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Beta Status, NO alt key for ventrilo, coloring bars per stoch crossover, Chart TF Flag Cat, Fixing Charts after Ensign shutdown, Beginner links for Ensign |
October 12 , 2005
16:30 @Ensign_HA: Welcome to class today.
16:30 @Ensign_HA: First I will give an update on the Beta version status. Those beta testers on the eSignal, IQFeed, and Quote.com feeds are getting alone quite well with the Beta. Some beta testers on the IB feed are reporting that the Beta occassionally disconnects from the IB feed. The issue, whatever it is, is not accompanied by any messages from the TWS that there is a disconnect. The TWS continutes to get its feed and updates its quote page, but the port connection to Ensign appears to have been dropped. What is making this difficult to figure out is it does not happen for everyone, and does not happen for me the developer.
16:33 @Ensign_HA: One user has 4 computers, and beta disconnects on two of them, and stays reliably connected to TWS on the other 2 computers. Have not yet figured out this staying connected issue which is a difference between the non-beta and the beta version. So, until the issue is understood and resolved, the program will continue in Beta status, and we will encourage IB users to stay on the regular release.
Do not use ALT key for mic in Ventrilo
16:35 @Ensign_HA: Now, on a slightly different issue and possibly related, we became aware yet again of the impact of the ALT key which is often used as the microphone control key for Ventrilo. In my testing I have found that the Alt keypress will activate the menus in Ensign when Ensign has focus, though the key is being used to turn on the microphone for Ventrilo.
16:37 @Ensign_HA: This menu activation has an impact for eSignal users of causing the processing of the data feed to stop until the next keypress or mouse click. That is not good. So, I strongly recommend that the ALT key NOT BE USED as the microphone activation key in Ventrilo. I suggest that a control key be used instead.
16:38 @Buffy: ALT is a major windows key also
16:38 @Ensign_HA: The ALT key menu behavior does not seem to affect the IQFeed processing, or the InteractiveBrokers processing.
16:39 @Ensign_HA: Correct buffy, the behavior with the menus is not an Ensign Windows issue, it is a behavior fundamental to the windows operating system. Alt key is ususally pressed in conjunction with another key to activate a Hot Key menu or button. But it can be pressed individually, and serves as a mode waiting for the next keypress. So you could do ALT-F together or do ALT and then do F as separate keystrokes and arrive at the same Hot Key for the File Menu to be activated.
16:41 @Ensign_HA: The word about the ALT key was passed along to a few others today, and changing the mic key in Ventrilo to another key helped resolve the data feed stopping in eSignal until the next key was pressed. It also resolved a big cross cursor issue for a user because when you press ALT then the cursor moves without the big cross moving with it. Anyway, that is just a heads up about using ALT key with Ventrilo and though I knew this in the past, memory of it had grown dim and needed to be dusted off. For IB users it still freezes the cross hairs on the screen
16:43 @Ensign_HA: Please do not use ALT key in Ventrilo as the mic key.
16:44 @Ensign_HA: oh, nothing I have said is going to change the behavior of the ALT key. I just want you to quit using ALT key in Ventrilo so you quit doing ALT so often ALT will still stop the esignal feed. ALT will still freeze the big cross but now you know why and what it takes to resume the behavior you expect. ALT is putting the computer into a mode of Windows platform waiting for the following companion key to complete the Alt-key sequence.
16:46 @Ensign_HA: It is kind of like the carpenter who goes to the doctor complaining that every time he hits his finger with a hammer it gets all black and blue.
16:46 tiger: (RCONTROL) works fine, for anyone looking at other options
16:47 MS: Howard, no more issues here with my e-sig version after todays conversation, thanks again, Michael, this is just a confirmation.......
16:47 @Ensign_HA: so the Doctor's advice was to quit hitting his finger.
16:47 @Buffy: :-)
16:47 @Ensign_HA: thanks MS for the feedback, which for both of us is a relief to understand the cause so we can 'quit hitting our finger'. It is not an issue in my control because it is a fundamental behavior issue of Windows operating system. Anyway, enough said.
16:48 @Ensign_HA: OK, does anyone have a question for me?
16:51 @Ensign_HA: OK, perhaps we can have some of you post pictures of the charts you have dressed with studies and talk about what you do with Ensign. I have seen some really great charts being posted. I continue to be impressed and amazed as the way some of the studies and markers are being used to create cool visual effects.
DYO TF Addition Request (added and information at end of class)
16:53 dpg: I am trying to figure out how to detect chart symbol and TF from w/in a DYO so I can do conditional operations based on same
16:53 @Ensign_HA: dpg, we do not have any string operations in the DYO. So the detection you want to do will have to be based on some characteristic of the symbol since you cannot test the symbol directly. You do have access to things like the leverage, or minimum tick. Some of these things are in the Beta version only, because they were added in the past couple weeks. Let me post a picture of some of them.
16:55 dpg: for example I my template sets a GV which is used by other charts, but I would like to select which GV based on symbol and ONLY set that GV from a given TF
16:57 @Ensign_HA: Here are some of the chart characteristics in the Chart Value category.
16:57 dpg: those might be useful.
16:57 @Ensign_HA: I do not have Time Frame listed as a Chart Value, but it could be added.
16:57 dpg: would have to be two values I assume. TF Type (min, vol, tick, range, ..) and then qty
16:58 @Ensign_HA: Now we can return a 5 for a 5-min chart time frame, and a -89 for an 89 tick chart, but for the others, I am open for suggestions. What NUMBER value would be returned for a constant volume V1000 chart and what number would be returned for a constant range R100 chart and for daily, weekly, and monthly time frame?? Could add some of those as a Chart Flag test like Is Daily - Is Weekly - Is Monthly - and return T/F for the Chart Flag. Or is Intra-day, or Is Range, or Is Constant Volume time frame. So V1000 could return 1000 for the Chart Value. Min = 1, Day = 2, Mon = 3, Tick = 5, Vol = 6 etc - that way can assign to a GV and test and the Chart Flag for testing Is Constant Volume would be T/F
17:01 dpg: that would be good too
17:01 @Ensign_HA: ok, will consider your suggestion for an assigned number for the type
17:02 dpg: tnx:-)
www.ensignsupport.com/email/597.mhtml
Fixing Charts after Ensign shutdown
17:13 aw: Had problem with charts totally getting messed up all at once today. Rebooted but many charts were just flatlined but slowly started getting data back. 1 minute showing bars before 5 minute et. Some charts still not right. will post tick chart with missing bars and 200 range chart.
17:13 @Ensign_HA: ok, am I caught up on the questions, or has one been overlooked?
17:14 @Ensign_HA: aw, what data feed
17:15 aw: esignal 30 day trial
17:15 @Ensign_HA: aw, do this. You apparently had a crash which meant files were not saved. Thus click menu Setup | Charts and select Maintenance tab, perform task #3 to discard the tick pool. When tick pool threads are not correctly linked to a symbol, then you extract data for a wrong symbol at a wrong price. And on the R200 chart it causes that big ladder from wrong low price to the current price. So do task #3 to at least stop the R200 behavior
17:17 aw: ok, thanks
17:17 @Ensign_HA: you will have to right mouse click and Refresh Maximum to get back last 6 days of ticks from eSignal and that will give you back a decent R200 chart.
17:18 @Ensign_HA: #3 is a discard of the Ensign tick pool which would normally be the resource we extract ticks from to bring tick and intra-day charts current discard this resource. Rely on the data vendor tick refresh and intra-day bar refresh to add missing bars to the chart to bring them current.
GVs from Auto Trend Channel
17:14 sputnik: sputnik, is it possible to write the values from the auto trend "Channel Line" or "50% Line" into a GV ? I would like to calculate the "height" of the channel in a dyo. ty
17:19 @Ensign_HA: sputnik, 1 moment while I look a the auto trend tool
17:24 @Ensign_HA: sputnik, on the auto trends I assigned the 4 GVs in sequence of 1, 2, 3 and 4. In the image above I am showing the quote page for Variables so I can easily see the 4 values that got stored. The 4 boxes store the last 4 swing prices which I marked in yellow circles.
17:25 @Ensign_HA: 1 is the last yellow circle as 1179.25 when the blue line was crossed. The 2nd to last circle is the swing high at 1184.5 in GV 2
17:25 @Ensign_HA: prior swing low of 1177.25 is in GV 3 and prior swing high of 1186.75 is in GV 4.
17:26 @Ensign_HA: none of these values reflect the channel width
17:26 @Ensign_HA: now, sputnik, 1 moment
17:31 @Ensign_HA: sputnik, I will investigate and see if I can add to the DYO some Study Value selections for Auto Trend that return the channel Price, the 50% price, and the channel size - then you would have these values to work with
Coloring the Frame of Candlesticks based on a Stocastic Crossover
17:14 Vultre: coloring the frame of candlesticks based on a stocastic crossover
17:32 @Ensign_HA: now let me answer Vultre question about candle frame color
17:32 @Ensign_HA: Vultre, it would be easier to use color bars with your stochastic cross and as such it colors the body of the candlestick instead of the frame.
17:33 @Ensign_HA: Let me illustrate, and if that is not what you want, then we can pursue the frame coloring too. Lets do the body coloring first as being easier.
17:35 @Ensign_HA: In this example, the bar Style is Candlesticks
17:36 @Ensign_HA: Color Bars study is turned off by being set to Normal and that is because we will use the Color Bars marker on the Stochastic form to do the bar coloring based on whether the %K line is above or below the %D. Vultre, is that the visual effect you seek?
17:39 @Ensign_HA: guess vultre is away. But I think I have answered his question.
17:40 @Ensign_HA: OK, thanks for attending class today
17:40 @Buffy: tks Howard
17:40 @Ensign_HA: I appreciate all you do to help each other and be a knit community
17:41 @Buffy: :-) Many help now
17:41 @Ensign_HA: Lets keep the misfortunes of others in mind and be thoughtful of helping them. I feel very sorry for the earthquake victims who have lost their children, homes, and friends.
17:42 @Buffy: so many too
17:48 @Ensign_HA: anyway, you all have a great week - bye
17:48 @Buffy: night Howard
17:49 aw: gn,thanks again
17:48 kongfuzi: Buffy may I ask a quick question?
17:53 @Buffy: sure
17:54 kongfuzi: thx, is there a newbie manual that can be print out to go over the basics of setting Ensign up, or just the various pages in the help area? thx
17:55 @Buffy: 3 great classes recently
http://www.dacharts.org/archives/Ensign_Wed_class_transcripts/Basics-of-Ensign_08-10-05.htm
17:56 @Buffy: those 3 should really help you
17:56 kongfuzi: right, I just dont want to stare at the screen if I can have something to read first and then "do" thx I will check out both of those thx buffy and midge
17:56 @Buffy: ask in bline room if you get stuck
17:57 kongfuzi: I will - thanks again - purrrfect
Chart TF Flags
18:38 @Ensign_HA: I have added for the next Beta release additions to the DYO Chart Value and Chart Flag categories
18:38 @Ensign_HA: the requests made in class today for a way to tell chart time frame type and chart time frame value
18:39 @Ensign_HA: the time frame type values returned and flag testable are as follows
18:39 @Ensign_HA: 0 = Tick
18:39 @Ensign_HA: 1 = Intra-day (minute based charts)
18:39 @Ensign_HA: 2 = Daily
18:39 @Ensign_HA: 3 = Weekly
18:39 @Ensign_HA: 4 = Monthly
18:39 @Ensign_HA: 5 = Range bars
18:39 @Ensign_HA: 6 = Volume bars
18:40 @Ensign_HA: for the Time Frame Value, the value returned and testable for a flag are as follows
18:40 @Ensign_HA: Tick based charts will return the tick count as a negative number
18:40 @Ensign_HA: Minute based charts will return the minute timeframe as a positive number
18:41 @Ensign_HA: Daily will return 32765
18:41 @Ensign_HA: Weekly returns 32766
18:41 @Ensign_HA: Monthly returns 32767
18:41 @Ensign_HA: Range and Volume return the size parameter that follows the R or V in the time frame suffix
18:42 @Ensign_HA: bye