Multicharts 6.0 Beta 2 feedback

Questions about MultiCharts and user contributed studies.
User avatar
Stanley Miller
Posts: 556
Joined: 26 Jul 2005
Has thanked: 3 times

Multicharts 6.0 Beta 2 feedback

Postby Stanley Miller » 01 Jan 2010

Multicharts 6.0 Beta 2 is now available.

This version is stable enough to use it for everyday work, however, some bugs might appear as happens in any beta version. Customers willing to participate in beta-testing are welcome to install this beta version, use its new functionality and inform us about all found problems in this thread.

tekram
Posts: 96
Joined: 26 May 2009
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 18 times

Postby tekram » 01 Jan 2010

Congratulations on a job well done and happy new year !

The new build looks stable and beta1 has been stable as well the last 2 weeks.

However, trying to use Zenfire (ampfuture broker) feed and could not get historical data, not tick or minute data. Connection was okay, just no data. Are their historical data server only active during market hours and not weekends or holidays? Are the data only limited to certain broker feed?

Thanks. Refer to this post as well: hxxp://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.php?t=6885

bowlesj3
Posts: 2180
Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Has thanked: 227 times
Been thanked: 429 times

Postby bowlesj3 » 01 Jan 2010

Question?

I use to uninstall before I installed. I did it with the jump from MC 2.1.999.999 to MC6.0 beta1. Is that still recommended with these latest releases?

Thanks,
John.

bowlesj3
Posts: 2180
Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Has thanked: 227 times
Been thanked: 429 times

Postby bowlesj3 » 01 Jan 2010

I want to +1 on Tcat's suggestion to have the space bar as a short cut key to toggle the replay play/pause button. It would be handy.

bowlesj3
Posts: 2180
Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Has thanked: 227 times
Been thanked: 429 times

Postby bowlesj3 » 01 Jan 2010

I installed the beta 2 and tried to get the data offline and it lost a day. I had been working with beta 1 offline just before and the database definitely had the last trading day. So I returned my backup files which I always take at the end of a trading day (just to be sure) and again the same thing. So I had to bring up TWS and do a backfill to get beta 2 to have the data. Then I closed it down and brought it back up offline to see if it held it and it did. Now this seems a bit strange to me. It is lucky that TWS is now available almost all the time for backfilling or I would have gone back to beta 1 to try and resolve it.

bowlesj3
Posts: 2180
Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Has thanked: 227 times
Been thanked: 429 times

Postby bowlesj3 » 02 Jan 2010

For my use the replay as it stands now is very good actually. Great job.

However, here is a replay idea for a long ways down the road (like MC 10.0 or whatever). It occurred to me that if I or anyone was to instruct students (and especially if there were a few in the class) the database feature I mentioned earlier would need to be able to jump directly from the database (in full global mode) out to a specific spot without showing any of the future in any chart. So I guess if that was ever done there could be an approximate jump which positioned only one chart and time tracking could be used to get all charts lined up before the existing jump button was used then there would be a testing jump out of the database which guaranteed that students could not see the future beyond the jump point in any chart. A variant (not as good) would be the ability to run all charts very fast in global mode up to a testing point then stop automatically. The problem with running fast up to a jump point to hide the future is that testing by category would be harder (slower).

Will I teach? Not sure. However when I started day trading I was in a course and they had 6 or 7 students every two weeks. I am not sure if that company is doing that any more but they are still in business with prop traders.

SP
Posts: 465
Joined: 06 Feb 2006
Has thanked: 36 times
Been thanked: 286 times

Postby SP » 02 Jan 2010

One suggestion: Could you add a prompt "Format" if you add a study into the scanner like it is for inserting a study into the chart.

User avatar
arnie
Posts: 1594
Joined: 11 Feb 2009
Location: Portugal
Has thanked: 481 times
Been thanked: 514 times

Postby arnie » 02 Jan 2010

The copy/paste several rows in Market Scanner is welcomed, thanks. Though it took me a while to discover how (Ctrl + mouse left button). I was trying with the usual keyboard shortcuts.

You really need to address the Holiday setup in another way.
I like the idea to have the possibility to write in QM the holiday dates, but having to delete those same dates so we can see them in the charts makes no sence.
MC must have a switch to turn on/off the holidays dates and that switch must also be recognized by indicators and signals.

Also, the holidays are messing up a couple of my indicators.
I have several "custom made" indicators that read the full ES session (1530 til 1515) .
As all know, ES trades half of it's regular session time during most of the holidays, and as far as I can see, MC is dealing with them the same way it deals with stocks, the reading is being made only by date and not also by time.

So assuming that a new trading day began in ES at 1530, November 25, at midnight, November 26 (Thanksgiving Day), the holiday kicked in (by date) and MC stopped updating the data, only to reestablished the connection at midnight, November 27, when the holiday officially (by date) ended. But the fact is, ES started to trade at 1700, November 26.
So, we have a gap in ES prices between 1700, November 26 and midnight, November 27.
Needless to say, this is a major problem.

Regarding QM, I think it would be nice to download data directly from it.
Let me explain.
Today I've been collecting historical data (1 minute) from a couple of symbols and the only way possible is to open the chart one by one, select the data lenght and open it.
Now, I was thinking how nice it would be to select several symbols in QM, right click mouse button, selecting Connect Symbol, and a menu would open where we could select only to connect the symbol, or download its data, selecting the time lenght, and the resolution.

Also in QM, we should have access to the "filter" window.
Futures and stocks are divided by exchange, and I think that's OK, but we could also divide them by, for example, indexes or sectors.
We could create or own "filter" inside the default QM filters, and then copy/paste the symbols we wanted into them.
This would facilitate our job in finding a particular stock or future and connect it.

Imagine that we wanted to connect GE stock. Imagine that we have the entire NYSE stocks in QM. We would need to scroll almost half the NYSE stocks to find GE.
If we had a "filter" named DOW30, well...

Now regarding IQFeed client.
At this moment, I have 25 symbols opened in MC, which is correct according to the connection manager, and I have 4 clients connected. What clients are these?
I have 4 charts opened and 1 market scanner. If the clients were the open windows (charts and scanner) then things were fine, but would be 5 windows, not 6.
Also, when I close one or more windows, the IQFeed client retains those 6 clients.
I reported this to IQFeed support and they said it is a known MC problem that you weren't able to resolve it yet.

Regards,
Fernando

tcat
Posts: 175
Joined: 02 Feb 2008
Location: Lausanne, Switzerland
Has thanked: 9 times
Been thanked: 5 times

Postby tcat » 06 Jan 2010

Bug: With beta 1 & beta 2, graph status is not maintained on exit. If you configured you graph with a specific date and backward historical ticks, the date is reset to present date next time you log in.

Dug
Posts: 31
Joined: 26 Aug 2009
Location: London

cut and paste image

Postby Dug » 14 Jan 2010

Hi FYI- I am having troubles cutting and pasting the image of a chart to the clipboard in the latest beta version.
Saving as a file seems to have no problems.

When an image is maximised it does not copy to the clipboard.....

Using File - copy image to clipboard appears to copy something, but when trying to paste it into say a word document noting appears.
It has worked in the past whereby i can place an image in another document.
I have tried all sorts of variations - cut and paste special, shift+ctrl+c, etc.

HOWEVER it seems to work if I have a workspace with only one image in it, or the image is minimised. If there is more than one image in my workspace then it seems to run into some problems when the image I am trying to copy is maximised.
thanks.

Kev
Posts: 4
Joined: 01 Jan 2010
Location: England

Beta2 BigPointValue returns incorrect value for Zenfire feed

Postby Kev » 14 Jan 2010

The returned BigPointValue for numerous Zenfire contracts in beta 2 is incorrect (using the code to get the values (text added manually to output to make it more legible;
once Print ("BigPointValue " + symbolname + " " + numtostr(BigPointValue,2)));
some examples are below;


TS @FGBL BigPointValue 1000.00
Zenfire FGBL0310 BigPointValue 1.00
TS @FESX BigPointValue 10.00
Zenfire FESX0310 BigPointValue 1.00
TS @CL BigPointValue 1000.00
Zenfire CLG0 BigPointValue 1.00
TS @BP BigPointValue 62500.00
Zenfire 6BH0 BigPointValue 10.00
TS @EC BigPointValue 125000.00
Zenfire 6BH0 BigPointValue 10.00
TS @TY BigPointValue 1000.00
Zenfire ZNH0 BigPointValue 10.00
TS @GC BigPointValue 1000.00
Zenfire GCG0 BigPointValue 1.00
TS @FDAX BigPointValue 25.00
Zenfire FDAXH0 BigPointValue 1.00
TS @SI BigPointValue 5000.00
Zenfire SIH0 BigPointValue 1.00

Thanks

Kev.

User avatar
arnie
Posts: 1594
Joined: 11 Feb 2009
Location: Portugal
Has thanked: 481 times
Been thanked: 514 times

Postby arnie » 14 Jan 2010

There's a problem with saving workspaces.

For some reason, Multicharts didn't closed properly and when I opened it, it asked me if I wanted to save the previous data due to that incorrect close.

I said OK, and all the workspaces that were opened back then, before the close, are now "empty". I have no charts and no scanners in them.

What happened?

It appears that due to that incorrect close, not only the data wasn't properly saved, but also the workspaces.


Regards,
Fernando

bowlesj3
Posts: 2180
Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Has thanked: 227 times
Been thanked: 429 times

Postby bowlesj3 » 14 Jan 2010

I just discovered you can use zoom while in replay. It just keeps going as normal. Now that is pretty cool.

Also if you zoom a historic area it stays still for you but if you zoom the front portion that is replaying it keeps moving. That is perfect.

at
Posts: 4
Joined: 20 Dec 2009

Format instrument - data range issue

Postby at » 14 Jan 2010

In format instrument window, under setting->data range, if you define data range using days back, MC always reset the defined date to the current date everytime the format instrument window is re-open, the last date also always shows the current date instead of the date defined by the user. very tedious to reset every instrument in the chart when using expired instruments for backing testing.

at
Posts: 4
Joined: 20 Dec 2009

Format instrument - data range issue

Postby at » 14 Jan 2010

In format instrument window, under setting->data range, if you define data range using days back, MC always reset the defined date to the current date everytime the format instrument window is re-open, the last date also always shows the current date instead of the date defined by the user. very tedious to reset every instrument in the chart when using expired instruments for backing testing.

Kev
Posts: 4
Joined: 01 Jan 2010
Location: England

6.0 B2 BUG,errors with Zenfire and BigpointValue, Minmove an

Postby Kev » 15 Jan 2010

Further to my post above;

With the Zenfire feed BigpointValue, Minmove and sometimes PriceScale are calculated incorrectly. Below is a list of discrepancies between the TS feed (all look correct) and the calculations based on the Zenfire feed;

TS @TF BigPointValue 100.00 Minmove 10.00 PriceScale 100.00
ZenFire TF FMH0010!BigPointValue 1.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 100.00
TS @TY BigPointValue 1000.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 64.00
ZenFire ZNH0 BigPointValue 10.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 10000.00
TS @YM BigPointValue 5.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 1.00
ZenFire YMH0 BigPointValue 10.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 10000.00
TS @FDAX BigPointValue 25.00 Minmove 5.00 PriceScale 10.00
ZenFire FDAX0310 BigPointValue 1.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 100.00
TS @FESX BigPointValue 10.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 1.00
ZenFire FESX0310 BigPointValue 1.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 100.00
TS @BP BigPointValue 62500.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 10000.00
ZenFire 6BH0 BigPointValue 10.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 10000.00
TS @EC BigPointValue 125000.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 10000.00
ZenFire 6EH0 BigPointValue 10.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 10000.00
TS @GC BigPointValue 100.00 Minmove 10.00 PriceScale 100.00
ZenFire GCG0 BigPointValue 1.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 10000.00
TS @SI BigPointValue 5000.00 Minmove 5.00 PriceScale 1000.00
ZenFire SIH0 BigPointValue 1.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 10000.00
TS @FGBL BigPointValue 1000.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 100.00
ZenFire FGBL0310 BigPointValue 1.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 100.00
TS @CL BigPointValue 1000.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 100.00
ZenFire CLG0 BigPointValue 1.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 10000.00
TS @QM BigPointValue 500.00 Minmove 25.00 PriceScale 1000.00
ZenFire QMG0 BigPointValue 1.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 10000.00
TS @JY BigPointValue 125000.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 10000.00
ZenFire 6JH0 BigPointValue 125000.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 10000.00
TS @CD BigPointValue 100000.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 10000.00
ZenFire 6CH0 BigPointValue 10.00 Minmove 1.00 PriceScale 10000.00


Please confirm that this is in fact the correct place to report bugs etc in the 6.0 B2.


Thanks

Kev.

bowlesj3
Posts: 2180
Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Has thanked: 227 times
Been thanked: 429 times

Postby bowlesj3 » 17 Jan 2010

It is pretty rare but I have noticed that at times when I move the replay speed slider forward to a very fast speed the replay does not change speed to match this slider change. I have to play with it a bit (maybe turning the pause on and off) to finally get it to speed up.

User avatar
arnie
Posts: 1594
Joined: 11 Feb 2009
Location: Portugal
Has thanked: 481 times
Been thanked: 514 times

Postby arnie » 19 Jan 2010

This beta 2 have the same problem when reloading a chart/data like MC 4 had (I don't remember if this also happened in version 5.5).

Apparently, this morning my internet connection went down, since I had a 3 hours hole in my charts and the DRM warning when I arrived home.

I hit Ctrl+R to reload the charts and today's data simply disappeared.

I was forced to close the workspace, reopen it so all data could be reloaded without a problem.

John reported something similar, though his problem is with MC in offline mode.

I thought this could be related with some data feed restriction, but this happened with IB and IQFeed.

Regards,
Fernando

bowlesj3
Posts: 2180
Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Has thanked: 227 times
Been thanked: 429 times

Postby bowlesj3 » 21 Jan 2010

After note: see the next post as well.

Using the 10 second bars, I just timed the slider speed which says "1 Update every 5 seconds". It actually is 1 update every 11 seconds. No wonder I could not use it. Of course it needs to be properly timed and include the speeds I suggested in another post.

For my use, 1 update every 10 seconds is okay for some trades. However for others I would run it at 1 update every 2,3 or 4 seconds (has to be accurate to those times). At times I may do a special practice at 1 update every 5 seconds or 6 seconds. Probably never 1 update every 10 seconds but some may want that. I still think it would be a good idea to have the slider speeds customizable by the trader (and of course accurate to the clock).

http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.ph ... c&start=50
3RD PAGE SHOWS THE MISSING SLIDER SPEEDS WHICH NEED TO ALSO BE MADE ACCURATE.


+1 and -1 buttons are very definitely going to be useful as would a favorite speed button.
Last edited by bowlesj3 on 23 Jan 2010, edited 1 time in total.

bowlesj3
Posts: 2180
Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Has thanked: 227 times
Been thanked: 429 times

Postby bowlesj3 » 23 Jan 2010

Interesting. Today the "1 update every 5 seconds" replay slider setting seems to be working properly. Come to think of it I have seen a few times when sliding to the fast speed setting took a while to actually kick in (I had to slide it a few times). So there seems to be an intermittent bug here where SOMETIMES the slider changes do not work right away. The bug I reported above must have been because I moved the slider to the "1 update every 10 seconds" a few times and then later setting it to "1 update every 5 seconds" did not take hold.

Anyway on a related topic, after a few weeks working with the replay I am pretty sure I would have the favorite speed button set to 1 update very 3 seconds, and use the +/- buttons to occasionally go up or down one unit from that depending on the trade triggering difficulty level. These are good practice speeds. For a day trader using 10 second bars, it forces you to react fast and thus makes it such that the real market is actually very slow and fairly easy (LOL, except for the fact that you can't see the future. LOL Minor point!).

As mentioned on a prior post, I would slide the speed right up to full speed to zoom ahead on occasion then back to the slowest speed to stop it then click the favorite speed button before or after the jump button so I am ready for the next replay trigger practice.

This is an excellent exercise as well for refining the triggering rules themselves.

LOL. As an afterthought I it is sort of funny that MC's replay is missing the 3 speeds I figure I would use the most often and the only speeds I am likely to use for the replay itself. Anyhow, great job none the less for a first time issue. Increased levels of perfection should draw increased discretionary traders.

bowlesj3
Posts: 2180
Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Has thanked: 227 times
Been thanked: 429 times

Postby bowlesj3 » 23 Jan 2010

Yes for sure, the above mentioned bug with the playback slider control is verified. I have been moving the slider back and forth between "1 update every second" and "1 update every 5 seconds" and now the "1 update every 5 seconds" is doing an update every 7 or 8 seconds which is just too slow for me. (Sunday it came in as every 9 or 10 seconds so it is different every time it seems).

It seems that the "1 update very second" is the one speed that I have not seen a problem with (except for maybe a short problem where the replay would not actually start but once it got going the speed seemed correct).

I guess I shoud mention that I am running the replay on the 10 second bars only (not using the global button).

So to summarize:
1/ The slider speeds need to be accurate (all the time - it is important!).
2/ The 2,3,4 second speeds need to be in the slider control.
3/ Buttons for +/- one speed increment & a favorite speed button would be a great help for all.
(Slider then functions as a fast forward and almost stopped control)
4/ Consider allowing the trader to customize these speed selections. Some may find this useful. I personally don't need it if #1,#2 and #3 are done (YET at least).

Tcat's space bar to pause/play is a great idea too.

If you were to customize the speed slider control maybe a special button could take the trader to a form which has all the slider increments in a left hand column and the user can select a speed for each increment (maybe using drop down selection if that is appropriate). So if this is actually done what this does is allow the trader to customize the slider for the favorite speed button and the +/- button adjustments they will use on a regular basis.
Last edited by bowlesj3 on 25 Jan 2010, edited 1 time in total.

bowlesj3
Posts: 2180
Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Has thanked: 227 times
Been thanked: 429 times

Postby bowlesj3 » 25 Jan 2010

Removed.
Last edited by bowlesj3 on 27 Jan 2010, edited 1 time in total.

bowlesj3
Posts: 2180
Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Has thanked: 227 times
Been thanked: 429 times

Postby bowlesj3 » 27 Jan 2010

There is a user manual suggestion at the end of this thank you.

Thanks for listening to Fernando and I and putting this ESC button cancel zoom feature in. Works great!
http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.ph ... light=zoom
I don't know what release this came in on but I just realized that ESC can be used to cancel the zoom button after it is clicked rather than having to actually zoom a section of chart and click the cancel zoom button to get out of it (that was a pain).

Not only that I realized that it was taken a step further and after a section of chart is zoomed the ESC button can be used to cancel that cursor such that arrows can be moved and lines can be moved in the area of the chart that has been zoomed in on (maybe other functions too but I have not discovered them yet). Includes other functions on other charts. In other words I can zoom one chart and do activitites getting ready for a trade on other charts. Cool!

The suggestion is to put what I just noticed into the manual somwhere (after the documentation specialists have fixed it up of course).

The related suggestion is an old one which is to put these detailed features into your beta features inclusion list with numbers. I just looked up wiki on google which was suggested in this thread
http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.ph ... ght=manual

A wiki is a website that uses wiki software, allowing the easy creation and editing of any number of interlinked (often databased) Web pages ...


Yes that is it I guess. So to tie this all together here is a time frame map of manual Kiwi entry development.

(before users actually see anything)
1/ early in the design process create rough manul updates in the kiwi.
2/ revised in the programming process (I know from experience that designs change as the programmers get to the nitty gritty detail stage). Kiwi is updated.

(first exposure of the manual segements to the user after documentation specialists do at least some sort of a review with the idea that they want to reduce support demands rather than increase them with Wiki errors.)

3/ beta announcement list (some kiwi entries are included here so users know exactly what these features being mentioned are and how they will likely work) (maybe bug fixes could be included if they are thought of as features).

4/ beta testing phase (kiwi entries help the users test faster)

5/ final release (kiwi entries are refined as needed by documentation specialists as part of the release).


Thanks again,
John.
Last edited by bowlesj3 on 27 Jan 2010, edited 3 times in total.

User avatar
RobotMan
Posts: 375
Joined: 12 Jul 2006
Location: Los Altos, California, USA
Has thanked: 31 times
Been thanked: 13 times
Contact:

Postby RobotMan » 27 Jan 2010

Hi John,

I agree. Having a wiki for a MC Beta is nice. It will never happen, but it's nice.

But saying a software package is "released" without a .pdf user manual is just wrong on so many levels. It's just lazy and a disservice to new users. I shouldn't have to come to a user forum to find out why my trendline doesn't snap to the high or low of a price bar because I need to do some esoteric maneuver with visual layers by right clicking prior to using that tool. I also shouldn't have to own TS and TS documentation and access to TS Securities Forum so that I can know how Multicharts works.

I expect Andrew to blast me for that, but that's how I feel.
Sometimes I think Multicharts is like having a rare jewel kept in a safe with a one digit combination - you don't know if what you are looking for is even in the safe and then you still have to work at figuring it out.

bowlesj3
Posts: 2180
Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Has thanked: 227 times
Been thanked: 429 times

Postby bowlesj3 » 27 Jan 2010

But saying a software package is "released" without a .pdf user manual is just wrong on so many levels.
Hi Bob,

Regarding the above I didn't imply that did I? I suspect you are referring to TSS. I am not sure if the manual would be pdf. I am not sure if a Wiki can be used to create a .PDF.

I am not an expert on Wiki software but I suspect it is nothing more than a specialized help database with hyperlinks that can be put on a web page. It should make TSS's life much easier (once it is learned). I am wondering if it might never happen in the actual beta stage release announcment because TSS might not want the competition to get this "coming features detailed info" too early.

MC is a young software. I suspect that once it matures (meaning not so many new features so fast) then the help will tend to keep up a little better with each new release. If they design and program with the Wiki somehow that would really speed it up since they create the help before any software actually gets written (or fixed or tweeked). The people who clean up the Wiki would do at least one pass through the Wiki before beta rather than after (beta Wiki). If intended fixes went into the Wiki during beta before the fix and the programmers updated the Wiki once the fix is in it could be a sort of reporting method. In other words the Wiki gets updated before the software always (not sure how they would do that but it sounds good at least :D )

John.

bowlesj3
Posts: 2180
Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Has thanked: 227 times
Been thanked: 429 times

Postby bowlesj3 » 27 Jan 2010

In the replay there is a button to step forward 1 bar at a time (or more if it is set that way). It would be useful for me at least if that could have a short cut key attached to it (set by the user). In my case I would attach the backquote key (that is the one with the "~" on it as well). It might be useful for other traders too if they execute trade entries on software outside of MC and they do a fast focus switch away from MC.

The reason I chose that key is because when I trigger a trade I quickly press Alt+Tab to switch the focus away from MC to my execution software. Before that I am dropping arrows on my 10 second bar chart to mark the lowest levels of waves as part of a programmed procedure to try and get an accurate entry point. To do this my right hand is tied up controlling the mouse. My left hand is ready at "alt plus tab" for the exact moment I want to switch forcus away from MC. So during my nightly practice hour the closest free key to step the chart one bar at a time if I want is the backquote key. It would be pressed by my 2nd finger away from my thumb. That leaves the thumb and the index finger right there ready to press the alt+Tab.

Maybe the Shift plus "~" key could be the step the replay backwards. That is very close at hand too.

bowlesj3
Posts: 2180
Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Has thanked: 227 times
Been thanked: 429 times

Postby bowlesj3 » 27 Jan 2010

Regarding this partial extract from a post I created for replay slider speed feed back on the first MC 6.0 beta 1 release,
1 update every 5 seconds
1 update every 1 second (should be 4 seconds)
1 update every 1 second (should be 3 seconds)
1 update every 1 second (should be 2 seconds)
1 update every 1 second
1 update every 1 second (duplicated the one above it)
2 updates every 1 second
I just realized that the set of five duplicate "1 update every 1 second" slider setting are actually changing the speed of the replay rather than being just duplicates as their names incorrectly imply. It seems that the top one (slider left) is running the replay at about 1 update every 2 seconds and the bottom one (slider right) is running the speed faster than "1 update every 1 second".

I personally would rather have it as I suggested off to the right side of each one (and accurate to that) but it is good to know that the slider can be set to a slightly slower speed by keeping it at the far left of the duplicate group.

User avatar
RobotMan
Posts: 375
Joined: 12 Jul 2006
Location: Los Altos, California, USA
Has thanked: 31 times
Been thanked: 13 times
Contact:

Postby RobotMan » 27 Jan 2010

Hi John,
Regarding the above I didn't imply that did I?
Oops! No, I didn't mean you, I meant software companies in general and TSS in particular.

They have this awesome charting and testing software but no updates to the user manual since version 3 until I just heard about a user manual for 5.5 a couple of months ago. Big gap.
So many questions. Hard to figure out undocumented features and reserved words on my own. After a while I just say "screw it" and keep coming back to the forum to keep up with latest bugs and features. (I have actually stopped doing research until the tick by tick intrabarpersist problem is resolved. I am really chomping at the bit because my NinjaScript skill are so limited and if I want something weird or different, I have to pay someone to code it. Even if I am just testing an idea.)

Another thought about a wiki - A wiki is a collaborative effort and allows anyone to input, whether correct info is added or not. At least it would be better organized than a random forum that is hard to search on. But it would require dedicated long term effort to keep it current. And who would do that? TJ, you? Is there anyone from TSS that regularly and daily supports this forum anymore like Marina did? I have the feeling we are stuck with the way things are right now until TSS makes a big sale or has a stock offering to raise cash to hire full time moderators. Or maybe I have it all wrong.

bowlesj3
Posts: 2180
Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Has thanked: 227 times
Been thanked: 429 times

Postby bowlesj3 » 28 Jan 2010

Hi Bob,

Wiki could be a problem if not done correctly. They may have to make a copy of it at each beta beginning (the start of design of the beta). From there the designers design with the copy and the programmers adjust or add to it with consultation with the designers (common sense common communication). A match program could isolate the differences from the last official Wiki (assuming it is a database with a key that could be used for this and the hyperlink may actually be the key to use if every entry has a hyperlink) which could save time in reviewing it before beta announcement (no need to read the whole thing every time). No doubt a plan/method/procedure would be needed to keep it organized and efficient (more efficient than the current method). However even if the first wiki attempt was not a perfect one it would get the info out to the user on how to run certain features exactly when they are available.

John.

bowlesj3
Posts: 2180
Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Has thanked: 227 times
Been thanked: 429 times

Postby bowlesj3 » 28 Jan 2010

Here is an even more novel Wiki idea (a beta idea actually :D). Why not have stage called "Wiki beta design". In other words, why not share the help hyperlinks out to the forum during the actual design process before the programming and even during the programming adjustments. Before this is done of course TSS needs to have an estimate of what they can handle or decide to put in. What I am saying is if they decide to tackle X amount of programming they create the help (that is the design) they share it back to the forum and get ideas for adjustment (this forces the users to think a little deeper about the actual operation), they make adjustments (maybe even dropping a feature if they think they can not handle it just yet). So as an example they help may be sent back out to the forum 2 or 3 times before the beta software containing that feature actually gets released. It is all a matter of cutoffs but in the end the user actually knows how to operate the feature before it is available (and maybe before it is working properly).

Regarding all this I think the designers really need to be experts in documentation procedures (as good as a documentation specialist).

So to answer this question Bob,
But it would require dedicated long term effort to keep it current. And who would do that? TJ, you?
The answer if this idea was implemented would be the designers themselves and the programmers (with input from the forum users who reviewed the help before the programming started or during the beta programming process before the beta came out). Maybe there would be a review by experts in spelling and grammer at some point (double checks).

Just a thought. Again a beta idea.

Kasper
Posts: 17
Joined: 30 Dec 2008

Postby Kasper » 09 Feb 2010

This beta 2 have the same problem when reloading a chart/data like MC 4 had (I don't remember if this also happened in version 5.5).

Apparently, this morning my internet connection went down, since I had a 3 hours hole in my charts and the DRM warning when I arrived home.

I hit Ctrl+R to reload the charts and today's data simply disappeared.

Regards,
Fernando
I have the same problem with charts - if I had chart at day setting and open up MS - the chart MIGHT not update with latest values. But if I switch to hour charts it will show correct data in hour charts. But switching back to DAY will still show the "old" not updated date. CTRL-R does not help.

Only way to get it working is to shut down both eSignal Data Manager AND MS. After a restart I will get the missing data.

best regards

Kasper

Tresor
Posts: 1104
Joined: 29 Mar 2008
Has thanked: 12 times
Been thanked: 53 times

Postby Tresor » 10 Feb 2010

I like the Position Tracking Window a lot. This feature was needed. Please consider a slight modification, namely make an option for this window to be dockable (to the bottom), just like docakble is Data Window in MC (to the left or to the right).

If Position Tracking Window is dockable then it could be seen on any open workspace, which would allow to see one's trades irrespective of which workspace is open.

Regards
Attachments
position tracking dockable.png
(80.36 KiB) Downloaded 12526 times

Pipscalper
Posts: 84
Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Been thanked: 3 times

Postby Pipscalper » 22 Feb 2010

Is this version 6 compatible with the Jurik indicators.

brendanh
Posts: 158
Joined: 07 Apr 2007
Has thanked: 1 time

Postby brendanh » 23 Feb 2010

+1 for dockable Tracker window.

Spaceant
Posts: 254
Joined: 30 May 2009
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 3 times

Bug: Wrong Date Saved from Portfolio Performance Report

Postby Spaceant » 01 Mar 2010

I think I should posted the bug report here.

http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.php?t=7188

Sa

TradingPro
Posts: 20
Joined: 21 Dec 2009

Postby TradingPro » 07 Mar 2010

Is this version 6 compatible with the Jurik indicators.
Please could we receive an answer to this important question.

Spaceant
Posts: 254
Joined: 30 May 2009
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 3 times

PLAYBACK ISSUE

Postby Spaceant » 19 Mar 2010

Hi,

I opened a workspace consisting of two charts, one in 5-min duration and one in 1-second duration. My intention was to test the GV DLL to feed a signal from the 5-min chart into the 1-secnd chart. It failed as it seems to me that the playback function only works in a single chart, BUT not in two charts simultaneously even within the same wrokspace.

Is that true?? or am I missing anything in the setup?

If it is true, I REQUEST to have the ability to playback the charts simultaneously in two charts (or more) in the same worspace.

Sa

bowlesj3
Posts: 2180
Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Has thanked: 227 times
Been thanked: 429 times

Postby bowlesj3 » 20 Mar 2010

HI Spaceant

GVs do work across charts when using the playback. I did it just recently although not in global mode. GV calls are just calls to adjust data or retrieve data from an area in memory that the GV dll sets aside (using windows global variable standards I think). This memory is outside of MC itself. Those calls do not know if it is a playback going on or normal trading going on so there is no way it can not work. In fact the GV calls do not know what program is calling it. For example C or basic, etc can send data out to be picked up by MC or can retrieve data from MC. MC can be in playback or in normal real time mode. These programs have no idea what MC is doing. TS can send data to MC or the opposite.

What might be the problem is that during playback the code only executes on barstatus = 2 (meaning the last tick of the bar). There are not ticks coming through during playback that build the bar before the bars time frame is complete as occurs during live trading. Also if you are using currenttime it will be incorrect and you have to adjust your studies to pick it up from the lastbaronchart using a GV, so you need a GV to signal that playback mode is occuring. You could signal it through the EL collections too.


John.

Spaceant
Posts: 254
Joined: 30 May 2009
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 3 times

Postby Spaceant » 20 Mar 2010

Hi John,

I get it work in Global mode, but it seems that it is only in "minute by minute" in Global mode instead of tick by tick or second by second.

I have just started to learn GV DLL, but not yet installed EL collection or ADE. I will do it later.

Frankly speaking, I am getting a bit frustrated as my codes seem working some time, but some time it doesn't work ...... I mean the GVGetNamedInt doesn't get the intended signals some time. One more thing, I am using currenttime_s in my code, I think I either need to amend the code as you mentioned (lastbaronchart) or testing it in realtime. BTY, would the amended codes, using lastbaronchart,work in realtime or not?

Sa

bowlesj3
Posts: 2180
Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Has thanked: 227 times
Been thanked: 429 times

Postby bowlesj3 » 20 Mar 2010

In real time your studies (and GVs if called by your studies) will execute on every tick. In playback mode it only executes once per bar (and barstatus will equal 2 every single time). I am not sure what happens with tick charts since I do not use tick charts. Using the print statements will tell you these types of things (of course we need to think of what to put in the print statements).

User avatar
geizer
Posts: 375
Joined: 16 Jun 2008
Has thanked: 40 times
Been thanked: 38 times

Postby geizer » 25 Mar 2010

Hi TSS,

Thank you for new features made to the MultiCharts in the recent releases.

I actually own to TS Support team a great deal of 'thank you' for implementing the "Import Symbol lists into Quote Manager" feature.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

This functionality alone saved me weeks and months of my time.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

--
Pavel
Last edited by geizer on 25 Mar 2010, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
geizer
Posts: 375
Joined: 16 Jun 2008
Has thanked: 40 times
Been thanked: 38 times

Postby geizer » 25 Mar 2010

note: on May 7 / 2010 the list moved to separate thread:
http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.php?p=33224#33224


[edited:] The collaborative 2 cents:

List of GUI improvements which, if implemented, would make lives of MultiCharts users feel lot better:

KEYBOARD & MOUSE SHORTCUTS:

1. Copy & Paste Ctrl+C , Ctrl+V for all drawing objects on the charts. Please allow copy & paste drawings between windows - useful mostly for text objects. (productivity, Win GUI consistency)

2. Undo & Redo Ctrl+Z , Ctrl+Y for operations with chart objects (productivity, Win GUI consistency)

3. Move & copy drawing objects freely between SubCharts. (productivity)

4. Copy drawing objects by dragging and dropping while holding the Ctrl key. (productivity, same as MS Word)

5. Select multiple drawing objects by holding Shift key (productivity, same behavior as MS Word).

6. Copy, paste, and move multiple drawing objects selected together. (productivity, Win GUI consisency)

7. De-select drawing objects, Indicators, or Data series, with ESC key. (productivity, MultiCharts GUI consistency)

8. De-select any selected object(s) when chart window becomes "Inactive". (annoyance reduction, helps to keep charts clean. Reduces amount of clicks).

9. Lock Toolbars in their positions so they remain where they were. (Right-click, -> Lock Toolbars). (Removes Annoyances, Productivity. Win GUI consistency)

10. RAPID SCROLLING: [Alt]+Mouse Wheel
Rapid Chart Scrolling when holding the ALT key. When activated, the mouse wheel scrolling speed increases by 10x (or something like that). This should work for all windows (Scanner, Order & Position Tracker, Quote Manager). To improve even more, please implement activating a window by hovering over it with the mouse. Something like this:http://www.microsoft.com/enable/trainin ... hover.aspx. Similar, except user would be required to hold the ALT key (to isolate this behavior and make it on-demand only. The ALT key will work nice together with the Rapid Scrolling). This feature will allow to navigate between charts AND scroll them instantly without a single click. (productivity. Enchancement)


11. New Toolbar: "Sessions" with drop-down list. Can not speak about other people who trade different kinds of instruments, but for Stocks, I would like to have a quick access, and the ability to change sessions from the Toolbar. For example switch between: "24/5", "Extended hours", and "Standard hours" sessions. (Productivity. Enhancement)

12.[modified] Format Scales (Y- and X-) by Double-clicking on them. Everything else(!) on the chart is can be formatted by double-click, but Y- and X- scales behave differently. Please make it consistent (see #12.1)
  • 12.1. Consider enhancing the 'Reset Y-Scale' button (on the Control Toolbar) by attaching a drop-down list to it. This is an intuitive place to reset individual data series, please include "reset all" option as well). Once it's done, consider removing the 'Reset' functionality from 'X-' and 'Y-' scales right-click menus. This will make consistent and easier for clients.

    12.2. Reitberg's request to reset the scale of a chart using a hotkey.
    Link: http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.ph ... ght=hotkey

13. SP's Scanner suggestion to add a prompt "Format Study" when a study is added into the scanner.
link: http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.php?t=7004&start=6

14. Tcat's suggestion to have the space bar as a short cut key to toggle the replay play/pause button. It would be handy. Reposted by bowlesj3: http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.php?t=7004&start=3

15. Arnie's Scanner suggestion to Copy & Paste several rows in scanner using usual keyboard shortcuts.
May I also suggest the ability to select multiple rows by holding the Shift key with Arrow Up / Arrow Down keys.
link: http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.php?t=7004&start=7

16. John's idea to add +1 and -1 buttons and keyboard shortcuts to adjust Playback speed here: http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.ph ... 4&start=18
Also here: http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.ph ... 4&start=18
May I also suggest Ctrl+Plus sign / Ctrl+Minus sign keyboard shortcuts?

17. Chart zoom. Please consider adding Ctrl+Mouse Wheel to Zoom-in and out. (just like Mozilla Firefox)

18. Arnie's suggestion to interrupt the backfill by pressing ESC button.
Link: http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.ph ... 4&start=43

19. John's inquiry about Ctrl+LeftMouseButton SpaceBar+LeftMouseButton
Link:http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.php?t=6449

20. AUTO TRADING SHORTCUTS
Brendanh requests to add shortcuts for the Close Position, and Do Not Close Position buttons in the Auto Trading Warning window that is displayed when you disable autotrading while in a position.
Link: http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.php?t=6287&start=2
Also: http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.ph ... 4&start=45
Another brendanh's thread about Automate Order Execution http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.php?t=6141
Mentioned again in this post: http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.ph ... 8&start=43

21. Seldom Seen requests 'Full screen' short key. Nice. http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.php?t=3953

22. Add a shortcut key to force the Chart with "Link to All" option enabled to be Re-Linked to whatever window is active at the moment. Currently the chart can be re-linked only when instrument is typed into the command line... My suggestion is to use Ctrl+L

23. When drawing trend lines on the chart please allow to create straight horizontal trend lines by holding the Shift key. The same applies to ellipses and rectangles: holding the Shift key will allow to create symmetrical circles an rectangles.

24. When moving or resizing windows in the workspace please make them sticky to each other and to the boundaries of the parent window while holding the Shift key.

25. Please consider a shortcut keys for "Format Study Templates". Additionally, can you please add another Tab called "Study Templates" in the "Insert Study" dialog box?

26. Use the TAB key to quickly switch between Workspaces. Or, perhaps, make Ctrl+TAB to switch between Workspaces... so the TAB key become available for navigation in some special windows such as Scanner/Order Entry/Position Tracker.

27. Custom Hotkeys for generic tasks by vking. Link: http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.php?t=6887&start=3

28. Please Add "Show Empty Periods" Button onto the "Chart Analysis Toolbar", or "Resolution Toolbar"

29. WINDOW MANAGEMENT
Old forum thread discussing GUI improvements: http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.ph ... light=snap.
eSignal introduces an improved GUI - a lot of very interesting ideas. Link ScreenCast demonstrating new eSignal GUI: http://www.screencast.com/users/jayfran ... 11+Preview

30. ctrlbrk suggests shortcuts for drawing tools: http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.ph ... 8&start=44

--
MULTICHARTS USERS: :wink: Please post your shortcuts & hotkeys, and I will ad them into the list. Who knows, maybe one day it's going to be implemented...

TO TSS DEVELOPERS: Please don't miss the details. They help to shape the whole picture.

Last edited by geizer on 07 May 2010, edited 83 times in total.

bowlesj3
Posts: 2180
Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Has thanked: 227 times
Been thanked: 429 times

Postby bowlesj3 » 25 Mar 2010

I probably said this before but MC 6.0 beta 2 is great in that it never bombs on me even with my extensive use of the recalculate command (MC 2.1.999.99 bombed about once a week or every two weeks).

Pavel's ideas seem good but I need some free time on the weekend to read them again to give a more precise +1 vote on any specific ones.

Feature Idea:
TSS programmers probably have been smart enough to do this already but just incase they were too busy or rushed to think of it, here is an idea I can see many uses for in the future. Create a standard function which the TSS programmers use to execute the code that is used in MC in the playback where the bar is selected and used to decide where to start the playback. Make it such that the user can grab this date/time for any place where the user needs to enter a bar's date/time (for example into a text box but maybe not always into a text box - playback being a good example). I am thinking that the user just placees the cursor in the text box where they enter the date/time and then if they have not keyed in anything but rather they have clicked somewhere on a chart it will enter (that charts date/time from where they left mouse clicked) into the text box. They could do it again to make a correction. I had a specific place this idea could be used (and I entered this idea there) but I can't remember where that is now. So instead I just tried it for the fibonacci retrace tool I use. I put the cursor in the date/time box for that tool then tried to click o nthe chart. The problem was I am not able to see the cross hair which is used to help ensure the user has the cursor located probably before they click to select the date/time they want for that text box. This tool is not a great example since you can size it. However like I said there are other locations where MC could use this method of entering a bar's date/time into a text box (or whatever) and if this was a standard C function used by the TSS programmers they could draw on it over and over again. Of note, keeping the cross hair visible is much the same as my request to keep it visible when an arrow has been highlighted to be moved to a new location (for the many arrow drops I use as a discretionary trader to input values into my studies).

Regarding arrow drops, the more accurate you can make all types of arrows to exactly point at the top/bottom of the bar they are dropped at the better. I recently programmed one of my studies to change the arrow to a different style if a certain subchart #2 relationship was true so I get an instant visual notice of the situation. Unfortunately the new arrow format is not properly alligned as the original arrow format is and I find myself going back to try and figure out if I dropped it correctly on the bar I wanted. Depending on the situation my study at times also causes a line to go out to exactly the top/bottom of that bar and I do not need this accurate an arrow draw since the line tells me I got it correct (or not correct). However many times this line is not put out there by that study and like I said I do need to be sure it is accurate. Sometimes I zoom the chart to be sure. These kinds of time wasters can add up and help cause me to not be ready for a trade. Extra note: I just checked my standard arrow format I use and the up arrow lines up perfectly with the bar I have dropped it on, however the down arrow is off a bit. This arrow style is partly a line and it is not too hard for the eye to make the adjustment. However the arrow styles that are not a line should be reviewed more closely to ensure that the tip of the arrow is exactly pointing at the bar which they have been dropped on.

User avatar
arnie
Posts: 1594
Joined: 11 Feb 2009
Location: Portugal
Has thanked: 481 times
Been thanked: 514 times

Postby arnie » 27 Mar 2010

Hi.

Hey geizer, your 2 cents are the best 2 cents I ever heard :D

I second every one of them.

I don't know if your 7th 2 cent includes this, but when we open a chart and the data starts to be backfilled, if for some reason we decide to stop it, hitting ESC key should end that backfill.

Imagine that we request a full 1 minute month of data, but realise that the data we already have is sufficient for our purposes.
Hitting the ESC key would stop the backfill of the remaining data, leaving us with just the data we'd downloaded 'till that moment.

Regards,
Fernando

User avatar
geizer
Posts: 375
Joined: 16 Jun 2008
Has thanked: 40 times
Been thanked: 38 times

Postby geizer » 27 Mar 2010

thanks Fernando,
I updated the list which now includes shortcuts suggested by others.
Quick link: http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.ph ... 4&start=41

brendanh
Posts: 158
Joined: 07 Apr 2007
Has thanked: 1 time

Postby brendanh » 28 Mar 2010

20. Brendanh's request to add shortcuts for the Close Position, and Do Not Close Position buttons in the Auto Trading Warning window that is displayed when you disable autotrading while in a position. Link: http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.php?t=6287&start=2
Even more important, add a shortcut key to enable\disable autotrading itself. If there is concern that accidents will happen, make it three-key (eg Ctl-Alt-X).

bowlesj3
Posts: 2180
Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Has thanked: 227 times
Been thanked: 429 times

Postby bowlesj3 » 29 Mar 2010

Every so often (not very often) the three tool bars I have out every day are not on display and I have to bring them out again. When I make they viewable again they go back to the position I always have them set to.

Joerg
Posts: 24
Joined: 13 Feb 2007

Postby Joerg » 29 Mar 2010

Since Version 5 I have the problem to be not able to authorize my license because MC seems to connect directely to the license server. I guess before it used IE settings which worked fine for me. Because I´m using it on my office PC I really need the possibility to use a proxy or better MC uses the way like MC 2 f.e.

Thanks a lot.

User avatar
geizer
Posts: 375
Joined: 16 Jun 2008
Has thanked: 40 times
Been thanked: 38 times

Postby geizer » 01 Apr 2010

Re: "Show Empty periods", Free Quotes, Daily Bars
Other Data Feeds not tested.

Ok, today I observed how dangerous the charts can be (mis)represented with "Show Empty Periods" option disabled. The Good part is - it's a Beta version! Obviously this option needs more attention from the TSS developers. This occurred with "Free Quotes" feed on the Daily bars:

There are two different ways MultiCharts displays Empty Periods on the same Chart for the same instrument. I will call them "Type 1" and "Type 2":

Type 1 - Empty periods that have no data in the database (possibly not reported by feed) These days fall on holidays and shown on charts as "void". No candles displayed on those days. The Volume histogram is "Void" as well.

Type 2 - Empty periods for which data exists in the database. The data stored as O = H = L = C = PREVIOUS CLOSE. (Probably this is how it's reported by the feed... probably). These days also fall on holidays. The candles for such empty periods Do exist on the chart. These candles look like a "dash" (obviously because O=H=L=C=PREVIOUS CLOSE). The Volume histogram for these empty periods show a 'dot' (Volume is zero) on that day.

Lets look at these scenarios:

Scenario 1: The option "Show Empty Periods" is ENABLED
looking good here...

Scenario 2: The option "Show Empty Periods" is DISABLED. Chart with ONE Instrument.
Type 1 empty periods are collapsed ( i.e. hidden )
Type 2 empty periods are NOT COLLAPSED (still visible! )
As a consequence of this the chart is compressed unevenly, and no longer accurately represents of the trading activity.

Scenario 3: Empty Periods DISABLED. Chart with TWO OR MORE Instruments.
I tested two instruments (Daily bars) on Subchart#1 and Subchart#2. Volume Histograms for both Instruments were also displayed on the same sub-charts as 2nd data series. The instruments: (1st - 'VIP' (NYSE stock), 2nd - 'APOL' (NASDAQ stock). Both Daily resolutions 3 years of data from Free Quotes. The data for 'VIP' contained both: 'Type 1', and 'Type 2', empty periods. The data for 'APOL' contained only 'Type 1' empty periods.

THE RESULT:
Sub-chart #1 - some empty periods are collapsed (Type 1), and some are displayed (Type 2).
Sub-chart #2 - all empty periods were collapsed.
The picture worth a thousand words - one must see The Chart. The right margins of both charts did not line up. MultiCharts would not reload the last few days of data. The data for one instrument was loaded untill March 26, while another (APOL) ended on 18th of March. Ctrl+R did not work. When I deleted the data from QM database, and from cache, and reloaded it again... This time the data was loaded, but only partially - MC did not load data as far back as it did before. This time the right margins on the chart did lined up. The last candle was March 31st...

Anyways, my purpose here is to just give dry facts. Hopefully this gets fixed.
---------------------------------------------------
After thoughts:
1. Is there a possibility that empty periods reported differently by yahoo, google, and msn (ex: one reports no holidays data, and another reports O=H=L=C=C[1]). What If data chunks fed by different free quotes suppliers collected and merged? .....
2. Is it possible that holidays reported differently for instruments traded on different exchanges? (in my example instruments are from two different exchanges) ? .....

--
Pavel

User avatar
arnie
Posts: 1594
Joined: 11 Feb 2009
Location: Portugal
Has thanked: 481 times
Been thanked: 514 times

Postby arnie » 01 Apr 2010

Hi geizer.

Have you tried to delete the holidays in QM Holidays Setup and see if there's any change?

Regards,
Fernando

User avatar
geizer
Posts: 375
Joined: 16 Jun 2008
Has thanked: 40 times
Been thanked: 38 times

Postby geizer » 01 Apr 2010

arnie, my holiday list is empty. I can't even add any holidays - this option is not available I guess it's still in the Beta stage.

Can you try to reproduce the behavior I described with your datafeed? you are with IQfeed, aren't you?
If the problem I described affects other other data feeds, it will need to be addressed by TS Support.
--
pavel

User avatar
arnie
Posts: 1594
Joined: 11 Feb 2009
Location: Portugal
Has thanked: 481 times
Been thanked: 514 times

Postby arnie » 01 Apr 2010

Hi pavel,

Enabling or disabling Empty Periods option doesn't seem to affect IQFeed daily charts.

Maybe because I haven't yet deleted the holidays dates from QM Holidays option.

After the market closes I'll test this on my laptop since I've still have version 5.5 there.
The holidays options don't exist in version 5.5

regards,
Fernando

lantama
Posts: 96
Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Has thanked: 5 times
Been thanked: 5 times

Candlestick Default Color

Postby lantama » 02 Apr 2010

is wrong. Up should be green and not red. Down also the other way round. Cheers lantama

User avatar
Andrew Kirillov
Posts: 1589
Joined: 28 Jul 2005
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 31 times
Contact:

Postby Andrew Kirillov » 02 Apr 2010

We plot what we receive from the data feed. Please type the following in your browser:
finance.google.com/finance/historical?output=csv&q=APOL&startdate=4.2.2007&enddate=3.31.2010

You will get an example containing:

19-Jan-10,60.12,60.27,59.07,60.26,3131349
---> 18-Jan-10,60.37,60.37,60.37,60.37,0
15-Jan-10,60.48,60.48,59.67,60.37,5199217
14-Jan-10,59.50,60.30,59.03,60.24,2017115
13-Jan-10,59.57,60.01,58.80,59.95,2409674
12-Jan-10,59.73,60.17,59.05,59.65,3959033
11-Jan-10,60.35,60.47,58.80,59.97,5076489
8-Jan-10,59.41,61.21,58.38,60.50,11249472
7-Jan-10,64.36,65.72,63.69,63.94,8075936
6-Jan-10,61.75,64.50,61.75,63.70,4897025
5-Jan-10,62.29,62.94,61.36,61.75,4532959
4-Jan-10,61.44,62.22,60.47,61.65,3006351
---> 1-Jan-10,60.58,60.58,60.58,60.58,0
31-Dec-09,61.03,61.57,60.58,60.58,1066910
30-Dec-09,60.80,61.81,60.45,61.22,1170463
29-Dec-09,61.68,61.70,60.77,61.02,1315290
28-Dec-09,59.54,61.81,59.20,61.63,2964075
25-Dec-09,59.27,59.27,59.27,59.27,0

You can filter such data using the holiday feature. You should assign a holiday for the exchange.




finance.yahoo doesn’t return such data O = H = L = C = PREVIOUS CLOSE)


table.finance.yahoo.com/table.csv?ignore=.csv&s=APOL&a=3&b=2&c=2007&d=2&e=31&f=2010&g=daily
2010-01-19,60.12,60.27,59.07,60.26,3131400,60.26
2010-01-15,60.48,60.48,59.67,60.37,5199300,60.37
2010-01-14,59.50,60.30,59.03,60.24,2017200,60.24
2010-01-13,59.57,60.01,58.80,59.95,2409500,59.95
2010-01-12,59.73,60.17,59.05,59.65,3955800,59.65
2010-01-11,60.35,60.47,58.80,59.97,5075300,59.97
2010-01-08,59.41,61.21,58.38,60.50,11248500,60.50
2010-01-07,64.36,65.72,63.69,63.94,8076000,63.94
2010-01-06,61.75,64.50,61.75,63.70,4897000,63.70
2010-01-05,62.29,62.94,61.36,61.75,4533000,61.75
2010-01-04,61.44,62.22,60.47,61.65,3006400,61.65
2009-12-31,61.03,61.57,60.58,60.58,1067000,60.58
2009-12-30,60.80,61.81,60.45,61.22,1170500,61.22
2009-12-29,61.68,61.70,60.77,61.02,1315300,61.02
2009-12-28,59.54,61.81,59.20,61.63,2964100,61.63
2009-12-24,58.33,59.74,58.11,59.27,726400,59.27
2009-12-23,58.03,58.50,57.90,58.44,1337200,58.44

User avatar
arnie
Posts: 1594
Joined: 11 Feb 2009
Location: Portugal
Has thanked: 481 times
Been thanked: 514 times

Postby arnie » 02 Apr 2010

Well, I tested using MC 5.5 and I don't see any differences with empty periods on and off

:?

User avatar
arnie
Posts: 1594
Joined: 11 Feb 2009
Location: Portugal
Has thanked: 481 times
Been thanked: 514 times

Postby arnie » 04 Apr 2010

I don't know if it's a bug or it's this way be default, but it's starting to be very annoying.

Assuming this is by default, when we insert a new instrument or study, this is opened at the bottom of the chart.
Adding a second instrument or study, this will be placed below the previous inserted one.
No problem here.

The problem is when we decide to put that same instrument or study at the top of the chart.
Adding a second instrument or study, and since, by default, it goes to the bottom of the chart, MC assumes that the chart is the first study inserted, since it's below the indicator at the top, and arrange both equally, leaving the chart with the same height of the inserted study.

MC it's assuming that the chart is always at the top and this isn't always true.

Going to the format properties window and managing the subchart menu, we can view this very clearly when selecting show on top.
Automatically, the chart height assumes the default for a study and the study assumes the default of the chart only because is now at the top.

Why?
If it's a subchart, on top or bellow the chart, it should have always the default height of a subchart.

Regards,
Fernando

bowlesj3
Posts: 2180
Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Has thanked: 227 times
Been thanked: 429 times

Postby bowlesj3 » 04 Apr 2010

The order of studies on a chart (the list of them that is in format studies) is alpha order. that is why all my studies have A_whatever or A_Z_whatever, so I can control that for macros which go in and turn the top one off then on again.

I wish there was a set of keys we could define to set the exact subchart sizes on all charts (all charts changes with one key stroke). Now that would be really useful. So all this default stuff would be of no concern. Now if the shortcut was for a main chart and 1 subchart and the user added a 3rd chart without changing the shortcut then it would simply bypass that chart or maybe give a popup warning. It would be up to the user to change the shortcut to get rid of the worning. What is very annoying is when you turn a study off and on again and it keeps changing its subchart location (sometimes creating a new subchart at the bottom for it). I have not figured out why it sometimes does this and at other times does not.

User avatar
geizer
Posts: 375
Joined: 16 Jun 2008
Has thanked: 40 times
Been thanked: 38 times

Postby geizer » 05 Apr 2010

Well, I tested using MC 5.5 and I don't see any differences with empty periods on and off

:?
Arnie,
I have noticed empty periods are not displayed with single instrument on the chart. With two instruments on the chart, (each on its own sub-chart) "Show Empty Periods" seem to work. I only have access to free quotes at the moment. Don't know if this is specific to free quotes or also true for other feeds... Can you test to see if this is the case with IQfeed?
Thank you,
Pavel

edited after
Apparently this thread explains the behavior:
http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.ph ... light=gaps
According to Andrew this is an 'architectural' and done on purpose. Not sure if holidays were taken into consideration at a time...

and more on the subject:
http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.ph ... ty+periods

http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.ph ... ty+periods

The discussion goes back to 2007
http://forum.tssupport.com/viewtopic.ph ... ty+periods

edited
searched the forum. there are far too many references to this issue. Apparently TS Support is well aware of it...
--
Last edited by geizer on 05 Apr 2010, edited 3 times in total.

User avatar
geizer
Posts: 375
Joined: 16 Jun 2008
Has thanked: 40 times
Been thanked: 38 times

Postby geizer » 05 Apr 2010

You can filter such data using the holiday feature. You should assign a holiday for the exchange.
Thank you for help Andrew

The difference between how holiday data reported by yahoo and google clears the situation. Also I looked back into "Show empty periods" discussion, and see this is far more complex than it looked at first. I have some ideas (hopefully viable), which I need to give some more time. Will take few days, or couple of weeks and communicate it back, once I put them on a paper.
--
Pavel

User avatar
arnie
Posts: 1594
Joined: 11 Feb 2009
Location: Portugal
Has thanked: 481 times
Been thanked: 514 times

Postby arnie » 10 Apr 2010

Hi.

When dealing with a multiple monitor system, QM and PLE act differently when opened.

QM always opens on the monitor on which it was last used, whereas PLE opens on the first monitor.

PLE should open also on the monitor last used.

Regards,
Fernando

User avatar
arnie
Posts: 1594
Joined: 11 Feb 2009
Location: Portugal
Has thanked: 481 times
Been thanked: 514 times

Postby arnie » 15 Apr 2010

From time to time, due to some problem with the computer I'm forced to reset it or close all programs and reopen them again.

When this happens, and I reopen MC, I receive a warning indicating that another version of it is open on another computer.

If the DRM servers have some sort of delay when connecting, disconnecting, and reconnecting the same licence again, can this be a reason for that warning to pop up?


Regards,
Fernando

ctrlbrk
Posts: 79
Joined: 18 Feb 2010
Location: Dallas, TX
Contact:

Postby ctrlbrk » 17 Apr 2010

Some things on my short list excluding the "elephant in the room" of a DOM+Chart Trading:

a) Add a Transparent color option for plots. Invisible plots are not sufficient, see this post.

b) Allow more than one custom fitness to exist simultaneously, like a drop-down list.

c) Improve chart scrolling. This is major. A long discussion on this already, but I'd also like to be able to "grab" the chart with left-click and drag the chart left or right with the mouse. I am not talking about scaling, I am talking about scrolling.

d) Add option to maintain the right-margin during chart scrolling. I really dislike my margin going away when I scroll backwards, but it should be toggle on/off.

Mike

User avatar
Filly
Posts: 19
Joined: 17 Apr 2010
Has thanked: 3 times

Postby Filly » 17 Apr 2010

This happened two times within a short period (maybe a total of an hour and a half of use). I am a new MC user and experienced TS user. TS 8.7 was running (however quite idle) while this happened both times.

The problem: During a genetic optimization, I clicked the cancel button. The platform froze for about 10 seconds both times, then closed each time. All unsaved work was lost.

Thanks for reading.

User avatar
Henrik
Posts: 140
Joined: 13 Apr 2010
Has thanked: 25 times
Been thanked: 11 times

Postby Henrik » 18 Apr 2010

Please think about a new feature:
Multi-Order (= allow trading on data2, not only signal from data2)

User avatar
Bruce DeVault
Posts: 438
Joined: 19 Jan 2010
Location: Washington DC
Been thanked: 2 times
Contact:

Postby Bruce DeVault » 18 Apr 2010

I believe the whole issue of being able to trade multiple series is something that's been discussed a good bit including in this support forum, and is already contemplated for the future - I just haven't heard there's an ETA for this yet. This is important, obviously, for certain classes of systems such as pairs trading or for trading a single system on a portfolio of instruments, where the single system needs to be aware of all positions. While work-arounds are possible (GV, ADE, etc.) they're generally cumbersome and prone to error because of complex sequencing/timing and other issues.

ctrlbrk
Posts: 79
Joined: 18 Feb 2010
Location: Dallas, TX
Contact:

Postby ctrlbrk » 18 Apr 2010

I agree on the data2 trading. There are probably two camps here -- camp 1 are algo traders who don't care about a DOM and discretionary trading, and who would really like to see the ability to submit traders to a data2 timeframe. Then there are camp 2, who are discretionary traders using two platforms and really want to eliminate the non-MultiCharts platform, and thus really want the DOM and Chart Trading badly.

I do both, but since there is already a workaround (GV) for the submitting to data2, my personal preference would be for the discretionary trading options to remain the #1 priority. Perhaps if 6.5 or 7.0 contain the DOM, then it isn't too unreasonable to hope that the next .5 release can add the ability to submit orders to an additional dataseries :)

Also, someone on my forum mentioned they were told by TSSupport the next release might be 6.5 (not 7). Is there a post about this somewhere here on the forum? I am wondering if discretionary is being add to 6.5, or if 6.5 is being released without discretionary trading.

Mike

sptrader
Posts: 742
Joined: 09 Apr 2010
Location: Texas
Has thanked: 483 times
Been thanked: 274 times
Contact:

Postby sptrader » 18 Apr 2010

I agree on the data2 trading. There are probably two camps here -- camp 1 are algo traders who don't care about a DOM and discretionary trading, and who would really like to see the ability to submit traders to a data2 timeframe. Then there are camp 2, who are discretionary traders using two platforms and really want to eliminate the non-MultiCharts platform, and thus really want the DOM and Chart Trading badly.

I do both, but since there is already a workaround (GV) for the submitting to data2, my personal preference would be for the discretionary trading options to remain the #1 priority. Perhaps if 6.5 or 7.0 contain the DOM, then it isn't too unreasonable to hope that the next .5 release can add the ability to submit orders to an additional dataseries :)

Also, someone on my forum mentioned they were told by TSSupport the next release might be 6.5 (not 7). Is there a post about this somewhere here on the forum? I am wondering if discretionary is being add to 6.5, or if 6.5 is being released without discretionary trading.

Mike
* Last I heard, Andrew said that beta3 was due out, about a week ago, I think, so anytime. That should be the next version released.

User avatar
Henrik
Posts: 140
Joined: 13 Apr 2010
Has thanked: 25 times
Been thanked: 11 times

Postby Henrik » 19 Apr 2010

While work-arounds are possible (GV, ADE, etc.) they're generally cumbersome and prone to error because of complex sequencing/timing and other issues.
It's really so complex to program this feature?
I thought it must be added only the order commands data2, for example

buy xxx xxx xxx data2;

like signalcodes

var1 = currentask data2.

Mh. This feature, MultiInstrument-Orders, would very very nice for me :-)
In NT I use multi-instrument-orders in a strategy at time, but I don't like NT, MC is greater :-)

Tresor
Posts: 1104
Joined: 29 Mar 2008
Has thanked: 12 times
Been thanked: 53 times

Postby Tresor » 19 Apr 2010

I am wondering if discretionary is being add to 6.5, or if 6.5 is being released without discretionary trading.
Discretionary is scheduled for an unspecified time in summer. So I think this feature will be added earliest in 7.

ctrlbrk
Posts: 79
Joined: 18 Feb 2010
Location: Dallas, TX
Contact:

Postby ctrlbrk » 25 Apr 2010

I just want to make sure this bug is well known by TSS:

After defining a custom fitness, the code is lost at some time in the future.

Steps to reproduce:
Edit custom fitness
Create code
Use MultiCharts on a daily basis

At some point, the custom fitness code is gone. I haven't been able to narrow down when exactly because I haven't paid close enough attention, but I do know that I "Saved workspace" and it made no difference.

It seems this is a underutilized feature of MultiCharts, but it is a crucial one to optimizing, so please fix it so I don't have to keep re-coding the fitness code.

Thx,
Mike

User avatar
Andrew Kirillov
Posts: 1589
Joined: 28 Jul 2005
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 31 times
Contact:

Postby Andrew Kirillov » 26 Apr 2010

Dear Mike,
We failed to reproduce the issue. Could you illustrate all steps we must take to reproduce the issue?

ctrlbrk
Posts: 79
Joined: 18 Feb 2010
Location: Dallas, TX
Contact:

Postby ctrlbrk » 26 Apr 2010

Andrew,

Using MC 6.0 beta 2. I've added the Custom Fitness code in the Format Signals - Optimize box, Algorithm-specific, custom criteria - Edit.

When I exit MultiCharts and reload, the custom fitness code is gone. This has happened to me twice, I'm sorry I can't be more specific. Does this C code exist in a file somewhere? Is it in some database somewhere? Maybe I can go look at the file directly.

I do know I used "save workspace" and it still happened. Is Save Workspace required to save this custom fitness code?

Is a clean-shutdown of MC required for it to be saved, or is it saved as soon as you exit the screen? I do remember MC crashed on me a couple of times during large optimizations, but I didn't exactly go straight into the custom fitness code after re-loading MC to see if that is when it was missing or not.

Overall, I really kindly ask you improve this area of MultiCharts for the next release. Being able to only have ONE custom fitness is very limiting, I really would like to see a drop-down box with all the custom fitness I create, like NT. Maybe during this code change the problem I am experiencing will also go away.

Thx,
Mike

Nick
Posts: 496
Joined: 04 Aug 2006
Has thanked: 4 times
Been thanked: 24 times

Postby Nick » 28 Apr 2010

While work-arounds are possible (GV, ADE, etc.) they're generally cumbersome and prone to error because of complex sequencing/timing and other issues.
Just while we are on the subject of sequencing I would like to see millisecond time stamps so that indicators behave the same on historical data as live data. This is particularly important when using multiple data streams or bid ask and last data to construct MD type indicators. I think this is probably the main reason that IRT is doing so well.... the popularity of indicators that need volume@bid vs. volume@ask.

Even with millisecond time stamping indicators need to calculate from start to finish before another tick is processed (even if it is in another data stream). As things stand now race conditions can occur with multiple data streams. Precision is important for certain types of work.

I have sent emails to support on this subject but thought it might be appropriate to mention here.

Proper sequencing and processing across multiple data streams (both live and historical) is crucial to any modern charting/analysis software.

User avatar
Bruce DeVault
Posts: 438
Joined: 19 Jan 2010
Location: Washington DC
Been thanked: 2 times
Contact:

Postby Bruce DeVault » 28 Apr 2010

...volume@bid vs. volume@ask...
Well, and you may not realize yet that there's no historical storage of bid or ask prices either, but you would need that if you want to conduct historical testing of this.

ctrlbrk
Posts: 79
Joined: 18 Feb 2010
Location: Dallas, TX
Contact:

Postby ctrlbrk » 28 Apr 2010

...volume@bid vs. volume@ask...
Well, and you may not realize yet that there's no historical storage of bid or ask prices either, but you would need that if you want to conduct historical testing of this.
In QuoteManager "Fields to Collect" there are bid/ask/last, what is the bid/ask for if it isn't being stored? I figured "collected" meant "stored".

Mike

User avatar
Bruce DeVault
Posts: 438
Joined: 19 Jan 2010
Location: Washington DC
Been thanked: 2 times
Contact:

Postby Bruce DeVault » 28 Apr 2010

My mistake in the incautious way that was phrased. In EasyLanguage, CurrentAsk and CurrentBid are defined separately from Close only in real-time (and I was speaking of historical testing above), so if you want to analyze historical bid/ask you would need to make them their own data series and choose in the symbol setup to base the symbol on bid or ask rather than trades. However, this would align such bars only by second timestamp, so it would not probably be accurate in the way the poster here looking for MD type analysis is envisioning.

ctrlbrk
Posts: 79
Joined: 18 Feb 2010
Location: Dallas, TX
Contact:

Postby ctrlbrk » 28 Apr 2010

My mistake in the incautious way that was phrased. In EasyLanguage, CurrentAsk and CurrentBid are defined separately from Close only in real-time (and I was speaking of historical testing above), so if you want to analyze historical bid/ask you would need to make them their own data series and choose in the symbol setup to base the symbol on bid or ask rather than trades. However, this would align such bars only by second timestamp, so it would not probably be accurate in the way the poster here looking for MD type analysis is envisioning.
Thx for the detailed response Bruce.

So, if I have:
data1 = last
data2 = bid
data3 = ask

Then I can have correctly-aligned bid/ask data matching/synchronized with the last, yes? I just can't use CurrentBid or CurrentAsk keywords on a historical chart, but I can use 'Close' of data2 and 'Close' of data3 for the same, right?

Mike

User avatar
Bruce DeVault
Posts: 438
Joined: 19 Jan 2010
Location: Washington DC
Been thanked: 2 times
Contact:

Postby Bruce DeVault » 28 Apr 2010

In theory, that type of approach "works" provided you understand that aligned means by the time stamps, and the time stamps only have a 1 second resolution. So, if the bid/ask/trade prices fluctuate all over the map within a given second, the assignment of those trades to a particular bid/ask side is somewhat arbitrary in this scenario.

In other words, the trade/bid/ask data is kept in a sequence in QuoteManager, but the charting engine is written in a general way and doesn't know you've put different aspects of the same tick stream on the chart - all it knows is it has several tick series, and that it has to align tick series based on their second time stamps.

This is an area that I suspect could be improved significantly in the future. EasyLanguage wasn't really designed for this kind of analysis, although MultiCharts has come a really long way relative to what TS does at least as of today.

User avatar
Henrik
Posts: 140
Joined: 13 Apr 2010
Has thanked: 25 times
Been thanked: 11 times

Postby Henrik » 28 Apr 2010

I like this feature in MT:
open chart - click left and hold => move mouse to another point in chart

now the mouse count pips and bars.

so you can see fast how many pips and bars between 2 points are.
Attachments
countpips.JPG
(95.9 KiB) Downloaded 12992 times

User avatar
Bruce DeVault
Posts: 438
Joined: 19 Jan 2010
Location: Washington DC
Been thanked: 2 times
Contact:

Postby Bruce DeVault » 28 Apr 2010

This thread should move to a new feedback thread, as beta 3 is available for download today.


Return to “MultiCharts”