B&K Precision 879B - Manual - Manual (Page 70)

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commands and Standard Commands for
Programmable Instruments (SCPI). Some commands
are device-specific to the meter. They are not included
in the version 1999.0 of the SCPI standard. However,
these commands are designed with the SCPI format
in mind and they follow the syntax rules of the
standard.
Common Command Format
The IEEE 488 standard defines the common
commands as commands that perform functions like
reset and system query. Common commands usually
come with the asterisk “*” character, and may include
parameters. Some examples of Common command
like: *IDN?, *GTL, *LLO.
SCPI Command Format and Query Format
The SCPI commands control instrument
functions. A subsystem command has a hierarchical
structure that usually consists of a top-level (or root)
keyword, one or more lower level keywords, and
parameters. The following example shows a
command and its associated query:
A. FUNCtion:impa L
Select L as primary parameter
B. FUNCtion:impa?
Return primary parameter