Trademan Updates

070829	Source update. Yahoo changed the URL for their quote server so that we have to get quotes from download.finance.yahoo.com instead of finance.yahoo.com.
070711	Minor bugfix release 3.15. Fixed plot refresh defect under XP. Now, plot is refreshed after readouts.
070529	Minor upgrade release 3.14. Volume readouts are now available with indices. Old style database record size increased from 55 to 70 characters. Trademan still reads and updates existing old style databases, but be careful. If necessary to repair a database, rebuild from *.nxt file by deleting *.idx and *.fdx files for database and changing extension nxt to txt. Create new database from *.txt file just created.
070521	Yahoo bugfix. Volume for indices is sometimes reported as 0 when simply unavailable. Since Trademan ignores 0 volume records, valid index data are not charted in this case. Fixed Yahoo filter again so that index records with 0 volume are reported with default value of 100 in volume field.
070508	Minor upgrade release 3.13. Trademan was modified slightly to better accommodate multiple symbol historical data downloads from Yahoo. With the multisource.exe source and the new efilters.exe, you can update historical data for a list of symbols, for instance, those in a portfolio. The new source will be sent by email with each Trademan Registration. Those who are currently registered may request the new source. You can use it only with v3.13 and later.
070412	Bug fix release. Yahoo historical data filter needed yet another correction. The volume was divided by 1000 instead of 100, as intended. This is apparent when plotting after long updates. If all data are consistent, then technical analysis should be OK. Otherwise, it would be advisable to replace data with new downloads. This release also includes two new color schemes.
070324	Minor upgrade release 3.12. Yahoo historical data filter has been modified to pass volume information for indices and to substitute 100 when no volume is provided. Trademan modified to allow display of volume information for indices.
070217	The Yahoo filter for funds had to be fixed, too.
070127	Yahoo has messed with their historical data download service. The date comes down in one of two different formats chosen more or less randomly for each call to the server. The distribution now contains a new efilters.exe and a new filters.txt to use it.
061117	Bugfix release 3.11. Discovered that old Help file that lacks entries for the formula indicators has been distributed for quite some time. Also found that a number of built-in technical indicators do not call up Help with F1 when selected from the function list in the Indicator Definition dialog. Both faults have been corrected for this release.
061006	Found that window for progress bar was marked "Transparent" for some reason, with the result that it shows only the caption and progress bar under XP. This is fixed.
061005	Modified "Download Latest" button action so that stocks not contained in the database automatically download one year of historical data from Yahoo.
061004	Minor release 3.10. Adjusted plot window parameters so that it shows better under XP. If you are upgrading Trademan, and the plot window looks bad, find the "resize.txt" file in the installation folder and delete it.
051223	Modified "Download Latest" and "Update Latest" to correct a bug in routine that fetches historical data that uses the wrong value of the current date to limit the date range requested. Also modified behavior over weekends so that the right historical data will be fetched if Friday's data are missing.
051221	Slight enhancement to mov function for formula indicators allowing this function to sensibly handle periods less than 1. Also distributes new sample portfolio and database.
051109	Bugfix release. Fixed a bug in the downloader for database update and lengthened the maximum ticker from 12 to 20.
050807	Bugfix release 3.093. Fixed a long-standing problem that affects Windows XP users. The desktop effects should disable "Show window contents while dragging" for proper moving and sizing of the plot window. Windows 95/98 disables this effect by default,stroyed. This works much better. Plot window sizing is not perfect under XP, but I'll get to that soon.
050805	The Convert program crashed if the first line of filters.txt pointed to an external program filter.
050727	The standard filter goes to great lengths to remove the exchange suffix from numerical tickers. This causes problems for updates, and leaving the suffix on apparently does no harm. Filter was changed to leave suffix intact.
050626	Bugfix release 3.092. Fixed a few bugs in code for Extended Download Support that caused custom downloads for bulk data update to malfunction.
050517	Modified filter in both the Convertor program and Trademan to allow the first character of the ticker to be "0."
040829	Modified esources.exe again to compensate for bug in Yahoo's historical data server. At least some suffixed symbols deliver only 200 lines of data regardless of requested date range. New esources.exe makes repeated requests for six months at a time.
040717	Undocumented change to Renko plot. If you include "p" or "P" in box size parameter, the number preceding "p" multiplies the ATR with the period represented by the number following the "p" to produce a variable box size. For instance, ".6p7" produces a box size of 0.6 * Average True Range(7).
040530	Yahoo changed URL for historical data slightly, so I have to put out a new esources.exe.
040516	Discovered and fixed a bug in the variable delay function. This caused the Adaptive Moving Average to crash in mysterious ways.
040414	Just discovered that delay with negative parameter doesn't work. Fixed that.
040114	Ticker can now have up to 11 characters.
031128	Fixed a bug in the ticker history dialog that causes it to gripe about date format.
031108	Silenced a couple of message boxes for automated portfolio update and automated history fetch.
031106	Automation trips up on tips window. Fixed it so tips window does not try to display when Trademan is called as automation server.
030925	Another small bugfix for splits in distributed db.
030611	Minor release 3.091. Forces system tester to trade on following day for trades that use opening price. Separate file containing trade details is now written for each system test. The file name matches the primary test results file, but uses the "dtl" extension.
030517	Plot window now has system menu. XP users have experienced problems resizing this window with grab and drag. Use the system menu (click on little icon in upper left corner of window) to select the Size option. Then move the frame around with the mouseor the arrow keys.
030412	Bug fix release. Split handling in distributed database messed up weekly and monthly plots.
030410	Bug fix release. Symbol change not handled correctly in Download Latest.
030405	Bug fix release. Reverse splits were not handled correctly with interactive split corrections.
030328	Minor bug fixes. Changed policy on buy and signal defaults for formula indicators. Formerly, buy and sell signals appeared where primary indicator crossed 0 if no signal formulas were specified. Now, no signals appear if there are no signal formulas.Fixed handling of tabs in filter code, get file, and get file asynch functions.
030326	Minor release 3.090. Modified folder structure of formulas so that "deleted" indicators are actually transferred to a subfolder named "support." If an existing indicator references an indicator that has been deleted, it will look in the support folder and load it if found. This saves space in the indicator list and time loading all the indicators at program start up. This distribution includes the new formula tutorial.
030324	Minor bug fixes. Readout labels for everything but candlestick were messed up. Tooltips appeared in large plot if set in small plot then switched to large.
030314	Minor release 3.089. Just discovered that esources.exe was out of date. Fixed that. Also fixed memory problem with max and min functions for formula indicators. Altered formula indicator syntax so that # after indicator name specifies the indicator data set, i.e., primary, secondary, tertiary indicator, buy signal, sell signal, or action price. This means you no longer have to type in all four parameters just to get a data set other than primary.
030226	Minor release 3.088. Added "exec" function for formula indicators. This function executes an external program you provide. The function gets around having to write a custom indicator to perform arbitrary calculations that might be difficult or impossible with the formula language. The problem is that the custom indicator must be displayable if it is to be used. Your executable function need never be displayed.
030224	Raised limit on historical data downloads from 25 to 200 for unregistered version.
030217	Minor release 3.087. With much less fanfare than it deserves, I'm bundling a great new program with the Trademan package. This program by John Foltz, CEO of Usefulware, displays the results of a trade system test in terms of the bottom line figures suchs.
030216	Minor release 3.086. Added "Quit after 2 consecutive losses" checkbox to trade system test dialog. Modified get file async function to accept "none" in cluster function argument. Using this clustering function bypasses some necessarily slow processing and results in a dramatic speed improvement. Missing or misspelled parameter is now caught and shouldn't cause crash. Formula errors are now caught in trade system test.
030209	Minor release 3.085. Modified trade list string output of trading system test to use dates rather than indices offset from first trade. Also moved and centered label string in wait window.
030205	Minor release 3.084. Modified trading system test to include trades open at end of period in results. These trades are marked with an "O" preceding the trade string at the end of each record. Stop loss calculations previously ignored stocks with only an open trade. Now a stock with just an open trade will stop out if appropriate.
030128	Minor release 3.083. Added Lookup button to Control Panel with appropriate changes to Help file. Fixed unclear section of READ ME FIRST.htm describing how to create a new portfolio. Added short list detailing how to add symbol to portfolio through lookup dialog.
030125	Trading system tester did not respond to changes in minimum volume. Now it does.
030123	Minor release 3.08. Added two changes useful for developing and testing signals. The first changes "Starting Date" to "End Date." Setting this date now truncates the data sent to the plot routines. This is useful for testing signals for timeliness. The second change brings out indicator parameters in the plot window and allows the user to select the active indicator from among those plotted.
030115	Added field to test results ticker records that lists individual trades.
030113	Added stop loss capability to trading system test. Got Help file more or less up to date.
030106	Minor changes to trading system test. Output now goes to numbered files in "test results" folder. File root name is the indicator name, and the extension is ".csv" for automatic importation into Excel.
030105	Minor release 3.07. Added undocumented facility to test trading systems. Select Indicators|Test Trading System to get dialog. This facility requires good buy and sell signals. Indicator parameters can be iterated by typing ::<#iterations>[G]e entry blank will cause the test to span all the symbols in your currently-selected database. The output may be found in a file named "testres.txt." The outputs include average percentage gain per trade, length of trade, and number of trades.
021227	Modified distdb so that specified pathname is used in database operations. This means that you can have separate distdbs in different directories.
021222	Minor release 3.066. Exposed function to tell whether not a stock is in a database. Formula dialog now checks for missing parameter labels. Bug in database depth calculation for functions containing prev fixed.
021218	Installed 5 second pause every 100 symbols for portfolio update. Fixed depth calculation bug in formula indicators using prev.
021217	Install modified slightly so that only files with older time stamps than those in archive are updated. Makes repeat installation much easier. GetHistory now returns -3 if history.txt empty or nonexistent. Undocumented changes to zigzag, at peak, at trough, peak, and trough to accommodate kagi and other reversal indicators.
021214	Removes 100 symbol limit on portfolios for registered users. Takes focus from update progress boxes for OLE automation.
021208	Automated GetHistory function now returns -1 if error, 0 otherwise. Error message box disabled for automated version.
021124	DBDepth field widened in formula definition dialog. This box takes expressions as well as numbers. "Current To" default date in Sort Database dialog set to latest weekday. All indicators now read out primary after SHIFT+Click over plot window.
021123	Added "Sortable" checkbox to formula definition dialog. Forgot to exempt Williams' %R from operator prohibition in indicator name.
021112	Minor release 3.065. Added metacorr.htm file discussing correspondence between Metastock functions and Trademan formulas. Added "for(" macro expansion, modulus operator, zigzag, barsSinceNth, sine, and cosine. Changed "tsf" function to "lr."
021016	Minor release 3.064. Added distributed database to improve performance and reliability. See help file Using Trademan|Building a Database|Distributed Database for details. Introduced user- authored help for formula indicators, documented download support functions, resized the formula definition and alarm report dialogs to fit 800X600 display. Introduced toggle for plot window which resizes the display area.
020917	Yahoo finally did it to me! They changed the GET command for their historical data so that the months are now 0 based. Fortunately, I already had the code in place to use an external URL processor. This is now included as esources.exe. The sources inhsources.txt have been modified to use the external processor. You can write and use your own source processors and filters, but I haven't documented this yet. Coming soon.
020903	Minor release 3.062. Added syntax readout over Functions box in Formula Definition dialog. Changed Functions box to combobox and gather indicators together after functions in list to ease searches and possible confusion. Changed Functions box operationtions and modified documentation to reflect changes in Formula Definition and Database Screen dialogs.
020722	Minor release 3.061. Added "get file async" function for reading files with date fields. Added files "nyse.txt," "nasdaq.txt," "amex.txt," and "otcbb.txt" to distribution package for use with market indicators. See the Help page Formula Indicators|Market Indicators for details.
020712	Bugfix release of 3.06. Found that built-in indicators newly selected from the Indicators menu did not stick after formula indicator selection or deselection.
020711	Major version release 3.06. Added alarm report function and button. This new function screens all stocks in the selected portfolio or all portfolios for a signal associated with the portfolio. Use it mostly as a signal to sell or stop loss on current holdings. Formula indicator definition dialog was modified to add a field to accept a formula for action price.
020627	Major version release 3.05. Added formula indicators and buy/sell signal display. Formula indicators open up a large array of possibilities. You can define your own indicators, alias built-in indicators with new default signals, feed arbitrary inputs to custom indicators, combine indicators, combine data from different securities, and much more.
020512	Minor version release 3.04.04. Changed "Options" menu item to "Settings."
020425	Minor version release 3.04.03. Cleaned up volume display further.
020416	Minor version release 3.04.02. Edit boxes now process delete key normally on Bulk Database Update and Database Screen dialogs.
020411	Minor version release 3.04.01. Cleaned up volume display by making it appear behind price and indicators and setting its size to interfere less with other overlays. Volume disappears with displays of index symbols.
020322	Fixed bug with Plot window that plotted an extra copy of the second indicator if monthly or weekly replot failed because of insufficient data.
020311	Fixed bug with Plot window interval buttons that disabled them for symbols not in the portfolio. Added tick marks in Kagi plot to show closing price on the day of a signal.
020208	Text now has its own color configuration entry, so that it can be colored differently from the axes.
020131	You can now add and delete sources in Bulk Data Update. Be careful. Fixed standard deviation and percent standard deviation indicators.
020129	Added "Undo" button to bulk data update dialog. This button restores the contents of the current database to their state before the last update. This applies to any database update, not just the bulk data update. Plot window pan added. Use ALT- or ALT- key.
020124	Fixed problem with zoom box ending outside plot limits.
020110	Minor subversion release 3.04. Added symbol properties dialog. This is accessible through right-click menu over ticker box in either control panel or plot window. So far allows list of holdings, splits, and symbol changes. Future versions will incorpow a screen worked in the past to gauge its chances of working now.
020107	Added user-specified date formatting and bullish/bearish colors on bars and equivolume price displays and on volume. Right-click menu item "Toggle Print View" added to plot window. Switches between normal screen display and screen view of printer output. This is intended to aid in setting display parameters of print out.
011125	Minor subversion release 3.03. Added Within: field to screen qualifiers so that the user can specify the number of days within which the qualifying event must fall from the screening event. Ctrl-z in the plot window initiates zoom, which is signalled by few letters of a corporate name or look up a corporate name from its symbol.
011102	Major subversion release 3.02. Introducing bulk data updates and stock screening on indicator signals as major enhancements. Optional logarithmic price scale on plot appears as a minor enhancement. Help files have been revised appropriately.
011022	Fixed bug in print that caused it to crash. Bug introduced when additional indicator configuration items brought out.
011003	Minor subversion enhancements release 3.01. Brought out SAR indicator as distinct configuration item. Fixed up markers so you can have different styles, colors, and sizes for all indicator lines. Indicator legends modified to show all line colors and markers for each indicator when more than one indicator is plotted.
010921	Major version release 3.00. A full version release is not necessarily warranted from the magnitude of the changes, but I'm running out of 2.99x numbers. Nevertheless, the new version contains Kagi, Renko, Point and Figure, and N-Line Break plots, whichI've wanted to do for a long time. Addition of date readouts to the sliders is a relatively minor but hopefully welcome enhancement that appears for the first time in this release.
010818	Ctrl+ in plot window now moves crosshair cursor.
010813	Put in some right-click menus. Added new menu item to toggle tooltips.
010806	Enhancements release 2.995. Added interactive splits and dividends entry. See Annotations list box in Plot Window. Cursor elevation readout is now price only. To read out right hand axis, hold down SHIFT key.
010725	Bugfix release 2.994. Corrected a problem with portfolio update that may have caused it to fail on some systems. Also corrected a problem with text annotation that caused it to fail after the dialog box is cancelled.
010718	Bugfix release 2.993. Corrected a few more errors in annotation implementation.
010716	Enhancements and bugfix release 2.992. Added regression oscillator and two zigzag annotations. Fixed text and line annotations so that they are preserved correctly from plot to plot.
010710	Enhancements release 2.991. Added "Compare Prices" technical indicator. Select indicator, then select or type symbol you want to compare against in Ticker box. Cosmetic fixes to readout. Changes to multiple technical indicator display to speed processing and improve readability.
010624	Enhancements release 2.99. Added clickable right axis to change from indicator scale to price scale. Projection readout shows date. Readouts show dollars and cents where appropriate. Download latest button brings all symbols in portfolio up to date with historical data before updating with daily data.
010618	Bugfix release. Fixed behavior that caused crash when interactive annotation was erased while automatic annotation was on screen.
010424	Minor modification. Store index points for annotations as dates rather than indices, so that annotations still work when database changed. Dates outside range of database will simply cause the annotation to not be displayed.
010417	Bugfix release 2.97. Major rewrite of indicator and quote displays so that multiple indicators can be displayed on a single plot. Hold down SHIFT key while selecting new indicator from plot window. Several bugs have been found since. Now, we hope this is all settled down.
010228	Bugfix release. Band increment did not work as advertised. Total width changed when number of bands changed, and reset to default band increment did not work properly.
010224	Minor changes and bugfix. Entering 0 bands and plotting caused nasty crash under some circumstances. Relabeled Update and Get History buttons to "Download Latest" and "Download History", respectively to make their meaning more clear from a glance. Updated a few sections of the Help file that had become out of date. Added "READ ME FIRST.htm" file to help new users to quickly grasp database updating and use of portfolios.
010212	Bugfix release. Annotations drawn on long time scale draw incorrectly on shorter timescale. This is now fixed.
010203	Minor enhancements release 2.95. Annotations are saved with ticker from plot window. Portfolio update can now be initiated from plot window. Added accelerator keys for plot window and control panel. Hit Alt+ to actuate button or enter labeled control.
001222	Minor enhancements release 2.94. Simplified portfolio creation and deletion and simplified addition and deletion of symbols to portfolios. Both now use keyboard "Insert" or keypad "+" to add an item and use keyboard "Delete" or keypad "-" to remove an new portfolio. Finally, the Get History command is modified to accept both the current symbol and the current portfolio. The user can now build a new portfolio database rapidly by scrolling down the portfolio list from the Get History dialog.
001221	Bugfix release. Changing indicator from the plot window for a stock not in the current portfolio caused plot window to freeze up.
001219	Minor enhancement release 2.93. Most annotations now persist between adjustments of scale or other changes which do not require new data. Lines, text, and horizontal lines drawn by the user do not yet persist, but will do so in a future release.
001211	Minor enhancements release 2.92. Added variable projection area to plot window. The user can now use annotations to project several days or months into the future. Added capability to switch right axis labels between price and indicator scales. User dialog for Update and Get History modified to allow user entry of proxy server information. Documentation of these three new features added to the help file.
001202	Minor enhancements release 2.91. Implemented support for proxy servers. Modified filter algorithms to handle European quotes correctly. Modified several subroutines to accept numerical tickers, such as are used on the Bourse. Added filters and sources for French stocks.
001025	Major subversion release 2.90. Major change is new support for OLE automation so that important functions can be called from external programs. Also added indicator listbox to plot window so that the user can switch indicators while examining a portfolw be resized.
000809	Bug Fix version v2.83. Fixed bug that caused Get History to crash after several accesses. Added Problem Report item to Help menu. Reinstated 640X480 resolution for plot window.
000726	Found that the functionality of the ticker add/subtract and parameter save/restore buttons had disappeared, thanks to a bug in the Borland IDE. Now they are back.
000719	Added some features and fixed some bugs in v2.82. Added a box to toggle the tool tips on and off, another box to require display of the numerical scale on the right hand axis, and a third box to request display of an impulse plot of volume. The daily quote cursor readout now includes volume. Fixed bugs in the axis labeling logic.
000718	Fixed some display bugs in v2.81. The database edit boxes on the plot window persisted from one symbol to the next, underlying the default annotation controls. When the cursor was left in the plot area between symbols, some areas of the plot window painted incorrectly.
000708	Major subversion release 2.80. Context sensitive help and tool tips on control panel and plot window. Get history button on control panel. Get history now takes symbol from ticker box. Fixed minor GDI problem that limited number of plots without crash. Fixed cursor elevation readout from last version. Enhanced help file.
000630	Minor bug fix. Delete control on portfolios deleted first item in list as well as desired deletion. Arrow boxes showed up with 0 bands chosen in plot window. Band readout, cursor readouts, and lag documented.
000526	Version 2.72 introduced some undocumented new features, such as two new band types, band highlighting, and a control to make new plot length settings stick. Version 2.73 fixes some serious misbehavior. Addition of new features messed up finance bar and equivolume plot modes. Very sorry about that.
000430	Fixed up Help file. It was getting pretty sloppy with obsolete references to gnuplot and inexplicable deletions. Moved both versions up to 2.70.
000427	Added multiple bands and band readout. Band increment settable through control panel and plot window. Fixed bug causing crash when plot button clicked with empty portfolio.
000318	Minor bug fixes through version 2.63. Normalized cursor position between plots so that latest numbers appear in readout. Price overlays band plots. Simple one-day lag for indicator and bands implemented.
000225	MAJOR SUBRELEASE version 2.60. Rearranged control panel to include portfolio list in upper left corner. The portfolio list makes it easy to switch between portfolios (stock groups) for updates and displays. Plot length and Start Date moved to vicinitye been altered to enhance ease of use.
000207	MAJOR SUBRELEASE version 2.50. Changed logic of portfolio create command so that existing listbox entries are written to new portfolio file. Modified "-" button that deletes a symbol from the listbox so that holding SHIFT key while clicking clears the lstock and time interval, and integrates the new data with the current database. This command makes it a lot easier to check out new stocks and to update stocks already in the database.
000111	Convert program writes year 2000 incorrectly when converting Yahoo historical data. Modified text file readers to reject lines with ill-constructed dates.
000107	Discovered another Y2K bug that causes splits calculation to fail.