MultiCharts: Trading Software for Automated Trading and Backtesting

MC 6.0 b2

When I start up MC the Toolbars don't remember previous layout.
They kinda just do their own thing every time...

I use a different layout but MC does its own thing (a different thing) just like with Bob. All my tool bars are detached and up in the blue area of the right monitor giving me as much chart space as I can get. On startup MC moves them all over to the left monitor in the middle exactly the same way every time. Compared to other concerns I wasn't going to mention it but I just thought I would add to the evidence that it does do this. Actually MC 6.0 is better than MC 2.1.999.999 in that at least I can get them to stay completely in the right monitor.

strange... my tool bars stay put all the time.

Mine stay put too. Are you grabbing the left verticle line when you move them ?

I am not sure who you are asking Steven but here is my routine.

At the start I grab the left vertical line and pull the tool bars down in to the center of MC with the charts (I have 3 of them). They are free from the outside boundaries snap effect.

Next I Grab MC itself and pull it way down below the tool bars (that is the only way I can get the tool bars to be outside of MC.

Now I grab the tool bars (replay and 2 others) and pull them to the very top area of the right hand monitor close to my lower resolution charts (way up in the blue area of MC)

Now I bring MC up to fill all the monitor space. Once this is done everything is in place and will stay there until MC is closed down.

I do not move the tool bars at this point because if I do they will snap down into place causing lost chart area. Instead I just click on the buttons.

Now on the next startup the tool bars stay up and outside MC but they all shift into the left monitor on me (again outside MC or free of MC's clutches). In other words they do not snap into place which is good.

So what I do now on each startup since they are still free from MC is I first pull MC way down away from the tool bars so they will not snap inside MC.

I now move the tool bars to where I described above and once again pull MC up into place to take as much monitor space as I can get.

It would be nice if the tool bars would retain their right monitor position but they consistently move to exactly the same left monitor spot on each startup. The smaller ones (I customized) are hidden behind the replay and I have to move MC down far enough so I can pull the replay down far enough so I can get at the other two of them.

Are you grabbing the left verticle line when you move them ?

Is there any other way to move them?

They were fine until I installed beta 2.

I just realized that MC 6.0 beta2 running on the notebook is holding my 3 tool bars properly outside MC (in the upper blue area). That is probably because there is only one monitor.

So I guess I am the only one with toolbar problems.

Not really Bob. In a multi Monitor situation if the user wants them outside MC and on the right monitor where most traders have their lower barsize charts (more activity there) the tool bars come back to the left monitor on startup.

Hi folks,

On my main computer, I am still having the problem with the toolbars (see first post attachments) and I don't want to uninstall/reinstall MC. (On another computer they are just fine on startup). Is there a registry edit I can do to get MC to remember how the toolbar is set up?

Thanks!

one possibility:

if you have multiple monitors of different resolutions,
and saved MC in one of the lower resolution monitors,
and then
start the computer again with only one monitor (higher resolution),
the tool bars might not reappear at the prev location.

I've never noticed mine moving- attached is my dual monitor screen with toolbars. I like them out of the way, on top.

I have the tool bars change every startup and I just get use to resetting them as described in the above post.
I have a two monitor setup (20 inch and 28 inch - want to go to 3 monitors).
20 inch left is the main. 28 inch right is secondary.
My tool bars are (customized: playback, drawing tooks, control).
They are up and out side MC in the upper blue drag section of MC.
(see above post on how to get them there fast and easy).
They are in the right monitor (secondary 28 inch).
On startup they all move to the left monitor and overlay each other in the upper blue drag area.

I have found that having the task bar on auto hide can make your tool bars hold better.

On the notebook (single monitor) they hold their position perfectly on every startup.

In MC 2.1.999.999 they held position on every startup by having them up in the left monitor up in the blue drag area and by having one of they just barely in the left monitor so that most of it was in the right monitor. I guess I just decided it was worth having them on the right monitor now and moving them every morning. I use a lot of arrow drops and I need them close to the chart in the 1 minute bars and 10 second bar charts. So the small effort on startup saves me a lot of time during the day by having them at the top right. Also my control program is in lower right of the 28" monitor and 90% of mouse activity is there too (again making it worth moving the tool bars every startup). It takes about 20 seconds I figure using the procedure above.

bowlesj3: are you sure it's a problem with MC and not with your monitor setup software ? (If it works ok on your single monitor)
I know I had some trouble getting my 4 monitors to work the way I wanted. I have IB on the far right screen and 3 MC windows in the left 3 monitors. I had to set some things in the Nvidia software and change others in Windows.

bowlesj3: are you sure it's a problem with MC and not with your monitor setup software ? (If it works ok on your single monitor)
I know I had some trouble getting my 4 monitors to work the way I wanted. I have IB on the far right screen and 3 MC windows in the left 3 monitors. I had to set some things in the Nvidia software and change others in Windows.

Hi sptrader,
I have the same monitor software (or same company at least). It never occured to me actually. I just sort of installed it and/or plugged in any new monitors and it worked and I never really went through the manuals or anything to learn it (never seemed to have the need).

that leads to another question:

with multiple screens,
do you close MC from the primary monitor?

that leads to another question:

with multiple screens,
do you close MC from the primary monitor?

** I close MC from monitor #1.

Lately I close mostely using file exit from the left Monitor (primary Monitor).

Question? What would I look at in the Nvidia software that might effect this? I checked and I only have the driver installed. During the time I had MC 2.1.999.999 I had a virus and had to format and reinstall everything. I just did the basic install of Nvidia. Prior to that it was installed at the shop buy the Owner who upgraded my machine so I could run MC. I don't know how he had it installed. However as I stated above, MC 2.1.999.999 could not even hold the tool bars on the right monitor at all. At least MC 6.0 can do that much. The MC 2.1.999.999 behavior did not change when I formatted/reloaded my machine.

Just checked: NVidia Geforce 7300 SE/7200 GS

I think we are talking about 2 different problems here, but I think it requires only 1 solution.

I keep my toolbar attached to the main window which is always on monitor #1.
John detaches his toolbars and locates them on monitor #2.

The info about the toolbars is located in the registry here: see attachment.

The problem is that MC fails to read the registry upon start-up and places all the toolbars (in my case) one on top of the other as shown in the original post. I am assuming that this happens to John also and we both have to reposition the toolbars where we want them.

One thing I notice about the registry is that a folder entry for one of the toolbars is missing. John probably spots it right away. Can you? Hint: My toolbars have been screwed up ever since this featured toolbar has been added. I'm not saying this is the problem - but it might be a symptom. The MC start-up script might be looking for it and can't find it then reverts back to a "default" toolbar position.

My original question is: is there a .reg setting or .dat file I can change or delete to force MC to remember the toolbar positions when it re-starts? The answer from the forum seems to be, no. But what do the programmers of MC have to say?

Can you? Hint: My toolbars have been screwed up ever since this featured toolbar has been added.

The playback tool bar of course. You gave me An idea Bob but I didn't get a cigar. I tried not having the playback tool bar and restarting MC but I get the same thing (tool bars go to the left monitor every time on startup).

Putting the tool bars up top is a great place if
1/ You have two or more monitors and
2/ they would stay there (seems like Stephen has it working).
or
1/ You have one monitor and
2/ You can customize them down in size so they fit on the upper area.

Before my upgrade for MC I used to have a software that could put popups on the left monitor or the right monitor or in the center. My MC popups go in the center (I seem to put up with things like this without even much noticing them but it is a bit of a pain now that I think of it having the popups in the center). Maybe I should see if there is any software on the NVidia disk that could put the popups on either side and just maybe this would fix the toolbar problem.

I just looked. I actually do not know if I got any CD on the upgrade. Maybe not. If so I might have lost it.

I was thinking about that prior double monitor software I had. It would be possible for it to force popups to be centered on one or the other monitor. However it could not do the same for tool bars since they typically will not be in the center (could be anywhere). Ideally MC should have control of this since it is software that is often run on multi monitors and of course TSS knows this. It is most likely just a matter of TSS not having the staff yet to get MC there. My guess is they will in time. In the mean time 10 to 20 seconds a day and all is well.

Hi John,

Agreed, 10 - 20 seconds is all it takes. As I doubt anyone from TSS will respond to this thread.

I installed MC on another computer and looked at the registry entries in the same location as the above post. It did not contain any entry for toolbars and seemed to work fine. No toolbar problem. I then went back to my main computer and backed up the "toolbars" registry and then deleted it, and rebooted. I started up MC and still, toolbars would not stay put even after several attempts and even rebooting. So, I guess I will try completely uninstalling (erasing all registry entries) and re-installing MC when I get around to it and see what happens. It's not a top priority...

MC uninstalled
deleted directories (all over the place), cleaned registry, reboot
MC installed, copy back-up files over
... Toolbars fixed ...

Infact I think it took longer to import and compile my studies than it did to reinstall MC. I really gotta pare down my 3 billion custom studies that I never use anymore...