Free MP for IB or DTN Feed

[thrunner 10]

There is now a capable and free charting software that will do MP using IB or DTN feed, written and generously provided by jimbo320 at http://www.atrader.org

 

Well, let's not call it MP because of the copyright problems with CBOT so instead call it DP for distribution profiling.

 

Advanced Distribution Profiling

 

Atrader offers the MOST comprenhensive subset of market distribution features available in a complete off the shelf charting package, comparable to many custom add ons costing 20 times the price. Atrader is also offers historical profiling using free market data. Real Time intraday profiling is also offered as standard. Distribution profiling includes the values areas, LVA, UVA, the point of Control POC, the Opening Range, the Open and the Close. Distributions include Time/Price and Tick Price. Tick Distributions are available using brackets customisable by the user, typically 5,10, and 20 brackets.

 

 

You can request a copy here: http://www.atrader.org/register.htm

As indicated by jimbo320 in another forum, this DP feature is now free, although it is not clear if this is a trial version and if it is time limited, but for now it seems to work fine with IB. Use the keyboard shortcuts (see Help) to resize the chart to see the whole profile. It is possible to seek multiple day and weekly profiles. This software package is a good alternative to running Tradestation (TS), MC or NT if you don't have a good DP indicator for those platforms and it also free up some resources from those platforms to do other studies.

 

I have no association with jimbo320 or his website.

 

[thrunner 10]

This is a competent package and it appears to be more than just a time limited demo. The memory footprint is also fairly good at ~32MB so you can run it in the background without too much trouble (in fact java/tws takes up 5 or 6x the memory).

 

Got a update from james/Atrader Support:

New version of ATRADER is available for download.

 

NOTE for a limited time many ATRADER features are free including Profiles, so all older time limited demo users can download a new free version. If you are upgrading please uninstall the old version first and delete your c:\program files\atrader directory, before installation.

 

VERSION 2.0.1.14.

 

Download

 

The Documenation is installed with your product. It can also be found at

 

Documentation

 

There is also a new support forum.

 

ATRADER • Index page

 

Attached the Atrader documentation converted from the original Word doc to PDF.

Edited June 7, 2009 by thrunner
added Atrader documentation in PDF

[BlowFish 10]

Could you re-post the .pdf version of he documentation? The link above is saying thread removed.

[thrunner 10]

Could you re-post the .pdf version of he documentation? The link above is saying thread removed.

 

Sure. I think forum attachments made during an editing may not stay permanent. Here is another copy.

Atrader2manual.pdf

[qewcool 10]

Seems nice

will try it out although I already got the fin-alg stuff for NT just a couple of months ago.

 

Is this just released this month ? why did we never heard about it. They could have made a bit of advance advertising on forums. It would have delayed my fin-alg purchase until I try atrader out and they could have had an additional customer

[omni2006 11]

Is this just released this month ? why did we never heard about it. They could have made a bit of advance advertising on forums. It would have delayed my fin-alg purchase until I try atrader out and they could have had an additional customer

 

actually, the atrader guy (Jimbo) started an announcement type thread on ET on April 10th of this year. since it's on a different forum, i won't post the link here, but you can search for "live tpo profile" and should get the thread if you are interested.

 

hope this helps.

 

Take care -

 

Derek

[thrunner 10]

Seems nice will try it out although I already got the fin-alg stuff for NT just a couple of months ago.

Is this just released this month ? why did we never heard about it. They could have made a bit of advance advertising on forums. It would have delayed my fin-alg purchase until I try atrader out and they could have had an additional customer

fin-alg is a fine package and it runs under NT and you shouldn't have any regrets about buying it. Atrader announced that the profile would be free just recently, on 05-30-09 11:45 AM. Previously, only the charting portion was free on a limited basis.

 

FYI, Atrader will do a server authentication in order for it to run. It is possible that this is just a trial run to iron out the bugs and that some time in the future, the profile would no longer be free - just a guess. Meanwhile, it could be a useful tool.

[qewcool 10]

the ES chart looks ok

the YM chart looks really weird .... not usable at all.

 

Im using IB data.

 

The same data for YM looks fine on the fin-alg version of MP as any other chart like ZB or a forex USD/CAD chart.

 

I read the manual but nothing seems to help fix the atrader YM chart

 

another thing is the atrader version only does Vol based POC and not TPO based POC.

the Fin-alg version has the option to switch between the 2.

[qewcool 10]

The only thing that I think is missing in the fin-alg version is the ability to do composite profile and the preset composite profiles for 5, 10, 20 days.

 

you can merge profiles but it can only be done 2 session at a time. not multiple sessions at once.

 

Also I like the idea of atrader to be able to overlay composite profile with a daily profile all on the same chart

[BlowFish 10]

Jimbo and Atrader have been around for donkeys years. I think it's more a tool for himself that he has generously made available than a big commercial thing. Maybe he plans to change that emphasis.

[thrunner 10]

Perhaps this version has fixed the YM. Atrader has a tendency to crash with IB downloads, even with the new .16 version. Hopefully it can be fixed in the future.

ATRADER New Version 2.0.1.16 Available now. IB and DTN users. This version supercedes all previous versions. If you wish to keep previous workspaces please backup your workspace tradersettings.dat before installation.

 

Bug fixes and updates to daily charts.

 

Fixed YM and TF issues with charts. Added NYBOT.

[jimbo320 10]

This is free again from 3rd October.

 

Now has VWAP and numerous UI/GUI enhancements and much improved performance and stability. Works now with IB, Transact, Zenfire and DTN data feeds.

[chuckt101 10]

I'd just like to say I demo'ed this software and it's really not ready for "prime time". Before the latest release this weekend, I couldn't even get the software to run (yes I installed the runtime package).

 

After finally being able to run the software, it took a few minutes for me to setup my connection to IB & Zenfire. It wasn't 100% intuitive but the video tutorial on the ATrader website did help.

 

I didn't quite understand the purpose of having IB for historical and Zenfire for real time charting (as you can pull historical ZF quotes, just not the full Bid/Ask quotes). Since IB doesn't run on the weekends and forces a shutdown each night, this is a real big hassle. Maybe I just misunderstood how this part works.

 

I'm not much into indicators but there are a decent selection for those into it. I was searching for a good tool to display volume distribution profiles and ATrader does a good job. No real complaints but I wasn't really "wow'ed" either. Scrolling the charts is done via the keyboard, which I presume one could get used to but the lack of scroll bars and to be able to click & drag to move around & zoom was a little disappointing.

 

It appears there is an annoying "register now!" reminder that pops up pretty frequently, which obviously won't be a problem if you register.

 

For me, the software just isn't enough for me to shell out the money. It definitely has a "low budget" feel and unless it addresses some key data connection (mainly directly feeding of ZF for live & historical charting) and user interoperability (installation, hotkeys, charting) issues, this tool has very limited advantages to any of the established platforms out there.

 

Just to add, what I did like was the volume profile capability, multiple supported data feeds, the integrated ability to upload charts, and of course the low cost.

[jimbo320 10]

I'd just like to say I demo'ed this software and it's really not ready for "prime time". Before the latest release this weekend, I couldn't even get the software to run (yes I installed the runtime package).

 

After finally being able to run the software, it took a few minutes for me to setup my connection to IB & Zenfire. It wasn't 100% intuitive but the video tutorial on the ATrader website did help.

 

I didn't quite understand the purpose of having IB for historical and Zenfire for real time charting (as you can pull historical ZF quotes, just not the full Bid/Ask quotes). Since IB doesn't run on the weekends and forces a shutdown each night, this is a real big hassle. Maybe I just misunderstood how this part works.

 

I'm not much into indicators but there are a decent selection for those into it. I was searching for a good tool to display volume distribution profiles and ATrader does a good job. No real complaints but I wasn't really "wow'ed" either. Scrolling the charts is done via the keyboard, which I presume one could get used to but the lack of scroll bars and to be able to click & drag to move around & zoom was a little disappointing.

 

It appears there is an annoying "register now!" reminder that pops up pretty frequently, which obviously won't be a problem if you register.

 

For me, the software just isn't enough for me to shell out the money. It definitely has a "low budget" feel and unless it addresses some key data connection (mainly directly feeding of ZF for live & historical charting) and user interoperability (installation, hotkeys, charting) issues, this tool has very limited advantages to any of the established platforms out there.

 

Just to add, what I did like was the volume profile capability, multiple supported data feeds, the integrated ability to upload charts, and of course the low cost.

 

Thanks for the comments.

 

Just a couple of points.

 

Zenfire doesnt provide a historical API for backfill AFAIK if im wrong please point me to the url. I think you are mistaking this with Ninja that stores its own historical data.

 

You are correct there is no scrolling around charts using the mouse aka drag and drop so far, but i wasnt aware that was the deciding factor on whether something is considered low budget. But a lot of these quirks have been addressed with the quick nav toolbar in v2.0.6.1. If a lot of users consider this be be very important then it will be addressed, so far only a couple of people have mentioned it.

 

Anyway i think its a good product considering i wrote it as a hobby to help my trading.

 

Thanks

[chuckt101 10]

Thanks for the comments.

 

Just a couple of points.

 

Zenfire doesnt provide a historical API for backfill AFAIK if im wrong please point me to the url. I think you are mistaking this with Ninja that stores its own historical data.

 

You are correct there is no scrolling around charts using the mouse aka drag and drop so far, but i wasnt aware that was the deciding factor on whether something is considered low budget. But a lot of these quirks have been addressed with the quick nav toolbar in v2.0.6.1. If a lot of users consider this be be very important then it will be addressed, so far only a couple of people have mentioned it.

 

Anyway i think its a good product considering i wrote it as a hobby to help my trading.

 

Thanks

 

Yes NT stores data, but you can certainly pull back data. Try it - sign up for a demo ZF account from Mirus and load up a fresh install of NT. If ZF didn't give you back data, you wouldn't be able to pull up, say ES 12-09 since roll over. Go ahead and pull up ES 09-09 data if you want. You may be confusing historical data in general with ZF not supporting historical bid/ask quotes (last I checked).

 

My review was certainly not meant to be in-depth. I just noted the general feel did not feel like something that had gone through thousands upon thousands of man hours of development. I mentioned installation issues and lack of un-intuitive setup procedures. There are other little things as well. As you said, it's a hobby and I was just noting that point is definitely evident.

 

The cost is reasonable (in fact quite good) however, what's to say your hobby shop won't disappear in 6 months leaving users with a product that certainly has potential however falls short of really being a key part of anyone's toolbox?

 

I'm definitely not trying to attack the product: I think once you open the doors to accepting money from people, you need to take in the comments/critiques as well. I have complaints about NT & IRT as well

 

Just my opinions.

[chuckt101 10]

ZF Historical Quotes:

 

http://www.ninjatrader-support.com/HelpGuideV6/helpguide.html?HistoricalData

[jimbo320 10]

Of course, just about everything ive added to atrader has been at the request of a user. Thats how a hobby becomes a business.

 

As regards, the other stuff. But the backfill is not part of the open api.

 

The open API is what developers can use. That gives real time data only. What ninja do with their datawarehouse is another part of the system and not part of zenfire.

 

Maybe im wrong but when i added the zen api there was no historical api. Maybe someone knows where the access to the historical api is?

 

Anyway, Zen is not a primary API for me. Its a simplistic API and was something i could add quickly.

 

Most users Zen users use NT and dont need anything else and the cost of zero helps...

 

Thanks again.

[become 10]

Of course, just about everything ive added to atrader has been at the request of a user. Thats how a hobby becomes a business.

 

As regards, the other stuff. But the backfill is not part of the open api.

 

The open API is what developers can use. That gives real time data only. What ninja do with their datawarehouse is another part of the system and not part of zenfire.

 

Maybe im wrong but when i added the zen api there was no historical api. Maybe someone knows where the access to the historical api is?

 

Anyway, Zen is not a primary API for me. Its a simplistic API and was something i could add quickly.

 

Most users Zen users use NT and dont need anything else and the cost of zero helps...

 

Thanks again.

 

I believe NT actually uses the Rithmic API, which offers more features including historical backfill. The Zenfire API is a wrapper of the Rithmic. You can get the Rithmic one for the asking as well, afik. And on another thread there was a post about ZenFire adding historical backfill soon.

[jimbo320 10]

Anyway i think we got a bit off topic. For those who want to try again, or try it for the first time, its free again from Oct 3rd.

 

Rgs,

[Tams 20]

Anyway i think we got a bit off topic. For those who want to try again, or try it for the first time, its free again from Oct 3rd.

 

Rgs,

 

 

the thread title is missleading...

 

the MP is not free... but "free" for the people who have bought/leased your program.

[Kiwi 16]

Thanks Tams. I was wondering.

 

So, its just that the features similar to MP are currently free (I don't see any TPOs etc). I would expect that when they are mature and bug free that if they approach a full market profile feature set then they will be a charged extra - most developers want a premium for this feature set.

[jimbo320 10]

There seems to be some confusion.

 

During early beta test the product was completely free hence the post from thrunner a few months back. What i meant by the last post was that the product was going to be free for another beta period.

 

Of course one cant live on fresh air, i know the general public would like it for free and i would like to give it for free.

 

As thrunner suggests there is authentication and after the beta period is deemed successful the free use is pulled. Hence to keep using the product there is a small fee 11.95 per month, or a outright licence free. If you sign up through infinity futures you get a reduced price. Contact them for details.

 

There is no tiering of pricing. Nothing is deemed a premium feature. Why people charge $100's of dollars for a product is beyond me. That seems a rip off. I suppose its becuase they can, because there is no competition.

 

Download it and see, you have nothing to lose. Make comments suggest improvemements, im a good listener.

 

Yes there are single distributions, multiple distributions, tpo charts, vwap and block charts, independant charts.

 

The road map is as follows, i dont like indicators, there are a few there but im not adding more. What i have in my sights is some sort of programming interface for drawing custom stuff and user strategies for trading off charts.

 

Hope this clarifies.

[cazimi 10]

Hello,

This is my first post here. I found this thread really interesting but the site atrader.org seems to be down. Any reason for that? I am learning how to trade using MP and I think this tool seems reasonably priced. I wish I could get to try it...

[jimbo320 10]

Hello,

This is my first post here. I found this thread really interesting but the site atrader.org seems to be down. Any reason for that? I am learning how to trade using MP and I think this tool seems reasonably priced. I wish I could get to try it...

 

ATRADER.org website

[jimbo320 10]

Free period ended today.

 

Theres still a 2 week demo, 4 weeks if you sign up with infinity/apex or zenfire.

 

Cheers,