AmiBroker 4.83.1 Beta Read Me

July 27, 2006 20:41

THIS IS A BETA VERSION OF THE SOFTWARE. EXPECT BUGS !!!

Backup your data files and entire AmiBroker folder first!

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

IMPORTANT: This archive is update-only. You have to install full version 4.80 first.

Just run the installer and follow the instructions.

Then run AmiBroker. You should see "AmiBroker 4.83.1 beta" written in the About box.

See CHANGE LOG below for detailed list of changes.

CHANGE LOG

CHANGES FOR VERSION 4.83.1 (as compared to 4.83.0)

• Fix to FC#302 caused problems with calling COM properties with parameters. This is now fixed.

CHANGES FOR VERSION 4.83.0 (as compared to 4.82.0)

• Added detection of multiple copies of plugins for the same data source (completed: 2006-07-26)
  This (multiple copies of the plugins for same data source) was causing problems and lots of support issues because people were using old plugins even if they installed (newer) copy of the plugin. This was so becasue AB always used first one encountered in given directory and it usually was the oldest one. Now AB displays warning message that there are multiple copies of the same plugin and then they must be renamed or removed.
  
  
• Added HoldMinDays and EarlyExitDays options to SetOption() (completed: 2006-07-27)
  In addition to already exitsing functionality of HoldMinBars / EarlyExitBars, new options to specify min hold/penalty period in CALENDAR DAYS (as opposed to bars).
  
  SetOption("HoldMinDays", 30 ); // set minimum holding period to 30 calendar days
SetOption("EarlyExitDays", 90 ); // set penalty period to 90 calendar days
  
  Note that you can use one or another (not both at the same time) for one parameter, so you can specify minimum holding period in either days or bars (but not both at the same time). The same with EarlyExit period. You may however use different specifications (i.e. days/bars) for EarlyExit and HoldMin (they are independent from each other).
  
  
  
• Added scoreExitAll constant that causes rotational mode backtester to exit all positions regardless of HoldMinBars (completed: 2006-07-27)
  Note that this is global flag and it is enough to set it for just any single symbol to exit all currently open positions, no matter on which symbol you use scoreExitAll (it may be even on symbol that is not currently held). By setting PositionScore to scoreExitAll you exit all positions immediatelly regardless of HoldMinBars setting.
  
  Example:
  
  PositionScore = ..your normal score..
// if market timing signal goes negative close all posiitons
PositionScore = IIf( MarketTimingSignal < 0, scoreExitAll, PositionScore );
  
  NOTE: This flag works ONLY in rotational trading mode (in regular mode it is easy to generate such global exit by ORing sell signal with global sell signal).
  
  
• CBT: Added ExitReason property to Trade object (completed: 2006-07-18) (FC#: 88)
  
  
• Chart Tree - RMB - Edit - now restores and focuses to already opened formula editor (if it is during editing) (completed: 2006-07-24) (FC#: 300)
  Note that you can still open NEW instance of the editor with the very same file (for comparison and to see the original contents) by holding down SHIFT key when choosing "EDIT" menu.
  
  
• Eliminated extra unnecessary refreshes of commentary window when new symbol was picked from ticker selector (completed: 2006-07-24)
  
  
• Fixed calling parameter-less JScript functions from AFL level via GetScriptObject() (completed: 2006-07-19) (FC #: 302)
  
  
• Fixed: wrong estimated time in progress dialog when number of steps is greater than 2^32 (4294967296) (allocated to: 4.80.2) (completed: 2006-07-24)
  
  
• AFL: Added Gradient background coloring (SetChartBkGradientFill function) (completed: 2006-07-26)
  Gradient fill of chart interior is now available via SetChartBkGradientFill function.
  Please note that this is independent from chart background color (background color fills entire pane, gradient fill is only for actual chart interior, so axes area is not affected by gradient fill)
  
  SetChartBkGradientFill( topcolor, bottomcolor, titlebkcolor = default )
  
  topcolor - specifies top color of the gradient fill
  bottomcolor - specifies bottom color of the gradient fill
  titlebkcolor - (optional) the background color of title text. If not specified then top color is automatically used for title background.
  
  Example:
  
  SetChartBkGradientFill( ParamColor("BgTop", colorWhite),ParamColor("BgBottom", colorLightYellow));
  
  
• Multiple tabs in RTQ window (completed: 2006-07-18) (FC#: 22)
  RT quote window tabs behave the same as chart tabs: can be renamed with right mouse button and dragged from one place to another.
  20 tabs are currently available.
  
  
• Non-numeric custom trade metrics are not formatted with thousands separators anymore (completed: 2006-07-21) (FC#: 314)
  
  
• now Tools->Preferences->Misc "Decimal places in RT quote window" allows to specify upto 6 decimal places. (completed: 2006-07-25)
  
  
• OLE: Fixed default property (Item) marker for Windows collection (completed: 2006-07-18)
  
  
• Progress dialog: now estimated time is displayed in years/days if it is large enough (completed: 2006-07-24)
  
  

CHANGES FOR VERSION 4.82.0 (as compared to 4.81.1)

• OLE: Quotations collection does not have _Item hidden property so it should fix problems with Delphi
• OLE: fixed Documents collection Item method returning always first document object regardless of parameter value
• OLE: Documents collection prepared to support multiple document types
• OLE Added Windows collection, Document property and Activate and Close methods to Window object (FC #272)
  
  Windows collection has one method:
  
  Add - adds new window
  
  and two properties:
  
  Count - returns the number of windows within given document
  
  Item( i ) - returns the i-th window object
  
  
  Window object has two new methods:
  
  Activate() - makes window active (focused)
  Close() - closes given window
  
  and one new property:
  
  Document - gives parent document object
  
  EXAMPLE CODE (JScript):

  outBuffer = ""; // global output string buffer
  
  function output( string )
  {
     outBuffer = outBuffer + string + "\n";
  }
  
  AB = new ActiveXObject( "Broker.Application");
  
  Docs = AB.Documents;
  DocsQty = Docs.Count;
  
  for( i = 0; i < DocsQty; i++ )
  {
     Doc = Docs( i );
  
     output( "Document " + i + " name : " + Doc.Name );
  
     Windows = Doc.Windows;
     WinsQty = Windows.Count;
  
     for( j = 0; j < WinsQty; j++ )
     {
  	    Win = Windows( j ); 
  
  		output( "  Window " + j + " Selected tab " + Win.SelectedTab );
     }
  
  } 
  
  WScript.echo( outBuffer );
  
  WScript.echo( "Now will add one window" );
  Doc = Docs( 0 );
  Windows = Doc.Windows;
  
  NewWindow = Windows.Add();
  
  WScript.echo( "and close it" );
  
  NewWindow.Close();
  

• New menu Symbol->Favorities and new item "Erase favourities" to empty the list of favourities (FC#: 280)
  
• Horizonal line value label added (use new Study properties -> Show Y Value checkbox available for horizonal lines) (FC# 271)
  
• Fixed crash when clicking on Watch List using RMB (problem occurred in 4.81 beta) (FC# 243)
  
• Fix: Status('lastvisiblebarindex") and Status("lastvisblebar") now return zero based index instead of one-based (FC# 265)
  
• Fix: removed spikes from styleCloud when plotted in non-continouous way (with nulls in the middle of the array) (FC# 283)
  
• Fix rounding problem in AA in futures mode when difference between entry and exit prices was very small and pointvalue large (added extra rounding to profit calculation) (FC# 135)
  
• Delete key now works in real time quote window (FC# 266)
  
• AddTextColumn produces now LEFT-justified output (FC# 291)
  

CHANGES FOR VERSION 4.81.1 (as compared to 4.81.0)

• fixed problem with some of the watch lists not showing up in 4.81.0

• Database structure changed to hold new fundamental data - quarterly EAT/EBT/Sales figures, Code and Nominal value have been replaced by new fields.
  
  Despite these changes files are still backward and forward compatible - so it can be read by any other AB version, the only minor inconvenience is that if you load new file into old version (pre-4.81) of AmiBroker you will see weird numbers in old "Finances" dialog as well as in "Shares out." and "Book Value" fields.
  
  
• Implemented new View->Information property page featuring extra fundamental data fields
  
  
• OLE: added new fundamental data fields to Stock object
  
  Stock object has now the following properties:
  
  string Ticker;
  Collection Quotations;
  string FullName;
  boolean Index;
  boolean Favourite;
  boolean Continuous;
  long MarketID;
  long GroupID;
  float Beta;
  float SharesOut;
  float BookValuePerShare;
  float SharesFloat;
  string Address;
  string WebID;
  string Alias;
  boolean IsDirty;
  long IndustryID;
  long WatchListBits;
  long DataSource;
  long DataLocalMode;
  float PointValue;
  float MarginDeposit;
  float RoundLotSize;
  float TickSize;
  long WatchListBits2;
  string Currency;
  string LastSplitFactor;
  DATE LastSplitDate;
  float DividendPerShare;
  DATE DividendPayDate;
  DATE ExDividendDate;
  float PEGRatio;
  float ProfitMargin;
  float OperatingMargin;
  float OneYearTargetPrice;
  float ReturnOnAssets;
  float ReturnOnEquity;
  float QtrlyRevenueGrowth;
  float GrossProfitPerShare;
  float SalesPerShare;
  float EBITDAPerShare;
  float QtrlyEarningsGrowth;
  float InsiderHoldPercent;
  float InstitutionHoldPercent;
  float SharesShort;
  float SharesShortPrevMonth;
  float ForwardDividendPerShare;
  float ForwardEPS;
  float EPS;
  float EPSEstCurrentYear;
  float EPSEstNextYear;
  float EPSEstNextQuarter;
  float OperatingCashFlow;
  float LeveredFreeCashFlow;
  
  
• AFL: new function GetFnData() - allows accessing fundamental data
  
  SYNTAX: GetFnData("field")
  RETURNS: number
  
  "field" can be one of the following:
  
  "EPS"
  "EPSEstCurrentYear"
  "EPSEstNextYear"
  "EPSEstNextQuarter"
  "PEGRatio"
  "SharesFloat"
  "SharesOut"
  "DividendPayDate"
  "ExDividendDate"
  "BookValuePerShare"
  "DividendPerShare"
  "ProfitMargin"
  "OperatingMargin"
  "OneYearTargetPrice"
  "ReturnOnAssets"
  "ReturnOnEquity"
  "QtrlyRevenueGrowth"
  "GrossProfitPerShare"
  "SalesPerShare"
  "EBITDAPerShare"
  "QtrlyEarningsGrowth"
  "InsiderHoldPercent"
  "InstitutionHoldPercent"
  "SharesShort"
  "SharesShortPrevMonth"
  "ForwardDividendPerShare"
  "ForwardEPS"
  "OperatingCashFlow"
  "LeveredFreeCashFlow"
  "Beta"
  "LastSplitRatio"
  "LastSplitDate"
  
  
• ASCII importer: added support for new fundamental data fields :
  
  $FORMAT command now supports additional fields:
  
  DIV_PAY_DATE
  EX_DIV_DATE
  LAST_SPLIT_DATE
  LAST_SPLIT_RATIO
  EPS
  EPS_EST_CUR_YEAR
  EPS_EST_NEXT_YEAR
  EPS_EST_NEXT_QTR
  FORWARD_EPS
  PEG_RATIO
  BOOK_VALUE (requires SHARES_OUT to be specified as well)
  BOOK_VALUE_PER_SHARE
  EBITDA
  PRICE_TO_SALES (requires CLOSE to be specified as well)
  PRICE_TO_EARNINGS (requires CLOSE to be specified as well)
  PRICE_TO_BV (requires CLOSE to be specified as well)
  FORWARD_PE (requires CLOSE to be specified as well)
  REVENUE
  SHARES_SHORT
  DIVIDEND
  ONE_YEAR_TARGET
  MARKET_CAP (requires CLOSE to be specified as well - it is used to calculate shares outstanding)
  SHARES_FLOAT
  SHARES_OUT
  PROFIT_MARGIN
  OPERATING_MARGIN
  RETURN_ON_ASSETS
  RETURN_ON_EQUITY
  QTRLY_REVENUE_GROWTH
  GROSS_PROFIT
  QTRLY_EARNINGS_GROWTH
  INSIDER_HOLD_PERCENT
  INSTIT_HOLD_PERCENT
  SHARES_SHORT_PREV
  FORWARD_DIV
  OPERATING_CASH_FLOW
  FREE_CASH_FLOW
  BETA
  
  
  (see Formats\aqfe.format and Formats\aqfn.format files for example usage)
  

  
  
• Removed Stock->Information and Stock->Finances dialogs (this functionality is replaced by View->Information - new dockable property window)
  
  
• AFL: new function StrReplace( string, oldsubstring, newsubstring )
  
  
• Fixed crash occuring sometimes if "Symbol->Watch List->Type-in" symbol was longer than maximum allowable length (allocated to: 4.80.2)
  
  
• Foreign() function changed. Now by default missing data bar OHL fields are filled using previous bar Close and volume is set to zero.
  It is possible to turn old behaviour (filling missing bar OHL fields using previous bar OHL fields and copying previous bar volume) if you use
  Fixup parameter set to 2.
  Foreign("MSFT","O", 2 ); // old-style (pre-4.81) fill
  
  
• Scaling-in profit% calculations modified to use total cost instead of max. pos value
  
  
• ships with AmiQuote 1.90 featuring automatic download and import of fundamental data from Yahoo Finance. See AmiQuote\ReadMe2.html for the details.
  

• Changed %profit calculation when scaling-in is used to use maximum number of shares ever held as a “base” of %profit calculation - this leads to “most conservative” % figures, compared to using just initial entry value.
  
• Prec() function improved so it does not show rounding errors when working on integer

• fixed problem with Easy Alert window not accepting new alerts in some circumstances
  
• included new IB plugin version 1.6.2 (FC issue #54)

If you experience any problem with this beta version please send detailed description of the problem (especially the steps needed to reproduce it) to bugs at amibroker.com