEE 488.2 standard. Responses can be downloaded back into the instrument by using the WAVEFORM
command.
All logical blocks in a waveform can be read with the simple query:
<trace>:WAVEFORM?
Your can also query for a single block by adding the block name as a parameter, for example:
C1:WAVEFORM? DAT1
The waveform template lists all the logical block names.
The response to the WAVEFORM? query of an oscilloscope in its default state will show the waveform
data in hexadecimal format with an ASCII translation.
Note: Waveform data read using the WF? query can only be recalled back into internal memory
(M1 to Mn) on the oscilloscope. It may be beneficial to remove headers from the readout using the
COMM_HEADER command so that the data is ready to be copied to a .TRC file and recalled as is.
A WF? query response can easily contain over 16 million bytes if in binary form and twice as much
if the HEX option is used.
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