Write to status bar on chart window

Panache

#1

1/8/2019 1:54 AM

Eugene,

Is it possible for a strategy to write to the status bar on the chart window (as opposed to the main status bar)?

Kurt,

I remember the solution you're referring to but before I look into the new challenge, could you tell me what's the point in writing to the chart's status bar? What's your objective here if you're free to print or draw on the chart itself?

Panache

#3

1/8/2019 9:30 PM

I wrote a bare-bones optimization wrapper which can be incorporated into a strategy to solve the problems I've been having with the Wealth-Lab optimizer randomly skipping strategy parameter combinations. I'm still testing it, but so far, it hasn't yet missed a combination and is incredibly fast (In my limited benchmark testing, it averaged 7 times faster than the built in optimizer). When I've run it 24 hours a day for a week, I'll consider it trustworthy. At that time, I'll post the results in the original thread.

Anyway, since optimizations can run for a long time, I want to periodically let the user know where the strategy is in the optimization. The way it is currently written, it updates the main status bar each time the first parameter changes. That gets confusing when multiple optimizations are running, so I added some information about which strategy generated the new update. That still limits the user to only knowing which was the most recent strategy to update and having no idea where the other strategies are in the optimization process.

I thought about using the debug window to have a real time log, but for now, I'm using the debug window to display combinations with no trades, so I can check them when the optimization is complete. Therefore, I can imagine all kinds of problems if several strategies are writing different things to the debug window.

I tried using DrawLabel and DrawText, but the "update" isn't displayed until the strategy is done executing. If there's an equivalent to FlushDebug for a chart window, that might be a viable option.

I thought the best solution (if it is possible without a lot of overhead) is to have each strategy write to the status bar on it's chart window. That way, at any time, the user could click on a chart window and see where that strategy was in the optimization process.

Size:

Color:

I wrote a bare-bones optimization wrapper which can be incorporated into a strategy to solve the problems I've been having with the Wealth-Lab optimizer randomly skipping strategy parameter combinations.  I'm still testing it, but so far, it hasn't yet missed a combination and is incredibly fast (In my limited benchmark testing, it averaged 7 times faster than the built in optimizer).  When I've run it 24 hours a day for a week, I'll consider it trustworthy.  At that time, I'll post the results in the original thread.

Anyway, since optimizations can run for a long time, I want to periodically let the user know where the strategy is in the optimization.  The way it is currently written, it updates the main status bar each time the first parameter changes.  That gets confusing when multiple optimizations are running, so I added some information about which strategy generated the new update.  That still limits the user to only knowing which was the most recent strategy to update and having no idea where the other strategies are in the optimization process.

I thought about using the debug window to have a real time log, but for now, I'm using the debug window to display combinations with no trades, so I can check them when the optimization is complete.  Therefore, I can imagine all kinds of problems if several strategies are writing different things to the debug window.

I tried using DrawLabel and DrawText, but the "update" isn't displayed until the strategy is done executing.  If there's an equivalent to FlushDebug for a chart window, that might be a viable option.

I thought the best solution (if it is possible without a lot of overhead) is to have each strategy write to the status bar on it's chart window.  That way, at any time, the user could click on a chart window and see where that strategy was in the optimization process.

Eugene

#4

1/9/2019 9:18 AM

Wow, what a creative approach. You never know where Wealth-Lab's extensibility might bring you up to.

To answer your question: yes it's possible. Check out example below suitable for pasting in a Visual Studio project. Add reference to WealthLabPro.exe /WealthLabDev.exe for WLD users/ - just not .exe.config of the same name. It's unlikely that you're going to make it work in WL's built-in Editor as it throws an error on attempt to reference the *.exe file.

Naturally, this code should not work in Strategy Monitor, Combo Strategy or other 'headless' scenarios. You might want to detect it: see IsPricePane Property in the QuickRef.

Size:

Color:

Wow, what a creative approach. You never know where Wealth-Lab's extensibility might bring you up to.

To answer your question: yes it's possible. Check out example below suitable for pasting in a Visual Studio project. Add reference to [b]WealthLabPro.exe[/b] /WealthLabDev.exe for WLD users/ - just not [i].exe.config[/i] of the same name. It's unlikely that you're going to make it work in WL's built-in Editor as it throws an error on attempt to reference the *.exe file.

Naturally, this code should not work in Strategy Monitor, Combo Strategy or other 'headless' scenarios. You might want to detect it: see [b]IsPricePane[/b] Property in the QuickRef.

[code]using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
using System.Drawing;
using WealthLab;
using WealthLab.Indicators;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using WealthLabPro;

namespace Strategies.Demo
{
    public class Test : WealthScript
    {
        protected override void Execute()
        {
            OpenChartForms s = new OpenChartForms();
            var txt = "¡Hola, mundo!";

foreach (var c in s.ChartForms)
            {
                ChartForm cf = (WealthLabPro.ChartForm)c;

cf.Invoker(() =>
                {
                    DrawLabel(PricePane, string.Format("Strategy class: {0}", cf.WealthScript));
                    DrawLabel(PricePane, string.Format("Strategy name: {0}", cf.Strategy));
                    DrawLabel(PricePane, string.Format("Strategy Guid: {0}", cf.Strategy.ID));
                    DrawLabel(PricePane, string.Format("Symbol: {0}", cf.Symbol));
                    DrawLabel(PricePane, string.Format("DataSet: {0}", cf.DataSource.Name));
                    DrawLabel(PricePane, string.Format("Data range: {0}", cf.DataRange.Text));
                });

foreach (Control _c in cf.Controls)
                {
                    if (_c.Name.ToLower() == "status")
                    {
                        ToolStrip ts = _c as ToolStrip;

cf.Invoker(() => {

bool canAdd = true;
                            ToolStripItem tsi = null;
                            foreach (ToolStripItem item in ts.Items)
                            {
                                if (item.Name.Contains(txt))
                                {
                                    canAdd = false;
                                    tsi = item;
                                }
                            }

if (canAdd)
                            {
                                ts.Items.Add("| " + txt);
                                ts.Items[ts.Items.Count - 1].Name = txt;
                            }
                            else
                            if( tsi != null)
                                tsi.Text = "| " + txt;
                            });

break;
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }

#region Ugly internals

public static class ExtensionMethods
    {
        public static void Invoker(this Control control, Action action)
        {
            if (control == null || !control.IsHandleCreated) return;

if (control.InvokeRequired) control.Invoke(new MethodInvoker(action), null);
            else action.Invoke();
        }

public static void Invoker<T>(this Control control, Action<T> action, T arg)
        {
            if (control == null || !control.IsHandleCreated) return;

if (control.InvokeRequired) control.Invoke(action, arg);
            else action(arg);
        }
    }

class OpenChartForms
    {
        private List<Form> lstForms;

public List<Form> ChartForms
        {
            get { return lstForms; }
        }

public void FindChartForms()
        {
            lstForms = new List<Form>();

foreach (Form f in Application.OpenForms)
            {
                if (f.Name == "ChartForm")
                {
                    lstForms.Add(f);
                }
            }
        }

public OpenChartForms()
        {
            FindChartForms();
        }
    }

public class TestHelper : StrategyHelper
    {
        public override string Author => "Gene Geren";

public override DateTime CreationDate => new DateTime(2019, 01, 09);

public override string Description => "Test";

public override Guid ID => new Guid("D2ED3492-3F1D-4D54-96CD-B3A857E354B0");

public override DateTime LastModifiedDate => new DateTime(2019, 01, 09);

public override string Name => "TEST";

public override Type WealthScriptType => typeof(Test);
    }

#endregion
}
[/code]

Panache

#5

1/11/2019 11:10 PM

Thank you Eugene.

Unless I'm missing something, if there is more than one strategy window open in Wealth-Lab, your code writes the same message to both PricePanes and status bars. You can substitute

for

to test this. This results in the same lack of clarity for my purposes as simply using PrintStatusBar();

How can I only write to the status bar of the strategy being run?

On a separate note, with a slight modification, this can be called from a strategy with the built in editor. First, modify your code as follows:

Compile that as a class library in Visual Studio targeting the Wealth-Lab directory.

Next open Wealth-Lab>New Strategy from Code, and paste the following code into the Editor:

Add a reference to whatever you named your class library, and Run the Strategy.

Eugene

#6

1/12/2019 6:25 AM

It's proof of concept which shows that it can be done. What message to put in their status bar is now up to you.

Panache

#7

1/12/2019 2:48 PM

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear. The way it is written, if there is more than one strategy window open, when the code is run in one strategy window, the status bar on all open chart windows changes. My question is how can I only change the status bar of the chart window of the strategy being run?

Asked another way, how can identify which strategy window is active? Obviously Wealth-Lab has some way of distinguishing among multiple strategy windows, since the information displayed in the chart window status bar is unique to that strategy.

Eugene

#8

1/12/2019 5:25 PM

Well, it's evident from the code itself that the status bar will change on all open chart windows. In its current state the dummy strategy just 'broadcasts' same string to all S. windows using a foreach loop. That's why I called it proof of concept.

How Wealth-Lab distinguishes among different Strategy instances? I think it puts them in an internal list which in theory you could try to access with Reflection. But I wouldn't recommend going this intricate way.

To help you identify the S. window the dummy strategy's code already draws some key fields on the chart: Strategy class, name and GUID, current Symbol/DataSet it's being executed on, along with the position size. There may be other useful properties like DataRange. Let the forum know if this helps you distinguish the active S. window.

Panache

#9

1/12/2019 5:57 PM

I was hoping there was a unique identifier for each instance of a strategy, but I didn't see any unique chartform properties. I appreciate your confirming that I wasn't missing something.

As you suggested, the only way I could see to do it was to look at the combination of properties which made each strategy unique from the others which may be open. Unfortunately, that is probably either very user dependent or would require comparing a lot of properties.

Again, thank you for the effort you put into your proof of concept.

Panache

#10

1/12/2019 10:15 PM

OK. Maybe I gave up too quickly. The following code identifies different strategies by strategy name, data range, data set name and optionally symbol.

Create a class library using Visual Studio by inserting the following code and adding the references indicated in the comments, targeting the Wealth-Lab program file directory for the output:

Next open Wealth-Lab>New Strategy from Code, and paste the following code into the Editor:

Add a reference to whatever you named your class library, and Run the Strategy.

If you have multiple strategy windows open, as long as each has a different combination of strategy name, data range, data set name and optionally symbol, the PrintChartStatusBar command will only change the status bar of that strategy.

For the optional symbol match, I used

to determine the symbol being used by the strategy being run. If

is active when PrintStatusBar is called, I believe it will not work, because the chartform symbol will still the the original symbol in the data set. I didn't test this since it is not a meaningful distinction for me. However, before you use the optional symbol criteria, you might want to test it and/or use a different method of determining the symbol being used by the strategy.

PrintChartStatusBar is actually about 20% faster than PrintStatusBar (and it would probably be faster if I built the code for release instead of debug). Nonetheless, calling it too frequently in a strategy will have an effect on the strategy run time. On my slow i5, 10,000 calls took about 14 seconds.

Size:

Color:

OK.  Maybe I gave up too quickly.  The following code identifies different strategies by strategy name, data range, data set name and optionally symbol.

Create a class library using Visual Studio by inserting the following code and adding the references indicated in the comments, targeting the Wealth-Lab program file directory for the output:
[code]using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
using System.Drawing;
using WealthLab;
using WealthLab.Indicators; // Add reference to WealthLab.Indicators
using System.Windows.Forms;
using WealthLabPro; // Add reference to WealthLabPro
// Add reference to WealthLab and WealthLab.Components.Community

namespace StrategiesDemo{
    public class Test{
        public void PrintChartStatusBar(WealthScript obj, string message){
            // Get the information about the strategy being run
            string strategyName = obj.StrategyName;
            var dataRange = Convert.ToString(obj.GetDataRange()).Split(';'); // Community Components GetDataRange method provides a number of values which are separated by semi-colons
            DateTime dataEndDate = Convert.ToDateTime(dataRange[4]); // Data end date is the fourth item
            DateTime dataStartDate = Convert.ToDateTime(dataRange[3]); // Data start date is the third item
            string dataSetName = obj.GetDataSetName(); // Community Components GetDataSetName method provides the data set name
                                                       //string symbol = obj.Bars.Symbol; // Get if using for optional comparison parameter below
            foreach(Form form in Application.OpenForms) {
                if(form.Name == "ChartForm") {
                    ChartForm chartform = (WealthLabPro.ChartForm)form;
                    // Compare the chartform to the strategy being run
                    if(Convert.ToString(chartform.Strategy) == strategyName
                        && chartform.DataRange.EndDate == dataEndDate
                        && chartform.DataRange.StartDate == dataStartDate
                        && chartform.DataSource.Name == dataSetName
                        //&& chartform.Symbol == symbol // Optional comparison parameter
                        ) {
                        foreach(Control control in chartform.Controls) {
                            if(control.Name.ToLower() == "status") {
                                ToolStrip toolStrip = control as ToolStrip;
                                chartform.Invoke(() => {
                                    /*
                                    // This is only needed if existing Chart Status Bar items are to be retained
                                    bool canAdd = true;
                                    ToolStripItem tsi = null;
                                    foreach(ToolStripItem item in toolStrip.Items) {
                                        if(item.Name.Contains(message)) {
                                            canAdd = false;
                                            tsi = item;
                                        }
                                    }
                                    if(canAdd) {
                                        toolStrip.Items.Add("| " + message);
                                        toolStrip.Items[0].Name = message;
                                    }
                                    else
                                    if(tsi != null)
                                        tsi.Text = "| " + message;
                                    */
                                    toolStrip.Items.Clear(); // This will clear all existing Chart Status Bar items
                                    toolStrip.Items.Add(message);
                                    toolStrip.Items[0].Name = message;
                                });
                                break;
                            }
                        }
                        break;
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}[/code]

Next open Wealth-Lab>New Strategy from Code, and paste the following code into the Editor:
[code]using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
using System.Drawing;
using WealthLab;
using WealthLab.Indicators;
using StrategiesDemo; // Add Reference to class library

namespace WealthLab.Strategies
{
	public class MyStrategy : WealthScript
	{
		protected override void Execute()
		{
			Test TestInstance = new Test(); // Create an instance of the class library
			string message = Convert.ToString( DateTime.Now); // Message to be displayed
			TestInstance.PrintChartStatusBar(this, message); // Print the message in the Chart Status Bar
		}
	}
}[/code]
Add a reference to whatever you named your class library, and Run the Strategy.

If you have multiple strategy windows open, as long as each has a different combination of strategy name, data range, data set name and optionally symbol, the PrintChartStatusBar command will only change the status bar of that strategy.

For the optional symbol match, I used [code]string symbol = obj.Bars.Symbol;[/code] to determine the symbol being used by the strategy being run.  If [code]SetContext()[/code] is active when PrintStatusBar is called, I believe it will not work, because the chartform symbol will still the the original symbol in the data set.  I didn't test this since it is not a meaningful distinction for me.  However, before you use the optional symbol criteria, you might want to test it and/or use a different method of determining the symbol being used by the strategy.

PrintChartStatusBar is actually about 20% faster than PrintStatusBar (and it would probably be faster if I built the code for release instead of debug).  Nonetheless, calling it too frequently in a strategy will have an effect on the strategy run time.  On my slow i5, 10,000 calls took about 14 seconds.

Eugene

#11

1/13/2019 7:05 AM

Nice job!

Also, the chartform.WealthScript.ParameterString property may be used to distinguish between Strategy instances with identic data range but different Strategy parameter values.

Panache

#12

1/13/2019 1:16 PM

I couldn't have done it without you.

Feel free to add it to Community Components if you want.

Eugene

#13

1/15/2019 9:37 AM

Hmm no, that'd require adding a reference to WealthLabDev.exe (which WLP customers don't have and vice versa for WLD) to C.Components. We can't do that.