New behavior for drawing tools

Questions about MultiCharts and user contributed studies.
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Marina Pashkova
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New behavior for drawing tools

Postby Marina Pashkova » 09 Jan 2009

Dear MultiCharts users,

After numerous requests from our customers we have changed the behavior of drawing tools.

In the upcoming version of MultiCharts, drawings will be tied to symbols not chart windows. In other words, when a symbol is changed in a chart, the drawing tools plotted for the previous symbol will not be shown. However, if you later switch back to the original symbol, the drawings will be shown again.

Regards.

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TJ
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Postby TJ » 09 Jan 2009

after i applied a drawing object,

if i change the symbol, then save the wsp.

will the "invisible" drawing objects be saved to this wsp?

i.e. after the save, if i return to the previous symbol, will i still see those drawing objects?



p.s. not that it matters to me. I am just curious.

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Postby iso » 09 Jan 2009

That is great to hear!! Is there a timeframe for that release?

Thanks :D

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Postby bowlesj3 » 10 Jan 2009

I Personally believe it is best to have it as an option which can be defaulted just as all drawing objects are now defaulted. In addition to that, if custom tool bars ever get created, the user could set up two trend lines on the tool bar. One that defaults to the old method and the other that defaults to the new method. Of course this idea should be available for all drawing objects.

There is a very important reason for this suggestion. The ones that like MC as it is now will not be vocal until you make the change. The secondary reason is there may be new customers who want both options.

I my case for example, I will definitely never upgrade now unless it is an option.

To summarize, the simple change being considered has definite and unknown downside risk, the enhancement(s) I am suggesting have no downside risk except programming risk and TS-Support has a fair bit of control over that. The custom tool bar idea if done properly and not before more pressing priorities will receive no complaints (just ideas for improvement to it).

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Postby bowlesj3 » 11 Jan 2009

This is an ideal post to present a similar idea regarding drawing tools. When I say similar I mean that not all lines or text that a trader place on a chart are related to the symbol. Some are generic and they want them to be retained regardless of what symbol is on the chart. But for sure attaching them to symbols as an option (defaultable either way) is critical.

So here is the idea. Not all tools should snap to the symbol price just as not all tools should be attached to the symbol price. Generally the generic tools that should be kept regardless of the symbol which is showing should not snap to price and generally the tools and maybe even the text that you want attached to the symbol should also snap to price. However MC should not force them to be this way (snap to price and attach to symbol) are totally different. Text especially is likely to seldom be snapped to price by the trader. And many traders I suspect are like myself and scrounge through what I consider the silly tools to get custom use tools and most times they do not want them to snap to price. For sure trend lines should snap.

Traders are creative people and who knows what they will come up with. By making both of these drawing tool attributes (snap to symbol-price or not snap to price) and (attach to symbol or attach to chart) I believe MC will please a larger number of new traders and existing ones too since some may start to use both after the fact.

Again the method MC uses for setting defaults is excellent and it should be used to allow the trader to set the default (on both of these tool attributes) for new tools they create. IMHO that is :-)

So maybe this is a good time to include the snap to price ideas I had submitted earlier and have presented here again.

As mentioned in the previous post, if custom tool bars ever come in (maybe 5 years down the road), it should be possible to have all sorts of line variants and text variants (any tool) on this custom tool bar (some attached to chart, some to symbol, some snapping, some not snapping, and all with other attributes like color, etc already set).

Thanks,
John.

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Postby flipflopper » 14 Jan 2009

Wow!!!!!!!!!

I am very excited to hear this!!!

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

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geizer
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Re: New behavior for drawing tools

Postby geizer » 15 Jan 2009

Great news!
This one of the most critical to the charting and will definetely make life much simpler and help to focus on the primary task - trading.
Thanks for the great tool. Can't wait!
:) :) :) :) :) :)

Dear MultiCharts users,

After numerous requests from our customers we have changed the behavior of drawing tools.

In the upcoming version of MultiCharts, drawings will be tied to symbols not chart windows. In other words, when a symbol is changed in a chart, the drawing tools plotted for the previous symbol will not be shown. However, if you later switch back to the original symbol, the drawings will be shown again.

Regards.

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Postby bowlesj3 » 15 Jan 2009

A followup:

So since there are no complains in this thread about the two enhancements (summarized below) to the TS-Support coming efforts

Related Enhancement #1:
1/ [tool attachs to either chart or symbol] an option with trader selectable default. It recognizes that a line can be either a trend line (attach to symbol) or some other function that has nothing to do with the symbol (attach to the chart). Enhancement applies to all tools without exception.

Related Enhancement #2:
2/ [making the snap or not snap an option that ties to the tool rather than a generic time consuming method as MC currently has where you often have to switch snap on and off before placing tools] (again with trader selectable defaults for each tool).

then it seems that all traders are likely to think both these enhancements are a good idea as long as it is done properly (no bugs before release) and in proper priority sequence.

John.

P.S. Here is an interesting example. I have modified the Gan Fan to be a trend line tool by removing all but one of the fans. I want it to snap. The normal trend line I use as a segement line (with no right side extension) for various functions and I never want it to snap (some should attach to chart and some should attach to symbol).

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Postby bowlesj3 » 16 Jan 2009

If TS-Support or anyone else is curious why I would use the Gan-Fan adapted as a trend line, the reason is MC does not have custom tool bars. I can simulate the custom tool bar by setting up the Gan Fan as a trend line that extends to the right with a specific color setting and use the trend line button for a segement line (a line that does not extend right or left) to be used for other functions (example: a line pointing to something on the chart with an associated text note reminder for a bmp picture I want take after the trading day is done, used to teach my daughter in the future maybe). Note that the gan fan I would want to snap and the segement line and text should not snap.

What I describe above is probably typical of what many discretionary traders want to do at least occasionally.

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Postby bowlesj3 » 16 Jan 2009

By the way, the terminology that Qcharts uses is this.
A line that does not extend left nor right is called "a segement"
A line that extends right only is called "A ray"
A line that extends both left and right is called "An extended" if I remember correctly.

They had an excellent feature where the trader could hold down the shift key while placing or adjusting the line and it would snap to the vertical or horizontal when the line got fairly close to the vertical or horizontal. It made sure the line was perfectly horizontal or vertical no matter how far out it extended. I think it would also snap to a perfect 45 degree angle too (the 1/2 way point of horiontal or vertical in any direction).

John.


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