Potential wishlist item - timeline script

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Hubace789
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Potential wishlist item - timeline script

Postby Hubace789 » 19 Jan 2016

Hi all,

I've been perusing the MC boards for a while, putting together a wishlist of personal things I'd like from MC and other visualization programs in order to start running a new research service.

I'm looking to hire programmers to build scripts/dashboards that can work how I like.

One of the major wishes I'd like comes from this idea here:

http://timeline.knightlab.com/

Here is the template on google drive:

https://drive.google.com/previewtemplat ... ode=public

I would absolutely love this feature in MC. I am definitely new to MC so I'd like to know if I should add this to the wishlist page, or, if anyone knows if such a thing has been created, or, how difficult it would be to create!

I really need a dashboard almost identical to this, so that I can manually input events into the timeline and have them show up on the chart in real time AND more importantly, data replay.

Essentially, each ticker would have a native dashboard function where the user inputs dates and events into 2 columns. These would then populate as an indicator into the raw data, and would appear as you perform data replay and scroll between any date. I was envisioning points on the price action line, or, a 'scroller' indicator such as what the link above uses.

Does anything like this exist yet? Is it possible to make? Should I add this to a wishlist?

I've already been referred to userABC for work, and am completely willing to pay someone if they think they can make this. I use .net version, but the EL forum seems much more active so I'm re-posting here.

Please let me know your thoughts,
Very much appreciated

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JoshM
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Re: Potential wishlist item - timeline script

Postby JoshM » 20 Jan 2016

Well let me reply since I already saw your thread a few days ago in the MC NET section and it hasn't gained traction yet.
I really need a dashboard almost identical to this
I don't think that's possible, since it would require replacing the x-axis in MultiCharts with the kind of axis used by Timeline JS3.

If such a thing is possible (which I don't think as long as it needs to be 'almost identical'), then it's only possible with custom drawings in MultiCharts .NET and for sure not possible in regular MultiCharts. But even in MultiCharts .NET we cannot replace the x-axis with a different time axis.
so that I can manually input events into the timeline and have them show up on the chart in real time AND more importantly, data replay.
This probably can be done with an external Excel sheet, like the one referenced in the Google drive link and by having that data load in MultiCharts.
These would then populate as an indicator into the raw data, and would appear as you perform data replay and scroll between any date. I was envisioning points on the price action line, or, a 'scroller' indicator such as what the link above uses.
I don't think this is possible too, because a 'scroller indicator' like Timeline JS3 uses requires replacing the time axis with custom scroll features.
I'd like to know if I should add this to the wishlist page, or, if anyone knows if such a thing has been created, or, how difficult it would be to create!
You may of course always create a feature request for it, but looking at what you want and what MultiCharts can do plus the amount of work it takes the engineers to make such a thing, it's quite unlikely that this will ever be implemented.

I don't think such a feature has been made by someone else. Perhaps proprietary, but I haven't even seen something for MultiCharts .NET that comes close to the Timeline JS3 library.

Regarding how difficult, I would guess it's very difficult to impossible. That's especially since you're keen on 'having a dashboard nearly identical to Timeline JS3'. If you simplify your idea without running into some of the things I mentioned above, it might be possible. But such a thing will for sure not look as Timeline JS3 does. There are also a large amount of unknowns, like how many events should there be displayed and how they should be displaced without cluttering the chart. I wouldn't be surprised that with a project like this the majority of the time is spend on those 'little' tweaks.

That being said, I hope I'm wrong here of course because it would be awesome if such a thing is possible with MultiCharts (.NET).

(sorry for such a pessimistic reply!)

Hubace789
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Re: Potential wishlist item - timeline script

Postby Hubace789 » 20 Jan 2016

so that I can manually input events into the timeline and have them show up on the chart in real time AND more importantly, data replay.
This probably can be done with an external Excel sheet, like the one referenced in the Google drive link and by having that data load in MultiCharts.
Okay, honestly, if this is remotely possible then I'm fine with not having the rest. I appreciate the response and the realistic answer! That's what I need to hear.

I can easily maintain an external SS so if that can "match" with the dates on the x-axis and populate in text boxes accordingly then VOILA, mission accomplished.

Final question (You may have already answered): Let's forget about the Timeline JS3 example for this. Is it possible to simply create a "table" with 3 columns and let's say 100 rows, whereby the column 1 is a date and column 2 is the headline and column 3 is the text body. And, can there be an if/then statement written that IF date matches on the x axis then headline and text body populate? Or is it just easier doing the same setup from excel and linking via DLL?

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JoshM
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Re: Potential wishlist item - timeline script

Postby JoshM » 20 Jan 2016

I can easily maintain an external SS so if that can "match" with the dates on the x-axis and populate in text boxes accordingly then VOILA, mission accomplished.
I don't know what a SS is, but if you have data in a file (whether it's an excel file, text file, or something else), then yes it can be load and parsed in MultiCharts (.NET) to display it on the chart. That's like what the Economic Events do, where the events are stored in .txt files and then read by MultiCharts and shown on the chart.
Is it possible to simply create a "table" with 3 columns and let's say 100 rows, whereby the column 1 is a date and column 2 is the headline and column 3 is the text body.
Yes, I believe that's possible but it depends on where that "table" is stored. If it's in a Google Docs spreadsheet for instance, then I don't know if that's programmatically accessible and if the access rights allow that.
And, can there be an if/then statement written that IF date matches on the x axis then headline and text body populate?
Yes, text boxes are already natively possible in MultiCharts (.NET) so that wouldn't be a problem. For a nicer visual effect custom drawings can also be used.

Simply put, there are now just a few steps:
* Read the data from an external source,
* Convert the data to something that MultiCharts (.NET) can use on the chart,
* Then check if the bar's time matches that previously converted data,
* And if that's the case create a text box.
Or is it just easier doing the same setup from excel and linking via DLL?
A DLL isn't needed since you use MultiCharts .NET already, right? In that case it can be done natively in C#. (But a DLL can, of course, be used to manage the project but it isn't a requirement then).

If it's easier to use Excel depends on how you want/can manage the data, I think. It might be more convenient to type in and edit the data in a spreadsheet, but that's not the only file format you can use for this. For example, if that data comes from a website, you might also parse the website directly although that would add additional complexity and a greater dependency on that external website, of course.

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TJ
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Re: Potential wishlist item - timeline script

Postby TJ » 20 Jan 2016

Hi all,

I've been perusing the MC boards for a while, putting together a wishlist of personal things I'd like from MC and other visualization programs in order to start running a new research service.

I'm looking to hire programmers to build scripts/dashboards that can work how I like.

One of the major wishes I'd like comes from this idea here:

http://timeline.knightlab.com/
::
Please let me know your thoughts,
Very much appreciated
I have seen a dashboard on TS.
It "floats" on top of the chart, but integrates with the chart data. It was created by a trading house with in-house programmers.

This was from 6~7 years ago, before the OOP TS.
You ask if it can be done; I would say anything is possible.


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