Print function if no data

[whotookmynickname]

Dear NT team

I run strategies across hundreds of symbols. I may not have data for some of them. I would like to create a Print() function within my strategies that it prints the Instrument.FullName plus a warning into the output window if there is no data all (i.e. if it never access a certain BarsInProgress). How do I achieve this?

Thank you in advance
whotookmynickname

[NinjaTrader_ChelseaB]

Hi whotookmynickname,

Because NinjaScript strategis are event driven, meaning that methods in the script will be triggered when data is received or a bar is closed, the only way I can think of to accomplish this would be to use a timer.

The timer could then check the length of each added data series by looping through BarsArray.

I would be very careful with this. Using a timer is not support by NinjaTrader.

Attached is a sample of a script that uses a timer.

[whotookmynickname]

Hi Chelsea

Thank you for the suggestion. Is there no easier way to check if there is any data at all?
I can do the opposite (OnStartUp, or on the first OnBarUpdate -> Print), but that would work only if there is data.

whotookmynickname

[NinjaTrader_ChelseaB]

Hi whotookmynickname,

You can get the count of a BarsArray element in OnStartUp(). This is the number of bars of historical data.

This would only work once though..

protected override void OnStartUp()
{
Print(BarsArray[0].Count);
}

[koganam]

Hi Chelsea

Thank you for the suggestion. Is there no easier way to check if there is any data at all?
I can do the opposite (OnStartUp, or on the first OnBarUpdate -> Print), but that would work only if there is data.

whotookmynickname

No, there is not. Event-driven means you need an event to drive the process, hence the Timer() that you can use to be the event driver, essentially independent of NinjaTrader processing itself.

[NinjaTrader_ChelseaB]

Hi whotookmynickname,

koganam is correct here. I did a test with OnStartUp and this does require a bar before triggered.

[NinjaTrader_ChelseaB]

Hello community,

Adding updated scripts.