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Date/Time: Thu, 25 Apr 2024 22:56:32 +0000

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[User Discussion] - New Interactive Brokers trade platform in development

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[2023-05-20 19:48:14] #1 [Go To First Post]
John M - Posts: 165
Hello SC, I am a beta test site for the upcoming Interactive Brokers new trading platform that will likely supplant the current TWS sometime in the future. I'm also a long time SC user. It is very early in development and they are requesting feedback and input for the developers from the beta testers. It will be a while before it is in general release to all users. I don't think the API interface is implemented yet so we could have input on that too. The changes that I have seen are for the better vs TWS and I have given them feedback on some things they could do. I know IB TWS has given you fits with its quirks and I understand and sympathize your frustration with it. This is an opportunity to give them the information that you, SC, would like to see implemented in the new platform. I can't guarantee it will happen but this is the best shot I've seen to improve things with IB/SC interaction. If you can give me your requests I can see that their devs receive the information. If you would like to communicate directly with the dev team I, could with their permission, give you their contact information in a private message. Anyway, I am trying to help here and improve this for everyone who uses IB and SC together. There are more than a few of us. Thank you and let me know.

[2023-05-20 21:56:33] #2 [Go To First Post]
Chad - Posts: 231
Hi John, I'm an end-user of SC & TWS like yourself, wasn't aware they were working on a new platform. Been using TWS since 2010...don't want to distract from any dialogue with SC engineers here, but just a few high-level mentions to list in hopes it facilitates better integration: 1) in TWS anyway, account NLV/balance values can be slow to update (>30 sec), without a position size change in 1 or more instruments 2) IIRC TWS & API do not offer market depth data on futures spreads, just outrights. And data for options on futures ("FOPs") was very incomplete last I checked a few years ago, against other sources (Thinkorswim, marketwatch.com/Google Finance/etc) 3) while TWS API / IB Gateway provide programmatic access to market scanners (e.g. 'Top % Gainers' for stocks), SC doesn't yet have a method for importing scanner data (I figured to periodically save scan arrays to a CSV file then auto-refresh an Associated Watch List & a Quote Board) I def agree with the SC team that IB's software is mediocre, to put it nicely...dunno if the POSIX C++ interface used (?) is the cause of many issues in the immediate sense, but 'upstream' stuff like #1-2 above goes beyond API-level. I just trade through IB because the commissions are decent, and their breadth of international exchange access. I use Denali wherever possible to supplant IB's data, and am planning to use Teton for routing/executions instead of IB soon. Date Time Of Last Edit: 2023-05-20 22:01:47

[2023-05-21 16:28:37] #3 [Go To First Post]
Calculus - Posts: 86
Excellent post and idea John. Let's hope the new IB platform and SC can get tighter. (I know none of the problems are SC's).

[2023-05-21 21:57:20] #4 [Go To First Post]
voided - Posts: 45
I second the comment about spreads on TWS... they do not offer level 2 and the quotes are terrible. They are not accurate on many thinly traded instruments for whatever reason. Further, on the subject of spreads, they only offer native support for calendar/reverse calendar. All other spreads (butterfly, condor, etc.) must be "user defined", and the process for constructing these and entering them into a symbol field is extremely slow and tedious. I sincerely hope the new IBKR platform does not have the TERRIBLE performance of TWS. IBKR team should take Sierra as an inspiration in this regard. Their data feed becomes unusable at periods of high volume and gives no indication that it is lagging behind real time. Simple panels of quotes, watchlists, etc. degrade performance to a ridiculous extent. The platform constantly fails to save layout state, leading to many reduplicated efforts. The platform is plagued with uninformative, misleading, and pointless error messages, such as "the instrument is not supported" (when there is absolutely no observable lack of support for the instrument). Regarding the API, I pray that it is nothing like the convoluted mess that is TWS API. Basic functionality like modifying limit order prices is not documented, and support is useless in resolving the simplest questions. The platform constantly disconnects (I have no particular connection problem with ANY of the other myriad platforms I have used--it is NOT an internet issue on my end). The asynchronous design makes simple tasks take an absurd number of steps due to the unnecessary coordination between wrapper and client functions.

[2023-05-22 14:17:38] #5 [Go To First Post]
Sierra_Chart Engineering - Posts: 14091
If you can give me your requests I can see that their devs receive the information. There should be a single reliable request to obtain the initial snapshot of positions for all trading accounts complete with all of the components of a symbol including the contract month and year for futures in the format YYYYMM without having to rely upon any security definition data. And this request will also start continuous position updates as well. Sierra Chart Support - Engineering Level Your definitive source for support. Other responses are from users. Try to keep your questions brief and to the point. Be aware of support policy: https://www.sierrachart.com/index.php?l=PostingInformation.php#GeneralInformation For the most reliable, advanced, and zero cost futures order routing, use the Teton service: Sierra Chart Teton Futures Order Routing

[2023-05-23 23:07:55] #6 [Go To First Post]
MarketWrench - Posts: 20
As someone who trades equities with SC via IB, I would like to see the consolidated "smart" depth data (???-STK-SMART) work on sierra chart. I don't know how IB outputs this consolidated data different then individual exchange depth data (???-AAPL-ISLAND)(wich seems to work fine), but the stocks consolidated depth data doesn't process and display on SC. I cannot stand the TWS price ladder, but I also cannot stand less than full data... Besides the obvious lack of functionality of TWS price ladder compared to SC trade DOM, the most annoying aspect is the price ladder's fixed price increments, especially when the price of the instrument drops below $1.00, and the price increments go from .01 to .0001, it makes no sense.

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