Extended Play Operations

This function gives you greater flexibility over the running of FDC Command Sets.  In essence it enables you to add VCR functionality to your Command Palate, choosing to run whatever routines you want, and whenever you want them.  For example, you may use it to do any of the following:

1.      Schedule the downloading, sorting, comparison and ranking of data at some overnight hour.

2.      Download/refresh intraday data and update indicators and charts on a regular basis.

3.      Have yourself warned with an audio signal before a command set is played - say to warn you that certain markets are about to close and have indicators and charts prepared for you to review prior to each market’s close. 

4.      Run a command set or a list of Command Sets with a single click.

In the FDC Pro version, the Automatic Execution icon has a “down arrow” to the right of the big arrow.

When you click that down arrow you get the following box:

Immediate Play of a Single Command Set

If you choose   you will be presented with the FDC folder containing all of your saved Command Sets. 

Clicking on one will immediately start it running.

Immediate Play of a List of Command Sets

Suppose you have created several Command Sets that you wish to run.  These might be routines that you run daily or perhaps monthly.  For example, we have one Command Set that calculates our debt vs. equities posture with regard to U.S. investments.  That having been determined, we have another Command Set that identifies which U.S. equities sectors in which to concentrate, and likewise for U.S. debt.  Additionally we have Command Sets that do the same thing (provide strategic and tactical allocations) for European investments. 

To economize our efforts, we have created a List consisting of these four Command Sets.  Then all we need do is click . 

We are then presented with our Lists folder

By clicking on “Daily_Command_sets”, all of those routines will be run immediately.

Scheduled Play – Simple Delay

Should you click on     you will be given the “scheduler”, in which you can tell FDC which Command Set you want to run and when you want to run it.

Begin by pressing , and when presented with the list of Command Sets, clicking on the one you wish.  In this case, we chose “evening_updates”.  Next, enter the time of day you wish it to first run.  We have chosen this Command Set to run at 21 30 (9:30 PM).  Then .  At that point the  label will become .

Repeated Scheduled Play

Suppose you wish to run something every 15 minutes.  Simply create a Command Set, and then schedule it to run every 15 minutes:

Again, choose , and fill in the blanks.

Here we have chosen to run the Command Set “overbot_oversld” beginning at 9:45 and repeating every 15 minutes for 22 times. 

Note that you may save and retrieve schedules, via those buttons in the upper left of the scheduler:  . 

Also you will find the  button in the lower right of the scheduler.

The Audible Warning

Let’s say that in the course of your day you get busy to the point of distraction, such that you are not watching any of your monitors.  Thus you will not notice when the 15 minutes has elapsed and a new updated run has been completed.  We have provided you with the ability to warn yourself 30 seconds prior to the routine commencing.  Just find the little box in the lower left corner of the “scheduler”, and tick it. 

Tip #1- Avoiding Command Window Conflicts

Suppose you are using FDC to both perform scheduled tasks like monitoring the market, refreshing prices and indicators, and at the same time doing research on something you may use in the future.  If you are doing both of those operations in the same Command Window, the scheduled operations will “trump” the other operations.  This will in all likelihood result in you losing some of what you were working on. 

There is of course a solution.  Simply go to FILE and OPEN NEW COMMAND WINDOW:

Then run your scheduled operations from one Command Window, while doing your research in the other Command Window.  WARNING:  Merely open a new Command Window – DO NOT open a second copy of FDC.

Tip #2 - Avoiding Temporary Dataset Conflicts

Here we illustrate two ways of getting the same information, notable the 10-period moving parabolic smoother of the close of SPX.  The first line creates a temporary dataset that FDC has named “temp1”, which of course can be then used in any further operations.  The second line creates the same dataset, but in this case you give it the name of a local variable of your choice, “spx_10parab”, which can also be used in any further operations. 

If your requests of FDC result in “temp”-named datasets, then any scheduled operations also resulting in “temp”-named datasets may overwrite or become confused with the previous “temp”-named datasets.  This will happen even if you are using a second Command Window.

Thus the best way to prevent that from happening is to make certain that any local variables created in your work are defined by you.  That is, name your local variables.

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