Starting up NinjaTrader Desktop 8.1 without typing username and password every time

[brucerobinson]

Hello #Ericmacd
Many Users will praise you for this.
Quick (Windows) Q if I may (& may assist others) re: Desktop Shortcut icon - I use the same technique for forcing NT.exe app to run in Highest Priority mode & hence have a String in there. To have both functions operate at the same time will it be a simple matter of pasting yours in after, separated by a semi-colon?
TIA

[rc5781]

Is there a way to start up without typing every time?

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but I use autohotkey via Pulover's Macro Creator to automate login with a hotkey:

https://www.macrocreator.com/

You can have a macro startup on windows login using task scheduler.

I've found it VERY useful for automating a lot of things while day trading. Trigger tws chart trader lmt trades, auto scroll through open charts, draw previous day key levels, start, shutdown, restart, etc.

[ericmacd]

Hello #Ericmacd
Many Users will praise you for this.
Quick (Windows) Q if I may (& may assist others) re: Desktop Shortcut icon - I use the same technique for forcing NT.exe app to run in Highest Priority mode & hence have a String in there. To have both functions operate at the same time will it be a simple matter of pasting yours in after, separated by a semi-colon?
TIA

Hi Bruce,

Thanks for the note. I'm not exactly sure what you mean by pasting yours in after, separated by a semi-colon? Do you mean pasting the C# code to log in after the code to run in Highest Priority? If so, yes, that would probably work. I'd have to see the code to be sure but more than likely it would work fine.

Cheers,
Eric

[QuantKey_Bruce]

I am grateful to you ericmacd for contributing another workaround to the public sphere, on top of the AutoIT workaround already posted and the "Macro Creator" solution above. Taking a quick look it looks like you have done a good job with this.

However, I still maintain that NinjaTrader is making a business-strategic mistake by allowing this login process to be taken over by user-land workarounds. They should add the checkbox to "keep me signed in" - plain and simple. In stepping back and letting this be the domain of outside scripting, they are no longer delivering a uniform experience to their users, and potentially leaving security in unknown hands, however good the intentions. Additionally, every new build has a chance of breaking all this - they should just put the checkbox in. Anyone who wants to type in the password every time can do so - there's an option to require this at the connection level to protect the broker account if users want to have a password on it as there has been for years.

[brucerobinson]

Hello Eric and thanks for replying.
The code I have in the Target field is C:\Windows\System32\cmd.e*e [I've changed x to * 'cos the Forum won't accept cmd.e x e, I guess to prevent malicious intent] /c "cd C:\Program Files (x86)\NinjaTrader 8\bin64" && start /high NinjaTrader.exe (as you'll deduce this for a pre- x64 install, but you get the idea).

I was referring to your Readme comment "We created a Windows shortcut for NTLogin in which we modified the Target field in the Shortcut tab to include the additional parameters."

I'm happy to declare as will be obvious I haven't a clue what I'm talking about as I don't speak C# (got as far as 'Console Application' before hitting up technopaedia ;-)) but as I can't see me changing to 8.1. imminently was just asking in preparation as it seemed an elegant solution in the absence of capitulation from Development over much requested Checkbox.

I was anticipating when I looked into the Download all would become clearer, but alas above my paygrade what to do with it, where to locate etc.

Best,

[sonia0101]

If anyone is interested, I uploaded source code for automatically logging into NinjaTrader. It assumes NinjaTrader is not running and the username is already saved.

I'm hopeful that NinjaTrader will include a checkbox for saving our password but in the meantime this is what we use.

https://github.com/DeepSignalTech/NinjaTraderAutoLogin

Hi Eric ,
Thanks for making this. How does one use it?
Thanks in advance

[ericmacd]

Hi Bruce,

To change the priority you can just update the C# code.. On line 76 change the following two lines:

ninjaProc = processlist[0];
foundNinja = true;

to the following three lines:

ninjaProc = processlist[0];
ninjaProc.PriorityClass = ProcessPriorityClass.High;
foundNinja = true;

Then you should be able to just run NTLogin with a windows shortcut and it will run as a high priority process.

Cheers,
Eric

[ericmacd]

Hi Eric ,
Thanks for making this. How does one use it?
Thanks in advance

Hi Sonia,

Assuming you compiled it with Visual Studio, you can right click on the NTLogin.exe in Windows Explorer, copy the file then paste as a shortcut on your desktop.

In the "NTLogin.exe - Shortcut" file on your desktop, right click, click on Properties, then Shortcut. In the Target edit field you need to add on your username and password. The field should look something like this:

Target: [some folder]\NTLogin.exe "YOUR_USERNAME" "YOUR_PASSWORD"

Where the [some folder] is wherever you compiled it, then you need to fill in YOUR_USERNAME and YOUR_PASSWORD with your Ninja username and password.

Then just double click on the "NTLogin.exe - Shortcut" and Ninja should automatically fill in your password for you.

Cheers,
Eric

[sonia0101]

Hi ericmacd, this is way above my knowledge level. I don't know anything about visual studio. But Thank you for creating it and responding.

[Johnny]

I reverted back to the prior version because of this.

Humbly, it seems to me like Ninjatrader is being developed, but there's a huge disconnect between user requests and what's actually being developed.

Two examples (and there's many more):

1. Ninjatrader still does not support daily/weekly/monthly RTH bars over 7 years after it was first requested.

NT8 not respecting session template in daily, weekly, monthly charts - NinjaTrader Support Forum

2. The Chart Trader is close to useless for fast intraday one-click trading and users who desire this needs a 3rd party add-on. Personally, I use Clicker by Volaty.

If Ninjatrader really wants to create a superior trading platform they should focus on perfecting the basics and listen to user requests instead of new stuff that's just adding troubles for existing users. One could get the feeling that the development team are strictly software engineers and not traders who understand what a trader would need and desire.

Thanks.

[Leeroy_Jenkins]

Yeah chart trader feels like software from early 2000's. The fact it doesn't have breakeven button is just ridiculous. Zero changes for years. I wonder if early NT version <7 had the same chart trader.
At least you can make own wpf buttons on chart or add new ones to chart trader. Thanks for that.

[wzgy0920]

Still waiting on this feature. Super annoying i have to type my password every time I launch NT 8.1. In fact this seems like poor security... Because I have to type my password everytime I launch NT 8.1, I have to use a password that is short/weak.

[ntbone]

If anyone is interested, I uploaded source code for automatically logging into NinjaTrader. It assumes NinjaTrader is not running and the username is already saved.

I'm hopeful that NinjaTrader will include a checkbox for saving our password but in the meantime this is what we use.

https://github.com/DeepSignalTech/NinjaTraderAutoLogin

Adding to the thanks for making this.

I tested out a slightly different approach with your method.

//Instead of these two lines of code
//GetWindowRect(ninjaProc.MainWindowHandle, ref rctNTPosition);
//ButtonClick(rctNTPosition.Left + 30, rctNTPosition.Top + 210);

// This puts focus into the password box
SendKeys.SendWait("\t");
SendKeys.SendWait("\t");
SendKeys.SendWait("\t");

I made some other changes you can find here

https://github.com/ntbone/NinjaTraderAutoLogin

• The code to wait for NinjaTrader checks the window to see if its valid, instead of a fixed time. 5 seconds wasn't always working for me.
• I exit if NinjaTrader is already running but added code to make sure it looks at the current user. I believe multiple instances of NinjaTrader can be running, under different accounts but I have never tested this.

[kkc2015]

ntbone Thank you very much for your updated code to improve the NT8 login. It works better than the original timed version, especially during the period when Windows is in the booting process.

During testing, I did encounter some issues when I started Visual Studio, then followed by your program. Your program injected the password into my VS file, instead of the NT8 input screen. Of course, this can be easily avoid by just starting your program first and wait for completion.
Thank you again.

[bortz]

They need to rename this forum to- user bug reporting and user debugging/improvement forum. Shame the user has to pay money to improve their program for them. Teach them how to make dockable windows and create drag and drop while you're at it.