Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference  [SOLVED]

Questions about MultiCharts and user contributed studies.
Zheka
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Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby Zheka » 17 Apr 2017

========== ========== ========== ==========
Moderator's note:

You can get the reference guides here:
https://www.multicharts.com/trading-sof ... on_Sources
https://www.multicharts.com/trading-sof ... /Main_Page
viewforum.php?f=16
========== ========== ========== ==========


I could not find a reference to all the available standard PL functions/studies (please guide me to it if there is one; the Easylanguage function reference link is dead for quite some time), there is no "help" description for them in the editor either, and one has to open the whole ladder of used sub-functions to understand what a function does and how is it different from another.

E.g.
- What's the difference between 'AverageArray' and 'Average_a'?
- What's the 'Datatype' parameter in 'StandardDevArray' function?

BTW, I accidentally discovered that "SummationArray" function sums elements starting from 1 to Size, while PL in general uses zero-based arrays...

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby tony » 17 Apr 2017

In the power language editor, you can see all of these. One easy trick, google MultiCharts and the function / indicator of interest and chances are you'll find the info you need on the first few results of the SERP.

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby Zheka » 17 Apr 2017

Oh..REALLY?

The only place built-in functions/studies were described must have been in the Easylanguage "Function and Reserved Words Reference" on the TS site.
And the link is dead for at least a year.

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby tony » 17 Apr 2017

Try this link -

help.TS.com/09_00/tsdevhelp/mergedprojects/elword/elword.htm


And like I referenced above, Google will return a lot of good info on almost indicator, function, etc.

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby Zheka » 17 Apr 2017

1. This link does not work.

2. I am not talking about Reserved words, I am talking about built-in studies

3. NO, Google does not return anything for these very specific implementations of these functions.

4. Why should a paying user spend time at all searching for something that should be documented in the first place??

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby Zheka » 17 Apr 2017

Actually, other basic array functions (VarianceArray and SortArray) process arrays from an index of 1 rather than 0!

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby TJ » 17 Apr 2017

Actually, other basic array functions (VarianceArray and SortArray) process arrays from an index of 1 rather than 0!

This has been a long time EasyLanguage legacy.

It is part of programming's idiosyncrasies.
Just ignore the zero and always start with one and you will be ok.

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby TJ » 17 Apr 2017

Oh..REALLY?

The only place built-in functions/studies were described must have been in the Easylanguage "Function and Reserved Words Reference" on the TS site.
And the link is dead for at least a year.
Yes, download the free ebook and you are all set.

There are lots of copies on the web.

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby tony » 17 Apr 2017

That link shows you info for reserved words AND functions. It will tell you the input and outputs / how calculated for functions like you need. Beyond that it's not up to MC to explain technicals or the basis / theory behind a function. They provide the code to make it work. I'm not sure why that link doesn't work when I insert it here. Let my try and paste it another way and see if that works. It answers the specific questions you asked below

What's the difference between 'AverageArray' and 'Average_a'?
- What's the 'Datatype' parameter in 'StandardDevArray' function?

The link for some reason is taking the words TS and shortening to TS which is why it won't work. Change TS to TS and it should work - help.TS.com/09_00/tsdevhelp/mergedprojects/elword/elword.htm

Edit - if you try to spell out the acronym TS it is forced into the acronym. Spell out TS in the link and it will work and answer your questions.

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby Zheka » 18 Apr 2017


This has been a long time EasyLanguage legacy.

It is part of programming's idiosyncrasies.
Just ignore the zero and always start with one and you will be ok.
This fact must be HIGHLIGHTED somewhere in the Arrays section of MC/PL documentation!
https://www.multicharts.com/trading-sof ... .php/Array

People are getting wrong results and/or waste hours trying to understand why things do not work as expected.

@MC/Angelina: Your thoughts/actions, please.

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby Zheka » 18 Apr 2017

None of the links on the official MC page (https://www.multicharts.com/trading-sof ... _Resources),
nor links given by Google, nor the one from Tony - work.

After some deeper searching the web, I did find the TS 8.3 EL Functions and Reserved Words manual.

BUT:
It describes only 50-60% of the functions currently available in MC!

It's high time that MC creates its own documentation on this.

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby TJ » 18 Apr 2017


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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby Zheka » 18 Apr 2017

This link does not work for me either :-(

Would you mind attaching the document,please?

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby tony » 18 Apr 2017


That's the link I posted yesterday.

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby Henry MultiСharts » 18 Apr 2017

None of the links on the official MC page (https://www.multicharts.com/trading-sof ... _Resources),
nor links given by Google, nor the one from Tony - work.
After some deeper searching the web, I did find the TS 8.3 EL Functions and Reserved Words manual.
BUT:
It describes only 50-60% of the functions currently available in MC!
It's high time that MC creates its own documentation on this.
Zheka,

All of these links (including those in the Wiki) work ok. Please use a different web browser with extensions disabled.

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference  [SOLVED]

Postby Zheka » 18 Apr 2017

Hmm. Indeed. I could access it via IE.

Still, a lot of MC's functions are not covered...

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby TrendFirst » 28 Oct 2018

I am in the process of learning about MC Functions, and looked for a reference document. None to be found on Multicharts website.

I searched this forum and found this thread. None of the links in this thread work, even tho I tried them in multiple browsers.

I'm with Zheka, I expected better Multicharts/Powerlanguage - specific documentation. I did google "TS Easylanguage Function Reference" and found a couple of documents and downloaded them. I think it is a bit disingenuous to say this issue is "Solved". Not looking for any answers from MC Tech Support, just making a comment, attempting to give this issue some attention and supporting my fellow MC users that need better documentation. Thanks for listening.

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby TJ » 28 Oct 2018

I am in the process of learning about MC Functions, and looked for a reference document. None to be found on Multicharts website.

I searched this forum and found this thread. None of the links in this thread work, even tho I tried them in multiple browsers.

I'm with Zheka, I expected better Multicharts/Powerlanguage - specific documentation. I did google "TS Easylanguage Function Reference" and found a couple of documents and downloaded them. I think it is a bit disingenuous to say this issue is "Solved". Not looking for any answers from MC Tech Support, just making a comment, attempting to give this issue some attention and supporting my fellow MC users that need better documentation. Thanks for listening.

Since you are not looking for any answers from MC Tech Support, so I will chime in:
MultiCharts was designed to be compatible with the EasyLanguage. All the legacy functions are the "same".
EasyLanguage has been around for over 25 yrs. There are tons of time-tested learning materials on the web.

I am not speaking for MultiCharts, my personal thought is, Why re-invent the wheel?
If MC were to re-write (re-word) the reference guide, what value can be added to it?


If you have a specific question on a specific function, please feel free to post it on this forum. Lots of experienced users in this community will be happy to help you.

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby TrendFirst » 28 Oct 2018

Thank you for chiming in, TJ. I appreciate there are a lot of legacy documents available for Easylanguage, and that it has been around for 25 years. But it has not been static for 25 years, it has evolved. And Powerlanguage is not exactly the "same" as Easylanguage. When a product is being commercially marketed, users can and should expect full documentation. Even if it is a "MultiCharts Powerlanguage Addendum to Trade_Station Easylanguage". And a full explanation (up front, in advance of purchase) that buyers of Multicharts will need to access other documentation independent of the MC documents, if they want to take full advantage of Powerlanguage.

Thank you for volunteering forum assistance about specific functions, I will likely take advantage of that.

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby TJ » 28 Oct 2018

Thank you for chiming in, TJ. I appreciate there are a lot of legacy documents available for Easylanguage, and that it has been around for 25 years. But it has not been static for 25 years, it has evolved. And Powerlanguage is not exactly the "same" as Easylanguage. When a product is being commercially marketed, users can and should expect full documentation. Even if it is a "MultiCharts Powerlanguage Addendum to Trade_Station Easylanguage". And a full explanation (up front, in advance of purchase) that buyers of Multicharts will need to access other documentation independent of the MC documents, if they want to take full advantage of Powerlanguage.

Thank you for volunteering forum assistance about specific functions, I will likely take advantage of that.
I thought you are talking about functions.
There are no new functions other than those from the legacy TS.

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby TJ » 28 Oct 2018

Thank you for chiming in, TJ. I appreciate there are a lot of legacy documents available for Easylanguage, and that it has been around for 25 years. But it has not been static for 25 years, it has evolved. And Powerlanguage is not exactly the "same" as Easylanguage. When a product is being commercially marketed, users can and should expect full documentation. Even if it is a "MultiCharts Powerlanguage Addendum to Trade_Station Easylanguage". . . .

Please see the first 2 threads in the Announcement section

viewforum.php?f=16

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby TJ » 28 Oct 2018

Thank you for chiming in, TJ. I appreciate there are a lot of legacy documents available for Easylanguage, and that it has been around for 25 years. But it has not been static for 25 years, it has evolved. And Powerlanguage is not exactly the "same" as Easylanguage. When a product is being commercially marketed, users can and should expect full documentation. Even if it is a "MultiCharts Powerlanguage Addendum to Trade_Station Easylanguage". And a full explanation (up front, in advance of purchase) that buyers of Multicharts will need to access other documentation independent of the MC documents, if they want to take full advantage of Powerlanguage.

Thank you for volunteering forum assistance about specific functions, I will likely take advantage of that.


Maybe there is a cross of terminology and misunderstanding here.

In EasyLanguagese, a "Function" is a script of code that is used in building indicators and strategies.

You can get the reference guide here:
https://www.multicharts.com/trading-sof ... on_Sources

https://www.multicharts.com/trading-sof ... /Main_Page

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby TrendFirst » 28 Oct 2018

Thank you for the links to the reference guide, TJ. For some reason these links do not appear when I search the Multicharts site, but thankfully I found them when I searched the web. I think the terminology is straight - it's just that I am new to using functions, and the documentation is not where I looked (Support - Online Help&Wiki), and it did not come up in a search of this area. I did not look in the FAQ or Forum for the documents, as I wouldn't expect them to be there. I suppose we are all a bit different in our expectations.

When I looked at the Easylanguage Function and Reserved Word Reference, I noticed there were many more functions and reserved words than in Powerlanguage. I did not do a rigorous comparison, I just noticed they were quite different. Perhaps Multicharts just contains the legacy functions, and not the new ones in Easylanguage? I do not know the history of Easylanguage and Powerlanguage, slowly coming up to speed. Thanks again.

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Re: Powerlanguage Function/studies Reference

Postby TJ » 28 Oct 2018

. . .

I do not know the history of Easylanguage and Powerlanguage, slowly coming up to speed. Thanks again.

The classic EasyLanguage is a Procedural Language derived from Pascal.

Ie. it uses English-like syntax that are easy to learn, easy to write and easy to understand; you do not need formal training to master it.

About 8 yrs ago, TS released version 9 of its platform. New features of this platform include an "Object-Oriented Programming Language" extension.
You can google OOPL for more information.

The extension is similar to the .NET version of the MultiCharts - it is more programmable, but it requires more "heavy-duty" learning.
ie. it has departed from the original EasyLanguage principle of easy to learn, easy to write, and easy to understand.

At about the same time, MultiCharts began adding new keywords to do analysis that are sorely lacking in the EasyLanguage.
eg. sub-second analysis, bar-number reference, etc.,

If you have programming training, you might find OOPL/.NET useful.
If you are a trader, you will find the English-like EasyLanguage/PowerLanguage the way to go.

In terms of the number of functions, I will let you do your own due diligence.

Good luck and good trading to you.


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