AddOnFramework: Problems with Connect() method

[GoSPvC]

Hi,

i have some problems with the Connect() method of the AddOnFramework-Sample.
I have used the code of the sample at my AddOn to establish a Simulated Data Feed connection.

This is the Button:

// When user presses the Connect Button:
    if (button != null && ReferenceEquals(button, connectButton))
    {
        if (connection == null)
        {
            // Establish connection:
            connection = Connect("Simulated Data Feed");
            //connection = Connect("Interactive Brokers");
        }
        else
            connection.Disconnect();
    } 

This is the OnConnectionStatusUpdate():

// This method is fired on connection status events.
private void OnConnectionStatusUpdate(object sender, ConnectionStatusEventArgs e)
{
    try
    {
        // For multi-threading reasons, work with a copy of the EventArgs to prevent situations where the EventArgs may already be ahead of us
        // while in the middle processing it.
        ConnectionStatusEventArgs eCopy = e;

        if (eCopy.Connection.Options.Name == "Simulated Data Feed")
        {
            // Switch button to be a connect button
            if (eCopy.Status == ConnectionStatus.Disconnected)
            {
                connection = null;
                Dispatcher.InvokeAsync(() =>
                {
                    connectButton.Content = "Connect";
                });
            }
            // Switch button to be a disconnect button
            else if (eCopy.Status == ConnectionStatus.Connected)
            {
                if (connection == null)
                    connection = eCopy.Connection;
                Dispatcher.InvokeAsync(() =>
                {
                    connectButton.Content = "Disconnect";
                });
            }
        }

        // If connection hits an error, report it.
        if (eCopy.Error != ErrorCode.NoError)
        {
            Dispatcher.InvokeAsync(() =>
            {
                outputBox.AppendText(string.Format("{0}{1}. Error: {2} NativeError: {3}",
                    Environment.NewLine,
                    eCopy.Connection.Options.Name,
                    eCopy.Error,
                    eCopy.NativeError));
            });
        }

        Dispatcher.InvokeAsync(() =>
        {
            outputBox.AppendText(string.Format("{0}{1}. Status: {2}",
                    Environment.NewLine,
                    eCopy.Connection.Options.Name,
                    eCopy.Status));
        });
    }
    catch (Exception error)
    {
        Dispatcher.InvokeAsync(() =>
        {
            // It is important to protect NinjaTrader from any unhandled exceptions that may arise from your code
            LoggingTabInstance.LoggingBox = "TradingSystem - OnConnectionStatusUpdate Exception: " + error.ToString();
        });
    }
} 

This is Connect():

private Connection Connect(string connectionName)
{
    try
    {
        ConnectOptions connectOptions = null;
        List<ConnectOptions> connectionOptionList = null;

        // Copy list of connection options:
        lock (Globals.ConnectOptions)
            connectionOptionList = Globals.ConnectOptions.ToList();

        // Get the configured account connection:
        connectOptions = connectionOptionList.FirstOrDefault(o => o.Name == connectionName);

        if (connectOptions == null)
        {
            outputBox.Text = "Could not connect. No connection found.";
            return null;
        }

        // If connection is not already connected, connect.
        lock (Connection.Connections)
            if (Connection.Connections.FirstOrDefault(c => c.Options.Name == connectionName) == null)
            {
                Connection connect = Connection.Connect(connectOptions);

                // Only return connection if successfully connected:
                if (connect.Status == ConnectionStatus.Connected)
                    return connect;
                else
                    return null;
            }

        return null;
    }
    catch (Exception error)
    {
        // It is important to protect NinjaTrader from any unhandled exceptions that may arise from your code.
        LoggingTabInstance.LoggingBox = "TradingSystem - Connect Exception: " + error.ToString();
        return null;
    }
} 

If I click on "Connect" at my AddOn NinjaTrader hang up (the AddOn-Window and the ControlCenter-Window).
Even if I click on the "Connect Kinetick EOD"-Button at the AddOnFramework-sample I've got the same behaviour, the AddOn-Window and the ControlCenter-Window hang up.

I had to end task by windows taskmanager to close NinjaTrader.

At the attached png you can see: There is no error logging.

[NinjaTrader_Jim]

Hello GoSPvC,

Thanks for the report!

I have been able to reproduce the issue with the AddOn Framework sample and we are looking into the matter further on our end.

I'll update this post as more information becomes available.

Thanks in advance for your patience.

[GoSPvC]

Hi Jim,

after some try and error, i have commented out the line:

lock (Connection.Connections) 

Now the Connect/Disconnect is doing without hang up.
I am not that educated in C# to know what's the meaning of that but this should be a hint for you.

[NinjaTrader_Jim]

Hello GoSPvC,

Thanks for the note.

This issue seems to have come up recently. It has been accepted as a bug and is being tracked with the ticket ID NTEIGHT-11807.

You can reference this ticket number in the Release Notes page for the version of NinjaTrader 8 that includes the bug fix.

Release Notes can be found here: https://ninjatrader.com/support/help...ease_notes.htm

Thanks for bringing this matter to light!

[GoSPvC]

Hi,

maybe i have some additional information.
If clicking on connections at ControlCenter the menu with available connections opens and i get several exceptions, all the same text:

22:52:15 NinjaTrader.exe - OnFirstChanceException(): hwnd darf nicht IntPtr.Zero (0) oder NULL sein.
System.ArgumentException: hwnd darf nicht IntPtr.Zero (0) oder NULL sein.
   bei System.Windows.Automation.Provider.AutomationInteropProvider.HostProviderFromHandle(IntPtr hwnd)

Maybe it helps you,

GoS

[NinjaTrader_Jim]

Hello GoSPvC,

Thanks for the reply.

That sounds like a very strange issue.

I am not running into any exceptions when I click on the Connections menu of the Control Center or when I open Connections window.

Could you reproduce this issue after restarting NinjaTrader? If possible, please include a short video demonstrating how you are encountering this issue. We use Jing: https://www.techsmith.com/jing.html

I have attached a revised version of the AddOnFramework sample. This will make its way to the help guide shortly.

I look forward to being of further assistance.

[GoSPvC]

Hi Jim,

thanks for the updated Connect() method. NinjaTrader won't hang up anymore.
Now there is another problem:

If I use the new Connect() to connect to the Simulated Data Feed, I get this connection. But Connect() returns null. I have noticed this because on a try to disconnect I got a

System.NullReferenceException: Der Objektverweis wurde nicht auf eine Objektinstanz festgelegt.
   bei NinjaTrader.Gui.NinjaScript.V1TradingSystemTab.OnButtonClick(Object sender, RoutedEventArgs eArgs)

If i force Connect() to return the connection, I got NO exception but a disconnect.

It seems that after

Connection connect = Connection.Connect(connectOptions); 

the connection isn't established but still connecting when asking for the return. The following returns a connect:

// Only return connection if successfully connected
if (connect.Status == ConnectionStatus.Connected
    || connect.Status == ConnectionStatus.Connecting)
    return connect;
else
    return null; 

Thanks, GoS

[NinjaTrader_Jim]

Hi GoSPvC,

Thanks for the reply.

As per my reply in our email, we will not concern ourselves with any internal exceptions that we may find when we attach an exception handler to AppDomain. Exceptions within NinjaTrader should normally be a cause for a concern when the internal logic spits out one of these errors to a window or to the log and trace files.

If you come across an issue and you notice some internal exceptions, we could gather that information when investigating the issue.

As for Connect() returning null, yes this is the case in the sample code. This is because private Connection Connect(string connectionName) will only return the Connection class when connect.Status equals ConnectionStatus.Connected. The status reaches ConnectionStatus.Connecting when Connection.Connect() is called, so you would have to change the return condition in this private method as follows to have it return when connecting.

if (connect.Status == ConnectionStatus.Connected || connect.Status == ConnectionStatus.Connecting)
	return connect;

Please let me know if I can be of further help.