... just sharing some simple suggestions for Wealth-Lab.

Add a "No-update" folder to the dataset directory. Datasets dragged into this folder won't be updated by the Data Manager. There are many datasets I rarely use.

Add the option to display %change in the ticker bar by following the ticker symbol with a % sign. For example: .SPX%,.IXIC%,.DJI%,NFLX,CYBX

Here, I only display indexes for "relative comparison", so I'm looking for %changes there. In contrast, I'm looking to purchase stocks like NFLX, so point changes (not %charges) are important here. I would display either point or % change, but not both (depending on whether or not the trailing % sign is appended to their trading symbol). If someone wants both, they can list the ticker symbol twice w/ and w/o the % sign.

1 - You may not use them at all but does that make a good reason for not keeping them up to date? Why would one keep deliberately inactual data perhaps except for just a single reason of using a metered connection? If you don't use them frequently, just delete them or if applicable, re-create the DataSets using a different data provider and uncheck it in "Update data". This option just makes zero practical sense to me.

2 - If required, % change can be seen in a Quotes window.

QUOTE:
If you don't use them ..., re-create the DataSets using a different data provider and uncheck it in "Update data".

I'll give that a try. Thanks for the suggestion. I have thought about moving the unused datasets into columns of an Excel spreadsheet.

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... % change can be seen in a Quotes window.

Right, but the whole point of having a ticker bar in the first place is convenience; otherwise, if you're going to switch to a Quotes window each time you want to compare S&P500 performance with the Dow Jones Average, then you wouldn't need the ticker bar in the first place. This suggestion is about making the ticker bar more useful.

Sorry but here's why your "% change" request will not be implemented.

1. The existing design does not consider symbol modifiers like %. Whatever you typed in as a subscribed symbol goes straight to the streaming data provider. There exists a dozen or more (not including those 3rd party developed ones we aren't even aware of). You can't really prefix or suffix a symbol because there's so much symbol naming conventions out there. The universe of symbols contains ones starting with or ending with symbols like $, % or whatever, having flexible amount of spaces inside, etc. Through Excel or a RDBMS you can become your own "vendor" with a custom symbol naming convention. This would go against the design and affect many of the providers.

2. Prefixing or suffixing is simply counter-intuitive.

IMHO, I consider this suggestion as an example of featuritis (or creeping featurism).

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here's why your "% change" request will not be implemented... The existing design does not consider symbol modifiers like %. Whatever you typed in as a subscribed symbol goes straight to the streaming data provider.

Well, let's not postfix the symbols then. Just show the % changes instead of the point changes. (Perhaps you can create an MS ActiveX control to do the post computation for this display.)

Honestly, if someone wants to buy a position and is looking for point changes, then he's probably already tracking the stock in a Quotes window and doesn't need it in the ticker bar. The only thing the ticker bar is used for is the see how "mixed" the market is with the market indexes (at the moment), and those relative comparisons are better done with % changes as the Fidelity website displays (for indexes).

The Fidelity website shows both point and % changes for indexes, and I think that's an overkill (I don't turnover index funds.), but displaying both would be better than displaying only point changes.

Perhaps we are going about status-bar implementation all wrong. My usage of the streaming ticker is to load it with sector indexes, then trade on stocks from the best performing sectors. So making "relative, real-time comparisons" (%changes) of sector indexes is important to me in the ticker.

But not all Wealth-Lab users care about which sector is performing best at the moment. Some prefer a more random approach; others rely on specific leading indicators.

To best satisfy everyone's trading style, the Wealth-Lab framework should simply leave the status bar open to plug-ins. And the current ticker can be the default plug-in. Then users can modify and post different versions of their plug-in(s) (complete with color changes, alert messages, and weird stuff) as they feel fit.

The whole point of a framework to deliver flexibility without creepy features. This way a framework can deliver something for everyone while keeping esoteric features away from the masses--Computer Science 501.