Ensign: Custom Quote Page

Custom Quote pages are used to place a variety of symbols on one page. This allows traders to group similar symbols into one location. Custom pages are not listed by market group in alphabetical order. Instead, any symbol from any market group can be placed on a custom quote page, and in any order.

Creating and Using Custom Quote Pages
The Custom button and the adjacent drop down list box (in the top left corner of a quote window) are used to display and create custom quote pages. 

Custom quote pages are created by simply typing a new page name in the custom quote drop down list box. For example, to create a custom quote page named MYSTOCKS, click the mouse in the drop down list box and type in the word MYSTOCKS. Press the Enter key to complete the entry. The page will be cleared in preparation for symbols to be entered and arranged on the new page. A file on the hard disk will be created named MYSTOCKS.QUO. Only the first eight characters of your custom quote page name will be used for the filename. Therefore, do not use multiple custom quote pages that share the first eight characters.

A new custom quote page Tab labeled MYSTOCKS will appear at the bottom of the quote window. The tabs are used to quickly display different custom quote pages.  Click on a tab to switch to the indicated custom page.  The tabs can be rearranged by dragging a tab left or right.  Click on the Custom button to display the custom quote page shown in the drop down list box.  The custom page shown in the drop down list box can be changed by clicking on the box's down arrow and selecting a different page.

Note: Ensign Windows is installed with a custom quote page named 'Custom'. This custom page can be deleted, renamed, or used as desired. Also, typing a new name over the previously displayed name in the drop down list box does not harm or remove the previous custom quote page.

Entering Symbols on a Custom Page
There are two ways to enter symbols on a custom page, 1) manually typing the symbols from the keyboard, or 2) using the mouse to select and transfer symbols from market group quote pages.

1) Click the Add Symbol button to manually enter symbols. An entry window will appear that allows symbols to be typed. Type in a symbol and then press Enter. The symbol will be inserted into the custom quote page at the cursor location. The entry window will not close until the OK or Cancel button is clicked. Several symbols can be entered, one after another, to populate the custom page. 'Blank' rows can be entered by pressing the space bar and then Enter. Titles or Headings can be entered on a quote row by preceding the entered text with a space character. For example, entering ' GRAINS' will add the word GRAINS to the quote row.

The entry window allows 2 wildcard characters to be used when making symbol entries ( '?' and '*' ). The wildcard characters can be used to transfer several similar symbols to the custom quote page at the same time. The '?' character will substitute for any symbol character in the indicated character position. For example, an entry of SP?4 will add all symbols to a custom quote page that contain SP?4 plus one more character (ex. SPH4, SPM4, SPU4, etc.). The '*' character will match on the remainder characters of any symbol. For example, an entry of OEX* will add all symbols to a custom quote page that contain OEX plus any other letters or numbers (ex. OEXHA, OEXHB, OEXHC, etc.). Make sure that wildcard entries are made carefully to avoid unnecessary matches. For example, an entry of A* would add every stock, option, future, etc., that begins with the letter 'A' to the custom quote page.

2) Transfer a symbol to a custom quote page with the mouse by doing the following: a) select a market group, b) locate and select a symbol, c) click the Transfer button on the quotes button bar. The symbol will be transferred (copied) to the custom page shown in the drop down list box. Transferring symbols can also be accomplished by selecting Quotes | Transfer to Custom from the menu. To transfer several adjacent symbols from a market group to a custom quote page, drag the mouse over all the symbols to select them, and then click Transfer to transfer the selected symbols.

Using Relative References for Futures Symbols
Symbols from the 'Futures' market group can be added to a custom quote page by using a relative reference. The relative reference determines what the spot or lead month contract is, and displays the symbol in relation to the lead contract. This feature allows custom quote pages to be created for futures symbols without having to reorganize the page whenever a contract expires. The symbols will simply roll-up the page when the lead month expires.

A relative reference includes the futures symbol and the # character. For example, an entry of SP# is equal to the lead month for the S&P 500 futures contract. An entry of SP#1 equals the next contract out (lead contract plus one). An entry of SP#2 equals the next contract out, and so forth. Relative entries can be made for contracts as far as three years ahead. For example, an entry of CL#36 would equal the Crude Oil contract that is 36 contract months out in the future.

To enter relative references for futures symbols on a custom quote page click the Add Symbol button. Type the relative references in the entry window. Press Enter between each entry. For example, the front 4 contract months of US Bonds would be entered as US#, US#1, US#2, and US#3. Making these entries would cause the custom quote page to always display the front 4 contract months for US Bonds, regardless of the expirations.  Ensign Windows determines the correct contract month to display by using the continuation chart 'Month' table from the Symbol Properties table.  Select Set-Up | Symbol Properties to view or change the months associated with a future symbol's continuation chart roll-out schedule.

Sorting Symbols on a Custom Quote Page
Symbols that are entered on a custom quote page can be sorted in several ways. Symbols can be sorted Alphabetically, by Market Group, Up %, Down %, % Off High, % Off Low, % Range (similar to Fast Stochastic), and by Volume. Select Quotes | Sort from the menu to specify the sorting desired.

Renaming or Deleting a Custom Quote Page
To rename a custom quote page, select Quotes | Rename Custom Page from the menu and then enter a new name. To delete a custom quote page, display the custom quote page and then selectQuotes | Delete Custom Page from the menu. The custom quote page shown in the drop down list box will be deleted.

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