Keyboard Shortcut for Changing Scale of a Chart Window?
Author: kendalab
Creation Date: 7/31/2015 11:05 AM
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kendalab

#1
I tend to run some of my strategy windows in different scales, but find switching scales a little cumbersome. If I use the Data Panel to select scale I can open the pull down and hit the "5" key to highlight "5 Minute" or any other minute increment, but hitting the enter key runs the strategy on "1 Minute" scale regardless of what intraday scale is highlighted. This forces me to mouse over and click "OK" or mouse over and click the correct scale. "60 Minutes" additionally requires me to scroll down, hit "6" or the End key before I can even see it to click it.

If I use method 2, the scale selector in the strategy window, I again have to mouse over the scale button, mouse over the correct scale and click. If I'm not precise in my mouse movement, the scaling menu closes and I have to mouse back over the button to open the scaling menu again.

I'm using a laptop with a touchpad and tend to use keyboard shortcuts as much as possible. Are there any shortcuts available to make changing the scale easier? Any Planned? Taking requests?
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Eugene

#2
The complete list of available keyboard shortcuts can be found in the Wealth-Lab User Guide > Reference > Keyboard > Shortcuts. There are no shortcuts for changing to a different chart scale.

If Cone agrees, it could be entered as feature request (maybe for a future release next year)?

P.S. But to make life easier, how about plugging in a tiny PS/2 or USB laptop mouse? IMO, any mediocre mouse is an order of magnitude more comfortable than any touchpad or trackpoint.
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kendalab

#3
Thanks, I've used the shortcut list many times. Guess I was hoping for an undocumented feature or some other way of changing the scale I hadn't found. :)

A mouse would be somewhat of an improvement over the touchpad, but I still favor shortcuts. Old skool I guess, plus with the laptop I tend to move around during the day and a mouse requires surfaces not always available. If it's possible, I would like to add a request for a shortcut method to change scale to the queue. Hopefully, it wouldn't be a major headache. Is it possible to make the scale menu within a Strategy Window to be key sensitive? IOW, mouse over the scale button and then hit a key like "5" for 5 min or "6" for 60 min?
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kendalab

#4
Can I make another request for a keyboard shortcut here or should I create a separate thread? If you'll take it here, my problem is:

In Strategy Monitor, I typically right click a strategy and hit "R" and another "R" to run. If one of the "R's" doesn't take or I mistakenly hit it one too many times, the strategy is "Removed". I find that painful. I would like for "F5" to run the highlighted strategy. That would be consistent with "F5" running the strategy in a strategy window.
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Eugene

#5
Since it's totally different, let's not put unrelated requests in this thread. Thanks in advance for reposting.

I'm afraid the initial request would not be that easy. First, typing in a symbol or number in a chart window always activates its direct entry field. Next, the numbers 1, 10 and 15 are ambiguous.
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kendalab

#6
I thought that might be an obstacle, but hoped once the scale window was open, it could be made where keystrokes would be confined to it.

What about a hot key to open a pull down type menu where down arrow keys can highlight the scale and enter selects the highlighted scale?

As for ambiguous numbers, in most menus they tend to cycle through. IOW, the first "1" goes to one, the second pressing of "1" goes to ten and the third to fifteen with another "1" goes back to one. Enter selects.

I'm just throwing out ideas. The main goal is keystroke driven changes to the scale if possible vs. pointer selection

On the other request, would that be a new support ticket? I've only responded to open threads so far. Never mind.
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Cone

#7
How about this. If you frequently run your Strategy in different intervals, create DataSets with multiple intervals... 1, 2, 5, 10, etc. (or see Note 2 below). Then open your strategy in separate windows, one for each interval. Click the "chain link" button in the lower right corner of each window. Save the Workspace. Now, every time you change symbols in one window (doesn't matter which), all other linked windows are automatically executed on the same symbol (in different intervals). One time setup, no changing scales required.

Note:
If you have 1, 5, and 10 minute windows linked, click the largest scale. That way, the lower interval data will be read directly from the [lower
interval] DataSet without requiring conversion.

Note 2:
The converse is also true. You can keep a single 1-Minute DataSet, for example, set up all the windows using the scaling controls, and each time you click a new symbol in the 1-Minute DataSet the other linked windows will automatically be scaled accordingly using the 1-Min data.
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kendalab

#8
Ok, let me play with that for a while. I have resorted to having multiple windows open with different scales, but was unaware of the "chain link". I've found more windows tends to clutter up the desktop, but I'll work with it and see. What I'm currently doing is rolling through my open strategies via ctrl-tab & ctrl-shift-tab and hitting F5 to execute them against data sets (4 strategies w/4 diff data sets) with another 2-3 strategy windows open streaming at single symbols with diff scales. I was hoping to cut out a couple strategy windows with an easy to switch scale, but your suggestion might be easier still. Thanks.
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Eugene

#9
QUOTE:
I've found more windows tends to clutter up the desktop,

You could use multiple Main Workspace Windows.
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kendalab

#10
Multiple main workspace windows may work too. I linked the three single symbol strategies and that worked fine, but when I drilled down on a trade, symbol or alert in a strategy (that was not chained) running against a dataset, all the linked strategies updated with that symbol too. For me, that doesn't work and the multiple main workspace will hopefully keep that from happening. I didn't expect an unlinked strategy to update the linked strategies, but I can see that being useful too. I think if it was linked, all strategies would use the dataset, but I didn't try that.

Thanks again for all the help and suggestions.
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kendalab

#11
OK, I need a little more help to understand something. I've been running with two main workspaces open, one with the three linked strategies (saved as default) and a second workspace with four strategies (same strategy but a matrix of 2 datasets @ 5 min scale and 2 @ 60 min scale). My issue is with the second workspace. Datasets created at 5 minutes scales. I use slightly different parameters for the 5 min vs. 60 minutes and have to set those after opening the workspace, since default parameters are coded with the strategy.

My questions is, when I saved the workspace originally, it saved the dataset with each strategy like I wanted. Somehow, now when I open the workspace two of them open to a symbol within the dataset. How do I save the workspace so it opens to the dataset and not a symbol within the dataset?
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Eugene

#12
Have you tried this option: Preferences > Advanced Options > Save the following items... > DataSet/symbol ?
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kendalab

#13
Unless I'm wrong, that option appears to save the parameters with the strategy. I'm using the same strategy with four different combinations of settings based on dataset and scale. My preference would be for those settings to be saved at the workspace level with each occurrence of the strategy. IOW, an exact image of what I save, including my convoluted combination of parameters, for that workspace so I could pick up where I left off. That doesn't seem to be the case and may be an off the chart idea, but if a genie asked..

Since the saved dataset/symbol was being changed when I saved the workspace (I think), it would appear there was something I was doing that caused the change. If I knew what that was, I would stop doing it. In the mean time, I've simply recreated the workspace.

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Eugene

#14
QUOTE:
I'm using the same strategy with four different combinations of settings based on dataset and scale.

Yes but could you create a slight variation of that Strategy for the 2nd workspace?
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kendalab

#15
True. I'll see how that works. Thanks.
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Cone

#16
QUOTE:
My preference would be for those settings to be saved at the workspace level
They are.

Workspaces, save the settings for each window - but [unfortunately] not the bar spacing or Chart Style. For those, the last used are recalled with the Workspace.

Note that the settings for sizing, data range, etc., are always saved with Strategies. The Advanced option to "Save the following items" actually just applies those settings by default when you open a new strategy.
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kendalab

#17
QUOTE:
Yes but could you create a slight variation of that Strategy for the 2nd workspace?
Ok, I've done that and saved those 4 new strategies in a new workspace, but the scale defaults to Daily when I open the workspace even with the
QUOTE:
Have you tried this option: Preferences > Advanced Options > Save the following items... >
Scale selected, set to 5 minute, saved, and the dataset is a 5 minute dataset. Any ideas?
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kendalab

#18
The scale setting is being saved with each strategy and works fine when I simply open the individual strategies, but if I save a workspace with the strategy, the scale for the strategy opens as Daily when I load the saved workspace. So, I seem to be left with resetting the scales for each strategy in the workspace or opening each saved strategy individually and rebuilding the workspace each day.

That happens in any "new main workspace" I open. My default workspace opens one strategy three times with three different scales, so I'm at a loss why my new main workspaces open strategies all with a Daily scale.
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Eugene

#19
Well, maybe it has to do with saving the scale with each strategy. I don't use this option but I do use workspaces with 4 bar scales routinely and they always open as intended.
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Cone

#20
The Workspace recalls the symbol, scale, sizing, and data range for each window individually. So, you can have the same strategy in different windows with all kinds of different settings. However, there can only be 1 default settings group for an individual strategy, which are the active settings when the strategy (not the workspace) was last saved.
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kendalab

#21
Ok, so what I did based on Eugene's suggestion in comment #14 is save a strategy for each combination of strategy, symbol, scale and parameters. Then I opened a blank workspace and then opened 8 uniquely named and saved strategies, which I arranged and then save the workspace in a new name. When I open the saved workspace that has the 8 uniquely named strategies, they immediately run in a daily scale, not the scale they were saved with or the scale they had in the workspace (which would be the same settings as saved for each strategy). Unless I completely misunderstand what you are saying, each uniquely named strategy should open and run with its saved parameters, including scale. If I open each strategy with CTRL-O, they open as saved, just not when saved in a workspace.
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kendalab

#22
Any ideas on why my strategies are opening and running on a daily scale when I load the workspace? It's not a crisis, more of a morning nuisance to change the scales back after the workspace loads the strategies.

Cone, I just went to my latest workspace and saved each strategy after setting the scale by selecting the window and clicking the save button. Each strategy is uniquely named for the symbol, scale and parameters. When I load the workspace, they are all running a daily scale. Which is odd, because my default workspace opens one strategy three times, each with a different scale, but the same symbol (chained). It seems unique to opening new main workspaces. Thanks
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Eugene

#23
Have you unchecked Preferences > Advanced > Save the following items... Data Scale?
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kendalab

#24
It's checked.

If I open a new main workspace and then CTRL-O and open the strategies, they open with the correct scale. So that tells me the scale is being saved with the strategy. It's only when I have them saved in a workspace and load the workspace that every strategy saved in the workspace opens and runs on the "Daily" scale.
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Eugene

#25
Try without it as workspaces do not need this preference.
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kendalab

#26
I unchecked the save Data Scale box, clicked the apply button, saved each strategy by selecting the window and then clicking the save button. After each strategy was saved, I saved the workspace by save and replaced the existing file, closed the workspace and then opened a new main workspace and loaded the newly saved workspace. Ran in Daily scale again.

Closed the application and restarted, loaded a new main workspace and loaded the saved workspace. Ran in Daily scale again.

I even checked the advanced option and save data scale is unchecked.
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Eugene

#27
This discussion goes on for a long time for me to catch the idea of clicking the Save button (what for?). The way I do it is as follows. Open up different Strategies, set an individual bar scale for each of them, save the worspace, create a New Workspace Window, reload the saved workspace into it, everything is restored as intended, voila.
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kendalab

#28
"This discussion goes on for a long time for me to catch the idea of clicking the Save button (what for?)." Because some applications clicking save will not do anything unless there have been changes that need to be saved vs Save As that forces a new file, so the point of including that information might result in me being informed of needing to create a new file. Not the case, I've tried it again. Doesn't make a difference.

The way you're saving and opening the workspace makes perfect sense and is the way I would expect it to work. However, that and every combination I've tried of saving strategies, with and without the preferences save scale checked, created new workspaces, save as or what ever still runs in Daily scale when I open the workspace. I think at this point I've exhausted all combinations short of reinstalling the application, so I'll just deal with it until I have time to reinstall. Thanks.
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Eugene

#29
Application files and its preferences are separated. You may reinstall every other day if you wish but that won't change anything:

I have a problem. Tried to reinstall Wealth-Lab, but it didn't help! (a FAQ since 2008 or 2009)

1. I'd appreciate more details about your workspace in order to be able to reproduce. What content is being saved, precisely?
2. Does that nuisance apply to all strategies (e.g. preinstalled) or your strategies are affected? All or some? What about a workspace containing just a blank strategy template?
3. Have you depressed the chain link icon?
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kendalab

#30
I did just opened a new main workspace and loaded the default.ws and the strategies loaded with three different scales the same as when I start the application and the way I would expect it to load and run. These are chain linked and running against a single equity symbol. The datasets for the additional workspace's strategies all contain options symbols and were built on a 5 minute scale. Is there some reason the strategies running against datasets with option data would behave differently?


Regarding your questions,
I have three additional workspaces other than the default. Two of the additional workspaces have eight strategies and the third has four. All strategies in the non-default workspace load and run on a daily scale despite attempts to save strategies and workspaces after changing to 5 and 60 minute scales. Four at 5 minutes and four at 60 minute scales for each workspace. The default workspace's three strategies are chain linked, but the strategies in the other workspaces are not.

All strategies in the workspaces are variants of the same source strategy. Each was saved under a unique name for the symbol set and scale in an attempt to fix this issue. In the default workspace, three instances of the same strategy are chain linked but load with three different scales and are streaming. I actually haven't tried it with any preinstalled strategies or a blank template.

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Eugene

#31
Rename your default.ws file, load up clean WLP and retry without the default workspace.

QUOTE:
Is there some reason the strategies running against datasets with option data would behave differently?

I don't know as I don't work with WLP / Fidelity data. Are you sure that options data is actually being provided for non-daily scales?

QUOTE:
Each was saved under a unique name for the symbol set and scale in an attempt to fix this issue.

By saying "saved", did you mean saving the regular way (Ctrl-S or "Save as")? Because I can imagine a scenario when a power user copies a strategy's XML file and creates a collision by inadvertently preserving its unique identificator (GUID).
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kendalab

#32
I'll rename the default.ws file tonight and retry.

The Fidelity option data is in non-daily scales. There is data in the graph as long as a transaction has occurred. Makes for spotty graph if the options are not very active, so that has to be kept in mind.

I do make backup copies of my files. I'm not sure how I would have created a copy back into the source files, but if that is even a possible cause of this, the unique copies would be easy enough to make from the original strategy again.
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Eugene

#33
QUOTE:
I'm not sure how I would have created a copy back into the source files,

In WLP, no way. Only by copying into a new file in (e.g. Explorer) without having edited the body and w/o having generated a unique GUID.
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kendalab

#34
Right, that's what I meant. I'm not sure I've ever restored strategies, but your scenario would require putting it back under a new name (w/no other changes that you pointed out) with the old strategy still in WLP. I don't think that is the case for me unless it was something I did way back when. Probably no easy test for that is there?

UPDATE:
I went through my strategy directory and scanned the .xml files for the ID using the Find command and piped the results into text files. Some of the files had multiple IDs within the same .xml file and some were even duplicates within the same file. I'm not familiar with .xml files, but is that normal? The only editor I've used is what is in WLP and some with multiple ID's are "Rule Based" so I never converted them to code.

Taking the first ID for each file, I did verify the first ID was unique for strategies I've edited and none of the strategies I'm currently using have the multiple IDs.
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Eugene

#35
QUOTE:
Some of the files had multiple IDs within the same .xml file and some were even duplicates within the same file.

I don't think I understood you. A Strategy's .XML file only contains a single ID field. Duplicates can co-exist across different files and may create issues (for example, with the Snapshots visualizer). Within the same file, there's only one ID property. I'd eliminate the conflicting Guids by closing WLP, generating new Guids manually using Visual Studio, Notepad++, our CreateGuid (click) or even online.
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beyond23

#36
QUOTE:
Some of the files had multiple IDs within the same .xml file and some were even duplicates within the same file.


I think you need to generate new Guids manually or you can find random on the following website LINK REMOVED BY EUGENE
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Eugene

#37
I think we already knew it since I had suggested it in post #35. Fahad, you don't seem to be a Wealth-Lab user at all. And I guess that you're simply advertising this website in an astute way like you did HERE.

I don't buy it so good bye.

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