NeoTicker Blog

Important

– No major functional changes to this release
– Do not install this release if you do not intend to use the new datafeeds and their related features
– The changes to handling garbage collection may affect NeoTicker stability, if you experience crashes please report to support@tickquest.com so that we can pinpoint the issue quickly

New Features

eSignal 11 support
– the esignal related options are moved to a separate tab in the server setup window
– a new option added default to choose eSignal 11 or newer release if it is there
– by unchecking the option you are telling NeoTicker to look for eSignal 10 to run
– NeoTicker no longer distribute the eSignal API DLLs so you must install eSignal to the standard locations for NeoTikcer to work with eSignal properly
– eSignal extended history add-on service supported on both eSignal 10 and 11
– historical data channel closing no long induce overall reconnection

IQFeed 4.9
– IQFeed 4.8 and 4.9 are supported
– IQFeed 4.7 is not compatible with IQFeed 4.9 so you must install IQFeed 4.9 software to use this release of NeoTicker
– coding completed to support new IQFeed segmented historical data request but it is disabled due to poor performance. The per request wait time is too long (10 to 15 secs). The current internal cache algorithm is way faster.
– With IQFeed 4.9, it is now possible to track 500+ symbols real time without slow down IF you have at least a quad core computer with decent amount of RAM and CPU power. You have to dedicate at least one core for data streaming.

UI Changes

– server setup window using the new UI

Misc

– holidays database updated to include 2012 and 2013 holidays
– merge file provided to update existing holiday list to include 2012 and 2013 holidays
– significant changes to the way garbage collection is handled (not fully implemented application-wide)

End Notes

– This is a special release to address the issues related to the datafeeds
– We have extracted a much earlier cut of NeoTicker (after version 4.50) and worked backward to put the code changes necessary into this release

– We have been working on the UI changes requiring us to replace the grid component within NeoTicker to another one that is both 32-bit and 64-bit compatible. The task is proven to be way more difficult than originally expected. Almost all visible windows in NeoTicker involve using the old grid component. We are effectively rewriting the UI of NeoTicker completely thus delaying the normal schedule of incremental release of new features on NeoTicker. Discussion with management is made on how to proceed from here.

eSignal

– added special symbol list to filter out the settlement tick from real-time streaming and historical tick data on selected CME future contracts like 6E etc.

Command Line Option

– added option -CRO to enforce cache read-only as requested by several tech support teams who want controlled deployment

Main Program Window

– new popup menu to allow restore of main menu and toolbars

Windows 7

– taskbar menu support. when you place mouse cursor over NeoTicker taskbar tab, you will now be able to perform the same “Restore Main Window to Primary Monitor” command thru the thumb button

General

– Application Description under task manager (or in taskbar) now display the instance identifier if the user is providing one, or the process id, if the user has enabled multiple instancing

Bug Fixes

– German locale not properly identified for the determination of the user data directory
– User Define Symbol / External Style / Streaming update from Another NeoTicker updated to reflect changes in NeoTicker’s ActiveX definition

Warning

Formulas auto time out may cause problems for those users who are running NeoTicker with extremely heavy calculation using formulas. If you are not sure if it may affect your real-time calculation results, then do not upgrade to this build.

We are going to add extra options to User Preference allowing power users to fine tune their quote formula time out in next build.

New Features

Formula

– new string functions

@getuserfield (symbol, index)
@stringcat (string1, string2, …)
@stringfirstnonblank (string1, string2, …)

– new report window access functions

report.refreshhtmlview (windowname : string, refresh : boolean)
report.sethtmlview (windowname, bool)

– auto time out on 200 msec execution per cycle

Indicator Definition

– controlled formula execution time out
– debug option to force loading DLL during indicator initialization
– debug option to bypass OLE DLL security checking

Quote Window

– new context function rownum that works like the function of same name in dynamic table / frame

IDL

– Report object new methods

RefreshHTMLView (WindowName)
SetHTMLView (WindowName, UseHTMLView)

Report Window

– new HTML Display Mode
– new popup menu command to refresh HTML display

Pattern Scanner

– Timer added option to fire scanning using locale specified in Data Source

Coomunication with Grid Optimizer

– all ActiveX communication is now implemented with TCP alternative for use with GO2

Misc

– Advance Option is now indicated in the About window next to the build number

Bug Fixes

– Startup command -OPG sometimes fire off before Indicator Manager completing its intialization causing some custom indicators not recognized in the groups

New Features

User Define Symbol Manager
– New options for external style to connection to another instance of NeoTicker for real-time updates

OLE Automation
– UserDefineSymbol object new method UpdateEx
UpdateEx (symbol, UTC datetime, price, size, type)
type 0 is trade, type 1 is bid, type 2 is ask

Formula
– new indicator function exportcharttofile
exportcharttofile (condition, filename, custom message)
– new generic function shellexecute
shellexecute (condition, application, parameters, directory)
– new generic function ntutcnow

IDL Object
– new NTLib object function NTUTCNow

General
– holiday database updated
– holiday database update file for 2011 added
– core engine revision phase 2 completed

Bug Fixes

– F8/F9 shortcut keys broken in 4.30
– NeoBreadth History Generator when processing tick replay, data symbol is not available for access
– After pressing Control-J to launch Screenshot Tool, and finished taking screenshot, the Print Dialog will popup right after.
– version 4.20 lease version hard expiration code leaked into 4.30

New Features

– Several forms are updated with the new themed UI

Bug Fixes

– menu item Symbol Info Manager not functional
– Go Purchase menu item showing in regular version of NeoTicker

New Features

– Help file updated to include the new formula functions and IDL object methods

– RTD/DDE Link Manager added options for numeric precision

– DotNet indicators can now specify specific Interop files based on built-date of NeoTicker directly within the Indicator Definition window. This will make DotNet based indicators deployment much easier

Bug Fixes

– IQFeed support 2 digits year translation. It was implemented but the INI file was not updated to enable the new translation.

– IDL Itself.CompressSeries and related calls failed to properly update the compressed series when the source series timeframe is the same as the compressed timeframe resulting in bars added continuously whenever the method is call

– Related to above issue – volume and tick count update in compress series are not done accurately when called on a tick by tick basis. Fix implemented in this build works properly if the method is called once per tick update in real-time or during tick replay

Important Notice

– This is a beta release. It is provided for those who need early access to version 4.30
– This release is not considered as “stable” comparing to 4.20 build 66. Install at your own risk
– Multiple Instance is an Add-on feature requiring separate activation. Announcement on that to follow.

New Features

Time Chart
– new visual options to set background picture and gradient coloring
– reduce time chart OS-dependent object usage, in turn increase user’s ability to load more charts per NeoTicker instance

Pattern Scanner
– added option to load upto last completed bar only
– timer can be activated in offline mode

IDL Object Model
– Itself object new method MakeIndicatorEXLimitedBars
MakeIndicatorEXLimitedBars (Name, ID, IndicatorName, FixedLen, DataSources, ParamList) : IndicatorObj
– new drawingobjects read/write properties

AttachedToSymbol [AnIndex : integer] : boolean
AttachedSymbol [AnIndex : integer] : string

– Indicator Definition added option Custom Func to specify custom calling function name from a regular DLL, opening the way to a shared DLL for multiple indicators
– added option (in User Preference) to enable support of .NET Framework version 4

Formula Language

– new nested indicator method MakeIndicatorLimitedBars
MakeIndicatorLimitedBars ({barsago}, name, indicator, link1, {link2, ...,} param1, {param2, ...,} fixedlen)

– new functions SetFlag and CountIf
SetFlag (local var, reset condition, trigger condition, {true value, reset value})
CountIf (local var, reset condition, trigger condition, {true value, reset value})
true value default is 1 and reset value default is 0

– added support of local variable, variable, and function call as a comparison by themselves e.g.
$a and $b and $c and newhigh (x, y, z)

– new functions timecompare (time1, time2) and datetimecompare (datetime1, datetime2) results in -1, 0, 1
– new execution branching statements
label identifier;
on boolean goto identifier;

– new function for indicator formula to match the one from quote formula – SymbolIs

Cache Manager
– Data Integrity new option to disable always request for intraday data if the data file is missing
– Historical Data Option to specify the reference time for which the date is based on when requesting data from data service
– RAM Cache new Smart Option to enable/disable reuse of temp files

eSignal
– eSignal better Data Manager detection if it is opened and connected to several other applications, which slow down its initial response to a new connection

IQFeed
– support customized field streaming for improved performance

Continuous Contract Manager
– new table editor commands to copy or append table entries from another continuous contract

Screenshot Tool
– added new target option – clipboard

General
– Window 7 and Vista ready
– complex backend revision
– caption control buttons compatible with Windows Aero mode
– Backup Tool is now removed from distribution and related Backup Tool option in Tool Option menu is removed
– All applications distributed with NeoTicker are revised to support Windows 7 (and Vista)

Version 5 UI integration
– user interface originally made for version 5 is now merged into version 4.3
– will be a step by step process til it is done

Advanced Multiple Instance Add-On
– Multiple instance running with environment control features
– User Preference>Grid Computing>TCP Port in range
– command line launch with option to specify user files location
– optional coreready instance name for getobject access
– IQFeed ready
– eSignal ready
– Compatible with Grid Optimizer 2.0

Bug Fixes

– Down Volume and Down Tick quote fields in quote formula returns corrupted data on some data services
– in offline mode, daily cache not auto update if the symbol is available from backfill
– Account Manager popup option Go Market does not retain account information when replacing the existing order with the new market order
– formula function intimerange modified to return results based on second resolution
– Historical Data Option – Find First Missing Date sometimes generate the next date as the first date without data, due to the download time is translated into the next date based on UTC. Thus leading to failure in downloading historical data properly.

New Features

No new features. Maintenance release.
Continue Reading…

Summary

New OLE automation commands, new IDL methods, improvement in DDE feed support, and various bug fixes.
Continue Reading…

New Features

Pattern Scanner

– locking scheme on symbols in use completely rewritten, leading to 500% faster performance on real-time pre-filtering process
– RAM Cache data loading method rewritten, 500% faster performance in real-time
Continue Reading…