IB API HOWTOs and Guidelines - For Beginners

2rosy · Sep 24, 2015

Butterfly · Sep 25, 2015

2rosy is not going to explain anything in terms of programming, all he can do is refactor code and do code "wrappers". His tutorial is not a tutorial but simply his version of refactoring the IB API code.

Some of the functions he has refactored are meaningful, others are completely pointless. I guess when you have no real experience in programming, all you can do is refactor code and do wrappers before gaining any meaningful experience.

2rosy · Sep 26, 2015

sam999 said:
Thank you 2rosy.
I am not Python expert but I did go through your tutorial
http://nbviewer.ipython.org/github/audubon/ibpytutorial/blob/master/IBpyTrading.ipynb

Can you please provide a working example calling Utils.makeOptOrder

here's a java version if python isnt your thing http://bit.ly/IBorderbuilderJava

heavenskrow · Sep 26, 2015

man I have yet to master the TWS platform, API will be a dream once I evolve into a next level pokemon!

jcl366 · Oct 25, 2015

Back to API issues: Has someone found out how to detect if the account is paper or real? I have found no info in the API documentation about this.

Butterfly · Oct 25, 2015

paper account have a different login and password than your regular account,

that's how you know,

stevegee58 · Oct 25, 2015

I don't know if this is a sure thing but both my paper trading account numbers start with "DU"

jcl366 · Oct 25, 2015

Ok, but I do not really want to hard code my login and password in the software. In fact it's for a public software program that should behave different on real and paper accounts, regardless of the login and password. - My real account starts with "U", but I'm not sure if paper accounts always start with "D". If there is really no API function for this, maybe IB support can answer that.

2rosy · Oct 25, 2015

jcl366 said:
Ok, but I do not really want to hard code my login and password in the software. In fact it's for a public software program that should behave different on real and paper accounts, regardless of the login and password. - My real account starts with "U", but I'm not sure if paper accounts always start with "D". If there is really no API function for this, maybe IB support can answer that.

Use a config file and inject your logic

fullautotrading · Oct 25, 2015

jcl366 said:
that should behave different on real and paper accounts

You are right that that feature should be there. IB should relay what kind of account one is connecting to (independent of the account code).

But it's not the only important piece of information they are not relaying. There are several other ones even more important, for instance the "barrier" value or knock-out Price for IOPT type contracts (turbo options). And, more importantly, all the info relative to liquidation orders (or any other action taken from the broker's side), which should be fundamental. And the list can go on and on (you will find out in time) ...

Give them another 10 years, maybe they will lower a bit their ego and start listening to their automated users (those who bring the real comms $$$ in).