Journaling

[GaryAlbers]

Is there a way to create a Journal entry from ninjascript?

If not, please add one.

Also, Please add option to show journal entries on chart via some graphic symbol (like a dot as suggested elsewhere) and then allow hover over to see content and optionally edit it.

For NT 8 also.


Thanks,
Gary Albers

[NinjaTrader_PaulH]

Hello GaryAlbers,

Thanks for your post.

There is no means in Ninjatrader 7 or Ninjatrader 8, via Ninjascript, to create a journal entry. Could you elaborate on how you would envision that working (to help me understand your thinking)?

I've noted your request to show journal entries on the chart. Can you clarify how that would tie into the chart as in based on the date/time of the journal entry or just on the date?

The only difference I noted between NT7 and NT8 is that in NT8 you can add, from the executions or trade tabs, an entry in the journal.

[GaryAlbers]

Purpose of programmatic journaling

I have a strategy that has various rules that are dynamically selected by the trader at run time.
An example selection the trader expresses to the strategy would be: "go long at market when cond-1 and cond-2 are both met". The rule selections are changing constantly throughout the trading session and can become quite cumbersome to keep up with in a journal. However, reviewing a trader's thought process in the moment is quite valuable so capturing this info is important.

Having the user record the details of their rule selection is redundant and a waste of time because they have already expressed their thought when they made the rule section. I simply want to record this choice into the journal with the details behind this selection (via ninjascript) so that the bulk of the journal is already completed simply by the trader doing their job.

This provides a running commentary of what the user did and was thinking (because their thinking is revealed in the rule choices they make). The ninja script can then also include the market consequences of those choices (whether or not an order was filled, what price, where the stops and targets were place, how it all played out).

Having an optional graphical marker on the chart for each journal entry then provides a visual way to review the entire thought process of the trader, their choices, the consequences, in the visual context of the chart. The journal entry markers on the chart would need to be located based on time, down to the second.

For NT 8, do you think it would be a reasonable work around to designate a log tab to serve as the ninjascript journal?
If that is a reasonable workaround, it would then be useful to have a way to merge the contents somehow so that a single, coherant journal could be printed out.

Thanks for your consideration,
Gary Albers

[NinjaTrader_PaulH]

Hello GaryAlbers,

Thanks for your reply and further concept detail.

It is possible to write to the log file but if you are going that route, in NT7 or NT8 you may as well use Streamwriter and create a an output file that can then be read into word or excel. Here is a working example of the streamwriter: http://ninjatrader.com/support/forum...ead.php?t=3475

You could also create an indicator that could read that file and mark on the chart where the journal entries were. Here is a link to a working example of streamreader: http://ninjatrader.com/support/forum...ead.php?t=3476


I've entered a feature request for the NT7 nd NT8 journaling and will update this thread when I have further information.

[koganam]

I have a strategy that has various rules that are dynamically selected by the trader at run time.
An example selection the trader expresses to the strategy would be: "go long at market when cond-1 and cond-2 are both met". The rule selections are changing constantly throughout the trading session and can become quite cumbersome to keep up with in a journal. However, reviewing a trader's thought process in the moment is quite valuable so capturing this info is important.

Having the user record the details of their rule selection is redundant and a waste of time because they have already expressed their thought when they made the rule section. I simply want to record this choice into the journal with the details behind this selection (via ninjascript) so that the bulk of the journal is already completed simply by the trader doing their job.

This provides a running commentary of what the user did and was thinking (because their thinking is revealed in the rule choices they make). The ninja script can then also include the market consequences of those choices (whether or not an order was filled, what price, where the stops and targets were place, how it all played out).

Having an optional graphical marker on the chart for each journal entry then provides a visual way to review the entire thought process of the trader, their choices, the consequences, in the visual context of the chart. The journal entry markers on the chart would need to be located based on time, down to the second.

For NT 8, do you think it would be a reasonable work around to designate a log tab to serve as the ninjascript journal?
If that is a reasonable workaround, it would then be useful to have a way to merge the contents somehow so that a single, coherant journal could be printed out.

Thanks for your consideration,
Gary Albers

NT7 and NT8 both have a trade Journal built in, though I am the only person that I know of who uses it: none of my trading colleagues does. In fact, they did not even know it was there until I showed them, but they still prefer to keep paper journals using pen and paper.

Truth to tell, it is somewhat hidden, but I really do not see how they can place it in a better place than they have it.