Remote Control 
  Copyright © ITECH Electronic Co., Ltd.  2 
Multiple commands in a message 
Multiple SCPI commands can be combined and sent as a single 
message with one message terminator. There are two important 
considerations when sending several commands within a single 
message: 
⚫  Use a semicolon to separate commands within a message. 
⚫  Head paths influence how the instrument interprets commands. 
We consider the head path as a string which will be inserted in front of 
every command of a message. As for the first command of a message, 
the head path is a null string; for each subsequent command, the head 
path is a string which is defined to form the current command until and 
including the head of the last colon separator. A message with two 
combined commands: CURR:LEV 3;PROT:STAT OFF 
The example indicates the effect of semicolon and explains the concept 
of head path. Since the head path is defined to be "CURR" after "curr: lev 
3", the head of the second command, "curr", is deleted and the 
instrument explains the second command as: CURR:PROT:STAT OFF 
If "curr" is explicitly included in the second command, it is semantically 
wrong. Since combining it with the head path will become 
"CURR:CURR:PROT:STAT OFF", resulting in wrong command. 
Movement in the subsystem 
In order to combine commands from different subsystems, you need to 
be able to reset the header path to a null string within a message. You do 
this by beginning the command with a colon (:), which discards any 
previous header path. For example, you could clear the output protection 
and check the status of the Operation Condition register in one message 
by using a root specifier as follows: 
PROTection:CLEAr;:STATus:OPERation:CONDition? 
The following message shows how to combine commands from different 
subsystems as well as within the same subsystem:   
POWer:LEVel 200;PROTection 28; :CURRent:LEVel 3;PROTection:STATe ON 
Note the use of the optional header LEVel to maintain the correct path 
within the voltage and current subsystems, and the use of the root 
specifier to move between subsystems. 
Including Common Commands 
You can combine common commands with subsystem commands in the 
same message. Treat the common command as a message unit by 
separating it with a semicolon (the message unit separator). Common 
commands do not affect the header path; you may insert them anywhere 
in the message. 
VOLTage:TRIGgered 17.5;:INITialize;*TRG 
OUTPut OFF;*RCL 2;OUTPut ONIT872X-3X SCPI Communication protocol 17 
Case sensitivity 
Common commands and SCPI commands are not case sensitive. You 
can use upper or lower, for example: