IB Excel Trader v.1.6 from Tradinggeeks.com: doesn't work and no support from vendor.

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ElvisOnMargin

Hi, I bought that purportedly IB TWS trading spreadsheet a few months ago from http://www.tradinggeeks.net/downloads/interactive-brokers-excel-trader. My excuse is that it sounded like a good idea a the time, considering IB's own DDE spreadsheet, or should I say Dante's Inferno :) Also the YouTube demos were impressive.

Long story short: the Tradinggeeks.com stuff doesn't connect to TWS (compile error on loading). The devs don't reply to email posted on the web site or sent to their support email address (the web site advertises unlimited support for customers), and after multiple attempts I have given up.

I am therefore here to:
1) Bitch and moan.
2) Find out if any user of the software here managed to make the spreadsheet connect, and/or get the dev to answer email (my config: stable 32 bits TWS on a 64-bits machine, latest TWS API, correct API connections configuration in TWS).

It wasn't an expensive piece of software ($35), but in term of wasted time, oh my!

Any useful info welcome,

Elvis
 
"Sorry for your $35 loss."

OK, I'm a bit rusty on the ambiance and vibes, not having posted or asked questions here for a while. So I'll narrow it down explicitly for the 2018 zeitgeist... My question, background or details aside, is technical in nature and addressed to potential users of the software in question.

This said, condolences accepted :)
 
There's a big ol' lack of detail here, leading anyone with ideas the task of an encyclopedic reply. :(

So, more obliquely....
** I'd strip it down to nubs and make sure the thing connects -- knock out whether it is a TWS issues.
** This thing is Active-X based? I'd bring up the TWS API download and make sure that such a thing is doable. (I am recalling one of the RTD set-ups being deprecated?? Within the last 12 months? TWS website would know.)
** I'd review TWX_API.io google group posts on the ACTIVE-X API.
** I'd enable full diagnostic reporting, to see if I can learn more.
** I would mention the purveyors' name wherever/when ever I go: $35, like you said, is not the end of the world, but the TIME????

Best wishes!!

I would love to know what the issue is, BTW.
I am looking to complete an TWS/Libre-Office analytics package this year. Right now, I just scrape into a .csv and in 5 minutes, I'm good. I want it in real-time, though.:rolleyes:
 
Downgrade your TWS and/or API. You should not use the auto-upgrading version of TWS anyway when dealing with 3rd party software.

Oh, and forget about Excel solutions.
 
Thanks to you both for your replies. The error is a "procedure declaration does not match description of event" compile error; the VBA compile error is thrown immediately upon loading, whether or not TWS is loaded, so it's something to do with the code and not TWS setup or version(s).

Thanks Tommcginnis for the suggestion of the TWS google group; I'll look it up.
 
ElvisOnMargin said:
Thanks to you both for your replies. The error is a "procedure declaration does not match description of event" compile error; the VBA compile error is thrown immediately upon loading, whether or not TWS is loaded, so it's something to do with the code and not TWS setup or version(s).

Thanks Tommcginnis for the suggestion of the TWS google group; I'll look it up.
More...

You're very welcome, but now (after reading your further error description), yeah -- it looks like it's all on your [VBA] end, and unrelated to TWS. With that, I don't think that TWS_API [group] would be of any help.

Can you isolate the code when/where the error occurs, and find the offending procedure (or miss event descriptors)?? d08 mentioned staying away from the newest TWSs -- I forget what TWS version was around in 2016 (the last update I saw on the ExcelTrader website), but by way of single example, if the VBA is looking for Java files in a standard TWS setup that have since been moved, making the change would be a trivial matter. ("Yayyyy!")

Lastly, if you take 10 minutes and look up the Secretary of State for the ExcelTrader home state, directing an email (copied to ExcelTrader) to look into them maintaining a website and taking in taxable funds, and not honoring the product, would constitute state-level fraud. Doing so across state lines, of course, triggers federal wire fraud. These sorts of reminders to the ExcelTrader folks just might move them to act (on their site, or their customers)...

Again, let us know what happens!
T.
 
Hi. I did look at debugging the code, but although I can code VBA up to a point, this one is beyond my ken. Regarding reporting the outfit, it's not worth my time and the aggravation/paperwork going with it. If I find no fellow (wannabe)-user on this site with a solution or word from the devs, especially in this "Trading software" forum, then this will tell me something about the odds and I'll chalk it up to the loss column.

Thanks to all those who replied,

Elvis
 
ElvisOnMargin said:
Thanks to you both for your replies. The error is a "procedure declaration does not match description of event" compile error; the VBA compile error is thrown immediately upon loading, whether or not TWS is loaded, so it's something to do with the code and not TWS setup or version(s).

Thanks Tommcginnis for the suggestion of the TWS google group; I'll look it up.
More...

I originally was going to ask you to check if "Enable DDE Client" is checked in TWS's "Global Configuration" for API Settings but if this error is thrown right away as soon as the program is loaded then it's a problem within the codes. Can't believe the dev sold a program that didn't even compile.

Anyhow did a quick google search on that error and came up with this page from Microsoft about this: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vb...h-description-of-event-or-procedure-having-sa From what page is saying, it looks like the dev used the procedure that has the same name as an event or if the procedure is really the one that corresponds to the event, it doesn't have the required parameters list required by the event. Most likely to me, it's the wrong name. The dev is a noob; he prob. used the same name for a procedure to correspond to an event and thought it would be ok. You might just need the name of one of the procedures.

I was actually looking at their webpage before and thinking of trying some of their products. I am glad I stumbled upon your page. Now I know to stay away from them.
 
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d08 said:
Oh, and forget about Excel solutions.
More...

I'd been planning on setting up a AIO excel solution for my trading. Intending for it to do market scans, allow me to trade from it, add trades to a journal and monitor my portfolio all from a few sheets. Could you elaborate on why you think it's a bad idea? Don't want to waste my time. Thanks.
 
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