AmiBroker/Win32 Release Notes

VERSION 3.40 RELEASE NOTES

> Version 3.40 (November 1st, 2000) includes following new features and bug-fixes (compared to 3.32):

> I AFL

> 1.1 New built-in functions in AFL:

> - sar( accel = 0.02, max = 0.2 ) - Parabolic Stop-And-Reverse
> - pdi( period = 14) - Plus Directional Movement +DI
> - mdi( period = 14 ) - Minus Directional Movement -DI
> - adx( period = 14) - Average Directional Movement
> - atr( period ) - Average True Range
> - relstrength( tickername ) - comparative Relative Strength

> 1.2 Detailed statistics after back-testing your system

> 1.3 New report viewer allows PRINTING reports (and saving in HTML format)

> 1.4 Definable back testing parameters:

> - initial equity
> - buy/sell price fields
> - buy/sell delay
> - commissions
> - max. loss stop
> - reporting options

> 1.5 Automatic analysis window:

> - now allows scanning for only buy or only sell signals
> - saves recently used formula automatically instead of macd() crossover
> - allows scanning and back testing in user-defined from/to date range
> - allows to analyse/back test all quotes even if partial loading is switched on

> 1.6 Indicator builder:

> - new graphXstyle and graphXcolor allow more control over custom chart appearance
> - now custom indicators can include even candlestick charts

> 1.7 AFL engine now supports overwriting built-in O, H, L, C, V arrays so you can calculate all built-in functions from different data.

> > For example you can calculate macd() from rsi():

> > close = rsi(); // overwrite built-in close with rsi()
> > macd_from_rsi = macd(); // macd indirectly uses close but this is overwritten with rsi

> ##### II USER INTERFACE & GRAPHICS TOOLS

> 2.1 More graphical analysis tools, enhanced existing ones:

> - definable colors and styles for trend lines
> - auto left- and right- extending trend lines
> - vertical and horizontal line tools
> - Fibonacci retracement tool
> - Fibonacci time zones tool
> - Text box tool

> 2.2 Study properties can be modified using special "Properties" dialog

> 2.3 Main chart:

> - moving averages calculation could be simple or exponential
> - Parabolic SAR can be added to a main price chart
> - Price chart can be now displayed using Traditional bars

> 2.4 Candlestick fill colors definable and much more color settings

> 2.5 New built-in indicators: ADX/DMI, SAR

> 2.6 The ability to search for a stock by name, for when the ticker is unknown ( Stock Finder window (F3) )

> 2.7 The OPEN price in the grab bar of the main chart

> 2.8 Full name can be added to ticker in both tree/ticker windows

> 2.9 Ticker window is now resizeable

> 2.10 WebID field in Stock Information window works correctly now

> ##### III IMPORT / DATABASE ENGINE

> 3.1 $PRICEFACTOR command allowing multiplying prices by definable factor

> 3.2 Reorganized database file layout and enhanced database engine

> > Using separate sub-directories for tickers beginning with each letter and digit improves database loading/saving times dramatically (up to 3 times when partial loading is on)

> 3.3 Import of long histories (for example AmiQuote .AQH files) speeded up to 10 times

> 3.4 Database and program is enabled for storing OpenInterest data. Support for OpenInterest is added to:

> - ASCII importer
> - Metastock(R) importer
> - OLE Automation interface
> - Quotation editor
> - AFL (openint predefined array)

> 3.6 OLE Automation interface:

> - Added IndustryID property in Stock object
> - Added IsDirty property - this property marks "changed" state of the stock and it is automatically updated when setting other Stock object properties

> ##### IV OTHER

> 4.1 Fixed directory structure creation (bug occurred in 3.40 beta)

> 4.2 A directory does not get appended to the recently used list if it does not contain valid AmiBroker database

> 4.3 For SHARENET users: Sharenet DN format definition added (sharenet.format file) and six.js script file modified in order to use new file - this should solve the problems with upgrading. Now you can import .DN files from directly from ASCII importer file dialog choosing appropriate type from "Files of type" combo

VERSION 3.32 RELEASE NOTES

> Version 3.32 (August 9th, 2000) includes following new features and bug-fixes (compared to 3.31):

> - Any changes made using Assignments Organizer are now correctly saved
> - New options in View/Toolbars allowing to re-show hidden toolbars without tweaking the registry
> - OLE automation method Stocks.Remove() and Stock.Ticker property (setting the value) are working correctly now changing the file name accordingly
> - A new option "New workspace" added allowing you to create a directory for a new workspace
> - File/New removed (previous versions opened new chart window). This functionality is now provided by Window/New menu, that creates new window for simultaneous viewing charts of two or more stocks. Also new option Window/Clone allows you to open a new window for the same stock giving you the chance to see charts of the stock from different time ranges.
> - The update archive contains fixed aqd.format and import.types files for using with AmiQuote 1.1

VERSION 3.31 RELEASE NOTES

> Version 3.31 (July 4th, 2000) includes following bug-fixes (compared to 3.30):

> - Metastock importer now handles prices lower than 2.00 correctly (there was a bug in floating point conversion routine - Metastock uses very old Microsoft basic floating point format in the data file instead of standard IEEE format)
> - Metastock importer removes trailing spaces in ticker symbol and full name strings

VERSION 3.30 RELEASE NOTES

> Version 3.30 (Jun 29th, 2000) includes following new features and fixes(compared to 3.25):

> - the ability to save the location of a custom indicator's window ("Save layout" option in the right mouse button menu)
> - the current price to the Portfolio manager's details
> - upto 8 recent database locations are available in File menu for quick open
> - the ability to skip what AmiBroker thinks are splits, then find the next
> - individual RS settings for group/industry/market (evaluated in this order)
> - the ability to have custom indicators display upon booting ("Save layout" option(
> - a visible indicator of when the database is changed
> - Enhanced database engine: ability to load database partially at start and load the rest on demand. This feature speeds up both loading and savind and allows to use AmiBroker on machines equipped with less memory (Preferences/Miscellanous)
> - Enhanced analysis support: Stop conditions and short-positions available during auto-analysis.
> - Enhanced quick-review and analysis windows support now filtering by market, group, sector, industry. Also double-click on the quick-review list will display its chart immediatelly
> - indicate the price under the pointer's hot spot (Price data tooltips - Prefs/Miscellanous)
> - Assignments to sectors/industries.
> - Position and state of toolbars is remembered between runs
> - Fixed out-of-bound array access when using AFL with very short quotation histories
> - Fixed minor memory leak when using Review/Analysis tools
> - Handling $DATE_*** format definition commands fixed Bug fix Import & export tools
> - Built-in company Profile view using embedded web-browser (Win32) or multiview(Amiga)
> - Built-in assignment organizer
> - Handling composites: automatic recalculation of number of advancing/declining/unchanged issues
> - Adjusting trendlines after split
> - Removed excessive line-feeds added when saving AFL formulas to a file
> - Market/Group/Sector/Industry information is now workspace-related (not global anymore)
> - Fixed handling quotation marks in ASCII importer
> - Better handling of sizing of the splitter window
> - TRIN indicator added (with two simple moving averages 15 + 45day) + settings in preferences
> - A number of new AFL functions added: AdvIssues(), DecIssues(), UncIssues(), AdvVolume(), DecVolume(), UncVolume(), Trin()
> - Fixed right-mouse-button + SHIFT (chart reselection) menu handling
> - Added $APPENDTICKER, $OVERWRITE, $FULLNAME, $INDUSTRY, $RECALCVOL, $RECALCAD commands and APPENDTICKER, ADVISSUES, ADVVOLUME, DECISSUES, DECVOLUME, UNCISSUES, UNCVOLUME field identifiers to the ASCII importer definitions
> - Fixed memory handling bug sometimes causing crashes of Automatic analysis window
> - "Save Results" option in Automatic analysis window now works (worked in Amiga version but it didn't in Win32)
> - Ticker symbols now can contain file-system reserved characters such as *, ?, #, <, >, |, /, \. These characters are replaced by underscore _ in appropriate file name (ticker however remains unchanged).
> - Added full support for composite data handling (advances, declines, unchanged) to the OLE automation interface: new objects Markets (collection), Market, ADQuotations (collection), ADQuotation
> - AFL interpreter now displays meaningful error messages in AFL error window (already implemented on Amiga)
> - AD-Line indicator added
> - Preferences dialog now handles "Apply now" button correctly
> - AFL file dialog now "remebers" its last directory (Win32)
> - ADLine() function in AFL added
> - WebID property to the Stock automation class added
> - Custom tool menu items are displayed now correctly after adding items to the empty list in Customize Tools dialog
> - "Toggle" button in Metastock importer added to simplify selection/deselection of multiple items
> - Found workaround for extremely slow DeleteAllItems() method in Windows list control: now removing all items from list-view control is about 5 times faster (especially noticeable in Auto-Analysis window)
> - More toolbar and menu icons, added "AmiBroker on the Web" menu with quick web links, a couple of cosmetic changes
> - Double clicking on the analysis results and in the portfolio shares list automatically selects given stock chart
> - P/E and P/BV comparisons in Quick review dialog shows values even if they are negative

VERSION 3.25 RELEASE NOTES

> Version 3.25 (Apr 26th, 2000) includes following fixes & new features(compared to 3.24):

> - Progress indicator is displayed now on the status bar during ASCII import
> - Quotation database handling is now optimized for fast access to the most recent data. The most often operation: adding new/updating recent quotations is 2-3 times faster. This is noticeable when working with large databases (>40MB)
> - "About" dialog closes automatically after loading the database (registered version only).
> - Fixed crash when deleting trend lines in weekly/monthly mode.
> - Refreshing stock tree & combo is now optimized (2-3 times faster)

VERSION 3.24 RELEASE NOTES

> Version 3.24 (Mar 23rd, 2000) includes following fixes (compared to 3.23):

> - Fixed bug in Metastock importer which appeared in v3.23
> - Deleting vertical trend lines now works without problems
> - File open dialogs for Import ASCII, Teletext and Metastock "remember" recently used directories

VERSION 3.23 RELEASE NOTES

> Version 3.23 (Mar 21st, 2000) includes following new features and fixes (compared to 3.22):

> - New format definition commands in ASCII import:
>   Added $CONT, $MARKET, $GROUP, $HYBRID commands and MARKET, GROUP, INFO, REDUCTION fields descriptions
> - Added user-definable file types and formats
> - Ticker aliases added (recognizable by ASCII, Metastock and Teletext importers)
> - Stock information enhancements: address field in enlarged to 128 characters, country and currency fields added (now informative only, but in future currency information will be used in portfolio for calculations)
> - Bug fix: Stock list is now refreshed after ASCII import
> - Fixed some stability issues

> New format definition commands in ASCII import

> The following new commands are available:

> - $CONT <0 or 1> - continuous quotations flag
>   this affects $AUTOADD 1 mode - if this is set, newly added stocks are switched to continuous quotation mode (this means enabling candlestick charts for example)
> - $MARKET <number>
>   this affects $AUTOADD 1 mode - if this is specified, newly added stocks are assigned to market with given number.
> - $GROUP <number>
>   this affects $AUTOADD 1 mode - if this is specified, newly added stocks are assigned to group with given number
> - $HYBRID <0 or 1> - combine data in hybrid mode switch
>   when this flag is set, you can combine quotations from multiple files - for example one file can contain only open prices and volume and the other file can contain high/low/close data. Useful especially for Warsaw Stock Exchange for combining the data from fixing and later continuous quotations.

> Moreover followin new field definitions are accepted now by $FORMAT command:

> - MARKET
>   specify a field that contains market ID (affects $AUTOADD mode only)
> - GROUP
>   specify a field that contains group ID (affects $AUTOADD mode only)
> - INFO
>   specify a field with additional information (WSE specific: nk, ns, rk, rs, ok, os, zd, bd )
> - REDUCTION
>   specify a field with reduction rate in percents (WSE specific)

> User-definable file types and formats

> Now AmiBroker can use not only default.format definition file but also other user-specified files. File types, filters and format definition files are specified in import.types file (example is included in the update package). Now user can prepare/modify import.types file with the description of supported ASCII formats and filters to use. The format of import.types file is:

> > `<Descriptive name>|<File filter>|<definition file name>`

> Note vertical line characters between these three fields. Example import.types file looks as follows:

> > `Default ASCII (*.*)|*.*|default.format
> > Yahoo's CSV (*.csv)|*.csv|yahoo.format
> > Metastock ASCII (*.mst)|*.mst|metastock.format
> > Omega SC ASCII (*.txt)|*.txt|omega.format
> > S-Files (s*.*)|s*.*|sfile.format
> > C-Files (c*.*)|c*.*|cfile.format
> > Sharenet DAT (*.dat)|*.dat|dat.format`

> If such file exists you will see your types in the "Files of type" combo-box and when you select one - appropriate filter will be used and after selecting some files and clicking OK - importer will use specified ".format" file.

> In that way you can define as many text-based data formats as you like and AmiBroker will be able to "understand" them all.

> Ticker aliases

> Now each ticker can have an alias assigned, so the AmiBroker's built-in importers can recognize that stock by both ticker and alias names. This is useful when you are using two data sources that are using slighty different stock naming convention or if you want to give the stocks more intuitive name while retaining the ability to use importers without problems.

VERSION 3.22 RELEASE NOTES

> Version 3.22 (Mar 5th, 2000) includes following new features and fixes (compared to 3.21):

> - ASCII import is fixed now. Moreover the ASCII importer offers now much more flexibility thru format definition files (see Data management chapter of AmiBroker User's Guide for details). Example *.format files are included in the AmiBroker main directory.
> - AFL analysis tools have been moved to a new "Analysis" menu
> - Tools menu has been redesigned. Now it is customizable, so user can assign his new command/tools to the menu. You can lanuch executables (*.exe), Scripts (*.js, *vbs), HTML web pages (*.html) and any other type of file thru this custom tools mechanism.
> - Save workspace now saves only those stocks that have changed. Save Workspace As.. now works and saves all stocks to a new directory.
> - Stock information window works better now

VERSION 3.21 RELEASE NOTES

> Version 3.21 (Feb 16th, 2000) includes following fixes (compared to 3.20):

> - manual quotation editor works fine now
> - commentary buy/sell arrows are drawn below/above candlesticks instead overwriting them
> - deleting stock fixed
> - when renaming the ticker AmiBroker checks now for already existing name
> - commentary works correctly also on weekly/monthly charts now