Multicharts "can't find DLL" error

garchbrooks · Apr 17, 2010

I know the custom DLL is there, I run it in administrator mode, and the program seems to have issues. When I search their forums, they tell the customer they want to come in remotely and look at the issue. I am not comfortable with that.

Anyone know how to fix this? Code works fine in TradeStation; just want to see what the total performance strategy is on a portfolio test, but this DLL issue is causing a headache.

zgtrader · Apr 18, 2010

Where did you place the custom DLL? When tradestation has any issues locating a DLL, placing it in the main program directory always works.

If nothing works, try moving the DLL to the Windows or Windows/System32 directory.

Windows will always use a specific directory order to locate a DLL:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/7d83bc18(VS.80).aspx

P.S. I wouldn't trust Multicharts or anyone else remotely browsing my system.

garchbrooks · Apr 18, 2010

Quote from zgtrader:

Where did you place the custom DLL? When tradestation has any issues locating a DLL, placing it in the main program directory always works.

If nothing works, try moving the DLL to the Windows or Windows/System32 directory.

Windows will always use a specific directory order to locate a DLL:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/7d83bc18(VS.80).aspx

P.S. I wouldn't trust Multicharts or anyone else remotely browsing my system.

Yeah, no luck. I've given up on Multicharts. Looks like I'm going to just roll my own primitive portfolio level tester and stick with TS, until I roll my own replacement for TS.

Rabbitone · Apr 18, 2010

Garchbrooks, I feel your pain. I would not allow them on my box last fall when my ShowMes all died when I installed release 5.5 for Multicharts. They claimed I did not install the release correctly. As a retired IT person who has done 1000s of installs I was pissed at Multicharts.

So I debugged their crap myself. What I found out is a number of my functions contain strategy only reserved words. These reserved words still execute fine with Tradestation ShowMe calls to functions but are dead with Multicharts. Well so much for maintaining compatibility with TS. So it was back to TS. Iâm not going to rewrite all my code because some yoyo in Tssupport thinks they know more than I do about coding systems. So you are not the only one giving up on Multicharts.

trackstar · Apr 18, 2010

Interesting that we all seem to have the same problems.

I dont know why there isnt some company stepping in to pick up the slack from both of these guys. Maybe we should all get together and fix the problem ourselves for a profit.

I am in the process right now of getting my TS code to work in multicharts because of the terrible execution and commission cost I receive by using TS as a broker. Then I would have the option of working with Advantage/IB.

Currently for portfolio testing I use Rina's Portfolio Maestro. I think its probably the best off the shelf option out there and it can understand quite a few languages.

If I cant get this up in multicharts by the end of the week I am going to move everything into VB and never look back again.

garchbrooks · Apr 18, 2010

Quote from trackstar:

Interesting that we all seem to have the same problems.

I dont know why there isnt some company stepping in to pick up the slack from both of these guys. Maybe we should all get together and fix the problem ourselves for a profit.

I am in the process right now of getting my TS code to work in multicharts because of the terrible execution and commission cost I receive by using TS as a broker. Then I would have the option of working with Advantage/IB.

Currently for portfolio testing I use Rina's Portfolio Maestro. I think its probably the best off the shelf option out there and it can understand quite a few languages.

If I cant get this up in multicharts by the end of the week I am going to move everything into VB and never look back again.

Rina's portfolio maestro? Is that really worth $5000?

Yes, I intend to move out of these platforms as well, but there's just no way one guy can write all the features that TS has without some substantial effort. I've just decided to go piece by piece, but tradestation can count on me as a customer for a while.

trackstar · Apr 18, 2010

Quote from garchbrooks:

Rina's portfolio maestro? Is that really worth $5000?

Yes, I intend to move out of these platforms as well, but there's just no way one guy can write all the features that TS has without some substantial effort. I've just decided to go piece by piece, but tradestation can count on me as a customer for a while.

I need to be able to test accurately. To me that is a very small expense to be able to trust what I am doing.

ProfLogic · Apr 19, 2010

Quote from trackstar:

I need to be able to test accurately. To me that is a very small expense to be able to trust what I am doing.

I just hired a programmer . . . small expense to be able to do what I do as well but I can customize my strategies to whatever I want. I found, "in the can" programs were extremely limited but I didn't try all of them.
I am currently testing over 75 unique entry and exit scenarios in MultiCharts without a hitch. Of course I know what I am good at and what I am not good at. I am not good at programming. I delegate to my weaknesses.

garchbrooks · Apr 19, 2010

Quote from ProfLogic:

I just hired a programmer . . . small expense to be able to do what I do as well but I can customize my strategies to whatever I want. I found, "in the can" programs were extremely limited but I didn't try all of them.
I am currently testing over 75 unique entry and exit scenarios in MultiCharts without a hitch. Of course I know what I am good at and what I am not good at. I am not good at programming. I delegate to my weaknesses.

I program and trade, and the only real constraint is that I have to be intelligent about when to allocate time to programming. That's the reason I even look into these third party platforms, because I could never do it all myself.

If I program too much => not enough revenue, run out of $
If I trade too much => no scalability, edge deterioration

But the important thing, I think, anyway, is that when I buy one of these packages, they come as close to what I want done as possible with the ability to be extended so I can finish the job. Not one of these retail platforms has really come even close, but I feel like Tradestation made a mostly-decent attempt to hit all of the major areas, and I give them a B- in everything that matters.

juanmon · Aug 17, 2010

Quote from trackstar:

Interesting that we all seem to have the same problems.

I dont know why there isnt some company stepping in to pick up the slack from both of these guys. Maybe we should all get together and fix the problem ourselves for a profit.

I am in the process right now of getting my TS code to work in multicharts because of the terrible execution and commission cost I receive by using TS as a broker. Then I would have the option of working with Advantage/IB.

Currently for portfolio testing I use Rina's Portfolio Maestro. I think its probably the best off the shelf option out there and it can understand quite a few languages.

If I cant get this up in multicharts by the end of the week I am going to move everything into VB and never look back again.

How would you go about executing these stategies via automation. Looking at Maestro's website it doesn't seem that they provide any type of automated trading interface as Multicharts and TS.