VISA libraries

Virtual instruments software architecture (VISA) is a standardized software interface library providing input and output functions to communicate with instruments. High-level programming platforms use VISA as an intermediate abstraction layer. VISA encapsulates the low-level function calls and thus makes the transport interface transparent for the user.

A VISA installation is a prerequisite for remote control via the LAN, USB, GPIB, or RS-232. The I/O channel is selected at initialization time via the channel-specific address string or a VISA alias (short name). The VISA address resource strings are typically displayed in the GUI of the instrument.

VISA has dedicated API functions (not available for socket, or serial connections). You can use the following built-in commands:

  • Open a session with instrument - viOpen()

  • Write data to instrument - viWrite()

  • Read STB register - viReadSTB()

  • Read output buffer - viRead()

  • Wait for an occurrence of the specified event - viWaitOnEvent()

For further information, refer to: