|
Ensign History and Thank You, Alarming TL in Study Window, QnA |
January 4 , 2006
16:31 @Ensign-Howard: Welcome to today's training class. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year.
16:31 cyndc: ditto
16:31 4funn: zingo,
16:31 @Ensign-Howard: 2005 was a very prosperous year for Ensign, in fact, our best year ever, so we are pleased with the success
16:32 ticks: congrats you deserve it !!!
16:32 Remodel: congratulations
16:32 @Ensign-Howard: Ensign has been in business since 1981, so we have a long track record, and have evolved our product(s) over the past 25 years to meet the needs and wants of our customers. We are excited to start a new year with the great Ensign Windows product, which is better now than ever before, and that goodness is reflected in our customerbase being at an all time high and still growing. I express my appreication to my quality staff who have been with me for a long time. Kimball will be in his 16th year, and Mike is not too far behind in longevity and experience. You are encouraged to stay current by upgrading, and we continue to evolve and improve the product.
16:35 @Ensign-Howard: I thank those users who provide feedback about things that would improve the program, both by way of new features wanted and fixes needed for existing features and behavior. As always, the more detail that can be provided is a big help to me to more quickly understand and discover the issue being requested or reported.
16:37 @Ensign-Howard: Our fastest growing group of customers are those on the Interactive Brokers feed, and we look forward to another great year in 2006 where more and more IB users will discover Ensign and want to use our products to track the markets. I thank those who patronize the chat rooms and provide many hours of donated mutual effort in helping each other, and in inventing exciting new ways to use Ensign's library of studies and features. It is rewarding to me as the developer, to see the creative ways that flexible features like the DYO (Design Your Own) study can be used to add new visual effects to the charts.
16:39 @Ensign-Howard: We just finished publishing our 72nd issue of the Trading Tips newsletter. The collective library of the past 6 years has become a wealth of information and an excellent resource on a variety of subjects. The readership is via e-mail wherein the trader has requested to be on the mailing list. That list has steadily grown over the past 6 years to a current size of over 6850. Of course, we keep the list groomed by removing bounces and rejects each month, yet it continues to grow at a pace of around 150 per month.
16:42 @Ensign-Howard: The past issues are on the Newsletter page of the web site.
www.ensignsoftware.com/tips/newsletter.htm
16:43 @Ensign-Howard: In reviewing the changes to the program in 2005, there have been many, some of which are significant. We accomplished a redesign of the chart properties form, added IB as a refresh resource, and added several new studies - such as the Rainbow histogram presentation.
16:45 @Ensign-Howard: The DYO was introduce a year ago after one of those early morning power thoughts to my mind....and over the past year it has matured to be a richly featured and powerful study/tool. Another new item in 2005 was the creation of the Knowledgebase wherein I can post some of the better e-mail replies that illustrate some feature or answer some questions about the program.
16:46 @Ensign-Howard: The knowledgebase is accessed from menu Help | Q&A Knowledgebase and is a searchable database of articles/answers. A search on the keyword of DYO: will list over 100 articles, which are very educational.
IQFeed also released improvements to their software as verion 4.0.0.2 which Ensign supports with its current version. So if you use IQFeed, please upgrade both IQFeed and Ensign Windows at the same time.
16:49 @Ensign-Howard: I appreciate all the 'good press' that comes from so many of you as you provide feedback both to me and to other traders. Word of mouth is the advertising vehicle that we rely on, and it has been effective and appreciated. Not spending thousands of dollars each month on advertisements in trade magazines has permitted us to keep our prices low, which is a benefit to you. And we like the business model we use where prices are low, and it is easy for potential customers to investigate Ensign and discover if it fits their needs. I figure that if I take care of 'you', then you all will take care of me, and we mutually benefit each other.
Back Data
16:51 Ibby: how far back can you go with intraday charts - for example 2minute chart
16:51 @Ensign-Howard: ibby, you can refresh 4 months of 2-min data, but the chart file can have a maximum of 65534 bars, which is about 13 months worth.
16:52 Ibby: great thanks - and YM
16:52 @Ensign-Howard: we have a 13-month file of ES 2-min you can download from our web site using the INternet Services file. Be sure you have changed the Max Bar setting on the chart property form in advance of downloading this big file.
16:53 @Ensign-Howard: YM you will have to refresh and then continue to accumulate data each day. Or maybe you find some one with a big YM 2-min file they can e-mail to you. File are exchangable regardless of time zone you are in, or data vendor you use to build the file.
16:53 Ibby: ok thanks
16:54 @Ensign-Howard: well, lets move on to an open question and answer session. I kind of like the way we have done it in the past to change your nickname background color as in indication you want to ask a question. Then I can give you the opportunity to ask, and I can answer, which helps in reading the transcript to see the Q&A together. Then I can give you the opportunity to ask, and I can answer, which helps in reading the transcript to see the Q&A together.
16:54 Shar: Howard, I take it that is all YM files? I just asked someone in echat yesterday and they said kind of what you said, each file has to build for the YM?
16:55 @Ensign-Howard: yes shar, each time frame for a symbol is a separate chart file, so a 2-min chart has a file different than a 5-min file. If you find someone with a 1-min file, get that because you can also use the File | FIle Manager | Merge 2 Files to build a 2-min from the 1-min data set.
16:57 Shar: And that has to accumulate over time. Ok, thank you.
Setting up an alert on TL in Study Window
16:54 Remodel: Can you show how to setup alerts for studies?
16:56 @Ensign-Howard: ok remodel, we will show an alert for a study.
16:57 Remodel: thank you
16:57 @Ensign-Howard: Are you the one who asked via e-mail for help with a study crossing a trend line as an alert?
16:57 Remodel: Say when a study value crosses above/below a drawn line...yes
16:57 @Ensign-Howard: ok, you are the one. 1 moment.
17:00 @Ensign-Howard: remodel, here is example, where TRIX is in sub-window and has a Trend Line. I think this is similar to your example. The Alert Object is the 3rd item added to the chart.
17:01 @Ensign-Howard: Panel A reads the Trix study value (Red Line), and finds the condition where it crosses above the Panel B value which is the Trend line Value. The marker for when this condition is True is showing the Red zone highlight (vertical stripe). oops... did not see the -1 Bar Offset in B, which probably did not matter since the line was horizontal but the Offset in B should have been a 0 You would have noticed that mistake if the line was on an angle so its value changes bar by bar. You should be able to run with it from here.
17:03 Remodel: Is there a way to stream line the process, so I don't have to set it up everytime?
17:05 @Ensign-Howard: remodel, save the 3 objects as a template, and then you can add all 3 simultaneously by adding the template to a chart.
IB and JAVA
16:59 zingo: Howard...Java Download to get IB function with new download is not happening automatically...and needs to be done manually. Do I use both online and offline installation?
17:03 @Ensign-Howard: zingo, the IB installation that is used is the off-line installation so you have a stand alone TWS on your computer and the TWS connects across the Internet to the IB servers.
17:04 @Ensign-Howard: Ensign connects to the TWS program running on your computer. The 'on-line' flavor is a Java script running inside of INternet Explorer, and I consider that added bloat.
17:04 zingo: Tks
IB Refresh
17:05 @Ensign-Howard: ok bogey, your turn
17:05 bogeybunky: Howard, on the chart property form if u are using IB as ur data source do u always check IB as the refresh source even though the larger refreshes come from DTN?
17:06 @Ensign-Howard: yes bogey, that is a good way to do it..... have IB as the source, and then if and when you need a bigger refresh, just ask for it and internally Ensign will auto switch to using DTN to get the request..... you did not have to switch the source to accomplish this.
17:07 bogeybunky: ok tks
Shortcuts
17:07 @Ensign-Howard: ok Kubes your turn
17:07 Kubes: Is there a keyboard shortcut for draw toolbar?
17:08 @Ensign-Howard: no, we have run out of shortcut keys
17:08 Kubes: okay thks
Deleting Symbols
17:09 @Ensign-Howard: lry, your turn
17:09 Lry: Hi Howard, in the quote pages, with IB - I'm confused about how to delete the symbols to keep in IB's 100 symbol limit
17:09 Lry: do you do it in setup or in the quote page
17:10 @Ensign-Howard: you do it on Setup | Manager..... The manager is the master list, and those on the list then auto show on the quote page when they tick.....
17:10 @Ensign-Howard: however you can accumulate unwanted or expired symbols on the quote page and the easiest way to get rid of the old symbols is to use menu Quotes | Clear Market Group which will flush the table for that group, and it will repopulate with the live symbols from the feed.
17:11 Lry: Thank you. Ensign is awesome.
17:11 @Ensign-Howard: welcome.
Detached Windows
7:23 vlad: Hi Howard, is there a possibility to get detached windows in EW in the future?
17:24 @Ensign-Howard: vlad, that is a major change for the program, and yet it is possible for the future, and when I get to that project we probably will have to have a Beta phase to smooth out the rough edges such a major change might cause.
17:24 vlad: thank you
Pesavento Percentage
17:24 @Ensign-Howard: ok tt2, your turn
17:24 tt2: Thank you maybe i'm using the wrong marker? I'm using the pesavento pattern study and trying to label the swings with the retraced amount %. the values showing look odd. it seems to be labeling with the previous swing price.
17:27 @Ensign-Howard: not sure why the % marker is showing prior swing price. I will have to sstudy out the program code and see if it can show % change as you expected. ok, symptom is seen and I will work on it tomorrow
17:28 tt2: thank you
17:29 @Ensign-Howard: not sure why it is that way, and possibly it was on purpose for some reason I have forgotten.
Upgrading and Data
17:29 @Ensign-Howard: ok tiger9
17:29 tiger9: @Ensign-Howard, I'm a new subsrciber and I'm concerned about upgrades. Will my backfill data and workspaces automatically be saved? I don't want to lose the backfill as I can no longer access the source.
17:30 @Ensign-Howard: Two files are changed....one is the program which is Ensign.exe and the other is the Help documentation (in case it changed). All other files such as parameter, configurations, studies, lines, chart data files are left unchanged, untouched. Some users upgrade each week and have done so without issue for years.
More GVs
7:31 @Ensign-Howard: ok sniffy, your turn
17:31 Sniffy 2: Could you give me 256 private chart GVs and 256 public workspace GVs ... I use a lot of of persistent data and the the logical thing to do is to store in GVs ... the current DYO architecture of only 16 private and 240 public restricts me and makes it very difficult to confidently put the "same" complex template on multiple charts within the same workspace ... tia
17:32 @Ensign-Howard: sorry sniffy, the spinners on the form for GV setting are using BYTE values so the range is restricted to 0..255
17:33 Sniffy 2: :-(((((((
17:33 @Ensign-Howard: we split that range to have the last 16 be private and I do not have 20 byte available to change these spinner to be 2-bytes in size
7:33 Sniffy 2: back to espl then - what's a byte between friends ?
17:33 @Ensign-Howard: the DYO properties are crowded inside of a property structure file that I do not want to change because that would obsolete every single study for everyone.7:34 Sniffy 2: DYO use will only grow
17:34 Sniffy 2: also the complexity but I understand yr problem thx
17:35 @Ensign-Howard: yes, I agree, and DYO is a johnny come late thing after the structure size for properties was designed a few years ahead of it and at the time I thought the structure was ample in size with spare space for any future need. Guess I thought too small.
7:36 Sniffy 2: si comprendo ....stop having these good ideas !!
17:36 @Ensign-Howard: yep, victum of my own creativity.
Add Template not changing Template Name
17:37 @Ensign-Howard: ok buffy
17:37 @Buffy: hi, I would like to request that when a template is added to an existing one by unchecking the replace box, it does not change the name of the template on the chart properties window.
17:38 @Ensign-Howard: ok to restate the request you want this. If you have XXXX already on the chart and add template YYYY with replace unchecked, you want the chart to continue to show XXXX as the template on the property form.
17:39 @Buffy: exactly - no name change is replace is unchecked
17:40 @Ensign-Howard: ok, understood, and I will investigate and try to comply with the request in the next upgrade.
17:40 @Buffy: Thanks Howard
Popup Windows Always on Top
17:40 @Ensign-Howard: ok, bogey, your turn
17:40 bogeybunky: Ensign signals with a popup when the data feed is lost. Is there a way to make it an Always On Top window? Would appreciate. Seems like there are more disconnects with IB and I don't always catch it right away
17:41 @Ensign-Howard: I don't think so bogey, but will investigate tomorrow and see if I can comply with the Always on Top suggestion.
17:43 @Buffy: thanks Howard and may 2006 be a great year for you also
17:43 Sniffy 2: done thx
17:43 tt2: ditto
17:43 tiger9: will this transcript be posted somewhere?
17:43 @Ensign-Howard: ok last call for any question
www.dacharts.org/archives/Ensign_Wed_class_transcripts/
17:44 @Buffy: that is where all classes are - some great classes on the basics of Ensign too 8/10, 8/17, 8/31, 9/14
17:44 tiger9: ty Buffy
Seminar
17:43 Lry: any plans for an Ensign seminar this year?
17:44 @Ensign-Howard: possibly lry.... last July was a good one
17:44 Lry: thanks Howard.
17:49 @Ensign-Howard: Bye... you all have a Happy New Year and be successful traders.
17:49 @Ensign-Howard: I have to run now.
17:49 Shar: thank you Howard. bye
DaCharts Templates for Download
www.dacharts.com/templates/index.php
17:50 @Buffy: remodel please scroll down to b64 and download that
17:49 ticks: thanks Howard
17:50 vlad: thx
17:50 christophe: Happy and profitable new year to you and everyone, thanks again. Goodnight everyone, take care see you soon!
17:51 @Buffy: night chris
www.dacharts.com/welcome_ensign.htm
17:55 @Buffy: lots of little tricks/links in that doc