Schedule CoolTrade to Start Automatically

 

We recommend you keep your computer on at night so you can quickly start CoolTrade when the market opens in the morning. 

 

You can also set up your computer to turn on the Auto Trader as a scheduled task.  We recommend this so CoolTrade will start up automatically each day Monday through Friday, no more than 5 minutes before market open.  If you schedule CoolTrade to start 15 to 30 minutes before market open, it can encounter problems. 

 

We don’t recommend that you put your computer into Sleep or Hibernate mode at night.

 

Instructions will vary slightly whether you are using Windows Vista or Windows XP.

 

Instructions for those who use Interactive Brokers Trader WorkStation are also included.

 

 

Windows Vista Instructions

Go to your computer’s Control Panel.  You can access it by going to the Start, then All Programs menu, which is located in the bottom left corner of many desktops.

Click on Control Panel.

 

 

Start Menu 091609.jpg

 

Next, click on Administrative Tasks, Scheduled Tasks or a function with a similar name.  It will vary by computer.

 

Administrative Tools 091609.jpg

 

Then, click on Task Scheduler or a similar name.

Task Scheduler 091609.jpg

It’ll open a new window.  Go to the menu bar and select Action, then scroll down and select Create Task.

Vista Autostart Menu 091609.jpg

In the Name space, type in “CoolTrade.” 

Click OK.

 

Vista Autostart General.jpg

 

 

Then, click on the Triggers Tab and click on “New.”

 

Vista Autostart Triggers Menu 091609.jpg

 

Select to run CoolTrade Weekly, not Daily. Select to Recur every 1 week on Monday through Friday. 

Set the time to start no earlier than 5 minutes before market open.  If you schedule CoolTrade to start 15 to 30 minutes before market open, it can encounter problems. 

Click OK.

 

Vista Autostart Edit Trigger.jpg

 

It will bring you back to the Triggers Menu.  Now, click on the Actions tab, then on New.

 

Vista Autostart Actions Menu 091609.jpg

 

Click on Browse and select CoolTrade.

Under Optional Arguments, enter ”/a. “ Note the forward slash before the “a.”  This is a common error.   

The /a means "automated" and it’ll bypass the login screen and will use the last CoolTrade user ID/password that was run.

Note that it will also run in the same mode, simulation or live, and will use the same data source and brokerage.

Click OK.

 

 

Vista Autostart New Action 091609.jpg

 

It will bring you back to the Actions Menu.  Click on the Conditions Tab.

Generally, we recommend the settings as shown below. 

If you hibernate your PC every night, you can select "Wake the computer to run this task" and the PC will turn itself on and run CoolTrade for you. 

Click OK.


Vista Autostart Conditions.jpg

 

It will bring you back to the Conditions Menu.  Click on the Settings Tab.

Generally, we recommend the settings as shown below. 

Click OK.

 

Vista Autostart Settings.jpg

It will bring you back to the Task Scheduler Menu. 

If you need to make changes later, right click on CoolTrade and then click on Properties.

 

Vista Autostart Completed Task Sched 091609.jpg


 


Windows XP Instructions

 

Go to the Start menu, which is located in the bottom left corner of many desktops.

Control Panel will appear among All Programs menu.

Click on Control Panel.

Scroll down to Scheduled Tasks. 

Click on Add Scheduled Task

 

XP Start Menu 091609.JPG

 

The Scheduled Task Wizard will open.  Click on Next.

 

XP Schedule Task Wizard 091609.JPG

 

A list of Applications (programs) to run will appear.

Scroll down to “Launch CoolTrade.exe.”

Hit Next.

 

XP Sched Task Choose CT 091609.JPG

 

 

 

 

 

Select to run CoolTrade Weekly, not Daily. Select to Recur every 1 week on Monday through Friday. 

Click OK.

 

XP Sched Task Frequency 091609.JPG

 

 

Set the time to start no earlier than 5 minutes before market open.  If you schedule CoolTrade to start 15 to 30 minutes before market open, it can encounter problems. 

Click Next.

 

XP Sched Task Time 091609.JPG

 

 

If you have a password, enter it as shown below.

Click Next.

 

XP Sched Task Password 091609.JPG

 

When you’ve finished entering the task information in the Wizard, select the option to return to the “advanced properties.”

Click Finish.

 

XP Sched Task Finish 091609.JPG

 

 

 

 

The Launch Cooltrade Task Menu will appear. 

Go to Run.  After C\PROGRA~1\COOLTR~1\CoolTrade.exe enter:

          “  /a”

 

Note the space and the forward slash before the “a.”  This is a common error.  

The /a means "automated" and it’ll bypass the login screen and will use the last CoolTrade user ID/password that was run.

Note that it will also run in the same mode, simulation or live, and will use the same data source and brokerage.

In the “Start In” line, enter:

          C:\PROGRA~1\COOLTR~1

 

Click Apply.

Then click OK.

 

 

Autostartsettings XP 082809.jpg

 

 

Interactive Brokers (IB) Trader Work Station (TWS)

Many users set CoolTrade so that when it shuts down, it also shuts down their broker’s application.  (That is set in the Automated Trader Preferences screen - CLOSE YOUR BROKERS APPLICATION ON PROGRAM EXIT).

Interactive Brokers has a requirement that their trading software shuts down each and every night. 


When the Automated Trader using IB starts in the morning, it starts TWS and then logs into it. 

          IB has 2 security methods which you must work around for an auto start:

1)    Security-pin program – You must opt out to allow auto start. You can request a form from the IB website and fax it back to them.  If you do not opt-out of that program, then TWS will always prompt for that security code and it will not log in without it.

2)      Security device - You need to have TWS running independently of CoolTrade in the morning. Just log into TWS, and let CoolTrade run as scheduled above and it will attach to TWS.

 



Regina Guinn CoolTrade Article

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