This thread exists for the sole purpose of sharing the TRex Trader Architecture and some of its features.
Some of these features may already be in the app you are using – in which case you see my spin.
I add features that make it easier to use and navigate my app (as well as trade) – others I tried were not useful and ended up on the scrap heap.
About every six months I review other applications to determine if I can gleam ideas that I can use in my own app - so I am paying it back.
TRex Trader is designed to support the simultaneously trading (Fully Automated, Semi Automated or Discretionary – or any combination thereof) of up to 1024 instruments (Equities, Futures, and shortly FX) across as many screens as you can manage to be open (without burning up your graphics card).
I had an FX module – but since I did not use it – I pulled it (for now).
To manage this much activity, it can be simultaneously connected to as many vendor feeds as needed (Bar Chart, IQ Feed, Reuters, etc.) and as many accounts/brokers as needed - the app manages all connections, user names, pass words, logins etc. automatically - one click connection & start up.
One More Thing – You won’t see the classic embedded Windows (MDI) that you find in other apps, this is because I found it too cumbersome. Also the controls may look a little different as well. I circumvented the Windows suite of controls and designed my own using GDI+ (easier to use then GDI). In other words I had to design a special Graphic and Controls Manager (Hit Maps, Event Handlers, etc.) in order to manage the amount of information being displayed. It was difficult, but the performance is better that what I was realizing using the Windows stuff.
Grid Controller & Stuff
This screen shot shows several features that have proven very useful.
1) Relocate Window
2) Color Manager
3) Automatic Symbol Propagation
4) Grid Controller
5) Flatten All
Relocate Window: I don’t know if MS has incorporated this feature into 7, however if they haven’t they should. Look at the upper right of the image and you will see two left and right pointing arrows. These controls are used to automatically move/swap windows from one monitor to another. Currently I use three horizontal monitors. If I had six monitors (three top & three lower) there would be four buttons.
Color Manager: I am serious about color, so I created a Color Manager – I can create the full 4 byte spectrum of colors (RGB tab), use MS suite of colors (Shown - I added Hue Control) or stick with a limited pallet of pure colors (Pure tab)
Automatic Symbol Propagation: If you look between the cells (charts) you will see a little dot that is either solid or not. This dot allows me to tie together various cells (in this case the horizontal group of cells are tied) so that when I change the symbol in one cell it is propagated to all cells that are tied to it.
Grid Manager: The grid Manager allows me to organize up to 12 cells at a time. I can selectively turn them On/Off, Move them and change their orientation from Horizontal to Vertical. This example shows all 12 cells active.
Flatten All: In the Upper Right of the screen, there is an image of a police car. Selecting this allows me to flatten all active trades and planted orders (limits/stop) across all instruments in 2 clicks of the mouse. Hopefully you all have this feature in the app you are using.
Closure
Most of the buttons you see across the top of the screen should be self explanatory – and don’t warrant discussion.
I will be explaining some of my more useful indicators shortly.