When you control a scope with a computer, however, you lose the visual image of the signal. Because you can't see the signal, you need to initialize the scope before each use. Set the scope to a factory-default configuration to ensure the same starting condition every time. Then, use the scope's front-panel controls to best display the waveform. Programming commands let you control an oscilloscope with a computer.
Commands perform the same actions as front-panel controls to configure the instrument.
Once you have the proper settings, you must convert them into software commands for the computer. You can store the response in a file you can later upload to the scope to set the instrument. I don't recommend this practice because the configuration strings typically follow a convention that's unique to a scope model or manufacturer. Interpreting the settings may prove difficult, and if you change scopes, your initialization code may not properly control the new scope. Instead, if you use individual statements to configure each of the scope's settings, you'll get self-documenting code that describes the scope's setup.