Unable to make QLink work

[mike_scott]

I installed QLink and so far no joy.
When I start QLink from the programs menu it opens up eSignal communications manager, that part seems normal. Then I open excel manually. The Add-In shows QLink checked under Tools Ad-In, so far I think this looks normal. The QLink Tool Bar is visible.

If I open a Request Snapshot with IBM as the symbol for example and Last as the Qualifier the spreadsheet freezes with the hourglass showing. I have to abort excel at this point.
Same problem if I use request bars.

Please help.

Mike Scott
Tarzana, CA

[mike_scott]

Unable to make QLink Work

19 people have viewed this post and I have not seen a single helpful response.
Why do you think I can not acces QLink? Why do you think your QLink is working and mine is not.
For the record it doesn't work on two machines. One is excel 2003 and one is excel 2007. Both show the same problem. Both machines are XP.
Mike

[Larry Marchman]

Hey Mike,

Sorry, but I don't have a clue what's up with your problem.
FWIW, attached is a collage of screenshots showing various items that may, but probably won't yield a clue.

LAM
XP Pro SP3

[mike_scott]

Reply to post 'Unable to make QLink work'

Larry,
Thank you for taking the time to post some pointers.
For what it is worth my setup looks just like yours except I am sitting here with the Windows hourglass again. At least I learned that I can dock the QLink toolbar. Mine had been floating and I saw that yours is docked.
I guess next stop is eSignal support when they open up.

Mike Scott

[mike_scott]

I have QLink working now

I can't really say what the problem was but the QLink installer just will not complete the install on two different Dell XP machines. Dell could be the only thing in common. One is excel 2007 and one is excel 2003 and neither intallation goes smoothly. Here is what I did to make it work:

1. restored computer to previous date before any QLink attempts.
2. installed QLink, installer hangs at the end
3. abort installer using task manager
4. restart machine
5. use QLink installer again and select Repair Installation
6. installer now fixes the isnstallation and QLink works.

If I skip the restart after the initial installation it doesn't work.

The installer might be trying to use a resource that my Dell machines (XP service pack 3) don't have. Since the problem is 100% repeatable on two different machines I suspect a fragile installer program.

Mike Scott

[bradleto]

QLink woes...

Mike,

I am running QLink, the old version in 2003... no issues out of the ordinary for years, except the occasional scare tactic of "them" pushing us off of a functioning platform onto one that seems iffy at best.

The first issue is that for anyone out there who attempts to "upgrade" to the newer version(s), it sort of wipes out the old reliable one. This happened to me... very painful.

What I have found with every version of the "new" QLinks is that they are all buggy. I have successfully installed a new version on a separate computer so that I can continue to use the old one, but the new version only retrieves a limited amount of data??? It is of no use to me at all.

The funny thing about this whole affair, one that has lasted for years now, is that the original QLink was described as this tiny bit of code (40 k or something) that one could use to pull data into Excel using a DDE link. If the coding was so minor to set up the original version, I have to wonder what sort of programmer is involved in the upgraded attempts?

Since I use proprietary indicators, I rely on Excel to build my models... the canned stuff is of no value to me at all.

I want to stay with QLink but I have looked at other vendors with data links to Excel.

It's a real issue for me... calls to talk about it with ESignal personnel leave me feeling as if they almost don't care. Since I am what I would call a power user, I even volunteered to be a Beta tester... if it has a bug in it, I would likely find it. No response from ESignal.

I know there are better links now than DDE, but this is really painful to live through.

JB

[JayF]

JB,

We are aware of some bugs in the current version of QLink and are looking to address them in an upcoming Q1, '09 version. We always welcome feedback from subscribers. We listen and read through each email sent to the Suggestion Box, and we respond to every email sent into our support department. When the next version of QLink goes into beta, we'd also welcome any feedback from testers on that version.

Regarding the older QLink that runs on the Continuum network, there will be a time in which that simply stops working. The actual date for Continuum discontinuation hasn't been firmed up, but I can confirm that it will be sometime in 2009. We'll give at least 60-90 days notice before that happens.

[bradleto]

Continuum source

Jay,

Gosh, I hope we have at least the 90 days lead time to make any required changes to the Excel spreadsheets some of us use and to the VBA code we have written to support proprietary trading platforms.

Here are some issues:

1) I just can't seem to understand how some of the newer versions have been released in their then state of development. How could someone doing any sort of actual testing prior to a launch not notice the inability of the newer QLink versions to pull up data? Is this a program issue or a data vendor issue?

2) The installation of the new version shouldn't wipe out the older version, at least not without a warning and a way to back out of the mess if the installation goes wrong, or the newer version comes up short again. I mentioned this before.

3) Any changes in the final product form from the old original and reliable QLink need to be relayed well ahead of time. For example, I use various minute bar periods like 78 (5 bars per day) and 130(3 bars per day) ...for 390 min/day securities; and, 81 and 135 (for those securities that trade 405 minutes). If I lost that bar periodicity defining capability, I'd have to make some sort of vendor change.

I guess these are just restated issues. I would certainly like to be a beta tester of any new QLink. If your guys can't find the bugs, I bet a power user can. If it has a flaw, it might escape someone writing code who is unfamiliar with its usage in real-life, real-time situations.

How about a contact regarding the testing issue?

JB

[email protected]