SortWizard – Stock Screening and Stock Scanning Software, Search Development and Consulting

Tutorial #1:

Identify NASDAQ stocks with good liquidity (more than 1,000,000 shares traded) and volatility (trading range greater than 2 points) in the previous session. As a active trader, you will find that this search will identify a good base of stocks that can be scalped for gains in the next trading session.

SortWizard Setup:

1. Get started by using the "Default _user" file that opens automatically when the SortWizard startups. This file is a good file to use for building your initial searches as it has some of the basic criteria you should always use to create a new search. You will find later on that you will want to use other searches as your starting point for building new ones because they will contain more personalized criteria.
2. Setup Search Criteria: Click on the (Search Parameters Setup) on the tool bar to bring up the Search Parameters Setup screen.
     Trading Volume Greater than 1,000,000: Click on Tot Vol in the Field List list box. In the Searching Method box, you will see that it already says "Greater than or equal to (Value 1).   Then in the "Value 1" box, edit the 50000 to display 1000000 (do not use commas when inserting numbers here).
     Add a Net Change range from yesterdays close: In this case would like to see the storks with a Net Change greater than 2 and less than -2. Click on the Net Chg field in the Field List and then in the Search Criteria Setup select: "Outside (Value1) and (Value 2) inclusive. Type in @ in the Value 1 box and -2 in the the Value 2 box.
      Add a Trading Range Greater than 2: In the list box on the right named "Field List", click on "Rng(day)". In the Search Criteria Setup dialog box, click on the drop down arrow and then click on "Greater than or equal to".   In the "Value 1" box, type the number 2.
      Remove any unneeded search criteria: Check the "Search Criteria Summary" box below the "Search Criteria Setup" to verify the entries you have made for your search are as you intended. Note that the names for the fields you selected are represented by the names used by the data feed server. You can click on the Field in the Summary box to quickly get back to a field to modify it if you like. To remove Criteria from a search, select the Field and in the "Search Criteria Setup" select "No Criteria Selected". Once your are satisfied with your search setup, click on either "Hide" at the bottom of the Setup window or the "X" box in the upper right hand corner.

3. Save this Search: Before performing this search, let's save it by clicking on "File" on the menu bar and then "Save As". Give this search a name such as "NASDAQ stocks with good liquidity and volatility". Then click on "Save".
4. Run the Search: Click on (Do Search) on the tool bar to run the search. Be sure to do this after the close of a trading session to ensure complete data is available. Do not run this search in the prior to the open because that data may have been already reset in preparation for the next trading session. The Results will appear in the upper window of the Sort Wizard page. This window can be resized by dragging the bar that divides the upper and lower windows when the double arrow appears.
5. Setup Columns: It is easiest to follow the column setup after running the search. For this strategy we want the first seven columns to be as follows: Symbol, Last Price, Net Chg, Range, High, Low, Volume. First, you should right click on the column heading "Symbol" and then click on "Freeze." Freezing this column ensures that it will always show in your window, even if you scroll to the right. If you freeze other columns, they will each become locked on the left of the window in the order you freeze them. For this strategy, we will only freeze Symbol and setup the remaining columns in a different way. The next two columns, Last Price and Net Chg are in the correct place so we will leave them alone. Next click on the column heading "Range" to highlight the column. Then, click on the column heading again but without releasing and drag the column to the left until the red line that appears is on the right hand side of the "Net Chg" column. Repeat this process for the High, Low, and Volume columns. Save again by Clicking on the Save icon on the toolbar so you do not lose the column setup.
6. Sort the result by "Range": To find the stocks with the greatest daily range, double click on the column heading "Range" (previously "Rng(day)"). This will sort the results in ascending or descending order. Repeated double clicking on the column heading will toggle the sort between ascending and descending order.
7. To run this search daily: Open the file saved in step 4 above using (Open) or File-Open on the menu bar. Then proceed with steps 5 through 7 above.
8. To move the symbols to a Market Minder: click on a symbol or highlight a group of symbols and drag them to your Market Minder in RealTick.
    To export data to a spread sheet or to RealTick: To export the data, it must be transferred to the lower window on the Sort Wizard page. To do this, Select the symbols you would like to export or click on (Select All in Current List) or hold down the Ctrl key and type "a" to highlight all of the lines. Once this is done, click on (Move to Basket) to transfer the symbols down.
      Export to RealTick using File-Export SLF File on the menu bar. Name and save this file in the "Program Files\Townsend Analytics\Parm" folder. This referenced "*.slf" file can be loaded by name directly into a Market Minder in Real Tick III.
       Export to a spread sheet using File-Export Data on the menu bar. Name and save this file in the folder of your choice. Make sure you list "All Files" when you are opening this file in MS Excel.

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Tutorial #2; Gap & Snap:

This strategy is one of our favorites because we have found that it yields gains with a high degree of reliability. As presented here, we assume you will be buying stocks in a strong market. In weak markets, you can work this strategy in the opposite way to short stocks.

Often, when a stock gaps up at the opening of trading, it can be an indication that the stock is very strong and will continue to rise. However, gapping stocks might also be met with strong resistance, only briefly trading up from their open and then falling to trade at lower levels for the remainder of the day. As a day trader, you will want to identify and trade those gapping stocks that are more likely to continue to trade strongly while ignoring those that are weak after opening strong.

This Gap & Snap strategy identifies the best gapping stocks, and we use SortWizard to assist our execution of the strategy.

This strategy works by identifying stocks that gap up by at least 5/8 at the opening of trading. We then let those stocks trade for a full 30 minutes and mark the high that each of them reaches during that period. The stocks are bought that day only after they trade above their 30-minute high. When you have purchased a stock, you should determine your stop based on the degree of risk you are willing to take. However, your stop should be no lower than 1/16 below the low reached during the first 30 minutes of trading.

Finally, if a stock trades below its first 30-minute low before it breaks its 30-minute high, the strategy is invalid.

This strategy has had a high degree of reliability to give gains of ½ point or more.

SortWizard Setup:

Make sure you save *.stk files to be downloaded to the folder: c:\Program Files\Neo Inc\SortWizard

1. Download the Gap and Snap file that you can use to execute the Gap & Snap Strategy. This file, named Demo_Gap and Snap.STK., updates and replaces a file of the same name in SortWizard. You should save this file in your c:\Program Files\Neo Inc\SortWizard folder. After you have saved the file, open it by clicking (Open) on the tool bar or using "File" on the menu bar and then select "Open" . This file has been pre-set to screen stocks with trade price in the range 10-50 that gap up by 5/8 or more at the open and have volume of 100,000 or more during the first 30 minutes of trading. These parameters can be changed by clicking (Search Parameters Setup) on the tool bar and changing the "Trd Price", "Gap", or "Vol" selection properties. (If you change the parameters, remember to save the new search.) Press "Hide" to exit the Search Parameters Setup window. Do not press "Start" at this time or you will activate the auto refresh. We will use that capability later.
2. At 10:00 eastern time or shortly before, perform the search by clicking (Do Search). This will bring up all stocks with the requested trade price, gap and volume.
3. The resulting stocks should be inputted to the Real Tick III alarm program so that they will alert you once they trade above their highs listed in the third column. Entering the alarms can be imported into RealTick in Version 7 as an "slf" otherwise the entries will need to be entered manually into the alarms. If you limit the number of stocks to be monitored by reducing the Trade Price range or increasing the minimum Gap criteria that can help.
4. Once you have set alarms for the identified stocks, you can use SortWizard's auto refresh capability. First double click on the column heading "%Rng(day)" so that the stocks are sorted in decreasing order. Then click on (Search Parameters Setup). You will note in the Searching Mode box that it is set to Auto Refresh every 2 minutes. You can change the timing if you wish. Press "Start" to begin the Auto Refresh and then press "Hide" to close the box. A line near the bottom of the window will now tell you how frequently you are Auto Refreshing. Please note that we use Auto Refresh so that our list of stocks will not change. If we were to use Auto Clr & Search, our list would change over time as new stocks would be added as they met the minimum volume criterion.
5. As the data refreshes, you can closely monitor the stocks near the top of the list as they are the ones closest to breaking out above their highs.
6. Finally, by checking the "News Date" and "News Time" columns, you can quickly determine if there is a news item out for a gapping stock.

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Tutorial #3: Identify Pre-market gaps

Identify NASDAQ stocks that are gapping up or down pre-market. This strategy shows you how to identify pre-market gaps and should be very valuable in helping you prepare for the trading day or even showing you where you might be able to trade profitably before the market opens. These stocks can also be tracked as the day progresses with one of the SortWizard's auto functions.

SortWizard Setup:

1. Download Gap Up is the NASDAQ Pre-Market Gap Up Detection file that you can use to detect pre-market gaps ups for NASDAQ stocks. Or Download the Gap Down file for NASDAQ Pre-Market Gap Down Detection. You should save this file in your c:\Program Files\Neo Inc\SortWizard folder.
2. Open either of the downloaded files, (Demo_NASDAQ Pre-Market Gap Detect Up - Price 10-50.STK or Demo_NASDAQ Pre-Market Gap Detect Down - Price 10-50.STK) by clicking (Open) on the tool bar or using "File | Open..." on the menu bar. Next, click on (Search Parameters Setup) on the tool bar. You will note that this file has been pre-set to screen stocks with trade price in the range 10-50. This range can be modified by changing the "Trd Price" selection properties. (If you change the parameters, remember to save the new search.) You will also note that the Searching Mode has been set to Auto Clear & Search every 2 minutes. Begin the auto search by clicking on "Clear & Start" and then "Hide" to exit the window.
3. The "Pre-Mkt Gap Up" column in the Pre-Market Gap Up file measures the difference between the current best bid and the last price (last price does not include pre-market trades). The "% Gap Up" represents the gap up as a percent of the last price. Sort the stocks in descending gap order by double clicking on column heading of either column. The auto search will automatically sort the new data as well. Please note, actual pre-market trades may be taking place at lower prices than the pre-market best bid, so be sure to confirm gapping information on a time & sales screen.
4. The "Pre-Mkt Gap Dn" column in the Pre-Market Gap Down file measures the difference between the current best offer and the last price. The "% Gap Dn" represents the gap down as a percent of the last price. Sort the stocks in ascending gap order by double clicking on column heading of either column.
5. Finally, by checking the "News Date" and "News Time" columns, you can quickly determine if there is a news item out for a gapping stock.
6. Now, let's make the two scans a little me easier to call up in the morning by creating a Workspace. Open both pre-market searches at the same time. Position and size them so you can see them both at the same time and the way you would like them to appear. Now position the SortWizard on your screen where you like it for everyday use and where you would like it to position itself upon opening the next time you start it up. Click “Workspace” on the menu bar and select “Save Workspace As”. Name your Workspace making sure it is saved in the SortWizard folder. When you want to open the Workspace tomorrow, click “Workspace” on the menu bar again and click on “Recent Workspaces”. This will open a list box and then select and click on the Workspace you would like to open.

Those three strategies are some ideas on how you can use the SortWizard to set up your own searches and create your strategies.

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Tutorial #4 Productivity Tips

Tip #1 A tip to make analysis easier by linking the SortWizard directly with RealTick:

We are going to link the symbol you select in the SortWizard search results to the Level 2 Market Maker window of your choice in RealTick. To do this open a scan of your choice. Run the search. From the SortWizard’s display window select a security from the list of scan results by clicking on the stock symbol. That should highlight the entire row for that symbol. On the SortWizard’s toolbar locate the icon that looks like a miniature Level 2 window with a “1” in it . When you move your mouse arrow over the icon, a prompt will pop up that says “RealTick MarketMaker 1”. Left click on that icon. A window will open named “MarketMaker 1 Setup”. Select the Level 2 you wish to direct symbols to from the list displayed by clicking on one of the windows listed. Click “OK” The symbol you selected from the SortWizard should now be displayed in the Level 2 window you selected.

Once you have your target symbol set up all you need to do now is click on the symbol in the SortWizard and then click on the toolbar icon you set up above. Then symbols should now be displayed in your RealTick Level 2 window.

If you want to link to charts directly, repeat the process in the first paragraph above except select the RealTick Chart link icon that is the icon to the left of the one you used above. The rest of the procedure is identical to what you performed for setting up a Market Marker link except that you can link multiple charts. To link to multiple charts when selecting from the list of available charts list, press down and hold on the Ctrl key down and left click on the charts you want to link. Then reelease the the Crtl key and click on the OK button.

If the above procedure does not work properly, it is because you have the Order Entry Screen (OES) opened for that specific Level 2 window. Click on the target Market Maker, press the F7 key to close the OES. Repeat the steps above to set the target Market Maker window. Once you have set the link Press F7 to open the OES.

To make the process even more efficient you can set up a shortcut key on your keyboard. To do that click on the "Tools" in the menu bar and select "Keyboard Shortcuts". From the Select a macro list box, select Link:MarketMaker1 (MMaker1), click the "Create Shortcut" button at the bottom of the list box. In the Assign Shortcut dialog box click in the field with "None" displayed. Select a key from your keyboard like F4 or F5, click "OK" to assign the shortcut and the click "OK" to close the Shortcut Keys window. Now you can use the shortcut key instead for the icon on the toolbar.

Tip #2 A tip to make viewing your symbol display list easier by converting decimals to a percentage (if applicable), using colors and commas and renaming column headings.

Let’s use an example to illustrate how this works. Select a scan of your choice. Initiate the scan by clicking on the “Binoculars” icon on the toolbar. You can edit the column format by going to the Search Parameters Setup window, select the “Column Display Setup” tab. Click on the column Net Chg from the “Field List” list box. To the left you will find the “Column Setup” section. In the "Label" field Type "Test". This will display the Net Chg display column heading to Test. For longer column headings, putting spaces in the label will enable the column heading to wrap underneath itself when you resize it and reduce the overall column width. For example; a "TestTest" label would be better set up as "Test Test".

In the “Display Type” field, click the down arrow, select “Percent (x100%)“. You will probably want to change the “Precision” by clicking on the down arrow to the right and selecting “0.0”. Then if you selected a column like Net Chg you could check to box after “AutoColor” to display the numbers in green if they are positive and red if they are negative.

Either exit out of the search you are using without saving or go back to the Display Type field and change Percent back to Decimal +/- and rename the label back to Net Chg to set the field back to its original configuration.

Tip #3 A tip to make analysis easier by using the SortWizard’s sorting functions.

There are a three ways to sort a column with the SortWizard. The most commonly used method is simply to double click on the column heading. Repeated double clicks on the heading will toggle the column sortation back and forth between ascending and descending order. Another choice would be to right click on the column heading and select “Set Primary Sort” then select either “Ascending” or “Descending”. Selecting Ascending will place a “/\" in the column heading and for Descending a “\/”. Now go to your second most important column and right click on the column heading and select “Select Secondary Sort”. Set the sort order and the secondary sort order will be displayed in the column heading as either a “/\/\" or “\/\/”. The secondary sortation will sort the results of that column by each primary sort level/group.

Let’s use an example to illustrate how this works. Select the a sample scan found in “User Files” named “Sample_Strong Upward Pressure with News.STK”. Initiate a scan (during normal trading hours) by clicking on the “Binoculars” icon on the toolbar. This should display a list of stocks that are moving up in the day. Find the column “%Rng(day)” (percentage range of the day; 100% = the high of the day). Right click on the column, select Set Primary Sort” and select “Descending”. This should place all the 100% results at the top of the list. Then right click on the column “Net Chg”, select “Set Secondary Sort” and select “Ascending”. This will sort all the Net Chgs in ascending order within the 100% %Rng(day) group.

Tip #4 Here is a tip to make using the SortWizard easier by using Workspaces.

To illustrate how this works, open up 2 to 4 searches. Position and size the searches so you can see them all (just like you would a RealTick page). Now position the SortWizard on your screen where you like it for everyday use and where you would like it to position itself upon opening the next time you start it up. Click “Workspace” on the menu bar and select “Save Workspace As”. Name your Workspace making sure it is saved in the SortWizard folder. Click “Workspace” on the menu bar again and click on “Load Workspace on Start”. This will place a check mark in front of the selection and then load the last Workspace you had open when you start the SortWizard up again.

You can set up as many Workspaces as you like. Open them by clicking on “Workspace” on the menu bar and select “Recent Workspaces” then click on the Workspace you would like to use.

Tip #5 You can save some of your desktop space by removing the integrated web browser in the lower section of the SortWizard window.

The purpose of the integrated browser window is to inform you of new features, developments and updates regarding the SortWizard. So, after we show you how to turn it off, you might want to check back from time to time to see if there is something new being announced.

Go to the menu bar at the top of the SortWizard. Select "View" and then uncheck the selection "Show Internet Explorer window". The check mark to the left should now be removed. Now when you look for news on a symbol (reference Tip #6 below) or click on the Globe and spyglass on the tool bar to go to the SortWizard web site, a separate session of your browser will be launched with your web site selection displayed in it.

Tip #6 We find a lot of our customers like trading news events. To make this easier, here's how to use the SortWizard's direct link to news:

Let’s use an example to illustrate how this works. Select a scan of your choice. Initiate the scan by clicking on the “Binoculars” icon on the toolbar. Right click on any symbol from the list of stocks displayed. That will spawn a list box. Left click on “Web Links”. Select “Yahoo Investments”. That will display the latest news about the symbol you selected in the integrated browser in the lower section of the SortWizard.

If you have “Show Internet Explorer window” unchecked per Tip #5, right click on a symbol from the SortWizard display, select “Web Links” and then for example “Yahoo Investments”. That should spawn a new session of Internet Explorer and display the news information for that symbol in that new window.

Tip #7 A tip making analysis easier by using the SortWizard's Ignore Symbol functions.

Let’s assume you have analyzed a symbol and would like to eliminate it from subsequent scan results. Select a scan of your choice. Initiate the scan by clicking on the “Binoculars” icon on the toolbar. Right click on your chosen symbol from the list of stocks displayed. That will spawn a list box. Left click on “Ignore Symbols”. Select “Ignore Symbol Local”. That will place the symbol you selected in an ignore list. That symbol will no longer show up in the scan until you close the scan file. When the file is closed, all locally ignored symbols will be restored. If you would like to remove a symbol permanently, select “Ignore Symbol Globally”. That will place the symbol you selected in an permanent ignore list for all scans. You can edit the global list by going to the Search Parameters Setup window select the “Global Settings” tab and remove the symbols from the ignore list in the “Ignore Symbols” section of that window. Check the box in front of symbol(s) you wish to restore and then click the “Remove checked items” button.

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Tutorial #5 For SortWizard Plus subscribers:

An example for creating a search using Formulas and Limits

If you have the SortWizard Plus, click here to learn more about its capabilities.

We are going to create a search from scratch that will looks for stocks that have turned up from a downward trend. The get started, click on the "Template Files" tile in the file browser on the left of the SortWizard's display. Select "Default". Open the Parameters Setup window for the Default file. Under the "Primary Criteria' tab select Chg Open and Net Chg and set both of those to be "Greater than or equal to" ".5". This will eliminate stocks that are not sufficiently active at this point and also speed up the search. Leave the Parameters window open. Click on "File" in the Menu Bar, select "Save as" and name the search "Plus Pullback Reversal".

1. Adding required fields:

In the Parameters Setup window for the Default file , click the "Add/Remove Fields" tab. In "Field List" select "SORTWIZARD" in the "Server" list box. This displays all the fields available in the large list box below "Sub Type". There are presently two "Tables" for data to chose from. For This example select the "TODAY" table.

From the list box below "Sub Type". Select "Avg Vol 20", click the button to move that field to the "Selected Fields" list box on the left. Repeat this process for Mov Avg 10, Mov Ave 20 and Mov Ave 50.

Select the field "Days in a trend(Close)" and move that to the "Selected Fields" list box. This field displays the number of sequential days a stock has moved up or down in a row. In this example we are looking for stocks that have be down 3 or more days in a row. Go to the Parameters Setup window, select "Days in a trend" and set the criteria to "Less than or equal to" and enter "-3" in Value 1 field.

2. Creating a Limit:

A Limit is a True / False conditional statement. If the criteria is met (True), then the symbols that qualify are allowed to flow into the search. If the criteria is not met (False), the the symbols are eliminated.

First, we are going to set up some moving average limits. Click on the "Limits" tab in Parameters Setup. Click the button. "New Limit" is displayed. Click to the right of the "=" under "FORMULA=". Double click on the Mov Ave 10, that places the field into the formula bar. Type ">". The double click on Mov Ave 50. Your Limit should now look exactly like this in the formula bar: "=MA_10>MA_50". Click the check box in front of the "New Limit"; the sets the Limit and makes it an active Limit. Repeat this process to add the Limit Mov Ave 10 > Mov Ave 20.

Now we will set up an automatic volume ratchet. This will set the minimum volume criteria at 20000 at the beginning of the day and ratchet it up to 300000 by the end of the day. Click on the "Limits" tab in Parameters Setup. Click the button. "New Limit" is displayed. Click to the right of the "=" under "FORMULA=". Double click on "Tot Vol". Type ">". Then type 20000, then "+" to add, then "(MKTOPENRATIO()*280000)" Your Limit should now look exactly like this in the formula bar: "=ACVOL_1>20000+(MKTOPENRATIO()*280000)". Click the check box in front of the "New Limit" to set the Limit and make it active. Click here for MKTOPENRATIO() definition. Check out the ISNEW() function while you are there.

3. Creating a Formula:

We are going to create a formula that allows you to adjust the criteria for on pace volume. This formula will provide a reference of the current day's accumulated volume as compared to the historic average volume. A result of "1" means that it is on pace, at the time of the search, to finish the day at the the average volume that is selected in the formula.

In the Search Parameters Setup window, select the " Formulas" tab. Click the button. Name your new formula in the blank FID (Field ID) Name field. For this example "AvVol20pace". Make sure " Data Type" is set to Decimal/Fraction. Click the Accept button.

In the Selected Fields list box, check the box in front of your new FID Name field "AvVol20pace". This will make the Field viewable in the Primary Criteria Field List list box. You will be setting the qualification criteria for the formula under the " Primary Criteria" tab.

Just below the there is a check box that says: "When checked, double click... ". Check that box to activate that function. Click just to the right of the "fx =" in the formula line below (just like in Limits). Double click on " Tot Vol" field in the Selected Fields list box. That inserts "ACVOL_1". Then type "/" to divide. Then type "(" to set the order of operation for the division portion of the formula. Now type "MKTOPENRATIO()". Type "*" to multiply. Double click on "Avg Vol 20" field in the Selected Fields list box. That will insert "AvgVol_20 into the formula bar. Then type ")" to close the expression. The completed formula should look like this: =ACVOL_1/(MKTOPENRATIO()* AvgVol_20). Check your formula by clicking on the button. If there is an error, this function will tell you the nature of the error and mark its location with a "^" in your formula. Uncheck the check the box just below the that says: "When checked, double click... " to turn off the special inserting function.

As in spreadsheets, once you move to another area (a cell in Excel) the formula is saved. There is no need to save at this point (although you can by clicking on the Save icon at the bottom Parameters Setup window). Or, just click the " Primary Criteria" tab. Then, select "AvVol20pace" from the Field List list box. Go to the Search Criteria Setup box. Select " Greater than......." and enter "1" in Value 1 field. This will set the criteria to find stocks with trading volume on pace with their historic 20 day average volume.

Test the search to make sure the search runs. Now save the search to make you retain your work.

This search can be modified in a number of ways to suit your specific requirements. Try changing some of the variables to either tighten or loosen the parameters to return either less or more symbols or to adjust for market conditions.

In case you are having trouble creating this search, download the file by clicking here.

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Tutorial #6 For SortWizard Plus subscribers:

Examples for creating specific search elements using the Formulas function.

1. Stocks trading at their 200 Moving Average:

Click on the "Add/Remove Fields" tab. Add the "Mov Avg 200" field from the "SORTWIZARD" Server "TODAY" Table to your Selected Fields.

Click on the "Formulas" tab. Click , a Dialog window will pop up. In the blank FID Name field type "Near200MA". In the Selected Fields list box, check the box in front of your new FID Name field "Near200MA". This will make the field viewable in the Field List list box under the Primary Criteria tab. Later, you will be setting the qualification criteria for the formula under the " Primary Criteria" tab. Just below the there is a check box that says: "When checked, double click... ". Check that box to activate that function. Click just to the right of the "fx =" in the formula line below.

Double click on "Last Price" in the "Selected Fields" list box. Then type "/". The double click on "Mov Avg 200". The formula should look like this: =TRDPRC_1/MA_200

Just below the there is a check box that says: "When checked, double click... ". Uncheck the box to de activate that function for now.

Click on the Primary Criteria tab. Select your new formula "Near200MA" from the Field List list box. In the Search Criteria Setup field select "Between (Value1) and (Value 2) Inclusive". In the Value 1 field enter ".99" and in the Value 2 field enter "1.01". Those entries will give you all the stocks that are between 1% below and 1% above the the 200 day moving average. To tighten up the criteria to 1/2% use: ".995" and "1.005".

This same technique can be used to setup moving average crossovers, average volume comparisons, entry and exit triggers and much more. #2 below is another example of how this can be used

2. A 20 Day High break out:

Click on the "Add/Remove Fields" tab. Add the "High 20 days" field from the "SORTWIZARD" Server "TODAY" Table to your Selected Fields.

Click on the "Formulas" tab. Click , a Dialog window will pop up. In the blank FID Name field type "Near20DayHigh". In the Selected Fields list box, check the box in front of your new FID Name field "Near20DayHigh". This will make the field viewable in the Field List list box under the Primary Criteria tab. Later, you will be setting the qualification criteria for the formula under the " Primary Criteria" tab. Just below the there is a check box that says: "When checked, double click... ". Check that box to activate that function. Click just to the right of the "fx =" in the formula line below.

Double click on "Last Price" in the "Selected Fields" list box. Then type "/". The double click on "High 20 days". The formula should look like this: =TRDPRC_1/High_20

Just below the there is a check box that says: "When checked, double click... ". Uncheck the box to de activate that function for now.

Click on the Primary Criteria tab. Select your new formula "High 20 Days" from the Field List list box. In the Search Criteria Setup field select "Greater than or equal to (Value1). In the Value 1 field enter "1". That entry will give you all the stocks that are currently trading at or above the 20 day high. To catch them before they break out use ".98" or ".99".

3. Find stocks that closed yesterday in the upper 15% of its daily range:

Click on the "Add/Remove Fields" tab. Add the "Hist High", "Hist Low" and "Hist Close" fields from the "SORTWIZARD" Server "TODAY" Table to your Selected Fields.

We first want to create the a field that calculates the range for the previous day. Click on the "Formulas" tab. Click , a Dialog window will pop up. In the blank FID Name field type "HistRange". In the Selected Fields list box, click your new FID Name "HistRange" field to identify that field as the one you you wish to edit. Just below the there is a check box that says: "When checked, double click... ". Check that box to activate that function. Click just to the right of the "=" in the formula line below.

Double click on "Hist High" in the "Selected Fields" list box. Then type "-". Double click on "Hist Low". The formula should look like this: =HighPr-LowPr.

Just below the there is a check box that says: "When checked, double click... ". Uncheck the box to de activate that function for now.

Now, we want to create the formula that will calculate the percentage of the range of the day in which the stock closed. In the "Formulas" tab. Click , a Dialog window will pop up. In the blank FID Name field type "PctHistRange". In the Selected Fields list box, check the box in front of your new FID Name field "PctHistRange". This will make the field viewable in the Field List list box under the Primary Criteria tab. Later, you will be setting the qualification criteria for the formula under the " Primary Criteria" tab. Just below the there is a check box that says: "When checked, double click... ". Check that box to activate that function. Click just to the right of the "fx =" in the formula line below.

Type "(". Then double click on "Hist Close" in the "Selected Fields" list box. Then type "-". Double click on "Hist Low". Type ")" then "/". Double click on "HistRange". The formula should look like this: =(ClosePr-LowPr)/HistRange

Just below the there is a check box that says: "When checked, double click... ". UNcheck that box to deactivate that function.

Click on the Primary Criteria tab. Select your new formula "PctHistRange" from the Field List list box. In the Search Criteria Setup field select "Greater than or equal to (Value1). In the Value 1 field enter ".85". That entry will give you all the stocks that closed above the upper 85% of the range of the previous trading day. To find stocks that closed in the lower 15% of the day select "Less than or equal to (Value1). In the Value 1 field enter ".15".

4. Compare yesterday's trading range to the prior day:

We assume you tried the previous example (3 above) and have those fields already added to your Selected Fields. We will need to add two more fields. Click on the "Add/Remove Fields" tab. From the "SORTWIZARD" Server "HISTORIC" Table add the "Hist High -1"and "Hist Low-1" fields to your Selected Fields.

We first want to create the a field that calculates the range for the trading range two days ago. Click on the "Formulas" tab. Click , a Dialog window will pop up. In the blank FID Name field type "HistRangeMinus1". In the Selected Fields list box, click your new FID Name "HistRangeMinus1" field to identify that field as the one you you wish to edit. Just below the v there is a check box that says: "When checked, double click... ". Check that box to activate that function. Click just to the right of the "=" in the formula line below.

Double click on "Hist High-1" in the "Selected Fields" list box. Then type "-". Double click on "Hist Low-1". The formula should look like this: =HighPr_01-LowPr-01.

Just below the there is a check box that says: "When checked, double click... ". Uncheck the box to de activate that function for now.

To set up a filter that will only return stocks the had the previous day's range greater than the day prior to that we will use a Limit. Click on the "Limits" tab in Parameters Setup. Click the button. "New Limit" is displayed in the Defined Limited list box. Click to the right of the "S =" Double click on "HistRange" in the "Selected Fields" list. Type ">". Then double click on "HistRangeMinus1" in the "Selected Fields" list. The formula should look like this: =HistRange>HistRangeMinus1. Click the check box in front of the "New Limit" to set the Limit and make it active.

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