TradeStation 6 has a bug

[TGregg]

OK, I;ve found this bug in TS6, and verified on two different boxes. Could somebody either confirm or deny?
------repro-----
Start with an empty workspace
Hit the New Chart button (left hand side)
Enter QQQ (and prompt for format)
Select a date of 12/06/01, 1 minute, 2 days back
Select OK
Select File, New
Select the Easy Language tab
Select Strategy
Select OK
Enter a name of aaabug and hit OK
Erase all the text and enter:
---
if time=1031 then
begin
buy this bar on close;
setstopcontract;
setprofittarget(0.10);

end;
---
Hit F3 to verify
Select the chart
Right click and select insert strategy
Select aaabug
Hit close
Select View, Strategy Performance
Select the trades tab
Note that the first trade shows it hit the profit target of $259. Since we accepted the default settings of zero commision and slippage, and 100 shares that's a violation of the SetTargetProfit of $.10/share. Instead the trigger seems to be about $2.59/share.

 

[Optrader]

Oddly enough, it seems to work using .01 through .04 as inputs. Using any input from .05 up through and including .10, it does not. Shocking indeed..........(yet another) TS6 bug!

 

[PXG]

I don't think it's a bug, the problem is that you put everything into the "if time = 1031 ... " loop.

Try this:

if time=1031 then
begin
buy this bar on close;
end;

setstopcontract;
setprofittarget(0.10);

 

[TGregg]

SetProfitTarget only needs to be called once. And this particular snippet of code will work most of the time. Just at this one particular spot it fails.

 

[Optrader]

Yes, because if it were otherwise, all numbers should produce similar results, right? Why does .04, for example, work properly?

 

[TGregg]

I emailed this to software support on Saturday, and still haven't heard back from them.

 

[Optrader]

Not exactly surprising but, whether they respond or not, fixing EL bugs does not appear to be very high on their list of priorities.

 

[karabugla]

today´s my first day as a ts6 user and i already had my first bug.

if you format a strategy and enter 0.01 as commissions you get something really wierd in the performance report.

example: buylong 400 @ 59.00; long exit 58.65 = -$140 before coms.
if you leave commissions at 0 it calculates correctly. if u fill in $0.01 then your loss will shoot up to -$540 (!) whereas the cumulative column will show the correct loss: -$144.
anybody noticed the same? is there something one can do about?

and another question: is it possible to colorcode t&s or link different windows or to enter commission as a flatfee ($9.95 instead of cents per share)?

thanx all,

kev//

 

[TGregg]

So it's been a couple months since I submitted the bug, and I got an email a couple days ago from 'An Active Trader Sales Representative". I promised not to release names, so I'll call her Doris.

Anyway, I gave her the easy repro steps, and she sent them off to the "Vice President - Product Mangement", who said that I needed to change:
------
if time=1031 then
begin
buy this bar on close;
setstopcontract;
setprofittarget(0.10);

end;
------
to:
------
setstopcontract;
if time=1031 then
begin
buy this bar on close;
setprofittarget(0.10);

end;
------
simply taking the setstopcontract out of the conditional. That's not indicated anywhere in the docs that I could see, but I tried it (I mean, the guy is a veep, right?)

Well, it plumb don't work so good. As a matter of fact, it has exactly the same end result as the previous one, both don't work. And, that's on two boxes across two different versions of TS6 (DLed the latest one tonight).

Doris has been very fast on the email replies (another reason for me to keep her name secret ). I expect to hear back from her tomorrow or the next day. I'll post anything noteworthy. I'l be darn sure to post a fix or workaround.

 

[PXG]

Originally posted by karabugla
and another question: is it possible to colorcode t&s or link different windows or to enter commission as a flatfee ($9.95 instead of cents per share)?

thanx all,

kev//

Kev:
1. you can colorcode t&s: open a T&S window, go to Format/ Window/ Color....
2. You can't link different windows together.
3. You can't enter commissions as a flat fee.

As for the bug, I haven't had that problem.