TLS 216 Programmer Manual 2–1
Command Syntax
You can control the TLS 216 Logic Scope through the GPIB and RS-232-C
interfaces using commands and queries. This section describes the syntax these
commands and queries use. It also describes the conventions the logic scope uses
to process them. The next section, entitled Commands, lists the commands and
queries themselves.
You transmit commands to the logic scope using the enhanced American
Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) character encoding.
Appendix A on page A–1 contains a chart of the ASCII character set.
This manual describes commands and queries using Backus-Naur Form (BNF)
notation and syntax diagrams.
This manual uses the following BNF symbols:
Table 2–1: BNF Symbols and Meanings
Symbol Meaning
 Defined element
 Is defined as
Exclusive OR
 Group; one element is required
 Optional; can be omitted
 Previous element(s) may be repeated
 Comment

Command and Query Structure

Commands consist of set commands and query commands (usually simply called
commands and queries). Commands modify instrument settings or tell the logic
scope to perform a specific action. Queries cause the logic scope to return data
and information about its status.
Most commands have both a set form and a query form. The query form of the
command differs from the set form by its question mark on the end. For
example, the set command  has a query form .
Not all commands have both a set and a query form. Some commands have set
only and some have query only.