Playback freezing

[Mindset]

In the latest version of NT my playback often freezes - by this I mean the historical playback is working but the bars are not forming on the chart.
Only solution is to close down ( closing workspace doesn't seem to do anything).
Any other users found this?

Is it a database issue - how can I resolve it?

[QuantKey_Bruce]

One thing I would note is that when you are missing a section of data e.g. certain days in the date range have no replay data downloaded, the slider continues to progress yet there is nothing to play back so the charts stop. You should probably check if you have the replay data for the dates in question that "freeze" in question using Tools -> Historical Data or by browsing into Documents -> NinjaTrader 8 -> db -> replay -> [instrument name]. If they are missing, download them. Or, just download all the dates you need pre-emptively now and try it again.

[NinjaTrader_BrandonH]

Hello Mindset,

Thanks for your post.

Are you using Market Replay data or Historical data when connected to the Playback connection?
Do you have Market Replay data or Historical Tick data downloaded for the instrument you are testing on Playback?
What instrument symbol (and expiry if applicable) have you selected? For example, ES 03-22, AAPL, EURUSD, etc.
Which dates are you testing in playback for that instrument?

Ensure that you have the Market Replay data or Historical Tick data downloaded for the dates/times for the instrument you are using with Playback. To do so, check the Tools > Historical data window. Note that if you are using Historical data with Playback you must have Historical Tick data downloaded for the instrument.

Historical Data: https://ninjatrader.com/support/help...HistoricalData

You could consider redownloading the Market Replay data or Historical Tick data for the instrument you are using in Playback to make sure you have that data downloaded.

Download Historical Data: https://ninjatrader.com/support/help...8/download.htm
Download Market Replay Data: https://ninjatrader.com/support/help...jaTraderserver

Playback: https://ninjatrader.com/support/help...8/playback.htm

[Mindset]

Hi Brandon
I am using Historical data when this happens.
As a further addition I just updated to the latest NT version and I notice that the Simulation feed doesn't have the slider anymore ( to make the bars go upward or downward).
Is that right?
My original issue remains.

[QuantKey_Bruce]

Is it replaying a weekend (based on the dates in the playback controller) when the chart freezes? Or, is it on some dates you did not specifically download? You need to download each date one at a time for each instrument you want to be available if you're doing it in the normal way.

[NinjaTrader_BrandonH]

Hello Mindset,

Thanks for your notes.

I see you mentioned you are using Historical data with Playback.

Do you have Historical Tick data downloaded in the Tools > Historical Data window for the dates/times of the instrument you are using with Playback?

Note that to use Historical data with Playback you must have Historical Tick data downloaded.

Are you replaying a weekend day in Playback when you see the 'freeze' occur?

Note that if the market is closed such as over the weekend then there will be no data available to play back and there would be no movement on the chart until it plays back a day when the market is re-opened and you have data downloaded for it.

Please answer the questions from my previous post so I may accurately assist you.

• Do you have Market Replay data or Historical Tick data downloaded for the instrument you are testing on Playback?
• What instrument symbol (and expiry if applicable) have you selected? For example, ES 06-23, AAPL, EURUSD, etc.
• Which dates are you testing in playback for that instrument?

As for the Simulation data feed, on NinjaTrader 8.1 the 'Simulation' connection is different than the 'Simulated data feed' connection. If you would like to use the Trend Slider, you could enable the 'Multi-provider' option in the Tools > Options > General tab, restart NinjaTrader, and then connect to the 'Simulated data feed' connection.

See this help guide page about enabling the 'Multi-provider' option: https://ninjatrader.com/support/help...ulti-provi.htm

And, see this NinjaTrader article: https://support.ninjatrader.com/s/ar...language=en_US

[Mindset]

Hi Brandon
I am aware of things like weekends not having data,etc - I have been using the platform for 14 years so I am not unfamiliar with the usual issues.
It does seem sporadic so I am trying to isolate when it happens to see if I can repeat the actions so that it may be something you can identify as an issue.

If I can find that I will report back.

[benJephunneh]

I am having to restart NT multiple times in a day, using Market Replay. I've noticed there are more freezes if I use multiple instances of the same indicator (e.g. show volume this way and show it again in this other way), even using only one chart. If I strip a chart down to one indicator, I can go for hours without having to restart.

Freezing, in my case, means the cursor doesn't appear over the chart, anymore, and the seconds stop ticking by in the Playback window. NT doesn't altogether freeze for me, though, because I can still use hotkeys over and right-click on the chart to bring up, for example, the indicators window. When I quit NT, I invariably get an error related to read/write locks. I then usually have to ensure the NT process is terminated before restarting NT.

Removing indicators isn't a solution, by any means, but hopefully an indication of something that a knowledgeable person can talk about.

[NinjaTrader_BrandonH]

Hello benJephunneh,

Thanks for your notes.

What version of NinjaTrader are you using? Please provide the entire version number. This can be found under Help -> About (Example: 8.0.?.?)

Please create a clean environment by following the steps below. After creating a clean environment, open NinjaTrader and retest to see if the behavior persists in the clean environment and report your results.

Creating a clean environment can be done by following the steps below:

1. Close NinjaTrader 8, and rename the "NinjaTrader 8" folder in My Documents to something like: "NinjaTrader 8 OLD"
2. Uninstall NinjaTrader from the Windows Control Panel and reinstall using the installer from account.ninjatrader.com
3. Open NinjaTrader and test to see if the behavior persists.

If you ever need to switch back to your original platform, you may do so by closing NinjaTrader and swapping the platform folder names.

For example, Close NinjaTrader and rename the new "NinjaTrader 8" folder to "NinjaTrader 8 NEW" and the "NinjaTrader 8 OLD" folder to "NinjaTrader 8." Then restart the platform. Simply put: NinjaTrader 8 will always load the "NinjaTrader 8" folder in My Documents.


Something to keep in mind, the impact NinjaTrader has on your PC will be dependent on how much NinjaTrader has to calculate. For example, having several charts with multiple complex indicators running can cause NinjaTrader to stutter and can cause short freezes. We typically advise the following as tips to improve platform performance.

1. Configure charts so their Days To Load is an absolute minimum, just enough for your indicators to function properly
2. Configure indicators to use Calculate.OnBarClose when possible as opposed to Calculate.OnPriceChange and Calculate.OnEachTick.
3. Use less charts and less complex indicators
4. Avoid using Tick Replay.

Various performance tips can be found here:

https://ninjatrader.com/support/helpGuides/nt8/performance_tips2.htm

You may also wish to use the NinjaScript Utilization Monitor (Control Center > New > Output window > Right click > NinjaScript Utilization Monitor) This tool will tell you which components in your workspace are creating the most impact on your system.

After you leave this utility running, the items on the top will be those that are taking the most CPU time. Reducing/eliminating these items will bring the most performance improvement. Please note that some NinjaScripts, like ChartStyles, require drawing every visible bar with every render pass. Having a ChartStyle at the top of your utilization Monitor would be normal.

I also suggest using the Windows Task Manager to view other programs that are using your CPU, and to close resource-intensive programs that are taking juice away that NinjaTrader would otherwise be using.

[ender_wiggum]

Note, the link included in the previous post is broken... That is, it goes to the main page of the manual.

[Mindset]

The latest update is that now it takes 2- 3 attempts to download data - I have to stop the download and try again. Not sure if it's related.

[Mindset]

Thanks for replying Brandon. Because it only happens sometimes - I can live with it.
I do new installs regularly so I suspect it will resolve itself with that.