API Connection status

[Dierk Droth]

Robi,

I just gave it a try, called IsEntitled every 5 seconds and pulled the network plug.

Here is what happens (eSignal 7.7):
- after a while the data manager pops up a notification box saying that the local data manager is unable connect to the remote data manager
- IsEntitled still returns 1 (= true). I never have seen 0 (= false)

So IsEntitled is NOT making a server request.

The problem remains unsolved. Any other suggestions ?

Regards

[JimBecker17]

Considering the behavior of IsEntitled() changes based on if you wait after establishing your object, whatever it's doing is passive.

It is kind of a bystander it seems, and passes off whatever the last returned state from the server happens to be, rather than requesting and blocking until it gets a valid answer from the host server.

I would expect in the state where the connection disappeared it would just keep returning whatever it had last gotten from the server, consistent with this behavior. Sounds like you have confirmed that, Dierk.

-Jim

[Guest]

There is a way to synchoronize your computer clock by going to the Data Manager->Time dialogue option.

Rather than only using 1 symbol, you could use different symbols for different times of the day.

Another option is to ping "cm*.esignal.com", which is our server farm.

Again, I am having a hard time understanding why the connection to our server farm is being dropped in a reliable, high-speed connection. It seems like a telecommunications issue. Our servers would not be able to send a "OnDisconnected" event, since the server would never know when the client disconnects.

[GenSpoo]

Hi Robi,

This type of event would be genereated by Data Manager (not the server) when a socket connection is broken. This isn't info sent by the server, so it could be "received" even if the connection was broken. Most likely a fairly simple check, and probably one already being done in DM. If you look at the main eSignal app in the status bar, there is the green light. Pull your etherenet cable, and within 10 seconds (for me) that light goes red. Plug the etherent cable back in and it goes green again almost instantly. Feed us that.

The reason for wanting this is not that eSignal's servers aren't reliable over a high-speed connection. It is to plan for the unexpected. When money is on the line, contingency plans need to be programmed into the system and they need to be fired the instant a fault is detected. The harder it is to detect that a fault has occurred and the longer the time that elapses between fault and detection, the harder it is to come up with reliable contingency systems. At least a few folks are using the API with the hopes of developing 100% automated black-box systems that don't require them to sit an watch the computer screen all day. Those are the systems that absolutely need this type of thing.

Cheers... George

[Guest]

OK. I see your point. Thanks for clarifying it and I will see what I can do to add it to 7.8, which will be released in a much quicker cycle than 7.7.

Thanks for the detailed explanation.

[Dierk Droth]

@GenSpoo

Thanks for those statements. I could not have found clearer ones

@Robi
Really would be great to see this important feature in not too far future.

Regards

[GenSpoo]

I just wish I could manage to spell "etherent" properly... er, wait...

[Dierk Droth]

Robi,

http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=40727&perpage=6&pagenumber=1

No matter WHY this happened (and the other outage the week before), the connection status MUST indicate that.

Here my data manager turned red, so it should be easy to throw this status to the API, no ?

Regards

[Dierk Droth]

Robi,

Is the connection status feature available now with 7.8? If so, where can I find documentation on it?

In general: Is there some documentation on API changes with 7.8?

Regards

[Guest]

No, nothing new was added to 7.8, since it had a quick development cycle. 7.7 was delayed quite a bit and we mostly focused on handling European data in 7.8. The only changes to the API were that we correct a few defects - 7.9 already has another correction dealing with destroying the IHooks object.

[Dierk Droth]

When will this feature be available?

Regards

[Guest]

I cannot provide an approximate date at this time for that feature.

[mlopez]

Connection Status

I want to second (or third) this--a disconnect event is very much needed.

Thanks (and Merry Christmas).

[mlopez]

Desktop API interface to winros

On a more general note, it would be good to have other kinds of programmatic access to winros.exe (besides connection status)--that's what I need, not access to esignal.exe (i.e. what I need is reliable, flexible access to many raw numbers on demand, time & sales data, open close high low, etc). So far, it seems DDE is still better for reliable retrievals of price arrays when compared to the retail/desktop api--though of course dde access methods are limited. I understand your policy to allow api (non-dde) access to winros only to third-party vendors or enterprise-level customers, and there may not be a safe way to allow customers anything much greater than dde communication to winros--but we sure could use it!

See also:

http://forum.esignalcentral.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11212