IBASK(3)

💖 IBASK(3) — Traditional API Functions 💖

okay bestie, pull up a chair 🫶 this is ibask from section 3 of the manual, living under the Traditional API Functions umbrella, and it's literally your little spyglass into how a GPIB board or device is currently set up 👑

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✨ NAME ✨

ibask — the "hey, what's your configuration rn?" function, for a board or a device 🌸

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

#include <gpib/ib.h>

int ibask(int ud, int option, int *result);

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✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

So here's the vibe: ibask() goes and interrogates all the different configuration settings that belong to the board or device descriptor you hand it in ud 🔍✨

The option argument is you telling it which specific setting you want to peek at 👀 — it's the little label on the drawer you're opening.

Then the answer? It gets written straight into the location that result points at 📬 so make sure that pointer is somewhere real, bestie, no cap.

and if you want to actually change the descriptor's configuration instead of just asking about it, that's a whole different function — go look at ibconfig() 💅

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📋 The Options Table, bestie — every single one 💅

Okay so this is Table 5. ibask options ✨ Every row = one option, its hex value, what you get back when you query it, and whether it's a board thing, a device thing, or both. No skipping, we're doing all of them 🫶

• IbaPAD — value 0x1 · query gives you the GPIB primary address · works for board or device 🌸
• IbaSAD — value 0x2 · query gives you the GPIB secondary address. It's 0 for none, or 0x60 to 0x7f for secondary addresses 0 to 31 · works for board or device ✨
• IbaTMO — value 0x3 · query gives you the Timeout setting for io operations, which is a number from 0 to 17. Go look at ibmto() for the deets · works for board or device ⏳
• IbaEOT — value 0x4 · query gives non-zero if EOI is asserted with the last byte on writes. See ibeot() · (no board/device note listed for this one!) 🦋
• IbaPPC — value 0x5 · query gives you the Parallel poll configuration. See ibppc() · board 🎀
• IbaREADDR — value 0x6 · query gives Useless, included for compatibility only 💀 like it's literally just there for the vibes. device
• IbaAUTOPOLL — value 0x7 · query gives non-zero if automatic serial polling is enabled · board 🔥
• IbaCICPROT — value 0x8 · query gives Useless, included for compatibility only 💀 (yeah, another one) · board
• IbaSC — value 0xa · query gives non-zero if the board is system controller. See ibrsc() · board 👑
• IbaSRE — value 0xb · query gives non-zero if the board automatically asserts the REN line when it becomes the system controller. See ibrsc() · board ⚡
• IbaEOSrd — value 0xc · query gives non-zero if termination of reads on reception of the end-of-string character is enabled. See ibeos(), especially the REOS bit · board or device 📖
• IbaEOSwrt — value 0xd · query gives non-zero if EOI is asserted whenever the end-of-string character is sent. See ibeos(), especially the XEOS bit · board or device ✍️
• IbaEOScmp — value 0xe · query gives non-zero if all 8 bits are used to match the end-of-string character, and zero if only the least significant 7 bits are used. See ibeos(), especially the BIN bit · board or device 🧠
• IbaEOSchar — value 0xf · query gives you the end-of-string byte · board or device 🔤
• IbaPP2 — value 0x10 · query gives non-zero if in

local parallel poll configure mode. Zero if in remote parallel poll configure mode. ✨

• IbaTIMING (0x11) — a number that tells you the T1 delay. 1 = 2 microseconds, 2 = 500 nanoseconds, 3 = 350 nanoseconds. The header files declare these as the constants T1_DELAY_2000ns, T1_DELAY_500ns, and T1_DELAY_350ns. Applies to: board. 🕰️
• IbaReadAdjust (0x13) — non-zero if byte pairs are automatically swapped during reads. Applies to: board or device. 🔄
• IbaWriteAdjust (0x14) — non-zero if byte pairs are automatically swapped during writes. Applies to: board or device. ✍️
• IbaEventQueue (0x15) — non-zero if the event queue is enabled. Applies to: board. 🎟️
• IbaSPollBit (0x16) — non-zero if using the SPOLL bit in ibsta is enabled. Applies to: board. 🔍
• IbaSendLLO (0x17) — non-zero if devices connected to this board are automatically put into local lockout mode when brought online with ibfind() or ibdev(). Applies to: board. 🔒
• IbaSPollTime (0x18) — timeout for serial polls. The result is between 0 and 17, and it means the same thing as in ibtmo(). Applies to: device. ⏳
• IbaPPollTime (0x19) — timeout for parallel polls. The result is between 0 and 17, and it means the same thing as in ibtmo(). Applies to: board. ⌛
• IbaEndBitIsNormal (0x1a) — non-zero if the END bit of ibsta gets set on reception of the end-of-string character or EOI. Zero if the END bit is only set on EOI. Applies to: board or device. 🏁
• IbaUnAddr (0x1b) — non-zero if UNT (untalk) and UNL (unlisten) commands are automatically sent after a completed ibrd* or ibwrt* operation using this descriptor. Applies to: device. 🗣️
• IbaHSCableLength (0x1f) — literally useless, included only for compatibility. Applies to: board. 💀
• IbaIst (0x20) — individual status bit, a.k.a. 'ist'. Applies to: board. 👑
• IbaRsv (0x21) — the current status byte this board will use to respond to serial polls. Applies to: board. 📬
• IbaBNA — 0x200 — bestie, for a device this is the board index (aka the minor number 💅) of the interface board you're reaching that device through. For a board? It's the board index of that board itself, no middleman ✨ — board or device vibes, so it plays for both.
• Iba7BitEOS — 0x1000 — nonzero if the board supports 7 bit EOS comparisons 🎀 go peek at ibeos(), especially the BIN bit, iykyk. This one is a Linux-GPIB extension ⭐ — board-only, so don't come looking for it on a device 🌸

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💖 RETURN VALUE 💖

The value of ibsta is returned. That's it, that's the whole tea 🫶 the status word comes back to you and you go read your flags off it, periodt 👑

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🎀 COPYRIGHT 🎀

Copyright © 2003-2006, 2008 Frank Mori Hess 🌈

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and that's a wrap on IBASK(3), bestie 🦋 this one shipped in linux-gpib 4.3.7, dated 07/06/2026. go forth and interrogate your boards, mwah 💋✨