IB Questions: symbol mapping etc.,

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MotoMoto
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Joined: 10 Feb 2011

IB Questions: symbol mapping etc.,

Postby MotoMoto » 14 Feb 2011

second that.
Everything seems to be updating as per expected now.
thanks.

I do have a question that may relate to others who are using IB as the broker and Esignal to feed data, when using stocks.

How do I ensure the quote manager can pick up the symbol names I wish to use for both instruments?
Presently I assume, I will need one chart open for BHP (lets say a ten minute chart over 10 days) This is linked to IB and from this I can use the short term data from IB and trade off the chart. However I may wish to download more daily data, weekly data etc from Esignal in a different chart, one that is not linked to IB and is used for analysis and accurate data and not trading.
eg; In Australia, BHP the IB code is BHP, for Esignal the code is BHP-ASX. When it comes to linking charts etc; unless you can map the symbol to use just one name it might be cumbersome. In the Quote manager I have the codes for both IB and Esignal in the QM.
thanks.
(or have I missed something here, and possibly I should have a different setup???)

MotoMoto
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Re: New IB API Update (Mon Feb 14, 2011)

Postby MotoMoto » 14 Feb 2011

IB TWS has frozen and does not respond.....when trying to trade live.
It still did not accept orders from the MCDT, and ended up freezing and dying all together.

MotoMoto
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Re: New IB API Update (Mon Feb 14, 2011)

Postby MotoMoto » 14 Feb 2011

FYI - Tried again a couple of times through the day.
It is picking up Esignal, with no problems, and picking up IB data no problems.
The feed from IB seems to work in that it picks up the existing position data, however, when trying to input an order - to buy a stock below the last price, then the IB freezes.

The Log message is
Error....Interactive Brokers.....Invalid destination exchange specified.

It seems to be an error in setting up the symbol in the QM....so after checking rechecking etc; I have no idea. In the QM I have the instrument (BHP - for IB and BHP-ASX for Esignal)
Both are connected to the same exchange ASX.
Any suggestions?
thanks.

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Dave Masalov
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Re: New IB API Update (Mon Feb 14, 2011)

Postby Dave Masalov » 17 Feb 2011

MotoMoto,

You need to configure Symbol Mapping properly. Please go to Strategy Properties --> Auto Trading --> Broker plug-in sttings --> IB --> Symbol Mapping. All the columns except the first one should match with the symbol settings in IB TWS. The first column should display eSignal symbol name (the one on the chart).

Also, your manual orders will be sent to IB but you won't see them on eSignal chart as at the moment symbol mapping works only in one direction.

MotoMoto
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Re: New IB API Update (Mon Feb 14, 2011)

Postby MotoMoto » 17 Feb 2011

Hi Dave,
this could be the issue :)
I cannot find
Strategy Properties --> Auto Trading --> Broker plug-in sttings --> IB --> Symbol Mapping

Is it in the QM, or the MCDT?
thanks.

MotoMoto
Posts: 18
Joined: 10 Feb 2011

Re: New IB API Update (Mon Feb 14, 2011)

Postby MotoMoto » 17 Feb 2011

Thanks for the help TJ but now I am completely lost.
I am in MCDT, I have a chart open for an Australian stock BHP-ASX that is picking up live data from IB, I have the manual/discretionary trader attached to the chart.

What is the strategy I have to apply to the chart? I am not autotrading, but trying to discretionary trade.

eg; a Place Order - stop limit, or limit. Etc
These are what I am trying to drag and drop onto the chart and the message - ïnvalid destination exchange specified"" comes up.
thanks.

(The attached chart unfortunately does not show the manual chart trader on the side of the chart, even though its on my monitor.)
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BHP_Chart.png
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Dave Masalov
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Re: New IB API Update (Mon Feb 14, 2011)

Postby Dave Masalov » 18 Feb 2011

MotoMoto,

You can find Strategy Properties --> Auto Trading --> Broker plug-in sttings --> IB --> Symbol Mapping if you click on the little arrow near to grey "SA" button.

Also you can access Symbol Mapping dialogue if you rightclick on the manual trading panel and go to Edit IB profile...

Tony

Re: New IB API Update (Mon Feb 14, 2011)

Postby Tony » 18 Feb 2011

I have lost connection to range bars on both YM and CL charts today although both are updating fine using minute bars. I have rebooted MC and TWS but no change. Anyone else having problems? No pacing violation error message. Any thoughts on what might be up?

Thanks,

Tony

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Dave Masalov
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Re: New IB API Update (Mon Feb 14, 2011)

Postby Dave Masalov » 18 Feb 2011

Dear Tony,

Please come to our Live Chat between 6:30AM and 2PM EST so we can connect to your computer remotely and analyze the situation.

MotoMoto
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Re: New IB API Update (Mon Feb 14, 2011)

Postby MotoMoto » 23 Feb 2011

thanks for that.
(sorry for the late reply I was away for a few days)_
Just to let you know it all seems to work fine once it was mapped correctly and I found that little SA tag at the top of the chart window.
It seemed that there is the potential to miss this mapping, as it looked like it was already mapped correctly through the quote manager.
Also for anyone else.... be-careful that you also map to the correct account if you have an IB advisor account. :)
thanks

MotoMoto
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Re: New IB API Update (Mon Feb 14, 2011)

Postby MotoMoto » 23 Feb 2011

As an aside, maybe this should be continued in a new thread and the previous posts moved there as I dont want to distract from this being where the IB download is.

Yet, there are still issues with the quotes and the codes when symbol mapping
This appears to be an issue when the three symbol code has a multitude of choices to choose from.
eg; if I type in NAB into IB TWS, then the only choice it gives me is the National Australia Bank. Hence if i type in NAB into MCDT, then NAB will pick up data from IB and chart and link the symbol.
However, if I type say, PLV into IB TWS it gives a few choices, when I wish to choose only the stock that is from the ASX, I cannot seem to get it to work.
I tried a number of different ways using the symbol mapping, directly into the quote manager and also the above said settings>>Interactive brokers>>symbol mapping.
None can get the code to download data from IB.
Then when I go into the quote manager there is usually a few instruments of the same name (eg; PNA) with description of USD and the exchange of SMART.
Even if I modify all these to try and get them in a similar form of the stocks that are set up correctly, eg; AUD as currency, ASX as exchange.....then nothing comes up.

So could you please make it easy and explain a simple, easy or at least a straightforward, accurate and slow way from start to finish to be able to setup the MCDT so that it will be able to read data from Esignal and trade with IB ON A PORTFOLIO BASIS..., because clearly at the moment, its going down the path of being a data management nightmare. :(
There seems a lot of potential, but not if its frustrating.
thanks.

MotoMoto
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Re: IB symbol mapping questions

Postby MotoMoto » 27 Feb 2011

FYI -
found an interesting and confusing situation.
I have one chart set up with IB feed, and IB as the broker
I have a second chart with Esignal as the feed.
The charts are 30 minutes OHLC charts. the symbol for both charts is the same.....just different data feeds.
(apart from the fact that the data is slightly different - In this case esignal has missed some data. This is not the issue)

If I drag and drop the LMT strategy from the manual trading window attached to the chart I get different responses?
For the IB chart feed - if I drag and drop the LMT strategy icon onto the chart BELOW the current price I get a message asking...."would you like to place this order? BUY qty BHP @ price""

For the Esignal chart feed - if I drag and drop the LMT strategy icon onto the chart BELOW the current price I get a message asking...."would you like to place this order? SELL qty BHP @ price""

So where do I set the strategy as this makes no sense whatso ever? I should not be able to even change this, as a limit order, and a stop order etc; should be uniform shouldn't they?

If you try variations of the different strategies you can get different results for different strategies when placing them both above and below the current last price......very confusing.
now I know that I cannot place orders into the Esignal and its a data feed, but clearly there is something askew here.
thanks.

MotoMoto
Posts: 18
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Re: IB Questions: symbol mapping etc.,

Postby MotoMoto » 28 Feb 2011

There are some issues with the symbol mapping.
So far I have tried various methods of getting the symbol mapping correct between IB, Esignal and MCDT.

The situation that seems best is to use IB as the broker - and download shorter term chart data when needed in order to trade off the chart. But when analyzing charts using esignal, as the data seems more reliable and less problematic than using IB data.

To date I have found the best way to enter symbols is ....

In MCDT….File>>New>>QuoteManager
then in QM.....
Instrument>>Add symbol>>From Data Source>> Broker (eg; IB)......search for the correct symbol and then map it.
Then…..if you go into the MCDT, you can then type in the Symbol name into a real time scanner, or chart, and it should pick it up correctly from the broker.

This is where the issues begin.....!!!
lets say I have the QM showing the symbol PNA for IB and PNA-ASX for Esignal, and both are correctly mapped.

Then in the MCDT, type the name into a real time scanner, that is linked to a chart, and the instruments in that chart are linked to the broker.
So if you type PNA then it should be linked to the IB chart, and if you type PNA-ASX it should be linked to the Esignal data feed.
Now I know these are both working as I can get two separate charts up.....with slightly different charts (one has a high of 83.5, the other a high of 83....different quality data feeds are a different issues)

The problem starts when this is not working for ALL instruments.
eg; if I use a different symbol... WDR and WDR-ASX....correctly put into the QM
when i do this it OFTEN reverts back to one or the other as a default......
eg; if i type in WDR into the IB linked chart and scanner, it works BUT when I type in the code WDR-ASX into the Esignal linked scanner chart it defaults back to the IB symbology for some reason....thsi then causes no data to load, as IB does not recognise WDR-ASX, and it also then causes the QM to input a new instrument into the QM under the IB SMART folder with completely screwed up parameters. This means I have to go and modify everything and delete the SMART IB folder symbols.

I hope this makes sense.....
But basically without sounding too critical, to be a good portfolio based system, and not just another retail product for a few instruments, this needs to be improved otherwise data management becomes an ongoing issue.

MotoMoto
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Re: IB Questions: symbol mapping etc.,

Postby MotoMoto » 28 Feb 2011

another issue that should be easily fixed, but I cannot work out where it would be done....
Some stocks/instruments, have a decimal point value of only 2 figures to the right of the decimal point, while others have more (eg; 3), while they all have the identical settings in the Quote manager in terms of price scale etc ; 1/100

Where else can this be changed.....as it affects prices and the way they are charted.

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TJ
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Re: IB Questions: symbol mapping etc.,

Postby TJ » 28 Feb 2011

right click on the chart... Format Instrument

Image
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MotoMoto
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Re: IB Questions: symbol mapping etc.,

Postby MotoMoto » 28 Feb 2011

thanks TJ..... I found your solution, but unfortunately it does not make a difference....even after closing down and re-opening etc;
(In the MCDT you it seems you cannot do a screen shot)

as the example:
I have some instruments in the real time scanner with three decimal places, and others with 2 decimal places, and yet all show that they are meant to have 3 decimal places as per your screen shot. In the price axis in the chart they ALL show 3 decimal places. (in Australia, therer are a lot of small priced stocks and many trade at say $0.86 and will trade in increments of 0.005 (or 1/2 cent) intervals.

I am wondering if this is related to the issues with the parameters and symbol mapping?

(I am really wanting to try and use the full blown MC version again but need it to be accurate enough to trust the data while using a portfolio, and not having one offs you need to keep checking and updating.)


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