Multicharts Question

zgtrader · May 3, 2012

Quote from jokepie:

May be I will have to get this coded with an API of some sort ??

DO you think this is possible?

It may be possible, but as sheepsucker said, it will be a hack so reliability is always a concern.

Here is a possible implementation (simplified). The indicator added to the market scanner would need to write its results to a text file, including the symbol and any condition flags. A small app/utility would then need to read/monitor this file for signals and then send the required symbol to a strategy window (create if necessary).

If you need to disable strategy windows based on your system logic, you would have the utility handle this as well.

If you are automating a large number of symbols, you may have an issue with both resources (automating dozens of symbols) and speed (scanning 1000s of symbols).

You may want to check out a free, open source, scripting utility called AutoHotKey. I use it for batch processing and automation and it works great for these type of tasks. I could not live without this tool.

jokepie · May 3, 2012

Quote from zgtrader:

It may be possible, but as sheepsucker said, it will be a hack so reliability is always a concern.

Here is a possible implementation (simplified). The indicator added to the market scanner would need to write its results to a text file, including the symbol and any condition flags. A small app/utility would then need to read/monitor this file for signals and then send the required symbol to a strategy window (create if necessary).

If you need to disable strategy windows based on your system logic, you would have the utility handle this as well.

If you are automating a large number of symbols, you may have an issue with both resources (automating dozens of symbols) and speed (scanning 1000s of symbols).

You may want to check out a free, open source, scripting utility called AutoHotKey. I use it for batch processing and automation and it works great for these type of tasks. I could not live without this tool.

Thank you so much Z,
I really appreciate your input.
Some one actually recommended the idea of having strategy run on Market Scanner in MC. I saw a post in their Fourm yesterday and the MC folks have marked it as a future enhancement.
Until they kick that feature in, I might have to go the way you just described it.

Thanks again,

sheepsucker · May 4, 2012

Where will you get streaming data that will be needed to run the scan locally for 1000 symbols?

Most data providers limit it to 100's of symbols.

jokepie · May 4, 2012

Quote from sheepsucker:

Where will you get streaming data that will be needed to run the scan locally for 1000 symbols?

Most data providers limit it to 100's of symbols.

I wasn't planning to do the scan locally, however use the built in scanners that execute on server side and use the results from the scanner to feed the strategy.

for example, if i set up scan for Mid cap stocks + 3mil daily vol +current vol 3mil etc.... the results in the scanner can be used to feed the strategy.

I spoke with esignals API experts - they said its not possible.
IB has API that says it has scanner built in the logic/ program.
So I am going to explore that a but more.

Does any one using IB API can comment on this ?

Thanks