Alerts programming assistance

[JackWittaker]

I need someone willing to program an alerts indicator. PM if interested, capable, and willing. These are alerts can (and should) be available to all NT users, so, to the NT programmers, perhaps you are willing to do this as part of the program-inclusive alerts indicators, as they are fairly simple and straight-forward, yet presently not part of the program.

Good trading

[NinjaTrader_JoshP]

Please clarify. There is already a price alert indicator available as well as a point and click interface to create alerts in the Market Analyzer.

[JackWittaker]

Alerts indicator

Hi,

Thanks for your interest. Below is a description of the Alerts indicator functionalities I thinkwill be an exellent and useful component of NT.

This specific indicator is primarily for audible alerts, and also re-arms itself automatically after triggering. There are specific uses I would like to apply this indicator to, in specific methods, or sequences, which I also will describe.

I like to monitor high volume, and also monitor extreme high/low tick readings. I would like an indicator that can be set to trigger alerts at various levels for the same instruments, and also can be set to trigger various sound tones for varying levels,. For example, in these instances, they would apply to volume, and to tick readings.

Lets take a closer look and description. Lets say the ES trades a high volume bar, and I set an alert at a threshold of volume I define as substantial. Lets say that for an even higher volume bar, I would like to set an alert to trigger, and use a different sound tone to denote the increase in volume. And so on, essentially setting as many alerts as one likes for a specific instrument, each with their own trigger levels and sound tones.

The same essentially applies for tick readings, with the notable difference being that tick readings go above and below a zero-line, ie, both positive and negative readings, so the settings would require the ability to input negative and positve values as triggers.

The functionalities I like about this is that the alerts require no additional chart-space, as they do not utilize a separate pane, etc. Also, one can distinguish varying trigger levels by their sound tones, even if ones eyes or attention are elsewhere.

These features are incorporated into Quotetracker, which I no longer use, and I found them very handy. The alert indicator in QT use the computers own available sound tones, and numerous alerts can be set at different levels for the same instruments. Their version did invoke a pop-up visual alert box on the chart-pane, which could be an option, in addition to the sound tones, or perhaps an on/off capacity of an optional pop-up feature for user preference. For me, a pop-up visual alert trigger in conjunction with an audible alert is not as important as the audible alert functionality, which is the primary component.

For my purposes, this specific alerts indicator need not have a feature that highlights the bars that trigger the alerts, although it could have, and if so, then perhaps a color-coding option for each alert level might be useful for easier visual indentification of the alert bars on a chart.

To my knowledge, these functionalities are not available in NT. If any of these features are presently available in NT, and do not require coding, let me know.

Good trading


ps, the Price Alert function does not accept negative values, I tried that for the Tick application

[NinjaTrader_JoshP]

You should be able to do that from the Market Analyzer. http://www.ninjatrader-support.com/H...onditions.html

[JackWittaker]

Thanks for that information. I just had a look at it, and while it may first appear that the alerts features in the Market Analyzer might accomplish the desired results, upon closer examination, it may not.

Lets take a look at what I am looking to achieve: I am interested in alerts that trigger when, on a 1 minute bar, the ES trades at/above tiered thresholds of volume levels that I will define/input. These alert will be set at various tiered levels.

In the market analyzer alert function, it operates on the available columns, and the column available for volumes are, last trade, or total trade volume for day. There is not a column available for the specific period, in my case, a 1 minute bar or period, so the alerts capacity will not operate in this instance.

For the Tick, it looks like it will, since it can be set to trigger of the 'Last' column, which can apply.

If there is still a manner in which to make it go, let me know, but as noted, it appears to me that a column would have to be created that is specific and matches the period in which one seeks to measure and apply alerts to.

Thoughts?

Good trading

[NinjaTrader_JoshP]

You can just add the indicator column of VOL for volume. On the indicator, you can tell it if you want 1min, 5min, etc.

[JackWittaker]

Ok, we are getting somewhere...I have the alerts set for Tick, and that looks like it'll work for the alerts for ES vol on 1 minute bars.

Is there a method whereby I can introduce or select from a different source / selection of sound tones? For exmaple, from the pc defaults, or others?

Right now, I set them all to Alert wav 4 (ding-dong doorbell), but I know in advance that will not denote the various levels.

Good trading

[NinjaTrader_JoshP]

Only the sound files listed there are supported.

[JackWittaker]

Thanks for all the help today. I look forward to all the alerts going off on Monday..should be fun!

Is there a way to add sound files to the available choices? And if so, must they be in wav file format? As I noted in first post, I typically set various tones at different tier levels, so I can audibly distinguish varying levels of triggering thresholds.

I would like to do so again, otherwise its going to sound like there are a lot of doorbells ringing!

Good trading

[NinjaTrader_Ben]

Hello,

I am sorry this is not supported, although it may be possible somehow. I think I've heard of people recording their own sounds and replacing the existing file names and NT will play those sounds. Again, this is not something we support and you will lose sounds if you do this.

[JackWittaker]

Ok, thanks for that info. I found the 'Sounds' folder with NT that contains the sounds file specific to NT, and I thought about copying/pasting some additional sound files into the folder, and selecting them as the alert sound files associated with specific alerts, (ie, different from the NT defaults, adding to the list, not replacing any defaults), and wondered, if doing so might interupt the functionality of NT somehow, and or just not be recognized by the program, etc.

If you think it will do no harm, and may be worth a try, I am happy to give it a go.

While just outside this morning, a visiting Bluejay indicated his willingness to audition for an alert 'voice-over', since he knows how much I enjoy hearing him call.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and knowledge, it has helped. I will keep chipping away at it.

Good trading

[gentech02]

Other sound files

If you go to this site, http://public.research.att.com/~ttsweb/tts/demo.php
you can type in the message of the alert that you want. The speech synthesizer will say exactly what you type in. Save the file on your computer and use the browser to link to the file. When the alert condition is met, the sound file will play.

gentech02

[roonius]

Ok, thanks for that info. I found the 'Sounds' folder with NT that contains the sounds file specific to NT, and I thought about copying/pasting some additional sound files into the folder, and selecting them as the alert sound files associated with specific alerts, (ie, different from the NT defaults, adding to the list, not replacing any defaults), and wondered, if doing so might interupt the functionality of NT somehow, and or just not be recognized by the program, etc.

If you think it will do no harm, and may be worth a try, I am happy to give it a go.

While just outside this morning, a visiting Bluejay indicated his willingness to audition for an alert 'voice-over', since he knows how much I enjoy hearing him call.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and knowledge, it has helped. I will keep chipping away at it.

Good trading

You can add additional wav files to the Sound folder and use them. No harm will be done.

[JackWittaker]

Thanks everyone for the useful information and links. I will create and add sound files to the Sounds folder in NT, and try them out.

After thinking about it, I am going to create sound files that are directly associated with the triggering event, that announce the trigger/event, by a description statement that defines the event.

For example, if a high volume bar is set to trigger an alarm, instead of having a tone, use a sound file that states, 'ES high volume .........', or whatever level the alert is specifically set for.

Similar in nature to the program default sounds, like 'Target filled', etc, the sounds may be that much more useful by providing a specific description of what has actually occurred.

I will still find a place for the Bluejay!

Good trading

[JackWittaker]

After a first-round of setting alerts, have just found out that alerts for ES were triggering inadvertently at this afternoons open.

In the Market Analyzer, I had two instruments, ES and Tick. For each instrument, there is a column that their respective alert will trigger/calculate on...Last for the Tick, and VOL 1-Minute for ES.

It turns that, apparently, by virtue that having both instruments on one MarketAnalyzer caused the alert levels based on Last, (which are specifically directed to apply to Tick), to trigger alerts for ES, (as the levels coincidentaly correspond).

I am now trying two separate MarketAnalyzers opened, each one dedicated to each instrument, to see if that will work as intended. In this manner, one can include Last, and have alerts that trigger on that basis, and another can have other columns that will drive those alert functions, without overlapping and causing inadvertant and unintended triggers.

In this case, today, what occurred was that having an alert to trigger if / when Tick is above 1050, based on Last, was causing the ES alert to trigger, since it is trading above 1050.

I think having two separate MarketAnalyzers open will correct this.

Good trading