PKFFW said:
Thanks everyone for the replies. I think I'll give TS2000i a try if I can get a cheap copy somewhere.
Before I buy it though, do you need a specific data supplier? I don't want it to actually trade with, just to do back testing on so I don't want to be locked into a specific supplier or broker.
New_Trader, I have absolutely no programming knowledge at all so doing it myself really isn't an option. Would you mind giving me a look at yours??
Cheers,
PKFFW
PKFFW
This is my version of a “dummies guide”. Writing a program that a computer understands is analogous to writing a set of instructions that a human can understand. You only need to know a few key words and have a basic understanding of syntax. I’m not sure how many words there are in the English language (not including proper nouns), but even a concise dictionary has around 50,000 definitions. How many words do you use in everyday life? I’d say like most people, you only need and use about 300 or less. Same as programming, although I’m not sure how many commands there are in VB6, but I have a Microsoft VB6 Programmers Guide book that is almost 1000 pages thick and I hardly ever use it. Sure, if you expanded your vocabulary you could say/write things using fewer words, but the end result will be the same. It’s all about logical and lateral thinking.
If I remember rightly, you are a fire fighter? I don’t know much about fire fighting so forgive any errors, but as an example, if you were asked to write a simple set of instructions that would allow ANYONE to identify a fire and take appropriate action, would you consider it impossible?
If you were to write it in “computer” language it would look something like this:
If condition= Heat + Fuel + Oxygen then
triangle= fire
Else
triangle=safe
End if
If triangle=fire then
If fire height >1meter then
Activate fire alarm and call fire brigade
Else
If fire= electrical then
Get C02 fire extinguisher
Point at fire base
Extinguish fire
Elseif fire= wood or paper then
Get water fire extinguisher
Point at fire base
Extinguish fire
Else
Get foam fire extinguisher
Point at fire base
Extinguish fire
End if
End if
End if
(I hope I put in the right amount of “End If’s”, I always have trouble with them)
A real VB computer program wouldn’t look very different from the above. I would say that you could write a very useful back test program using only the following:
1) If, Then, Else
2) Arrays (very useful)
3) Loops
a) For, Next
b) Do, While, Loop
c) Do, Loop, Until
4) Mathematical Operations (+, - ,* ,/ )
5) Logical Operators (And, Or, Not, Xor)
6) Relational Operator (<, >, =, etc)
7) Data Types (Whether something is a number, word, etc)
8) working with files, txt,dat, etc
Like the fire fighting analogy, the hardest part of programming is not so much knowing the language, but the flow of the logic. Also, if you really had to write a fire fighting program you would need to take into account many other factors such as, whether the fire is accidental or controlled etc. This would involve many “If, Then” type commands. This is what can cause you to tear your hair out in frustration when things aren't working right, but still, it's fun!
One last thing I should say. VB6 is ok if you already have an idea for a mechanical system that you want to trade and just need to test it, like a breakout strategy. A good charting program is necessary to develop the concept.
One extra last thing, I know only a little of what there is to know about VB6, but I know absolutely nothing about TS2000i, Wealth-lab or Metastock
