Strategy Analyzer Log tab - View Strategy errors out

[tgn55]

Strategy Analyser Log tab... I am getting errors after modifying Properties to display the View Strategy column... clicking the "View" button fails in various ways:

1) on my own strategy, walk-forward tests... I get an error dialog "Unhandled Exception: Object reference not set to an instance of an object." Hmm... not good
2) tried a standard backtest, using the Sample MACrossover strategy. I get a different error: "Unhandled Exception: Value cannot be null. Parameter name: s"

This error also occurs on my custom strategy, but thought I better test on the old standard, as I knew Support would ask for that!

Have just installed 18.0.18.1 ... same result.

BTW, I checked my strategyanalyzerlogs folder... all looks normal with both .cs and ,xml files in there.

Hope you can help...

[NinjaTrader_ChelseaB]

Hello tgn55,

May I confirm you are using 8.0.18.1?

Please send an email to platformsupport [at] ninjatrader [dot] com so that we may request your log and trace files.

[tgn55]

Yes... as noted in the original post. But it was the same on the previous version.
Since I posted this, I also saw some other object reference errors, eg when when right clicking on some the log column headings. I'll try to replicate, as that really feels like a code bug.

[tgn55]

OK, I've done a bit more testing...
Yes running 8.0.18.1.
I believe there are two errors I am observing...

1. In Strategy Analyser LOG tab, if you right-click on the column headings in the bottom pane (ie where the log history is shown) BEFORE you have selected a particular row... I get an object reference error. Kind of annoying, code should be able to prevent this. Nuisance value, not my chief concern, to be honest!

2. Not nuisance... a real issue, is that as reported in my OP, enabling "View Strategy" under Properties : Columns - Log, clicking on the now-displayed "View" button ALWAYS generates an error.
Initially, I get the object reference error... Object reference not set to an instance of an object. If I now try a backtest on the Sample MACrossover, and click the View button for the row just added to the history I get the error reported in the OP (see image in OP) Further, if I then select a row that previously report the invalid object reference (ie one of my strategies), the error Unhandled Exception: Value cannot be null. Parameter name: s continues to be displayed. No strategy has a parameter named "s", so it's a mystery where this comes from, but clearly something is pretty confused.

FYI, I ran a Repair Database thing a while back, as I wondered if my database was corrupt. Made no difference.

And finally - a request for new function... under the right-click menu, we have Filter by Instrument, and Filter by Strategy... might we get a Filter by Backtest type added? That would be useful...

[NinjaTrader_ChelseaB]

Hello tgn55,

If you have emailed platformsupport [at] ninjatrader [dot] com as requested, may I confirm that there was a link to this forum thread so that we recognize the email?

The second behavior I was able to reproduce and I have reported, the first behavior I was not.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CVER3klzo1QK-oOD5OaISuIfHNE3Qc7J/view?usp=drivesdk

Once I have a tracking ID for the error appearing with the View Code button I will post the ID in this thread.

[tgn55]

Thanks Chelsea... I recorded a similar session... starts out same as yours, but then I run a backtest with Sample MACrossover.. and then right-click the heading.. and issue manifests.
Will be keen to see if your system confirms... or if there is perhaps something broken on my end.

https://recordit.co/Q83df1AED7

Let me know if you have any issues with that URL... I can upload elsewhere if needed.

Sorry I did not email support yet... I got distracted with strategy development!
Regards,

[tgn55]

Trace file attached... with many instances of the exception.

[tgn55]

Chelsea... did you look at the video I recorded above? I don't see anything in this thread... and I lost track if you acknowledged this elsewhere... since I've logged several issues recently...

BTW... sort of a separate issue, but still related to the View Strategy option setting. This setting (ie to show that column) is NOT preserved ... So if I restart Ninja, or open a new SA window... it needs to be set on again. Is that as it should be?

Thanks,

[NinjaTrader_ChelseaB]

Hello tgn55,

I have removed the trace file from your post. Log and trace files should not be uploaded to the forum as these may contain sensitive information. These should always be emailed to platformsupport [at] ninjatrader [dot] com.

Thank you for clarifying a backtest must be run first.
After running a backtest and right-clicking the column headers I was able to reproduce the error.

[NinjaTrader_ChelseaB]

Hello tgn55,

I have received tracking ID# NTEIGHT-13961 for the errors that appear when right-clicking the Log area or column heads.

And tracking ID# NTEIGHT-13842 for the error that appears when clicking the View button (which should be grayed out when the test is not an AI Generate)

As new releases of NinjaTrader 8 become available, please check the release notes for these IDs. If the ID is listed, please update and double check the behavior is resolved.

https://ninjatrader.com/support/helpGuides/nt8/en-us/release_notes.htm

[tgn55]

Thanks Chelsea. I was not aware the View button was restricted to AI generated stuff... I don't think that is clear in the documentation, if it is the case.

I may have one more issue in the SA Log tab... but am unsure if what I am seeing is a bug ... or expected.

If I click on a saved walk-forward row in the log area, and then select one of the several test periods that ran in that W/F... I can select Summary from the Display dropdown control in the middle pane, and see the stats. Great... However, if I chose, for example, Trades from the Display drop-down menu... I get zip. Blank screen. And ditto for the other options, eg Analysis, Chart etc.

If this is NOT how it should work, would you like me start a new post about it, or add to this thread?

Cheers,

[NinjaTrader_ChelseaB]

Hello tgn55,

The help guide doesn't explicitly show that the View button will be gray for other types of tests, but it does only mention the View button on the AI Generate section of the help guide. By having it grayed out that's the developments way of saying its not available.
https://ninjatrader.com/support/help...rdOptimization

I'm looking into the behavior with double left clicking to open a log result and it not loading correctly. I was able to reproduce a few times, but I'm finding its inconsistent and sometimes works exactly right. Once I can lock down whats going on I'll provide a tracking ID.

I did notice that opening in a new tab or new window seems to work without any issue.

[tgn55]

I tried an AI Generate ... I see the View buttons in the Results pane... not greyed out... initially I got an error (same error as one of the errors I got when I click the View button in the History pane. The other error was the Object reference error, which is just bad coding...)...



After restarting NT, I ran another AI test... and the View button now worked, showing the AutoStrategy in the editor.
I also found that now, the View buttons in the log history pane also now shows the AutoStrategy !

So it seems the developers have coded the View button to be ONLY used for AI Generate stuff.... but here's an extract from the documentation...which clearly implies saved code for an optimisation (any) can be used...



So... here's my suggestions/request
a) change code so that users who have never run an AI Generate don't get errors if they hit the View button in the history...
b) even better ... implement the View functionality in the log history... should be possible, the source code is already saved in the strategyanalyzerlogs folder.


Now, the other issue...
For me the display of log results mostly (only ??) fails when accessing walk-forward runs. Please try those...I might make a video showing this...

Do you guys have ability to screen-share? Would be easier than making videos...

[tgn55]

Hi... returning to this issue, as it just bit me again.

Re the comment you made on 8/29, I tried closing and opening a new SA window... I can see trades/graphs for the most recent W/F... but two runs that I performed just a few minutes earlier.. nope... and then further down my history list, it starts working again. Very inconsistent. There is nothing in log or trace files reporting anything amiss.

So... given that sometimes it correctly pulls prior walk-forward results... why not always? All the W/F runs I am clicking on were performed in the last hour or so... nothing older than that!

Grrr.. just shutdown Ninja and restarted completely. Now, runs that were showing (eg any of the periods in my most recent W/F run) - no longer show anything except the Summary data.
Again, further down the list (W/Fs performed about 2 hours back) show just fine.

Unfortunately, seems it is not predictable/reproducible... but definitely something is broken. And evidently, the trade detail data is NOT kept in the XML file under strategyanalyzerlogs ... so I guess it's in the sdf database. I just spent 30 minutes messing about... I got various patterns of working/not working (mostly, not working), but nothing consistent. It does seem that the database access is getting screwed up. I ran a Repair Database... made no difference (again).

T.

[NinjaTrader_ChelseaB]

Hello tgn55,

I have received tracking ID# NTEIGHT-13990 for this behavior where opening a walk forward result from the log fails to load the display views correctly.

May I confirm that you have right-clicked the log row and selected Open In New Strategy Analyzer?