NT7 Strategy Analyzer UI improvements

[adamus]

I'm working solidly with the Strategy Analyzer this week and some of its user interface features are pretty detrimental to my efficiency, requiring me to re-do backtests or optimisations or just to take more time doing what I need to do.

I thought I'd start putting them up here on the forum for NT Support to take on board, and for anyone else to add their observations.

First off, the way that the strategy parameters are reset to default when I compile the strategy is not useful for me. The result is that I always (mostly, as long as I remember) right-click and save my latest parameter values as default. If not I often forget that this reset is done and run backtests with the wrong values for parameters because I didn't double check the numbers.

Secondly, when I open a random strategy file by double clicking it in the left-hand pane, it deselects the instrument that I had selected for whichever strategy I was about to backtest. It causes a field in the Parameters to appear with an instrument selection dropdown, but this seems to be redundant and running the strategy won't run it on this instrument.

[NinjaTrader_Brett]

Hello,

Thanks for your forum post.

I will forward your suggestions to development. However we have added the ability to right click and save your parameters as default with NinjaTrader 7 to assist with this. When you find a set of parameters you want to keep be sure to right click and select Save as Default.

Also, on your second point this would be expected as a list click to a strategy down below will deselect the strategy you have chosen above. To run your backtest/Walk Forward/Optimize you can select the instrument and then right above where you set the parameters this is where you would change the strategy you want to run on.

[adamus]

However we have added the ability to right click and save your parameters as default with NinjaTrader 7 to assist with this. When you find a set of parameters you want to keep be sure to right click and select Save as Default.

Brett, the point I am trying to make is different: I am making full use of the new feature 'Save as Default' - in fact, I am saying a better UI would allow me to reload the default settings when I choose, rather than reloading them automatically each time I recompile.

I compile a strategy, change the parameters to what I want to test and run a backtest. Then I look at my results and see that I need to change something in the script. I recompile and want to run again but if I forget that my default settings were reloaded, I sit there waiting for a backtest to run with the wrong parameters!

Also, on your second point this would be expected as a list click to a strategy down below will deselect the strategy you have chosen above. To run your backtest/Walk Forward/Optimize you can select the instrument and then right above where you set the parameters this is where you would change the strategy you want to run on.

That's also not what I meant. I'm not talking about changing the strategy. When I double click on a strategy to open it and view the code, it deselects the instrument - why? The action of opening a strategy file implies nothing about what instrument I wish to backtest, so why does it affect the instrument selected? It's just an extra click for me to reselect the instrument, a click which should be unnecessary. Plus it makes no sense to have that redundant instrument select box in the parameters.

[NinjaTrader_Brett]

Hello,

Understood, I have sent this into development.

This was added I believe as another way to select your strategies to edit them or run a specific strategy on an instrument that is not in your default list. The main method for editing a strategy that would not deselect a selected instrument would be Control Center->Tools->Edit NinjaScript->Strategies. However I have also sent this into developement.

Thank you for your suggestions!

[adamus]

Thanks.

I've got another one.

When I open a strategy or indicator script, it remembers the size of the window (I think) but it doesn't remember where it was positioned.

I always position the windows above the control center's status line, so that I can see the strategy analyzer's progress while I'm working on a script.

Currently, I have to move every window every time I open one.

In another thread, I addressed the problem with having the status updates appear in the control center window, which is a whole issue in itself:

Status bar only on Control Center window

[NinjaTrader_Brett]

Hello,

Thanks for the recommendations/Suggestions they are on our list for possible inclusion in a future version of NinjaTrader.

Have a great week!

[adamus]

I'd just like to emphasize on that last note, I actually size and position all my windows like that - not just NinjaScript editors, but also Firefox, Excel, Windows Explorer etc.

[NinjaTrader_Brett]

Hello,

Sounds good we understand.

[adamus]

Brett,

another thing closely related to the status: currently the status line tells me how long it's taken, but once it's finished, that info is gone. When I am repeating similar length operations, it's good to know that information so I can go off for that long, but if I have to sit there and watch it until the end to find out the final time taken, it's a pain - can't you put that time taken somewhere on display instead of letting it vanish at the end of the job?

[NinjaTrader_Brett]

Good suggestion I will add this also.

[adamus]

I've got another issue.

This is the situation: I have run a backtest on an instrument and clicked on the chart tab and the strategy analyzer shows me the price history with the trades - all fine.

Then if I click on a different instrument, the strategy analyzer blanks out the charts and shows "loading data...". Why is the strategy analyzer loading any data? I haven't clicked on 'Backtest'.

[NinjaTrader_Brett]

Hello,

I have confirmed this on my side and have sent into development to check if this is expected. What occurs is the chart actually changes to the new instrument when in the chart tab to the new instrument so it is loading data for the new instrument that has been selected. The backtest results all remain the same however.

[adamus]

Hi

I have another one.

I can use the left-hand pane in the Strategy Analyzer window to open multiple windows for the same strategy. If I edit and compile and close one window and then compile in another window where the old code still exists, it overwrites and loses the changes.

This happens to me about once a week and it's pretty aggravating when it happens. Like just now! I think it's undesirable and totally unnecessary to be able to open a script in more than one window.

[NinjaTrader_Brett]

Hello,

I have checked with development and this is expected when the chart tab is selected to be changed to the new instrument when selecting a new instrument.

As far as opening multiple windows for the code this is also expected. Please only work and compile in one window.

Let me know if I can be of further assistance.

[adamus]

Hi Guys,

I've got another improvement you could make.

I just ran a strategy on a basket of instruments in the strategy analyzer and save images of the cumulative profit graph for each instrument.

I now see that the charts have all been given a title "NinjaTrader Cumulative Profit Report 24/02/2000 - 30/03/2010".

What is needed is the instrument and the timeframe and the name of the strategy.

From a pragmatic point of view, the information in the title is all doubled and redundant.

I know that it's NinjaTrader so there's no need to have that in the title.

I also see from the time axis and the dollar axis that it's most likely the equity curve, so I don't need that either.

Plus with the time axis labels showing what time period is covered, you don't need to add the dates to the title.

But the strategy name, the instrument name and the time frame - none of that info is available and it has to added somehow manually to each chart.

Thanks