which interface?

[esfprofit]

I want to devlop a program to use data from eSignal but I am having a hard time understanding which interface to use and what the details are for each. I would like to be able to get historical data as well as real time data. I want something that can connect directly to the data manager so I do not have to have the whole program running at the time to get things to work. I have searched throught the knowledge base and forums as well as talked to customer support but still do not have a good answer to this question.

Here are the options as I understand it from the knowledge base:
DDE - I can't seem to get the sample to work for this and don't see any documentation on it. It sounds like this would not get historical data anyway.
EFS - it looks like this would allow access to the data from within the program but I don't see how it allows access from other programs (which is my main goal).
Desktop API - requires the program to be running and has additional costs.
Standard API - does not sound like a private user can even do this.

I have seen 3rd party applications that only use the Data Manager and have access to historical as well as real time data. How are these applications doing this and how can I do it myself.

thanks

[scheel]

I think the important point is your need to do your own programming around eSignal data (e.g., VBA, .Net....). My guess is that you will need the desktop API to do what you want to do.

It'll probably work for almost everything you need to do, but the slope is slippery and documentation is poor-to-non-existent. Read my recent posts in this regard before you take the plunge.

Finally, if you've written classes that create your own objects, you'll swim pretty well. If not, you'll might drown using the eSignal desktop API; there is a learning curve you should surmount before starting with it.

[AChan]

For further details about the Desktop API, documentations and coding samples are available at:

http://share.esignal.com/groupcontents.jsp?folder=&groupid=185

[esfprofit]

How can I get streaming and historical data directly from the Data Manager? I know it is possible because I have seen other applications do it. I have looked through the documentation and samples quite a bit but it is somewhat limited to say the least.