Custom Watch List Columns
Last updated
Last updated
Customized columns may be defined and added to Watch Lists and Quote Sheets. These columns will display a value that is generated by built-in or custom study. Formatting may also be applied to the column cells to make it easier to visualize trading opportunities.
Custom columns can be managed by choosing Configure -> Custom Columns from the Console menu bar.
Click on the Create button to create a new custom column. This will open the Create Custom Column wizard to guide you through the steps.
In the example below, we have chosen the RSI study on a 5-minute interval and live updates (instead of on bar close).
The next panel allows you to change the display of the cells in the custom column. The width attribute is the default width for the column (you can still adjust the column size in the watch list). There are several different cell types to choose from:
Plain – plain cell with no formatting.
Positive/Negative – Displays a blue/green or red background if the value positive or negative.
Arrow Up/Down – Displays an up or down arrow if the latest value is higher/lower than the previous value.
Meter – Fills the background from the left (or right depending on the alignment) with a percentage of the cell width using the current value of the column. For example with an RSI value of 90 (RSI values range from 0 – 100) it would fill 90% of the cell background with the given color.
Meter/Arrow – Combination of the Meter and Arrow types above.
The last panel in the wizard allows you to specify custom formatting rules to change the display of the column based on one or more conditions. These rules are evaluated in order and the first matching rule will be applied to the table cell.
Formatting rules can have multiple conditions. The rule is applicable only if all of the conditions are met. There are several formatting options:
Align – Text alignment (Left, Middle, Right).
Foreground – Foreground color (text color).
Background – Background color for the cell.
Meter Color – Fill color for the meter (only available if cell type if meter or meter/arrow)
Display Text – Optionally the text displayed in the cell can be a static value (instead of the study value). This can be useful if the study value is not important and you want to display a buy or sell message for example.
Font – Override for the default cell font.
In the example below, we are changing the format of the cell when the RSI value is between 20 and 80.
Study conditions can be a simple comparison between a study value and a static value or you can compare it with another study value (choose Relative Comparison). By default, the latest study value is used, but you can use the closing value for older bars by unselecting the Use Current Bar option.
The screen shot below shows a watch list with 4 custom columns displayed. Custom columns can be added to a watch list/quote sheet by clicking the edit button (pencil icon in the top right tool bar section). Alternatively click on the + (plus) button in the top right corner of the table and select the custom columns that you want to display. For convenience you can also right click on a column and edit its properties.
A default filter may be used to apply formatting for cases that don’t match the other filters. This can be particular useful for reducing clutter in the watch list by showing an empty cell for values that are not of immediate interest.
Select the Default Rule option on the Format Rule Dialog to create a default rule. Note: only one default rule can be set for a custom column. The default rule is applied only if there are no other matching rules so the order in the list does not matter.
In the dialog below, we are creating a default rule to show an empty cell (with a ‘-‘). In our example this will match cases where the RSI value is <= 80 and >= 20.
The screen shot below shows all the rules that we have defined for this custom column. Please note that the position of the default rule does not matter. In our case it is the last rule in the list.
The screen shot below shows the default rule applied to the RSI 5M column. Rows that don’t match RSI < 20 and RSI > 80 show a dash. This helps to clean up the watch list and draw your attention to the rows of interest.
