README.TXT AGJ723xx Universal Instrument Driver (UID) Driver Revision A.02.03 15th January 2003 Revision History - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- A.00.25 24th January 2002 Initial Release. A.00.26 27th May 2002 Defect fix for Unframed Pattern Front Panel A.02.01 2nd October 2002 Phase 2 Upgrade A.02.03 15th January 2003 Pick up Trace Identifier Mismatch and bug fixes - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contents: 1 Introduction 2 VTL/VISA Specific Information 2.1 Instrument Addresses 2.2 Language Specific Features 3 Using the AGJ723xx UID in Application Development Environments 3.1 Microsoft Visual C/C++ 3.2 Microsoft Visual Basic 3.3 LabWindows/CVI 4.0 Known Defects 5.0 Online Information - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Introduction The help file included with the AGJ723xx Universal Instrument Driver contains instrument and programming information. This readme file contains additional information concerning the driver. The AGJ723xx Windows 95 and Windows NT drivers are actually a single 32-bit driver. All of directory paths which follow assume Windows 95. For Windows NT, change references from win95 to winnt. This AGJ723xx driver conforms to all portions of the VXIplug&play driver standard which are applicable to conventional GPIB and RS-232. Two elements of the standard do not apply to the AGJ723xx since it is not a VXI instrument. First, there is no soft front panel, as the AGJ723xx can be controlled from it's hardware front panel. Second, there is no knowledge base file, which is primarily a description of a VXI board. This driver features: 1. Conformance with the VXIplug&play standard. The only exceptions are that it does not have a soft front panel or a knowledge base file. 2. It is built on top of, and uses the services provided by VISA. VISA supports GPIB and VXI protocols. The driver can be used with any GPIB card for which the manufacturer has provided a VISA DLL. 3. It includes a "Function Panel" (.fp) file which allows it to be used with visual programming environments such as Agilent VEE, LabWindows, and LabVIEW. 4. It includes a comprehensive on-line help file which complements the instrument manual. The help file presents application programming examples, a cross-reference between instrument commands and driver functions, and detailed documentation of each function, with examples. 5. Source is included so that the driver can be modified if desired. The source conforms to VXI Plug & Play standards. Modifications should only be done by people who are familiar with the VXIplug&play standard. 6. It includes a Visual Basic include file (.bas) which contains the function calls in Visual Basic syntax, so that driver functions can be called from Visual Basic. If you use Visual Basic with this driver, you should be familiar with C/C++ function declarations. In particular, care must be taken when working with C/C++ pointers. - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. VISA Specific Information The following topics refer to instances when the driver is used with different versions of VISA. 2.1 Instrument Addresses When using Agilent Technologies VXIplug&play instrument drivers, instrument addresses must be all uppercase letters. Implementation of the addressing scheme is vendor specific and some vendors support mixed cases. However, for maximum portability, the instrument address should use uppercase characters only. For example: use "GPIB0::20" instead of "gpib0::20" 2.2 Language Specific Features Language Specific features are not supported with this driver. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Application Development Environments For general instructions on using the driver with Agilent VEE, Microsoft Visual C++, Borland C++, Microsoft Visual Basic, LabVIEW, and LabWindows/CVI, see the online help file. Additional notes: 3.1 Microsoft Visual C++ 4.0 (& higher) and Borland C++ 4.5 (& higher) A.) The driver uses Pascal calling conventions. B.) Do not build the driver in the directory in which it was installed. 3.2 Microsoft Visual Basic 4.0 (& higher) Refer to the Microsoft Visual BASIC manual for additional information on calling DLLs. 3.3 LabWindows CVI/(R) 4.0 (& higher) The AGJ723xx driver is supplied as both a source code file and as a dynamic link library file (dll). There are several advantages to using the dll form of the driver. These include: 1. Transportability across different computer platforms 2. A higher level of support from Agilent Technologies for the compiled driver 3. Faster load time for your project Labwindows/CVI (R) by default will attempt to load the source version of the instrument driver. To load the dll you must include the file AGJ723xx.fp in your project. This file can be found in vxipnp\win95\AGJ723xx Do not include AGJ723xx.c in your project. You must also provide an include path for AGJ723xx.h. This is done by adding vxipnp\win95\include to the include paths (CVI Project Option menu). - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.0 Known Defects There are no known defects in the AGJ723xx driver. - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.0 Online Information The latest version of this driver and other AG drivers are available on the Internet at http://www.agilent.com/find/inst_drivers If you do not have internet access, the drivers can be obtained by contacting your country support organization. In the U.S., the phone number is 800-452-4844. A list of contact information for other countries is available on the Agilent Technologies website at http://www.agilent.com/find/contacts00. - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LabWindows/CVI is a registered trademark of National Instruments.