Protect ELD Code

[Tradewinds 12]

I've read that locked ELD code can be cracked by paid services. Does anyone know of any other way to protect Easy Language indicators? What do developers do who sell Easy Language indicators?

[Tams 20]

I've read that locked ELD code can be cracked by paid services. Does anyone know of any other way to protect Easy Language indicators? What do developers do who sell Easy Language indicators?

 

off load the key operations to a DLL.

[Tradewinds 12]

off load the key operations to a DLL.

 

I've never worked with DLL's. I guess a DLL has to be created in C++ ? Which I've also never used. Are there other languages that will create a DLL? I guess there is an 'express' version of C++ that is free?

 

Visual C++ 2010 Express | Microsoft Visual Studio

[onesmith 10]

Are you thiking about becoming a vendor and selling code? If you release anything worthwhile even as locked code it's signal will deteriorate as others observe whatever visible part of it signal that you release.

[Tradewinds 12]

Are you thiking about becoming a vendor and selling code? If you release anything worthwhile even as locked code it's signal will deteriorate as others observe whatever visible part of it signal that you release.

 

I haven't really thought about what I want to do. I just wanted to be able to protect any code that I might happen to want to share. I would probably never become a vendor. I might let people use the code to evaluate how good my code was, or have select people use it. I'm thinking about having some kind of way to check the date, so it would expire after a certain date.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by having the signal deteriorate? Do you mean that to many people using it will make it less reliable?

[Tradewinds 12]

I've never worked with DLL's. I guess a DLL has to be created in C++ ? Which I've also never used. Are there other languages that will create a DLL? I guess there is an 'express' version of C++ that is free?

 

Visual C++ 2010 Express | Microsoft Visual Studio

 

I just installed Visual C++ 2010 Express and wrote a simple DLL from a U-tube example.

 

#include "stdafx.h"
#include <iostream>
#include <Windows.h>

using namespace std;
int main (void)
{
cout << "This message has been loaded from a DLL file.\n";

getchar();
return 0;

}

 

I still have no idea how to run the DLL, or run it from EL.

[Tradewinds 12]

off load the key operations to a DLL.

 

I'm guessing the the EL help site probably has some DLL examples posted by people that will do different things.

[Tradewinds 12]

This is from the TradeStation Wiki:

 

2) What sorts of things can a TradeStation-compatible DLL do? TradeStation-compatible DLL's are used, most commonly, to serve one or more of the following three purposes:

 

a) To provide an analytical function, such as an advanced mathematical function.

 

b) To provide a means of communication between EasyLanguage analysis techniques, or between EasyLanguage and non-TradeStation programs, such as Microsoft Excel®.

 

c) To obfuscate proprietary code.

 

TradeStation Forum

[onesmith 10]

If others are able to visually observe the output of your code in the form of it's signal on a chart then even without seeing it's code it's possible to create code which mimics your signal with a high degree of accuracy.

 

I haven't really thought about what I want to do. I just wanted to be able to protect any code that I might happen to want to share. I would probably never become a vendor. I might let people use the code to evaluate how good my code was, or have select people use it. I'm thinking about having some kind of way to check the date, so it would expire after a certain date.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by having the signal deteriorate? Do you mean that to many people using it will make it less reliable?

[Tradewinds 12]

This is from the TradeStation site about where to place DLL's for access by EL.

 

 

Compiled DLL's should generally be placed in your computer's equivalent to this subdirectory:

 

C\Windows\System32\

 

However, they can also be placed in this subdirectory:

 

C\Program Files\TradeStation N.M (Build WXYZ)\Program\

 

Understanding TradeStation-compatible DLL's - Part III

[Tradewinds 12]

TradeStation has something called the Software Development Kit or SDK which allows EL to

 

access to the EasyLanguage variables, including arrays, used in the EasyLanguage analysis technique that calls the DLL

 

But I don't know if I have to buy the SDK or not?

[Tradewinds 12]

If others are able to visually observe the output of your code in the form of it's signal on a chart then even without seeing it's code it's possible to create code which mimics your signal with a high degree of accuracy.

 

Yes, that is a consideration. I've thought about that. I guess to be safe, I would provide an indicator that would be very hard to trace back to the source calculations, or just show the signal itself with nothing to indicate where the signal came from.

 

If it turns out to be a really good indicator, I'll just keep it to myself and suck all the money out of the market for myself. But I doubt that will happen.

[Tradewinds 12]

I guess the SDK is a DLL that is imported into the DLL that you create.

 

1.) Importation of tskit.dll

In order to use the SDK, your DLL project must include a reference to tskit.dll.

As previously mentioned, tskit.dll is located, by default, in the \Program subdirectory

of the directory into which TradeStation is installed. Unlike the legacy SDK, there

are no header files included; they are not needed. To make use of the SDK, simply

include the following line in your Visual C++® DLL Project:

#import "c\Program Files\TradeStation\Program\tskit.dll"

no_namespace

This #import

EasyLanguage_SDK.pdf

[Tradewinds 12]

EasyLanguage has a reserved word named 'Self' that:

 

Self (Reserved Word)

 

Used to send the execution context to an object or EXTERNAL DLL function.

 

There is also the reserved word, 'External'

 

EXTERNAL (Reserved Word)

 

EXTERNAL defines a DLL entry point to be called from EasyLanguage.

 

External: "myLibrary.DLL", double, "MyFunc", IEasyLanguageObject;

 

External: ["<PATH>",] [RETURN TYPE,] "<DLL FUNCTION NAME>",

[ARGUMENT 1 TYPE, ARGUMENT 2 TYPE, ...];

 

C\program Files\TradeStation\Program\" is presumed to be the path. If the DLL is not found there then the system path is searched. If the DLL is still not found, an error happens.

 

The Argument types are optional and are the types of data received by the DLL.

 

External: "myLibrary.DLL", double, "MyFunc", int;

 

The type of data received is an integer.

 

This sample code calls the DLL:

 

External: "myLibrary.DLL", double, "MyDLL", int;

var: int DLL_Return_Val(0);

 

DLL_Return_Val = MyDLL( self, 10);

[Tams 20]

Are you thiking about becoming a vendor and selling code? If you release anything worthwhile even as locked code it's signal will deteriorate as others observe whatever visible part of it signal that you release.

 

Worry not, you are using a teaspoon to drink from an ocean. There is enough for everybody.

[Tams 20]

I've never worked with DLL's. I guess a DLL has to be created in C++ ? Which I've also never used. Are there other languages that will create a DLL? I guess there is an 'express' version of C++ that is free?

 

Visual C++ 2010 Express | Microsoft Visual Studio

 

look up freebasic and powerbasic.

 

both already have a collection of codes and interfaces for Tradestation.

[BlueHorseshoe 10]

If others are able to visually observe the output of your code in the form of it's signal on a chart then even without seeing it's code it's possible to create code which mimics your signal with a high degree of accuracy.

 

Hi Onesmith,

 

I'm not convinced by this. Can we test you?

 

[onesmith 10]

No because I will be using my own best signals and my own understanding of the available viable signal generators to determine the formulas you are using to generate your signal and I'm not going to reveal that information.

 

Hi Onesmith,

 

I'm not convinced by this. Can we test you?

 

[BlueHorseshoe 10]

I've read that locked ELD code can be cracked by paid services. Does anyone know of any other way to protect Easy Language indicators? What do developers do who sell Easy Language indicators?

 

Hi Tradewinds,

 

Without going into the DLL process, there are a few things you can do within TS to make the indicator more secure. A determined hacker will still get what they want in the end, but they'll need to be pretty damn committed about.

 

Break the indicator's code down into as many modules or 'functions' as possible, so that the indicator itself becomes an empty vessel.

 

You can now protect each function individually. Use passwords that employ the maximum number of characters TS allows. Use a combination of letters, digits, and symbols. Don't use a word that is recognisable in any language.

 

Doing this will mean that, even running pretty fast software, the code will take about three days to crack. And they'll have to do this with each individual function in turn, which could take weeks, or even months, depending on the complexity of the indicator.

 

Take steps to make the indicator more complex than it needs to be, and introduce empty functions near the start of the code. As most hackers start to crack these, they will quickly become pissed off and fed up.

 

As I said, this makes things harder to crack, but not impossible.

[BlueHorseshoe 10]

No because I will be using my own best signals and my own understanding of the available viable signal generators to determine the formulas you are using to generate your signal and I'm not going to reveal that information.

 

Hi Onesmith,

 

Are you saying that you would mimic the signal but using different algorithms? If so, then I misunderstood your original post. Nevertheless, I think if the code was sufficiently complex then it would be hard to mimic, even through some sort of parallel process . . .

[onesmith 10]

Ideally it's not parallel. Inevitably skill and tenacity win.

 

 

 

Hi Onesmith,

 

Are you saying that you would mimic the signal but using different algorithms? If so, then I misunderstood your original post. Nevertheless, I think if the code was sufficiently complex then it would be hard to mimic, even through some sort of parallel process . . .

[BlueHorseshoe 10]

Ideally it's not parallel. Inevitably skill and tenacity win.

 

Ha! Can't argue with that! Anyway, you've doubtless got better things to be doing with your time . . .

[smmatrix 11]

DiamondLock is a decent way to protect code:

Diamond Lock