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Log of Changes and Improvements to Sierra Chart

This list contains major items of development, and changes and additions which users need to be informed about.

This is not a comprehensive changes and additions log. And it should never be relied upon for such. It only represents a very small percentage of the actual development being performed every day. The vast majority of development is not documented here. Or receives, one small comment after it is all complete. There are not version notes for each version. The main Sierra Chart documentation is updated as needed relating to the changes and additions.

The maintenance of this page has mostly been abandoned by Sierra Chart development for many years due to the difficulty of maintaining it and because users can be incorrectly misled by or misinterpret notes that are made here. This does not change, the development of Sierra Chart which is very active every day and new releases are made nearly weekly or several times a week. The Sierra Chart project is still very active, with extensive development and it remains a very high quality software in the world. The engineering is at the very top of the world.

  • 212

    • Fixed a problem with the TPO study where some letters were not being displayed.
    • Chart Trading has been improved so that you can now add new orders using the Chart DOM. Additionally, you can modify the quantity of an existing order by left clicking on the order in the Chart DOM, and you can also cancel the order by right clicking on the order in the Chart DOM.
    • Improved the Angle Ellipse Highlight tool, Cycle tool, and the Pitchfork tool. The Cycle tool now also shows in the status bar the distance between the 2 points when drawing the cycle.
    • Added an option to remove gridlines from Time and Sales.
  • 211

    • Added an option to display the base main price graph of a chart on top of all other studies on that chart. This setting can be found in Chart >> Chart Settings >> Display main chart graph on top of studies.
    • Drawing tools now continue to work when you start a drawing in one region and move the mouse into another region.
    • Sierra Chart now only downloads 1-minute or 30-second bars from IB backfill when the Intraday data storage time unit is set to 1 minute or 30 seconds respectively. Otherwise backfill behavior is the same.
    • Fixed a bug with Open E Cry data collection where the bid volume and ask volume were not set correctly if the symbol was not subscribed to depth data.
    • Added controls for all services to set the maximum number of days of historical Intraday data to download.
    • The Chart DOM now supports trading. In Trade Mode, clicking in the Bid Boxes signifies a buy, while clicking in the Ask Boxes signifies a sell. Left click is for a Limit Order, and right click is for a Stop Order.
    • The Gann Grid tool is temporarily disabled for this pre-release until it is completed.
    • Fixed a bug that changed the fill space when the chart was minimized
    • Added an option in the Data Settings on the Data/Trade Service Settings window called Simulate trades to match daily volume. This is a special algorithm to simulate trades if fewer trades are received than actually occurred. The purpose of this is to provide accurate volume counting, even if the service does not send all trades. If you notice any volume abnormalities, let us know. The option can be disabled.
    • Added a Zig-Zag drawing tool.
  • 209

    • The Chart Trading feature has been significantly improved. This is still a work in progress but many basic features now exist. To activate Chart Trading, go to Trade >> Chart Trade Mode On. Active orders are shown on the chart and you can manipulate the orders by right clicking them or dragging them around. Currently Sierra Chart only supports Ameritrade and IB for trading. Transact trading support will be available in the coming weeks. For safety, please keep confirmation options on. They are on by default.
    • When historical data is downloaded for TransAct, and the primary server is unavailable, a backup server will be used automatically.
    • A few issues corrected from the prior pre-release.
    • Although this is a pre-release, it solves many minor issues relating to the large amount of development that has been done in recent months, and all users are encouraged to use this version. If you need to downgrade, you can very easily. Instructions are on the Software Download page.
    • Corrected a problem from a recent release which prevented the renaming of a data file while the chart is open for it. This allows for easier futures contract rollover if you wish to include data from the prior contract month.
  • 208

    • Replaced the Time Offset setting with a Time Zone setting. The old Time Offset setting is still used when using either IB or MyTrack. See this page for documentation: Time Zone Settings.
    • Fixed an issue with the Intraday Editor related to not displaying correctly offset times. More information about this can be found here.
    • The last used mode for interactive scaling is stored between sessions.
    • Tool alerts is now an advanced feature.
    • Fixed the Go To Chart feature on the Alerts Log.
    • Added an option on the OEC service to choose to download from either the OEC server, or from the Sierra Chart server. The Sierra Chart server provides longer term detailed data on selected contracts. This historical data is still under development.
    • Added more color settings for the Time and Sales window.
    • Corrected a few minor issues with the new Tool Settings and Chart Settings windows.
    • Various minor issues were corrected relating to the new tool development. The most significant changes are to chart drawing alerts feature. The other changes are low level and for the most part unnoticeable.
    • Added a cycle tool. We are continuing to do more work on tools and the goal is to provide complete tool functionality. Let us know if there is anything else you want to see.
    • Sierra Chart now supports customizing menu text through ini files. This allows support for multiple languages. The current language files can be found in the language sub-folder. The active language file is named SCLanguage.ini and is simply a copy of the selected language file. If you want to create a language file for your language you are welcome to do so.
    • Fixed the SideWinder study array out of bounds error.
  • 206

    • Removed the s_ChartDrawing struct from the Advanced Custom Study Interface and Language. This affected the GetChartDrawing function. The GetChartDrawing function now uses the s_UseTool struct. If you are compiling old code that uses GetChartDrawing with s_ChartDrawing, you will need to update your code.
    • Supports downloading historical tick data when using the TransAct service. For this to work, the Intraday Data Storage Unit needs to be set to 1 tick.
  • 205

    • Corrected a few issues with chart drawing alerts.
    • Some Chart Trading Features have been developed. These have not been well tested and should not be used for actual trading until you have tested them on a simulation account and are comfortable with them. By default chart trading is disabled. It can only be enabled by selecting Trade >> Trade Mode On. Confirmation messages are also shown.
  • 204

    • Fixed a problem with a recent pre-release that caused chart drawings to not show up and show an "Array is unallocated" error in the log when chart drawings were in a region other than the main price graph.
    • Fixed an issue from a recent pre-release where the log would show a failure to load DLLs when the charts did not contain DLL studies.
    • Changed the formatting of dates from mm/dd/yyyy to yyyy-mm-dd.
  • 201

    • Corrected a problem with the Daily OHLC Study that would not display the correct OHLC day when referencing a weekend date (For example, referencing the prior day on a Monday would not reference the prior Friday).
    • The Daily OHLC Study has been modified so that it now calculates the values based on the trading session (instead of the day as before). This means if you set your Intraday Start and End Times in Chart Settings from 16:00 - 8:00, Daily OHLC will be calculated based on those times.
    • Various issues were corrected and many performance improvements have been made.
    • Any of the three points of a Pitchfork drawing can be adjusted.
    • Added a Flow Ellipse Highlight tool.
    • Alerts can be set on Horizontal Lines, Trend Lines, Extending trendlines. To set an Alert, right-click on a line and select Alerts.
    • Various improvements to Tools. Major development has been done on Tools in recent versions. This development is almost complete. If you see any issues, then please let us know.
    • Made many improvements to the Time and Sales window. To display this window select Chart >> Display Time and Sales.
    • Reduced CPU usage for the DTN IQ Feed and MyTrack data feeds.
    • Some Chart Trading Features have been developed. These have not been well tested and should not be used for actual trading. By default chart trading is disabled. It can only be enabled by selecting Trade >> Trade Mode On. You agree to all terms of license agreement with the software when using the Trading Features.
    • This version is compatible with OEC version 3.1.1.0.
  • 200

    • Corrected a problem from version 199 that would cause abnormal shutdown sometimes on login. This issue could also cause other unusual problems.
    • Fixed a few issues from 199.
    • The Pivot Point Study has been modified so that it now calculates the values based on the prior trading session (instead of the prior day as before). This means if you set your Intraday Start and End Times in Chart Settings from 16:00 - 8:00, pivot points will be calculated based on those times.
  • 199

    • Bid Volume and Ask Volume data is now included when downloading historical intraday data as tick data from DTN IQ Feed.
    • Added option to download historical intraday data as minute data or tick data in the Data/Trade Service Settings for OEC (option later removed).
    • Disabled filtering on spreads for OEC.
    • Updated the Advanced Custom Study Interface functions AllocateColorArray, ResizeArrays, and AddElements to not require the sg parameter.
  • 198

    • Added support for downloading historical daily, intraday, and tick data from Open E Cry. Soon, we will be maintaining our own database of long term Intraday Data for the most popular contracts. You will have the option to use this database. It is very useful because Open E Cry only has 5 days of history.
    • Added support to send an E-Mail when an alert is triggered. This is configured inside of Global Settings >> General Settings >> Alert Sound Settings.
    • Added a separate alert condition log window. This can be opened by selecting Window >> Show/Hide Alert Log.
    • The pitchfork drawing object is now a single object. This means it can be easily adjusted as a single object.
  • 196

    • Fixed a bug processing options computation data that would cause lost connections to the IB data feed.
    • Supports Open E Cry.
  • 195

    • Real-time bars (True Data) with IB is now timestamped correctly to the local time. For more information on using True Data, see the True Data section on the IB Symbols page.
    • Fixed a problem with some studies causing an array is unallocated error.
    • Fixed the "E2028: __wcpp_4_fs_handler_ is an undefined reference" linker error with Watcom when using SCString or s_UseTool in the Advanced Custom Study Interface and Language.
    • Simple trading with IB is now supported for users on levels that support Special Features.
  • 194

    • Added Bid Volume and Ask Volume to exporting and importing intraday data.
    • Corrected a problem with importing intraday text data that arose with the new file format.
  • 193

    • Improved HTTP code to handle the TD Ameritrade data stream more reliably.
  • 192

    • Various performance enhancements and a few minor issues were resolved.
    • Fibonacci Auto Retracement study has been added.
    • The Fan tool has been improved. It now works as a Fibonacci Fan, Percentage Fan, Speed Resistance Lines or Gann Fan Tool.
  • 191

    • Corrected several issues from 190.
    • Added PlaySound() function to the Advanced Custom Study Interface to support up to 50 Alert Sounds.
  • 190

    • Corrected several issues from 188 and 189.
    • Added support for 50 Alert Sounds.
    • Corrected a problem when using the TD Ameritrade service, where there will be an abnormal shutdown when connecting to the data feed and you had outstanding trade positions. The Trade interface in this version fully supports TD Ameritrade, including balance and positions display. If you have any problems please let us know.
    • Added support for real-time bars (True Data) with IB. For more information on using True Data, see the True Data section on the IB Symbols page.
  • 189

    • Corrected a problem with the Chart Values tool that would cause a corrupt graphics display after some time. This problem arose in recent pre-release.
    • Tool Drawings can now be drawn after the last bar in the chart. This allows you to do forward projections.
    • Sierra Chart now supports, data file records down to one tick. To adjust this setting, Select Global Settings >> Data/Trade Service Settings. Set the Intraday data Storage Unit to whatever unit you require. Using a setting of one tick will use a lot of disk space. Newly created intraday data files will have the extension SCID. The SCID type file format is an enhanced format supporting the BID Volume and ASK Volume. You can convert the files to this type by selecting File >> Convert .mnd to .scid. This is a major update to the software and it is recommended to install this version to a separate folder than the folder where you have the current Sierra Chart installation.
    • Backup Chartbook files contain the version number. This lets you use your old chartbooks from the prior version, in case, if you need to go back to an earlier version.
    • This version now supports intraday charts on levels 1, 6, and 7.
  • 188

    • Made some improvements to the Fibonacci and 3 Point Retracement/Extension tools.
    • Corrected a problem with the Chart Values Tool arising from a recent release.
    • Corrected a few issues with the TPO study
  • 187

    • Added an option inside of the Volume by Price study to Always Display Volume by Price on Screen. This only applies to periods Fixed by Time so that the volume bars will always stay on the screen.
    • Added 2 Highlight tools. These can be found on the Tools Menu
    • Fixed a bug in the TPO/Volume Profile Study that could sometimes cause splits to not occur when there were too many TPO's on the screen.
  • 185

    • Fixed a member alignment issue in the s_sg structure. Advanced Custom Study code that was built under version 176 or higher may need to be re-compiled to work properly.
    • Corrected a problem with the Fibonacci tool arising in version 184.
    • Corrected a few problems with the TPO and Volume profile study arising from our new pre-release.
    • Added an option to the TPO/Volume Profile Chart to display TPO's as Period Rainbow Colors. This is especially useful for splitting and merging because the periods will all have it's original colors. For more information see the Splitting/Merging Documentation page.
    • Corrected some problems with the new tool development.
    • New tools and improvements to existing tools.
  • 184

    • Updated the Interface to IB to support very latest revision of their protocol. This does not add any new functionality, but may solve disconnection problems some users have experienced.
    • Finalized the 3 Point Extension/Retracement tool.
    • Various other improvements to tools, see the Tool Settings window.
    • Added ability to split TPO's into separate periods. This is an option inside of the TPO/Volume Profile settings window.
  • 183

    • Correct a problem with the TPO/Volume Profile Study where it could cause a shutdown error in Sierra Chart when splitting a TPO profile.
    • Added 3 point extension and retracement tool. This tool still is not finalized yet.
    • Added the TPO Value Area Line study. There are currently 2 line modes. Line Mode 0 means that the VAH/VAL/POC are charted to be all the same throughout the day. Line Mode 1 means the VAH/VAL/POC are charted as developing lines from increment to increment.
    • Various other improvements to tools.
  • 181

    • Time and Sales window has been added. To access the Time and Sales window, select Chart >> Display Time and Sales from the software menu. For more information, refer to the documentation page Time and Sales Window
    • Corrected the problem from version 180 with the horizontal lines on Fibonacci drawings.
    • Corrected a problem from version 180 with Chart Values tool. We are still working on this tool and it may use more CPU time than usual, if you are using the Global Cursor.
    • A new Chart Drawing Properties window is added. You can view it, when you right-click on the line or text. It can also be found on the Tools menu.
  • 180

    • Fixed a bug in the Bill Williams MA study when new bars were added.
    • DTN IQ Feed: More reliable time stamping for the seconds resolution of incoming data until the IQFeed servers are updated to provide seconds resolution in the timestamp of trades.
    • There has been a large amount of development done on this version. The features and documentation will be listed shortly. If you have any problems or comments, please use our support board.
    • This version now includes Notepad++ instead of Programmers Notepad for the development of Advanced Custom Studies. Building a DLL is now performed by selecting Analysis >> Build Advanced Studies DLL. Documentation will be updated shortly.
  • 179

    • Corrected a problem with the Keltner study, where the average type defaulted to exponential.
    • Other minor fixes.
  • 178

    • The following functions have been renamed in the ACS interface:
      From To
      sc.GetIndexForCOleDateTime() sc.GetContainingIndexForSCDateTime()
      sc.GetIndexForMatchingDateTime() sc.GetContainingIndexForDateTimeIndex()
      sc.GetNearestCOleDateTimeIndex() sc.GetNearestMatchForSCDateTime()
      sc.GetNearestMatchingDateTimeIndex() sc.GetNearestMatchForDateTimeIndex()
    • Added a Duplicate Chart to the Chart Menu. This lets you easily duplicate an existing chart.
    • Changed the MyTrack client to use the local computer's clock for time-stamping real-time data instead of the times sent by the MyTrack server. This will solve a lot of incorrect date and time problems in intraday charts. Now that your local computer clock is used, it is critical that it is set correctly and the time zone setting matches your clock setting. In other words, if your clock is set to Eastern Time, the time zone setting in Windows must be US Eastern.
    • The Advanced Custom Study Interface and Language now supports automatic looping. This applies to new studies. If you have developed Advanced Custom Studies, please be sure to review Updating Existing Code That Uses Array Operation Functions to Work with the New Version of the Interface. The behavior of array operation functions (for example, sc.HighestHigh()) has changed. These functions now set only one output array element at a time. Existing compiled code does not need to be changed. If you recompile your code and are using array operation functions, then you need to make changes as explained.
    • Corrected a data processing problem that may have caused some improper behavior with the following services and functions: Ameritrade, SC Historical Data, Interactive Data (ComStock Historical Data), and Sierra Chart main login.
    • Finalized the programming for image uploading. This can be found by going to Edit >> Screen Images.
  • 176

    • Programmed protection for unstable time stamp information from the MyTrack service. This will correct the problem with the dates in Intraday Charts that some users have experienced.
    • A new feature to upload images is under development and being tested. It can be found under Edit >> Image.
    • This version was built with a new Microsoft compiler. Our testing has not shown any issues. If you experience any issues, please let us know.
  • 175

    • Corrected some problems from 174 that were due to the new compiler that we are using.
    • A new software installer/UnInstaller has been integrated.
    • This version was built with a new Microsoft compiler. Our testing has not shown any issues. If you experience any issues, please let us know.

*Last modified Sunday, 25th February, 2024.