CodeForTraders
...writing great code so you don't have to
Manual Entry Automation
Package: Manual Entry Automation (MEA) IOG for TradeStation
How often have you wished you could eyeball the market as it unfolds and issue an entry order at the exact best spot (per your seasoned trader's judgment!), and then rely on TradeStation to immediately take over managing an automated exit for you - unemotionally taking profits and cutting losses according to your carefully chosen plan?
Not being able to do this easily has been a major frustration for many over the years.
CodeForTraders is pleased to offer our solution,Manual Entry Automation (MEA) IOG for TradeStation.
What It Is
The MEA package consists of a Windows application and a specially coded TradeStation strategy that speak to each other through the TradeStation GlobalVariable area.
The TradeStation strategy acts as a "listener", and it is meant to run with Automation ON, awaiting your entry instructions which you provide via the Windows application. This strategy has been coded with Intrabar Order Generation (IOG) so that it may be applied to a chart of any timeframe, yet still act on a tick-by-tick basis.
The Windows application has been specially coded to allow you to invoke it from inside TradeStation via HotKeys whenever you are ready to enter. An even faster method is to simply leave one or more of the 3 entry boxes minimized, re-opening instantly as necessary.
The MEA package works on any TradeStation® symbol which accepts "normal" automation. Stocks, futures, bonds, FOREX - all may now be entered manually with precision timing, and exited automatically with unemotional alacrity.
What It Looks Like
The market entry form, eager to get you in after you hit 'Ctrl-4' (or other HotKey of your choice):
The limit entry form, itching to get you a great price after you hit 'Ctrl-5' (or other HotKey of your choice):
The stop entry form, preventing that train from leaving without you, after you hit 'Ctrl-6' (or other HotKey of your choice):
These boxes pop up and dismiss at your command, practically instantaneously.
What It Does
When you hit the Buy or Sell Short button, special flags are written in the TS Global area specifying your order -
- Symbol
- Market, Limit, or Stop Entry
- # of shares (contracts)
- the limit or stop price (when applicable)
then, the "Listener" strategy, on the very next bar tick, reads your order specification and places the order - in the automated environment.
Since your entry order is actually placed by the Autotrader (and not via the Order Bar), your entry is an automated entry in every respect - except that you decided when that entry would take place!
The Implications
Some of today's most famous and most successful traders assert that the very best trades are often found when systematic analysis is combined with experienced discretion. After a basic setup situation is found, the ability of the brain to visually integrate screenfuls of complex visual information, and be aware of the general market environment, and be aware of today's news, and intuit the market's "shakes and fakes" is unsurpassed.
TradeStation, especially in the form of RadarScreen, is capable of finding us many potential trading setups each day - but there is perhaps no superior substitute for the trader's judgment when it comes to weeding out the truly exceptional setups from the ordinary or misleading ones.
On the Exit side though ...
Once you have a position on, dollar pressure, time pressure, and ego pressure all combine to make exits much more emotional and difficult to evaluate well than entries. Also, timing can often be critical with exits. If you have multiple positions on, several positions can easily cream your bankroll in the background while you are sitting there desperately trying to decide what to do about one.
The human, far from being the perfect judge of exits, is more often the
very cause of a disastrous exit!
Therefore, NOT screening exits through our brains may be an advantage.
The mistake you prevent could save your account.
In a nutshell, the "Manual Entry - Automated Exit" scenario puts the human to work where the human is arguably best, and puts the computer to work where the computer is arguably best.
I think this is something that many of us have known for a long time - but this "sweet scenario" has not really been conveniently available.
Imagine How You Could Trade
1. You have RadarScreen showing you Overbought/OverSold conditions and Breakouts on a symbol list of your choice, for which you have pre-prepared automated charts running the MEA Listener and a desired exit strategy (e.g. Visual IOG Scale-Out Exits ). Based on the Radar, you see a steady stream of setups throughout the day.
With one click, you choose a "primed" symbol and see multiple-timeframe charts and all the indicators you know and love. Your brain takes it all in, and in a moment you think "Trade NOW!".
You pop up the GV_Entry_Market box (shown above). You verify the Symbol and Size you want. You click on Buy or Sell Short.
You are done. You go back to perusing the RadarScreen for your next opportunity while your favorite exit strategy manages the trade.
No nail-biting eyeballs-glued-to-the-screen watching of every tick. No fumbling and cursing with '_Historical Entry'. No perturbation of your trader's cool. You are serene as you await the outcome of all the trades you've chosen.
2. You've got today's Floor Pivots and Fib Levels on the screen. You see the price action getting close to a key support or resistance point. You decide you want to bet on a reversal, but you only want the trade if you can get a good price.
You pop up the GV_Entry_Limit box (shown above). You verify the Symbol and Size you want, and you set your Limit Price. You click on Buy or Sell Short.
You are done. You move on to other things. If the scenario plays out as you expect, you'll be in, at the price you wanted. The Autotrader will cash you out, win or lose, while you see what's going on on the next chart.
3. The market has wound into a tight range intraday. Your analysis of the higher timeframes tells you which side you are interested in betting on if a Breakout were to occur.
You hit your HotKey and pop up the GV_Entry_Stop box (shown above). You verify the Symbol and Size of interest, and you type in the Stop price which would represent a Breakout to you. You click on Buy or Sell Short.
You are done. If the train leaves the station, you'll be on it. If the Breakout turns into a Fakeout, your automated exit keeps your loss small, leaving you psychologically calm and ready to make a clear evaluation of your next opportunity.
Videos
The following video demonstrates the new IOG MEA in action:
What You Get
- The Windows app which provides you with the dialogs above and writes to the GV area to specify your orders.
- The TradeStation EL "Listener" strategy (with full source code), which reads the GV area and acts on your Entry, Kill, and Close commands.
- A TradeStation EL "set focus" indicator which, properly configured and used, can often save you from even having to type in the symbol.
- A sample workspace which puts it all together.
- Instructions on how to use the app and the strategies.
-
for initial installation.
What It Costs
$400 for a permanent personal-use license - less than you blew on your last terrible entry/exit pair (admit it!). Use the 'Add to Cart' button (above, left) to place your first-time order.
Institutional and multi-person licenses are also available. Please send inquiries to questions@CodeForTraders.com .
This package is delivered in protected format, locked to your TradeStation Customer ID. Please provide your Customer ID with your order.
How You Get It
This package will be emailed to you after your PayPal payment is processed. Please be aware of the caveats before you order.