Enabling and Disabling Automated Trading

Introduction

This page documents enabling and disabling automated trading systems. This applies to an ACSIL Trading system, or Spreadsheet System for Trading study, or the Trading System Based on Alert Condition study.

This information applies whether you are enabling automated trading for Trade Simulation Mode, or non-simulated/Live trading with the external connected Trading service which is set through Global Settings >> Data/Trade Service Settings.

Enabling Automated Trading

To enable automated trading then enable both of the following options:

• Trade >> Auto Trading Enabled - Global
• Trade >> Auto Trading Enabled - Chart

If Trade >> Disable Auto Trading on Startup is enabled/checked, then Trade >> Auto Trading Enabled - Global will be disabled when Sierra Chart is started. This is something to keep in mind.

Also refer to Send Orders to Trade Service to ensure that orders are not rejected based on an inconsistency between this setting and the Trade >> Trade Simulation Mode On setting.

Disabling Automated Trading and Halting Order Entry

To disable automated trading or to halt Live order entry for any reason, you can do any of the following:

1. Enable Trade Simulation Mode by making sure that there is a check mark by Trade >> Trade Simulation Mode On.
2. Set the Send Orders To Trade Service input with the Spreadsheet System for Trading or other trading study to No.
3. Set the Disable Auto Trading cell on the Sheet# in the Spreadsheet used by the Spreadsheet System for Trading study, to TRUE.
4. Disable either the Trade >> Auto Trading Enabled - Global or the Trade >> Auto Trading Enabled - Chart commands by removing the checkmark from them. Both of these need to be checked/enabled for automated trading to function for the chart.
5. A Control Bar button can be added for the Trade >> Auto Trading Enabled - Chart menu command to easily enable and disable Automated trading for the chart which contains automated trading studies. Refer to Customize Control Bar.
   
   You can modify the Properties for this Control Bar button to give it a unique color to identify them more easily on the Control Bar.