Measurement Computing GPIB-488 - Manual (Page 10)

GPIB-488 2-1 Programming Reference Manual
2
Programming with the GPIB
Library
The GPIB library contains two different and complete GPIB libraries.
Original 488.1 library—The 488.1 library (also referred to as the original
library), consists of all of the functions and subroutines that begin with the
letters "
ib ". This library uses a concept of device names and handles rather
than GPIB addresses when referring to GPIB devices. There are two
advantages to this approach:
• The GPIB addresses of each device are not stored in the program, so
the same program can run on different buses where the addresses of
each device are different.
• The program can refer to each device with an intelligible name rather
than a number (the GPIB address).
488.2 library—This library consists of all the routines that do not begin
with the letters "
ib ". These routines refer to all devices on the bus by their
GPIB addresses rather than by names. The Device I/O section does not
apply to the 488.2 library.
The GPIB library includes different routines that allow you to control the
operations of the GPIB bus in a very specific manner. You may find the
number of routines included in the GPIB library intimidating, however, in
most applications you need to use only a small subset of these routines.
The routines are divided into two distinct libraries. All routines which begin
with "
ib " are part of the "488.1" or "Original GPIB library." All other
routines are part of the "488.2 library." You only need to use one or the
other library. Each library provides a different method of performing the
same tasks. The choice of which library to use is a matter of personal
preference. If you use the original GPIB library, you can perform either
Board Level or Device Level operations.