Using Excel

[baboon123]

Hi I'm a little confused about the idea of connecting MS Excel to Ninjatrader:

I understand I can have my broker linked to NT (if they are on the list on the NT website) and therefore use that broker's own data for free in NT charts (and therefore not subscribing to any 3rd part data service) - am I right so far?

Then I understand that NT can link to various programs for automated trading/signal generation etc... including MS Excel. But here's where it gets fuzzy: does this mean I can be connected to my broker's data (and of course my trading account!) through NT while at the same time having this data from my broker displayed in Excel in realtime via NT? (IE: using NT as a link between my broker's real time data and Excel).

If the answer is yes to the above, finally does this mean that I can then use Excel to generate signals (using either VB code or simple Excel formulas) which are in then in turn fired back into NT and therefore to my broker through NT? (Remembering of course that the data is coming initially from my broker in the first place).

So the pattern would be:

BROKER DATA >> NT >> EXCEL >> [EXCEL DISPLAYS AND ANALYSES THE DATA AND SUDDENLY GENERATES A BUY SIGNAL] >> NT >> BROKER ACCOUNT

Possible?

Sorry if that sounded confusing, but the whole flexibility of NT may well be a good thing but it's not made too clear on the website/in the help files. What is DOES say on the help file is that "The automated trading interface is bi-directional" - I'm hoping "bi-directional" means what I've just asked above is acheivable.

Any help you can give is gratefully received.

[baboon123]

oops forgot to ask...

Sorry just one more question to follow that lot....

If what I have asked is totally achievable with NT, can the same be done with eSignal in place of MS Excel?

In other words, use my broker's own data to be displayed in eSignal using NT as the "link" between the two. So my charts in eSignal and NT will be showing my broker's own data yet my strategy will be written in eSignal and fired from there.

Of course, that means using just eSignal stand alone platform with no active data subscription, which is possible as you can download eSignal platform for free from their website without paying a penny.

Hope that makes sense too.

[NinjaTrader_JoshP]

Maybe this link will be of use to you: http://www.ninjatrader-support.com/H.../Overview.html

NT can use Excel to generate trade signals and submit them to your brokerage.

In terms of using your brokerage data to populate your eSignal charts, this is not possible since we do not interface with eSignal in that manner. We can use your brokerage data to populate NT charts, but not eSignal charts. When you generate a strategy it will be run against whatever data feed you are connected to.

[baboon123]

Thanks for your answer, but just to clarify, if I used Excel with NT to generate signals, where would the data come from? My brokerage? (if it was one that is compatible with NT) - in other words, would i be watching the data in real time in an Excel spreadsheet? (Fed from my broker through NT into Excel)

Thanks

[NinjaTrader_JoshP]

Data comes from whatever you connect to in NinjaTrader. Data feeds over to Excel and then Excel does its magic and feeds back into NinjaTrader.

[baboon123]

Excellent - thank you for your help!

[trader413]

Data comes from whatever you connect to in NinjaTrader. Data feeds over to Excel and then Excel does its magic and feeds back into NinjaTrader.

How exactly do i do this?

[NinjaTrader_JoshP]

Through the COM interface. http://www.ninjatrader-support.com/H...B60Sample.html