Playback Instructions

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'Practice makes perfect', so the saying goes.  From our earliest days as school children learning a new subject, a valuable teaching mechanism has always been practice, practice, and more practice.  Ensign Windows has a feature called 'Playback' that is a valuable tool for practicing your trading skills.  You are invited to download a copy of Ensign Windows from the Internet, and use the program to discover what Playback can do for you, and have fun with others in the B-Line chat room who use Playback on a regular basis.   Follow the step by step instructions to get Ensign Windows installed and use the Playback feature.  You do not have to have a data feed in order for Playback to function as you will see.  You do not have to contact Ensign Software or anyone.  Every step you can do privately.   Again, you are invited to follow along and enjoy.

Click here for Download Instructions to download and install Ensign Windows.

Download Play Back Files

Ensign Software maintains a library of play back files for the e-mini contracts.   You will use a tool in Ensign Windows to download one or more of these play back files.   In Ensign Windows, click menu File | Open | Internet Services, or click on the button on the main toolbar with 2 computers in the image.

The Ensign Internet Services form will display.  Select the Download tab.

Ensign Windows will connect to the Ensign web site and fill in the dates of various files that are available for download.  Check the bullet for the Playback File.  Use the dropdown list to select a file date for either 6E, AB, ES, NQ or YM.

Now, click the Download button to fetch the file.   A meter will show the file download progress.  You are welcome to repeat the steps of  selecting a file  in the Playback File download list, and clicking the Download button to retrieve the file.  These play back files are being saved in the C:\Ensign\Playback folder.  

Playback Notification

A lot of traders meet in the chat rooms built into Ensign Windows.  Look for the Bline chat room.   Many of these traders use Playback to hone their trading skills.    The Bline chat room (room #2) does group playbacks for the AB/ER are on Saturday mornings about 11a.m. EST and for the ES on Sunday mornings 11 a.m. EST.  You can join in at any time by entering the Sync time shown on the playback form image posted in the chat room at the start of the playback session.  You can also stop by the Bline chat room anytime and ask if someone has a playback session going or wants to start one if you can't make it.  You are welcome to drop in and talk shop.  This is a very friendly bunch of traders, and they will help you with any Ensign Windows question you might have on setting up your studies and using the draw tools.

Workspaces for ES and AB/ER can be downloaded through Ensign's Internet Services form.  Downloading the playback files and the workspaces will enable you to be up and running very quickly.

Ensign will do playback with all versions.  The internet version can only play files already created but does not need a real-time feed.  Many whose trading software is tied into their broker or who are just starting out, sign up for the Ensign Internet version to practice without the expense of a real-time feed.  In order to do a day in playback you need to download the playback day and the previous day.   Ensign keeps the prior month of playback files for ES, NQ, 6E, YM and AB available in their Internet Services until the first week of the new month.  For example, December files would be deleted the first week of February.  Therefore, download all playback files available through Internet Services in Ensign.

If you wish to follow along with Buffy's comments on what she sees on the playback charts, you should download the 2xBline-35 template through Internet Services.  The 2xBLCircle template will available soon.  The indicators in the study windows are the same for both templates.  If you have a template of your own, try running them side by side on separate charts to observe them both.

Download a Template

On the Internet Services form, select the Template bullet.   Use the drop down list to select the 2xBline-35 template.   Click the Download button.  The file will be downloaded and saved in the C:\Ensign\Template folder.

Set-Up Play Back

Now that you have the program and a few play back files, it is time to play.   Click menu Window | Close All Windows.   Click menu Set-Up | Play Back Advanced.

This takes you to the Playback form where you control the play back feature.  On the form, enter the symbol in the first edit box, which will be either ES #F or NQ #F.  Make sure the symbol in the Symbol window is "ES #F".  This must be in capital letters and have the space.

Symbol:  Enter a market symbol in the Symbol entry box (example:  ES #F).  Tick by tick chart data from this root Symbol will be used to build the Play Back file.

Play Back Filename:  Enter a filename for the Play Back file.  Play Back files are saved in the  \Ensign\Playback  folder.  By default the filename will include the first 2 characters of the Symbol, and also the Month and Day.  The filename can be changed if desired.  Do not specify a filename extension.  All files will use  .TXT  as the filename extension.

Minimum Tick Size:  Enter a Tick Size in Points.  For example, an entry of  50  can be used for the  NQ  market, since the minimum tick size for  NQ  is 50.  Enter 25 as the tick size for the ES symbol.  Enter a tick size of  1  for Stock symbols.

Start Time:  An entry in the Play Back Start Time box is optional.  Enter a Time value.  The time must be a Eastern Time Zone time.  The default Start Time is 08:30 Eastern Time.  If no time is entered, then the Play Back file will be played using your current local computer time.  If a time is entered, then the Play Back file will be played using Eastern Time Zone market times.  The Start Time also allows the Play Back to start at a specific time of the day.  For example, an entry of  10:30  will cause the Play Back to generate all the bars up to  10:30 AM Eastern Time, and then start updating the DEMO  chart with the ticks that occurred after  10:30.

Sync Time:  This allows on-line training classes and groups of traders to Sync all participants to the same bar times, regardless of the actual participant time zone differences or when the participant joins the playback session.  If joining a playback in progress, ask the chat room for the Start time and Sync time that shows on their playback property form.

Play Back Speed:  Select  'Actual Speed'  to Play Back the ticks in the actual speed and time that the ticks occurred.  Select  '2x speed'  to play back the ticks in double speed mode (twice as fast).

Play Back Enabled:  Place a check mark in this box to start the Play Back.  When this box is checked, the  DEMO  symbol will be updated from the Play Back file, instead of from the Ensign Windows artificially generated Simulation  DEMO  ticks.  Select  Set-Up | Simulation  from the menu to restart and 'Enable'  the  DEMO  Simulation mode.

Build new Play Back File:  Click this button to create and build a new Play Back file.  If a file already exists, then it will be overwritten.

Reset current Play Back:  Click this button to delete all  DEMO  chart files, and reset the Play Back to the Start Time (or start of the ticks).  Before clicking on this button, make sure to close any  DEMO  charts that may be open.  After the Play Back is reset, the 'Play Back Enabled'  check box will be automatically re-checked.  You can then open a  DEMO  chart and watch the Play Back file proceed again.  For example, open   DEMO.1  to watch a 1-minute chart update from the Play Back file.

Click on the Browse button and select one of the play back files you downloaded from the Ensign web site.  Double click on the file - example would be ES030117 - this should close the window and enter the file in the playback filename window.

Enter a Start Time of 930 to resume at the beginning of the day, or enter any other time during the day.   The data ahead of the start time will be showing on the chart already.  The time you enter is the time to resume play back of data for the selected date in the file name.   The training class normally uses a start time of 930.  All times in playback are Eastern time zone.  If you join a playback session in the B-Line chat room after it has started, just ask for the time to enter in the Start Time and Sync Time windows so your charts will open exactly where the class is in the playback session.   Have the Sync Time be blank if you are starting a new playback session.

The Play Back Speed can be actual speed, or played faster at using a speed selected with the drop down box.  The training class typically uses the 2x speed.

We are almost ready now.  The final step after verifying your play back parameters is to click the Open DEMO Chart button on the form.  A chart for the time frame shown by the button will be opened.  A time frame of 1 will open a 1-minute chart.  The Playback form will be closed and the playback underway on the DEMO chart.  Playback is feeding a tick stream for your play back symbol into a special symbol called DEMO.   Therefore, the chart for DEMO will be updating tick by tick, using actual data for either ES #F or NQ #F, which ever symbol you are playing back. 

Apply a Template

Click on the background of the chart to which you want to apply the template.  Right mouse click on the chart to bring up a menu of choices.  Click "Templates"

Highlight the name of the template you want to apply in the list on the left.    Click on the Open button.

The template will be applied to the chart which has the focus.  If you have the All Charts box checked, the template will be applied to all charts in the workspace.  Most users keep the All Charts box unchecked so the template is applied to just the chart which has the focus.

Demo Chart Workspace

Please have a workspace set up before joining a Playback training session in the B-Line chat room.  Playback uses the symbol DEMO for all of the charts when doing a playback. no matter what symbol you are playing back.  There are 2 ways to create a workspace for demo.

If you wish to copy your regular trading workspace for demo proceed as follows with your normal workspace open:

Click on the Workspace icon.  Click on Save As button and type in Demo or a similar name and press the Enter button.

You now have a copy of your regular workspace.  Now you need to change each chart to the symbol "DEMO".  One way to do this is to right mouse click on a chart background bringing up a drop down menu click on New Symbol and then enter DEMO and press the Enter key, or press CTRL S and enter DEMO.

The DEMO chart that shows will be blank if you are not running a playback.  After changing all charts to the DEMO symbol, resave your workspace and close all windows.  Now that you have a demo workspace, you will start playback by clicking on Reset Current Play Back  button on the Playback form.  After the Play Back Enabled box checks itself, click the OK button to close the playback window.  Then click on your DEMO workspace tab or open it through the workspace icon.

If you wish to start creating a demo workspace from the beginning, then on the Setup | Playback form, in the small edit box to the right of the Open DEMO Chart button enter a time.  Start playback by clicking on the Open DEMO Chart button.  The first chart for you new Demo workspace should open.  You can add as many charts as you wish using the Charts icon - white with two blue bars on it.  

The chart panel is used to select a symbol and a time frame for the chart.   If DEMO is not seen in the list of symbols, then type DEMO in the Enter Symbol box and click the Add button just above the Enter Symbol box.   Click on DEMO in the Symbols list so it is selected.   Click on a time frame in the Times list.  Then click on the Open button.   A chart will be displayed and it will be updating tick by tick with data from the play back file.

Various draw tools and studies are available to use in analyzing the chart.  You are invited to dress the chart with studies and tools you like to use and practice buying and selling the market.  Resave your Demo workspace whenever you make a change to the workspace. 

Information on how to use a Simulation Broker in conjunction with Playback can be found on the Help page of the Ensign web site.

How to add a time to the times window.

Bring up the times window by clicking the button that shows a round red clock.  Click the Edit button.  The boxes that can be changed will turn white.  You can change one or as many as you wish.  Putting a '-' in front of a number tells Ensign you want a constant tick chart.  When you are through making the changes, click the Save button.  You can now click on any one of the times boxes to change the chart.

This should cover the basics of setting up and doing a playback.  If you decide to do another playback, then you must click on menu Window | Close All Windows again.  Playback is unable to reset the charts if they are not closed.

Entries that begin with the letter 'R' will display constant range bars with the range size following the 'R'.

Entries that begin with the letter 'V' will display constant volume bars with the volume size following the 'V".

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