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CapGain
Posted : Wednesday, December 23, 2009 8:57:22 AM
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Joined: 10/7/2004
Posts: 111
So far I am disappointed with Ver 5 of Stockfinder. Besides being unstable, it seems like the developers of this version program were trying to streamline the program and eliminate what they felt were extra steps. For example, after making a condition you click on it and supposedly the program gives you the results you were looking for, such as lighting up and bringing to the top of the list those stocks that meet the condition and painting the chart. However, how do the program designers know that is what the user wants? Were people surveyed as to what they expected? I know I wasn't. Another issue is that when I combine conditions they are merged into one condition and the individual conditions that I created are no longer available. Who decided that is what the users want? It isn't what I want.I found ver 4 to be a very stable and user friendly program. Ver 5 developers have taken the position that they know what I want the program to do and are redesigning the program along those lines, trying to eliminate extra mouse clicks. Guess what, they don't know what I want. I'll keep using ver 4 and won't waste any more of my time using ver 5. Finally, I think that Peter Worden (I believe it is Peter who made the introductory video) should stay out of the development and marketing of new programs. When the Blocks program first came out a few years ago, it was a nonsense program...whoppee it made pie charts and Mr. Worden tried to explain how great a tool that was, and that the program was "ready to use out of the box." Please leave the development of programs to Kuf and his staff, and the marketing to Michael, Julia, and others in that department.
StockGuy
Posted : Wednesday, December 23, 2009 10:15:23 AM

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Joined: 9/30/2004
Posts: 9,187
Thanks for the feedback.  That's part of the reason we have a beta period, to get feedback on what works, what doesn't, etc.

You can control what happens when you click on a condition by right clicking on a condition and then selecting "Click Options". This will let  you set what click, right click, ctrl-click, etc. do for all conditions.

Comments on combos removing the individual conditions from the chart noted.

Thanks,
StockGuy

jas0501
Posted : Wednesday, December 23, 2009 10:37:18 AM
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Joined: 12/31/2005
Posts: 2,499

QUOTE (CapGain)

....
....
Another issue is that when I combine conditions they are merged into one condition and the individual conditions that I created are no longer available. Who decided that is what the users want? It isn't what I want.I found ver 4 to be a very stable and user friendly program. 
....
....

II aggree with this point as stated in Suggestion: More thoughts on the visual handiling of conditions. I have been surprised there haven't been more complaints about this "feature" as I think it is a major issue.

As to the effort to streamline the interface, I think this is a good thing in general, as long as capabilities are not lost. The development approach should be to preserve existing capabilities so the user can still do what she/he has done in the past, while cleaning up the interface and presentation. some 5.0 design chices has demonstrated that this design perspective needs to be better applied when considering   
"improvements".

The first release of 5.0 had mistakenly eliminated True Markers in a effort to clean up the interface. That mistake was corrected. I'm hoping the condition "join" approach is also corrected to support the "old" way of displaying the base conditions. Making the base condition display optional, the saem way that true markers ended up would do the trick.

I'm hoping that the developers have gained an appreciation that the laudable goal of simplification can be accomplished while preserving already existing capabilities, instead of eliminating these capabilities. The display of True markers got there eventually with the intended cleaner chart for those who wish it and the less clean chart for those who don't. 

Here is hoping that base condition display will also be repaired.

CapGain
Posted : Wednesday, December 23, 2009 12:14:20 PM
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Joined: 10/7/2004
Posts: 111
QUOTE (StockGuy)
You can control what happens when you click on a condition by right clicking on a condition and then selecting "Click Options". This will let  you set what click, right click, ctrl-click, etc. do for all conditions.

Thanks, that was helpful to know.
Kuf
Posted : Wednesday, December 23, 2009 12:34:31 PM


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Joined: 9/18/2004
Posts: 3,522
The old style of linking to your conditions in combos and sequences will be returned in the next build.

Ken Gilb (Kuf)
Chief Software Engineer - Worden Brothers Inc.
Try/Catch - My RealCode Blog
Flash99
Posted : Wednesday, December 23, 2009 1:05:30 PM
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Joined: 7/16/2009
Posts: 411
QUOTE (CapGain)
Another issue is that when I combine conditions they are merged into one condition and the individual conditions that I created are no longer available.

CapGain, I have to disagree with you on this issue. I consider the new implementation of conditions one of the best improvements in SF5.
Justification:
1. Much better visibility.
Avoids displaying/keeping 100... conditions which are not used outside a combo condition. If you want to use one of the conditions (a combo component), then you may save the condition at any time and restore it as an independent condition.
2. Better conditions/code management
Finally I am able to save a condition without displaying it in a chart, share it between charts with different time frames, remove it from a chart without losing the code. It keeps the code in one place, it keeps work in progress outside of the charts, ...etc.

Thanks
StockGuy
Posted : Wednesday, December 23, 2009 1:09:34 PM

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Joined: 9/30/2004
Posts: 9,187
The good news for both of you is that you'll have a choice.  "Merge", as it works now, will be the default, but you'll also be able to Shift-click and drag to "copy" (keep original on chart not linked to combo) and Ctrl-click and drag to keep the original on the chart and linked to the combo (the way it works in version 4).
CapGain
Posted : Wednesday, December 23, 2009 2:57:33 PM
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Joined: 10/7/2004
Posts: 111
QUOTE (StockGuy)
The good news for both of you is that you'll have a choice.  "Merge", as it works now, will be the default, but you'll also be able to Shift-click and drag to "copy" (keep original on chart not linked to combo) and Ctrl-click and drag to keep the original on the chart and linked to the combo (the way it works in version 4).
Sounds good. Thanks
jas0501
Posted : Wednesday, December 23, 2009 7:38:46 PM
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Joined: 12/31/2005
Posts: 2,499
QUOTE (Flash99)
QUOTE (CapGain)
Another issue is that when I combine conditions they are merged into one condition and the individual conditions that I created are no longer available.

CapGain, I have to disagree with you on this issue. I consider the new implementation of conditions one of the best improvements in SF5.
Justification:
1. Much better visibility.
Avoids displaying/keeping 100... conditions which are not used outside a combo condition. If you want to use one of the conditions (a combo component), then you may save the condition at any time and restore it as an independent condition.
2. Better conditions/code management
Finally I am able to save a condition without displaying it in a chart, share it between charts with different time frames, remove it from a chart without losing the code. It keeps the code in one place, it keeps work in progress outside of the charts, ...etc.

Thanks

Flash99's response illustrates the difficulty presented to the developers when trying to address feature changes. He loves the introduced joining of conditions, just the opposite to others reactions, myself included.

I think there are 2 ends of the spectrum with a range in between. One of the design goals of 5.0 was to declutter the chart presentation. This addresses the "what is happening now" users, the present moment end of the spectrum. The other end of the spectrum is the "what has happened in the past" users. This type of user is more interested in getting a sense of history and freqeuncy. The backtesting users fall into this category, and the "I want to see eleventeen different conditions on the chart" types.

Fortunately the developers are managing to get 5.0 balanced between these two persepctive extremes. I think the Beta testing has managed to provide just the feedback needed to get 5.0 ready for primetime. Really great progress over the last 4 weeks! Good job all.
OzAsh
Posted : Saturday, December 26, 2009 1:51:57 AM
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Joined: 4/5/2008
Posts: 173
I agree with Flash99 in that the screen is simpler with V5 but all the goodies are still available "under the hood".
The hard part for me is that once things are removed from view I have to remember that they are still available and keep up to date with the changes in each build.
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