About This Manual
NI-488.2 User Manual for Windows xiv © National Instruments Corp.
Organization of This Manual
This manual is organized as follows:
• Chapter 1, Introduction, gives an overview of GPIB and the NI-488.2 software.
• Chapter 2, Application Examples, contains nine sample applications designed to
illustrate specific GPIB concepts and techniques that can help you write your own
applications. The description of each example includes the programmer's task, a
program flowchart, and numbered steps which correspond to the numbered blocks on
the flowchart.
• Chapter 3, Developing Your Application, explains how to develop a GPIB application
program using NI-488 functions and NI-488.2 routines.
• Chapter 4, Debugging Your Application, describes several ways to debug your
application program.
• Chapter 5, wibic–Windows Interface Bus Interactive Control, introduces you to
wibic, the interactive control program that you can use to communicate with GPIB
devices interactively.
• Chapter 6, GPIB Spy, explains how to use the GPIB Spy utility to monitor and debug
your application program.
• Chapter 7, GPIB Programming Techniques, describes techniques for using some
NI-488 functions and NI-488.2 routines in your application program.
• Chapter 8, wibconf–Windows Interface Bus Configuration Utility, contains a
description of wibconf, the software configuration program you can use to configure
the NI-488.2 software for Windows.
• Appendix A, Status Word Conditions, gives a detailed description of the conditions
reported in the status word, ibsta.
• Appendix B, Error Codes and Solutions, lists a description of each error, some
conditions under which it might occur, and possible solutions.
• Appendix C, Customer Communication, contains forms you can use to request help
from National Instruments or to comment on our products and manuals.
• The Glossary contains an alphabetical list and description of terms used in this manual,
including abbreviations, acronyms, metric prefixes, mnemonics, and symbols.
• The Index contains an alphabetical list of key terms and topics in this manual,
including the page where you can find each one.