How To

 

License:

Java:

ZLT Install:

TWS:

ZLT Usage:

 

How to report problem?

Visit our bug tracking (BT) system at www.zerolinetrader.com/bt and report the issue with following information:

1. The description of the problem and detail steps to duplicate the problem if the problem can be duplicated. 

Following information will be very helpful: 

2. The log files. The log files can be found in {ZLT Install Directory}/user/log, e.g., C:\Program Files\ZeroLine Trader\user\log\.  The log file has the session start date and time information in the file name.

How to connect to IB's TWS ?

1. Start IB's TWS. (If you do not have an account with IB, you can still run the TWS software and then login in as demo user.)

2. Make sure the Enable ActiveX and Socket Clients is checked as shown in the figure.

3. Start ZeroLine Trader or ZeroLine SimTrader.

4. Find the TWS's connection dialog and click Yes.

 

How to login to IB's Demo TWS?

For Demo Individual Account:
User Name:edemo
Password:demouser

For Demo Financial Advisor Account:
User Name:fdemo
Password:demouser


Just run TWS as usual and login with above user name and password.

The quote in demo account is delayed and no historical data there either.
 

 

How to add a new instrument instantly in the ZLT main window?

  1. Make sure the Instrument/Order Reason column is shown in the main window.
  2. Double click the Instrument cell in an empty row.
  3. Type the string IBM-STK-SMART-USD in the cell and hit the Enter key.
  4. Now you can trade the IBM-STK-SMART-USD.

The syntax of the instrument string is Symbol-SecType-Exchange-Currency.

Note: For stocks, you can just type the symbol, for example, just IBM.

 

How to add a new instrument (i.e., stock,  futures contract, currency contract or options contract) ?

If the instrument you want to trade is not listed in the main window, check if it is listed in the Data Server. If not, follow the steps to add it:

  1. Select Configure -> Components ... from the menu bar of the ZLT main window.
  2. In Components dialog, select the instrument type, for example Futures, in the left panel.
  3. Right click on the instrument table on the right panel, for example the Futures table,  and select New.

  1. Notice a new instrument is created with default values

  1. Define the instrument parameters in the Details tab.
  2. Define the sessions in the Sessions tab. You can right click on the sessions table and select Load default sessions.

 

Following is the step to add an instrument into the ZLT main window.

  1. Now go back to the main window. Right click on an empty row and select Select Instrument.

 

Note: Multiple data rows can be inserted for one instrument and each data row can have different trading strategy.

 

How to find instrument attributes, such as Price Scale, Mulitplier(Point Value) and Minimum Price Fluctuation(Tick)?

Following are the detailed steps on how to find those attributes for Emini Euro Index E7.

  1. Add the E7 instrument into TWS.
  2. In TWS, right click on the E7 row. Select Contract Info and then Details.

  1. The Query Result window will popup. And there are the instrument's attributes:

  1. Here is how E7 is defined in ZLT:

How to create a new layout?

  1. Open the page whose layout will be the basis for the new layout.
  2. Select Page->Save Layout As  and enter the new layout name.
  3. Click the "Save Layout As" button. A new layout file with the given name will be created under the directory {APP_HOME}\user\layouts\.

 

How to rollover an instrument?

For futures or commodity instruments,

  1. In the main window's menu bar, select Configure->Components ... to open the Components window.
    Select one or multiple instruments and the select Set Expiry...:

  1. The Set Expiry dialog pops up. Type in the new expiry, for example, 200706.

  1. Note the expiry fields of the selected instruments are set to the new expiry:

Note: If there are data lines in the main window that are based on this instrument, those data lines will be automatically updated to reflex the new expiry.

How to import/export instrument(s)?

  1. In the main window's menu bar, select Configure->Components ... to open the Components window.
  2. Right click on the Instruments node in the Components tree, select Import or Export menu item to import or export all the instruments in ZLT.

If Export menu item is selected, the Export Instruments dialog pops up. Select an XML file where the instruments will be exported to. ZLT will overwrite the existing file. To export to a new file, just type the new file name in the File Name field.

 

If the Import menu item is selected, the Import Instruments dialog pops up. Select an XML file that is generated by ZLT exporting instruments.

Instead of exporting all the instruments, the user can also export only the selected instruments. In the Instruments table, right click on the selected instruments and then select Export.

 

 

How to trade in sim mode?

ZLT offers the capability to trade live and sim at the same time. There is no need to switching modes. See doc here for details.

How to modify an order?

There are five ways to modify an order:

  1. Move the mouse over the lmt price cell, the aux price cell or the quantity cell and scroll the mouse wheel.
  2. Move the mouse over the "T" (Transmit) cell and scroll the mouse wheel. This is the way to modify the price and transmit the order without moving the mouse around.
  3. Use Shortcuts. For example, press F1 to decrease the lmt price and F2 to increase the lmt price.
  4. Double click the price/size cell and then scroll the mouse wheel.
  5. Double click the price/size cell and type in the new value.

 

How to export executions to csv file?

Please refer to execution export documentation.

 

How to set position to zero in a data line?

In certain cases, you may want to set the position to zero in a data line so the program will stop tracking it. 

Just move the cursor over the position cell and scroll the mouse wheel to bring the number to zero. Or you can double click the position cell and edit the number by keyboard.
 

How to find the HardwareID.txt file?

1. Download and install the latest ZLT.

2. Run ZLT at least once.

3. The HardwareID.txt file is at {INSTALL DIRECTORY}\HardwareID.txt, for example, C:\Program Files\ZeroLine Trader\HardwareID.txt.
 

How to install the license file?

If the .key file is received as email attachment, save the attachment to disk.
If you receive the zipped .key license file, unzip it and save the .key license file to disk.

Open a File Explorer and find the .key you just saved.

Method 1

Just double click the .key file inside your email program.

Method 2

  1. Save the .key file attachment to disk
  2. Open a File Explorer and find the .key you just saved.
  3. Double click the .key to install it into the registry.

Method 3 If double clicking on the .key file doesn't work,

  1. Start->Run ...


     
  2. Type regedit and click OK.

  1. Then the Registry Editor window will pop up. Make sure both the Window Explorer and Registry Editor are visible.


     
  2. Drag the .key file from the Window Explorer into the Registry Editor window.

 

How to open and save the license file if it is disabled in the Outlook Express?

If you cannot open the license file attachment and you are using Outlook Express, please follow the directions below.

1. In Outlook Express, on the Tools menu, click Options.

2. Click the Security tab.

3. Under Virus Protection, clear the Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus check box.

4. Click OK to save your changes.

After you have opened and saved the license file, you must reset this security option.

 

How to check Java version number?

  1. Click Start->Control Panel->Java to open the Java Control Panel dialog:

  1. Click the About ... button:

  1. The Java version here is : Version 1.6.0 (build 1.6.0-b105)

How to check if the JRE is properly installed?

The simplest way to fix the "JRE not found" error is to download and re-install the latest JRE for J2SE from java.sun.com or www.java.com.

If you are interested in finding out why the JRE is not found, follow the following steps and check if the jvm.dll exists on your system in the specific location.

 

  1. Run regedit : Click on  Start, select Run..., type regedit in the Run dialog and click OK.

  1. In Registry Editor window, find and click the node My Computer->HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE->SOFTWARE->JavaSoft->Java Runtime Environment.

3. Note the version number for CurrentVersion in the right pane.  It is 1.5 in the above screen shot.

4. Click the node whose name is the same as the CurrentVersion, 1.5 as in this example.

 

5. In the right side panel, note the value for RuntimeLib. In this case, it is C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0\bin\client\jvm.dll.

6. Check if the C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0\bin\client\jvm.dll exists on your system. If not, reinstall the JRE.

How to download and install the latest JRE?

Method I

  1. Visit http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads.
  2. Find Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 6 Update 7 and click the Download button.
  3. The install process is straightforward. If you need help, click the Installation Instructions link under the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 6 Update 7.
  4. Contact support@zerolinetrader.com if you still have any questions.

Method II

  1. Download ZLT Java 6 Update 7 Installer;
  2. Run the downloaded installer by double-clicking on it;
  3. Follow the instructions the installer provides;
  4. In the "Select Destination Location" step, please select the the folder "jre1.6.0_03" under your ZLT installation folder. For example, if the ZLT is installed at C:\Program Files\ZeroLine Trader, the destination folder should be C:\Program Files\ZeroLine Trader\jre1.6.0_03.
  5. When done with the installation, you can delete the installer file to recover disk space.

How to do a clean install?

  1. Uninstall the existing ZLT through the Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel.
  2. Delete the ZLT folder, such as, C:\Program Files\ZeroLine Trader.
  3. Download the latest installer.
  4. Run the installer.

 

Home