SigTools and Excel Question

[tom_raina]

Hello,

I've got a question about the Sigtools application in Excel. All I'm trying to do is filter by exchange but it doesn't seem to be working. In the quote window in E Signal I can put PFE=N and it pulls only the NYSE data for Pfizer. From all the help files I've read, it seems that I should be able to do the same thing in Excel using Sigtools, but when I update the Matrix it doesn't work. Any ideas?

By the way I'm looking at filtering for many different exchanges not just the NYSE.

Thanks for the help

Tom

[ScottJ]

Hi Tom,

Regional symbols should work just fine using DDE links. Easiest step to miss in not enclosing the symbol in apostrophes.

Check out KB article 1421. It'll show you a specific example.

Thanks.

[tom_raina]

Note I'm using SigTools

Hi Scott,

Thanks for your reply. Take note though, unless I'm missing something, using the SigTools application, you aren't supposed to have to do any coding. From what I understand you are only supposed to enter the symbol. E.g. try pulling up the sample excel matrix that is included with E Signal, type in PFE=N or I even tried 'PFE=N', and hit the update button. Nothing happens (note however just using PFE works).

I've read the article you mentioned several times, and although this 'should' work, I'm having problems; hence, the thread.

Could you please take a look and let me know what you think? Maybe its just the SigTools application. I'd just like someone more knowledgeable than me in this area to determine that.

Thanks

Tom

[ScottJ]

Hi,

Looks like a limitation of that hot link entry. Regionals do still work, you'll just need to do a little editing. Enter in PFE, then go back to that cell and hit F2 to edit and replace PFE with 'PFE=N' or whatever regional symbol you're looking for.

This SigTools piece was a contribution from one of our Third Party Partners so we'll let them know and see if they can address it in a future release.

Thanks.

[tom_raina]

Thanks Scott

Scott,

Thanks for your quick reply. I'm pretty sure I'm an idiot caue I still can't get this to work. Here are my key strokes.

(I'm using the sample Excel Matrix) I'm going like you said entering PFE and hitting enter, then hitting the DDE Matrix Fill button. PFE then is pulled up correctly. From there I hit F2 and typing 'PFE=N' and I've even tried ''PFE=N' (as the first ' disappears after you hit enter). I hit enter (if I hit the DDE Matrix Fill Button Excel just beeps), and then hit the DDE Matrix Fill Button and no information is pulled up. I've even tried copying and pasting what you typed below and that didn't work.

I'm sure I'm doing something wrong. Would you mind letting me know what exact keystrokes you are using.

Thanks alot for your help, I really appreciate it.

Tom

[ScottJ]

Hi,

You're not really doing anything wrong, you're just running up against the same limitation you found earlier. That automated routine simply doesn't recognize the special regional only symbology.

Short answer is to either bring up the excel sample (first icon on the SigTools bar) and edit the existing symbols (using F2) or use the DDE Hot Link (3rd icon on Sigtools bar) and edit those symbols as well. With these symbols, the shortcuts provided by this utility just aren't much of a shortcut!

The correct coding to get the last on PFE - NYSE only quotes would be: =WINROS|LAST!'PFE=N'

Thanks.

P.S. I've updated the KB article to reflect these limitations. Thanks for your help in improving our documentation!

[tom_raina]

Thanks

Thanks,

So I guess what you are saying is that its not currently possible to pull up the regional exchanges without changing the code in SigTools.

If this is the case is it possible to change the VB Code in SigTools (whenever I try and view it, Excel tells me its unviewable)? If not, is there any other way I could get around having to code a new spreadsheet to get this information? If not, could you direct me to a good reference on the DDE E Sigal needs for Excel so I can buld one from scratch?

Thanks for all your help and your quick replies.

Tom

[ScottJ]

Hi,

I'm not a programmer but it seems to me that you can replicate much of what SigTools does by using Excel Macros. I've already sent a note over to the developer so we'll hopefully see this limitation eliminated in a future version.

If you want to consider custom code, you can contact FinTools directly.

Thanks.