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PC-SIG Diskette Library (Disk #323)
[PCjs Machine "ibm5170"]
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Information about “TRANSTOK”
TRANSTOK helps anyone interested in the stock market to easily download
constantly updated stock market information from The Source (a public
communications network).
TRANSTOCK acts as a data translator, enabling any data management
software (spreadsheets, databases, graphics programs, etc.) to use this
information for analysis and trend development. Stock information can
be imported to dBase II, III III+, Multiplan and Lotus 1-2-3.
Track your stocks, analyze trends and be on top of your investments!
File Descriptions:
READ-ME 1ST How to use PRINTDOC.BAT.
PRINTDOC BAT Batch file to print documentation.
PRINTDOC MSG Documentation message.
TRANSTOK DOC Full Documentation for TRANSTOK.
TRANSTOK EXE Main program.
TRANSTOK DFL Default information file.
TRANSTOK DF2 Copy of TRANSTOK.DFL.
DEFAULTS EXE Customizes TRANSTOK for you -- do first..
AMEX STB Stock name abbreviations.
NYSE STB Stock name abbreviations.
STOKCHEK DJI Sample data file.
UNISTOX DJI Sample data file.
UNISTOX DJC Sample data file.
FILES323.TXT
Disk No 323
Program Title: TRANSTOK version 1.50
PC-SIG version 3
TRANSTOK lets anyone interested in the stock market easily download
information from two databases on the source (a communication utility). It
acts as a translator, enabling any data management software (spreadsheets,
graphics programs, etc) to use this data for analyses and spot trends. It
also provides tools for manipulating files of selected stock, simplifying
these otherwise time-consuming tasks.
Usage: Stock Analysis Assistance Package
System Requirements: 128K memory, one disk drive, a modem, and access to
the Source communication service.
How to Start: Load DOS and type TRANSTOK (press enter) to enter the main
program (NOTE: first set default configuration through DEFAULTS.EXE).
Consult TRANSTOK.DOC for program documentation.
Suggested Registration: $30.00
File Descriptions:
READ-ME 1ST How to use PRINTDOC.BAT.
PRINTDOC BAT Batch file to print documentation.
PRINTDOC MSG Documentation message.
TRANSTOK DOC Full Documentation for TRANSTOK.
TRANSTOK EXE Main program.
TRANSTOK DFL Default information file.
TRANSTOK DF2 Copy of TRANSTOK.DFL.
DEFAULTS EXE Customizes TRANSTOK for you -- do first..
AMEX STB Stock name abbreviations.
NYSE STB Stock name abbreviations.
STOKCHEK DJI Sample data file.
UNISTOX DJI Sample data file.
UNISTOX DJC Sample data file.
PC-SIG
1030D E Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1988 PC-SIG, Inc.
GO.TXT
╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ <<<< Disk No 323 TRANSTOK >>>> ║
╠═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ To copy the documentation to your printer, type: MANUAL (press enter) ║
║ ║
║ To start the program, type: TRANSTOK (press enter) ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
TRANSTOK.DOC
(tm)
TRANSTOK
Version 1.50
(March 1987)
A Software Tool for Investors Using the IBM Personal Computer
and The Source Unistox / StockCheck Electronic Data Bases
(C) Copyright 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987
All Rights Reserved
StockBridge Software
PO Box 2470
Redmond, WA 98073-2470
TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE --- TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I - OPERATIONS: Instructions on how to use TRANSTOK,
including its defaults, how to customize them, features
provided within the program, and menu choices.
PART II- APPLICATIONS: Examples, discussion, and tips on how to
use TRANSTOK's features effectively.
PART III - COMMUNICATIONS: Choose a Source database; an overview
of different methods available for uploading and downloading
stock quotations; and tips on communicating with The Source.
PART IV - INFORMATION & APPENDICES: How to get program copies/
updates, report problems, and make suggestions. Appendices
give specific examples of communications procedures.
Please note, if you have an older version of TRANSTOK, make
certain that you copy the new version of ALL THREE WORKING FILES
onto your work disk. These include: TRANSTOK.EXE, TRANSTOK.DFL,
and DEFAULTS.EXE.
PART I -- OPERATIONS
INTRODUCTION .................................................. 1
The TRANSTOK Difference .................................... 1
WHY THE SOURCE? .............................................. 2
Data Advantage ............................................. 2
Cost Advantage ............................................. 2
SPECIAL TERMS ................................................. 2
HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIRED ................................ 3
TRANSTOK FILES ................................................ 3
GETTING STARTED WITH TRANSTOK ................................. 4
TRANSTOK DEFAULTS ............................................. 5
Initial Defaults ........................................... 5
Changing Defaults .......................................... 5
BEGINNING OPERATION WITH TRANSTOK ............................. 8
Features Common Throughout the Program ..................... 8
THE MAIN MENU ................................................. 9
MENU ITEM 1 - PROCESSING RAW UNISTOX QUOTES ................... 9
MENU ITEM 2 - CREATE UNISTOX STUB LIST (USING RAW QUOTES) ..... 10
MENU ITEM 3 - PROCESS RAW QUOTES FROM SOURCE-STOCKCHECK ....... 11
MENU ITEM 4 - CREATE STOCKCHECK TICKER LIST (USING RAW QUOTES). 11
Processing Quotes -- Processing Time ....................... 11
Processing Quotes -- File Sizes ............................ 12
MENU ITEM 5 - VERIFY STUBS/TICKER SYMBOLS AGAINST MASTER LIST . 12
MENU ITEM 6 - SORT STUB/TICKER FILE ........................... 12
MENU ITEM 7 - MERGE TWO FILES ................................. 13
MENU ITEM 8 - EDIT FILE -- THE TRANSTOK EDITOR ................ 13
Begin Editing .............................................. 13
Keys Used by the Editor .................................... 14
The Editor's FIND feature .................................. 15
The Editor's MARK and UNMARK Feature ....................... 16
Quit Editing ............................................... 16
Edit File Notes ............................................ 17
MENU ITEM 9 - DISK DIRECTORY AND FILE ACCESS .................. 17
TRANSTOK ERROR MESSAGES ....................................... 18
TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE --- TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART II -- APPLICATIONS
PROCESSING RAW QUOTES FROM THE UNISTOX DATABASE ............... 21
Translated Output From Unistox Quotes ...................... 21
The Exception File ......................................... 22
CREATING UNISTOX STUB LIST .................................... 23
PROCESSING RAW QUOTES FROM SOURCE-STOCKCHECK .................. 24
Translated Output From StockCheck Quotes ................... 24
VERIFYING STUBS/TICKER SYMBOLS AGAINST A MASTER LIST .......... 25
SORTING STUB/TICKER FILES ..................................... 25
MERGING FILES ................................................. 26
EDITING STUB/TICKER FILE ...................................... 26
Using The Editor's FIND Feature ............................ 26
Using The Editor's MARK and UNMARK Feature ................. 27
MOVING TRANSLATED DATA INTO ANALYSIS SOFTWARE ................. 27
Lotus 1-2-3 Example ........................................ 28
Multiplan Example .......................................... 28
Database Example ........................................... 28
PART III -- COMMUNICATIONS
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS IN SELECTING A DATABASE ................ 30
Advantages and Disadvantages of StockCheck ................. 30
Advantages and Disadvantages of Unistox .................... 30
Summary of Advantages and Disadvantages .................... 31
CREATING CUSTOM PORTFOLIO(s) .................................. 31
OVERVIEW OF FILE NAMES USED IN UPLOADING AND DOWNLOADING ...... 31
OVERVIEW OF STOCK QUOTE RETRIEVAL FROM EACH DATABASE .......... 32
Getting Quotes From StockCheck ............................. 32
Getting Quotes From Unistox ................................ 33
MIXING AND MERGING: NYSE, AMEX AND O-T-C DATA ................ 34
COMMUNICATING WITH THE SOURCE ................................. 34
DELETING FILES AFTER DOWNLOADING .............................. 35
GETTING OFF THE SOURCE ........................................ 36
PART IV -- INFORMATION & APPENDICES
USER-SUPPORTED SOFTWARE ....................................... 37
GETTING COPIES OF TRANSTOK .................................... 37
SUGGESTIONS, FEEDBACK, AND BUG REPORTS ........................ 38
PERMISSION TO COPY ............................................ 39
DISCLAIMER .................................................... 39
TRADEMARKS .................................................... 40
APPENDICES
A - ADDITIONAL NOTES ON DATA TRANSLATION AND FILE FORMATS ..... 40
B - TRANSLATING ONLY PART OF A FILE OF RAW QUOTES ............. 40
C - UPLOADING PORTFOLIOS FROM COMMAND LEVEL ................... 41
D - DOWNLOADING FROM STOCKCHECK ............................... 42
E - DOWNLOAD AN ENTIRE DAY'S TRADING FROM UNISTOX ............. 43
F - DOWNLOAD CUSTOM NYSE OR AMEX PORTFOLIO FROM UNISTOX ....... 44
G - DIRECT DOWNLOAD OF QUOTES WITHOUT USING A COMO FILE ....... 45
H - MONITORING CHANGES IN YOUR UNISTOX STUB LISTS ............. 46
I - DOWNLOAD NEW HIGH/LOW LIST FOR THE NYSE AND AMEX .......... 47
PART I TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE OPERATIONS
INTRODUCTION
TRANSTOK provides two valuable capabilities for investors who
use an IBM-PC to track and analyze stocks. First, it is a
"bridge" and data translator for stock market quotations from BOTH
the Unistox and StockCheck data bases offered by The Source. In
the past, stock quotes from on-line databases could be viewed on
your computer's screen, but were usually in a form that was
completely unusable by any microcomputer software. TRANSTOK
changes that. It rapidly converts raw quotes that you download
from The Source into data that hundreds of popular programs can
use. This extends the power of investment analysis to any program
that can "read" industry-standard data formats (e.g. spreadsheets,
graphics and charting programs, and data-management software).
Secondly, TRANSTOK provides an integrated set of tools for
manipulating and managing lists of stocks (e.g., sorting, merging,
and comparing) so you can use The Source databases effectively.
For example, if you want to follow certain groups of securities,
TRANSTOK makes it easy to produce a selected list that can be
electronically sent to The Source requesting that only the quotes
for those specific securities be transmitted back to you.
The TRANSTOK Difference
With TRANSTOK, there are none of the limits commonly imposed by
many investment software packages. For example:
1) Some of them restrict the number of items you can retrieve
from an on-line database, regardless of the capabilities of
your analysis software.
2) Some provide information on only certain securities.
3) Some will analyze ONLY the data that you buy from the
program's vendor through an expensive monthly data disk.
4) Some will perform only one specialized kind of analysis
(e.g., point-and-figure charts).
5) Some even require that you manually enter long lists of
stock names from your keyboard in order to retrieve data.
TRANSTOK has no such arbitrary restrictions. You may download
an unlimited number of quotes using a standard Source subscription
and your favorite communications hardware and software. TRANSTOK
then reads and translates the downloaded file so the data is ready
for your analysis software just minutes after you sign off from
The Source. This method gives you TIMELY market information
(daily if you wish) for ONLY the cost of connect-time. Moreover,
you get quotes for precisely the stocks you want to see, be it 10
stocks on the AMEX (American Exchange) or the entire NYSE (New
York Stock Exchange).
TRANSTOK data translations permit an investor to analyze
selected groups of securities, or trends in ENTIRE MARKETS, using
the current generation of powerful spreadsheets, data managers,
and charting programs (e.g., Lotus 1-2-3/Symphony, Microsoft
page -1-
PART I TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE OPERATIONS
Chart, dBase II/III and many others). This enables you to use
your PERSONAL investment strategy in manipulating, screening, and
graphing market data. Equally important, you can perform your
analysis using software tools you already own instead of paying
hundreds more for a program that may provide only one specialized
type of securities analysis.
With the TRANSTOK "bridge", any program that can read one of
the "industry standard" data formats TRANSTOK supports can have
access to stock market quotes from these Source databases and
reports:
1) StockCheck
2) Unistox (New York Exchange quotes, report number 139)
3) Unistox (American Exchange quotes, report number 149)
4) Unistox daily New High/Low list for the New York and
American exchanges (report number 087).
WHY THE SOURCE?
TRANSTOK concentrates on stock market data from The Source
because of two distinct advantages The Source databases offer:
(1) the quantity of data contained in quotes; and
(2) a strong price advantage.
Data Advantage
Quotes from Unistox report numbers 139 and 149 contain more
information than those from any other data service that we are
currently aware of. After being translated by TRANSTOK, these
quotes contain 14 separate data elements, many of which are
normally not found in quotes from other databases.
Cost Advantage
The cost is substantially lower with these databases than any
others we know of. For example, at 1200 baud, Unistox report 149,
containing quotes for the entire American Stock Exchange (AMEX),
can be downloaded in about 12 minutes for approximately $2.00
(during non-prime usage hours).
Also, The Source does not add an extra charge for each quote as
some data services do; you pay only for the connect time. Another
on-line data service charges connect time PLUS 3 cents per quote.
at that price, quotes for the entire AMEX (900-plus stocks) would
cost you $24-$30, compared to $2 at The Source. This is very
important if you regularly analyze many stocks or want to analyze
trends in an entire market.
SPECIAL TERMS
As much as possible, we have refrained from using special terms
and jargon in this guide. However, a couple of terms simply have
no easy substitutes, so you should be aware of the following:
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PART I TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE OPERATIONS
STUB: A stock name abbreviation used in the Source/UPI-Unistox
database. These typically consist of about 4 to 10 characters
and are similar to the company name abbreviations you see in the
stock tables of newspapers (e.g., Digital Equipment = DigiEq).
TICKER SYMBOL: A stock name abbreviation assigned by the market
where the share is traded. American and New York exchange
Ticker symbols are 1 to 3 characters long, and always in upper
case (e.g., Digital Equipment = DEC).
UPLOAD: Transmit data (e.g., stock stubs or ticker symbols) from
your computer to The Source computer.
DOWNLOAD: Receive data on your computer from The Source computer.
HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIRED
TRANSTOK's minimum requirements are: an IBM PC, PC-XT, PC-AT,
or PC-jr (or a computer that is fully-compatible with one of
these); and any version (2.0 through 3.2) of PC or MS DOS; one
floppy disk drive; an 80-column video monitor; and at least 128K
of random access memory (192K recommended, especially if you use
DOS version 3.0 or later). No matter which version of DOS,
TRANSTOK will perform certain operations faster if more than the
bare minimum amount of RAM is available. However, beyond 256K of
RAM you won't notice any additional increase in performance.
There are no specific requirements for communications hardware
or software. Whatever combination you are already using to
communicate with The Source will do nicely because TRANSTOK simply
reads raw data files from disk that were written there by the
communications software. If you intend to download large amounts
of data from either Unistox or StockCheck on a regular basis, you
will find that a modem that supports 1200 or 2400 baud data
transmissions will complete the job faster, but this not a
TRANSTOK requirement.
TRANSTOK FILES
When you first put your TRANSTOK disk into a disk drive and ask
for a directory, the files you will see listed are:
TRANSTOK.EXE The program which does all data translation and
processing.
TRANSTOK.DFL A "default" information file that TRANSTOK needs
when it starts running.
TRANSTOK.DF2 A second copy of TRANSTOK.DFL, in case the
original becomes damaged.
DEFAULTS.EXE Used to customize TRANSTOK defaults to your
preferences and hardware. Most users will want
to run DEFAULTS before TRANSTOK is used for the
first time.
NYSE.STB These two files contain all the stock name
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PART I TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE OPERATIONS
AMEX.STB abbreviations (called "stubs") used in the
Source/UPI-Unistox database.
TRANSTOK.DOC User's guide and program documentation.
PRINTDOC.BAT A batch file used to print the documentation.
The files below contain sample raw data (quotes) that you can
use to experiment with TRANSTOK's features, without having to
log on to The Source.
STOKCHEK.DJI The 30 stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average
-- from the StockCheck database.
UNISTOX.DJI Stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average from
the Unistox database -- report 139.
UNISTOX.DJC The 65 stocks that comprise the Dow Jones
Composite -- from Unistox, report 139.
GETTING STARTED WITH TRANSTOK
1) MAKE A WORKING COPY of the original TRANSTOK disk by copying
all the files to a work disk (files related to this
documentation are not required on the work disk, that is
TRANSTOK.DOC, PRINTDOC.BAT and PRINTDOC.MSG).
For hard disk users the "work disk" will probably be a
subdirectory on the hard disk -- either a newly created
directory or an existing one that is convenient. If you have
no hard disk, then first prepare a work diskette by formatting
it, using the DOS FORMAT/S command, so that the 3 primary DOS
files are on this diskette (2 hidden files plus COMMAND.COM).
Then copy the files to the work disk, as described above.
2) The next step is to customize TRANSTOK to your preferences and
computer hardware. This is not a necessity if the "generic"
defaults that the program will use are acceptable to you (see
"Initial Defaults", below). If you need to make changes then
continue reading here. Otherwise, just skip ahead to the
section titled "Beginning Operations With Transtok".
3) If you intend to change defaults, please take a few moments to
fully read the section, called "Changing Defaults", below.
4) Insert your new working disk (step 1, above) into drive A: or,
for a hard disk, switch to the subdirectory into which you just
copied the TRANSTOK files; i.e., make that subdirectory the
"current" directory.
5) Start the DEFAULTS.EXE program by typing DEFAULTS. It will
display a menu (see "Changing Defaults", below). Select the
item numbers that you want changed. When using TRANSTOK for
the first time, the only items that need close attention are
#1, #3, and, of course, #8 to save any changes you make.
6) From now on, whenever you run TRANSTOK.EXE, the defaults you
selected will be used.
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PART I TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE OPERATIONS
TRANSTOK DEFAULTS
When TRANSTOK.EXE begins running, the first thing it does is
read "default" information from the file called TRANSTOK.DFL.
That file MUST be available on the same disk (or subdirectory)
where the program itself is stored. If the ".DFL" file cannot be
found, or if it is damaged, TRANSTOK.EXE cannot run.
Please note: ALWAYS use the .DFL file that came on the SAME
disk as the TRANSTOK.EXE and DEFAULTS.EXE files you are using.
Never use a mixture of these three files from different versions
of the program.
Initial Defaults
Because of the wide variety of hardware used with the IBM
family of personal computers, the version of TRANSTOK.EXE and
TRANSTOK.DFL that is delivered to you assumes the "generic"
default values listed below. They allow the program to run
immediately on any machine with a minimum hardware configuration.
All items below (and more) can be changed by running DEFAULTS.EXE.
a) All data files are assumed to be on drive A: but this can be
manually overridden by typing in a different drive letter
when TRANSTOK.EXE asks for a file name (e.g., B:XYZ.DAT).
b) The translated and processed stock quotes are written to
disk in a form that is ready to import into Lotus 1-2-3/
Symphony or any other program that can read that particular
type of data file (Lotus .PRN format).
c) A non-color monitor is assumed; i.e., black & white, amber,
or green (including the IBM Monochrome).
Changing Defaults
When the program DEFAULTS.EXE is run, you will see its menu:
CHANGE TRANSTOK DEFAULTS
1 Default data drive
2 Default master stub file
3 Type of translation (Lotus, Multiplan, VisiCalc)
4 Matching length for stub comparison
5 Screen colors
6 Replacements for value = 0
7 Printer setup
8 All finished -- save changes on disk
ESC Exit to DOS -- no changes saved
You may change the default value for any or all of these
categories. Select the item you want from the menu. The program
will show you the current default value and a prompt telling you
how to change it. Press the <ENTER> key if you want to leave a
page -5-
PART I TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE OPERATIONS
value unchanged. The <ENTER> key is also used to advance to the
next item in those categories, such as screen color, that ask
multiple questions.
Pressing the ESCape key will get you back to the main menu at
any time. If you want to check your answers, just select an item
from the main menu a second time; when the current value is
displayed, just press <ENTER> to indicate it is OK. When you
finish, be sure to choose item 8 so your changes will be saved on
disk. The paragraphs below explain all the DEFAULTS menu items.
1) DEFAULT DATA DRIVE: This is the drive or subdirectory that
TRANSTOK will automatically use when reading or writing disk
files, unless you override the default by specifying a different
drive as part of a file name (e.g., A:XYZ.DAT). If you want use a
hard disk subdirectory for data, be sure to fully specify the
DRIVE and PATH, and also add a BACKSLASH \ as the last character
of what you type ( e.g., C:\STOCK\ ).
2) MASTER STUB FILE: TRANSTOK.EXE will automatically use this
file as your master list when comparing lists of Unistox "stubs".
As with the default data disk, you may override the default just
by typing in a different file name. Note, DEFAULTS asks you to
provide the drive letter, PATH (if applicable), and the file name
for the master file; for example, B:SPECIAL.STB or
C:\STOCK\AMEX.STB. As it comes to you, the default is A:NYSE.STB.
3) TYPE OF TRANSLATION: This menu item determines how your raw
quotes will be translated. The choices are:
Multiplan - Microsoft Symbolic (SYLK) format. It can also be read
by MicroRIM's R:Base data management programs and
dozens of other programs. The translated file's name
will have a .SLK extension.
Lotus - This data format is used by both Lotus 1-2-3 and
Symphony. Each item in a line of data is separated by
a comma, and text items have double quotes around them
(e.g., part of a quote looks like: 48.750,"Xerox",).
This translation can also be imported into literally
hundreds of other programs, especially data managers
and spreadsheets (e.g., dBASE II and III, PC-File III,
and VP-Planner). The translated file's name will have
the ".PRN" extension that Lotus software expects.
VisiCalc - Used by all versions of VisiCalc. The translated
file's name will have a .VC extension; this format
can also be read by many spreadsheets and databases.
Where the DEFAULTS sub-menu #3 asks you to specify the type of
translation, just enter a 1, 2 or 3 (corresponding to Multiplan,
Lotus, or VisiCalc). The type of translation you choose cannot be
manually overridden while TRANSTOK.EXE is running; you must use
the DEFAULTS.EXE program to change it.
page -6-
PART I TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE OPERATIONS
4) MATCHING LENGTH FOR "STUB" COMPARISON: When you tell TRANSTOK
to compare a list of stubs to a master list, it first tries to
find an exact match. If none is found, it then tries to find a
"near" match by looking only at the first part of the stub.
You may designate what percentage of the stub name should be
considered significant when looking for a "near" match. Do not
use a value less than 25% nor greater than 90%; it will produce
meaningless results. A value between 60% and 80% usually works
best. See the discussion of stub comparison below in the section
entitled "Verify Stubs Against Master List".
5) SCREEN COLORS: As noted above, TRANSTOK is ready to run on
any 80-column, non-color monitor. With this default, a color
monitor will display white letters on a black background. On a
green or amber monitor, the "white" letters appear as green or
amber. If you have a non-color monitor, there is no need to
change the default colors.
6) REPLACEMENTS FOR VALUE = 0: When translating raw quotes,
TRANSTOK frequently encounters "zero" values. For example, a
certain stock may pay no dividend, or there may have been no
change from the previous day's close (change = 0). If you wish,
TRANSTOK will replace these zeros with anything you specify.
For example, you may decide that "N/C" ("no change") is more
meaningful to you than just plain 0 when there has been no change
in the closing price. If you select item 6 on the DEFAULTS menu,
there are four places where you can customize a "zero" value:
1) Dividend 3) Price/earnings ratio
2) Yield 4) Daily price change
These replacements for 0 values in the price/earnings field and
in the daily change field will be used when processing both
Unistox and StockCheck quotes.
7) PRINTER SETUP: DEFAULTS.EXE allows you to enter three items
of information about your preferred printer setup: (a) which
printer TRANSTOK should use; (b) how many lines should be printed
on a page; and (c) any special printer commands or "escape codes".
a) Most users have only one printer (called LPT1: by DOS); the
initial default is already set to this. However, if you have
more than one printer, you may want TRANSTOK to use your LPT2:
or LPT3:. Answer 1, 2, or 3, when the program asks which one
you want to use.
b) The initial default, 58 printed lines per page, provides a
margin at the top and bottom of 11-inch paper, assuming the
printer is set up for a normal 6 lines/inch (total 66 lines on
11-inch paper). You may want less or more than 58. If your
printer is set up for 8 lines/inch (88 lines on 11-inch paper)
you will probably want to increase the number of printed lines
per page from 58 to around 75-80.
page -7-
PART I TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE OPERATIONS
c) This option allows you to have TRANSTOK send ESCape codes or
special commands to your printer before printing (e.g., use
bold print, or switch from 6 lines/inch to 8). Check your
printer manual for the necessary commands. If the command(s)
include an escape character, use a reverse apostrophe ` (next
to the <ENTER> key on the PC) to show where the ESCape(s) is
located in the command(s). Example: ESC E is used on most
IBM and Epson dot matrix printers for emphasized print; this
would be entered as `E in the special setup.
BEGINNING OPERATION WITH TRANSTOK
If you have not read the section entitled "Getting Started" or
if you have not yet prepared a work disk, then please do so now.
Features Common Throughout The Program
Certain screen and keyboard conventions are used throughout
TRANSTOK.EXE, no matter which part of the program you happen to be
working with. These are:
1) All menu choices execute with just one keystroke; there is no
need to press the <ENTER> key after a command. The only time that
<ENTER> is needed is after you have typed in a file name to
indicate that you are finished.
2) Whenever you see the (ESC) symbol on the screen, it indicates
that the PC's escape key is active. At these times, just tap that
key to undo a mistake and return to the main menu (e.g., if you
accidentally select Sort when you actually want to Edit a file).
3) Throughout the program, your default data drive (or
subdirectory) is shown on screen. If the file you want is located
there, then there is no need to type the drive letter or PATH
(e.g., B: or C:\STOCK ) as part of a file name.
4) If you are asked for a file name but can't remember the exact
spelling, you may request a DIRectory listing of your default data
drive by pressing ALT-D (i.e., hold down the ALT key, press the
letter D, then release both keys). This feature is available even
if you have begun typing the file name. After the DIRectory is
displayed, the program will return to where you stopped typing and
you may continue with the rest of the file name.
5) Whenever TRANSTOK has a default file name or other default
value, it will display the proposed response in square brackets.
To accept the default, just press the <ENTER> key; or, to override
the proposal, just key in the value or file name you want instead.
6) At the main menu and also within the built-in editor, the
high-lighted reminders "NUM" and "CAP" will appear in the lower
right corner of the screen if your keyboard is set in either the
"Caps Lock" or "Num Lock" mode.
page -8-
PART I TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE OPERATIONS
7) In certain parts of the program, TRANSTOK's proposed default
file name will include numbers. For example, when processing raw
quotes, TRANSTOK will propose using a raw data file named
"RAW####.DAT", where #### is today's month and day (e.g., on May
15th it will suggest [RAW0515.DAT] ).
This type of file name is proposed because it allows you to
keep track of your data files by the day they were received and
translated. Again, you may override this by providing a different
name. If you like this naming scheme, then you may wish to have
your communications software save raw data files using such names
as they are received from The Source. Then, when running
TRANSTOK, all you have to do is press <ENTER> because the actual
data file name will already match the proposed name.
THE MAIN MENU
When TRANSTOK starts, the first thing you see is the TRANSTOK
logo, and then, after you press any key, the main menu. It gives
you access to the various functions within the program. Make a
selection by pressing the key which corresponds to the item you
want. For example, 1 to process Unistox data, or 8 to edit
(number keys on the keypad OR the top keyboard row will work).
DATA = A: TRANSTOK MAIN MENU
1 Process raw quotes from SOURCE-Unistox
2 Create Unistox stub list (using raw quotes)
3 Process raw quotes from SOURCE-StockCheck
4 Create StockCheck ticker list (using raw quotes)
5 Verify stubs/ticker symbols against master list
6 Sort stub/ticker file (max. 2400 items)
7 Merge two files
8 Edit stub/ticker file
9 Disk directory and file access
0 Quit (exit to DOS)
Command number:
In the paragraphs below, we discuss the mechanical aspects of
using each of these functions. In places, a brief, simple example
of their use is given. Additional and more complete examples and
discussion are provided in Part II of this manual, which deals
specifically with program applications.
MENU ITEM 1 - PROCESSING RAW STOCK QUOTES FROM THE UNISTOX REPORTS
After your communications software has stored a file of raw
Unistox quotes on disk report from 139 or 149, it is time to put
TRANSTOK's translation feature to work. Choose item 1 (Process
page -9-
PART I TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE OPERATIONS
Unistox) on TRANSTOK's main menu. The screen display will change
and you will be asked for the name of the "raw data" file that is
to be translated. After that, you will be asked:
Process how?
1 entire file -- every quote
2 entire file -- only new highs & lows
3 partial file -- every quote
4 partial file -- only new highs & lows
The meaning of Item 1 on this list is obvious: All quotes in
the file will be translated. If you specify item 2, TRANSTOK will
search the raw data file and selectively translate only the quotes
for stocks that made a new 52-week high or low in today's trading.
This option is indispensable if your market analysis strategy
concentrates on securities showing unusual strength or weakness.
Items 3 and 4 on the list allow you to break a large raw data
file into separate, smaller translated files. This is used when
your analysis software can accept only a certain number of quotes
at a time. For example, older versions of VisiCalc and Multiplan
allow spreadsheets to have a maximum of 255 lines. See Appendix B
for an example of processing only part of a raw file.
Next, you are asked for a file name for the processed quotes,
and finally, for a name for an "exception" file. The exception
file will be used ONLY if the program finds any quotes that it
cannot process; otherwise, it will not appear on your disk. See
Part II -- Applications for a discussion of the "exception" file
and what to do if exceptions are found.
When processing begins, the name of both the raw data file and
the file receiving the translation are displayed on the screen,
along with a running count of how many quotes have been completed.
At the end of processing, a summary is displayed which shows
the total number of raw quotes found, the number of translated
items in the new file, and the number of "exceptions" (usually
zero). If you specified that only new highs and lows were to be
processed, an additional item is displayed which shows how many
quotes in the raw file are NOT new highs or lows.
MENU ITEM 2 - CREATE UNISTOX STUB LIST (USING RAW QUOTES)
The prompts and screen displays for this option on TRANSTOK's
main menu are almost identical to processing raw Unistox quotes,
and the same raw data file is used. The difference is that this
operation extracts just the abbreviated security names ("stubs")
from the raw data and puts them in a separate file. Once done,
this separate list can be used for other purposes, such as
creating lists of "special-interest" securities (see Applications
section). Creating a stub file is fast, taking only 1/4 or 1/3 of
the time needed for a full translation of quotes.
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PART I TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE OPERATIONS
MENU ITEM 3 - PROCESS RAW QUOTES FROM SOURCE-STOCKCHECK
and
MENU ITEM 4 - CREATE STOCKCHECK TICKER LIST (USING RAW QUOTES)
These items on TRANSTOK's main menu operate almost identically
to working with Unistox data (i.e., processing Unistox quotes and
extracting Unistox stubs). The screen displays are the same, and
you are asked for file names in the same manner. For StockCheck
quotes, the only difference occurs when you are asked:
Process how?
1 entire file -- every quote
3 partial file -- every quote
Only choices 1 and 3 are displayed because StockCheck data does
not contain new 52-week high/low information, so choices number 2
and 4 (normally shown for Unistox) are meaningless here.
When creating a list of ticker symbols from raw StockCheck
quotes, the only difference is in the file name that TRANSTOK will
propose using for the completed ticker-symbol list. It will have
a .TIK extension instead of the .STB extension used for Unistox.
Processing Quotes -- Processing time
When processing raw quotes, the speed will vary, depending on
your hardware and upon the kind of translation being done (i.e.,
whether the data is being prepared in a Multiplan, Lotus, or
VisiCalc format). The table below shows some typical processing
rates so you can make an estimate of what to expect.
RAW DATA PROCESSED DATA QUOTES/MIN. QUOTES/MIN.
FROM GOING TO (Unistox) (StockCheck)
"RAM-drive" "RAM-drive" 275 - 400 425 - 600
hard disk hard disk 225 - 325 350 - 525
floppy "RAM-drive" 175 - 225 275 - 375
floppy floppy 100 - 175 120 - 225
Note how TRANSTOK takes advantage of a hard disk or "RAM-drive"
by doubling or even tripling the work it does in a minute. But,
even if it has to wait for floppy disks to catch up, translations
seldom take more than 2-3 minutes, unless you have a very large
raw data file. Often, your analysis software will take longer to
load the translated file than TRANSTOK took to produce it!
TECHNICAL NOTE: If you are using DOS version 2.0 (or later),
the number of quotes processed in a minute can often be
increased substantially by increasing the number of disk buffers
specified in your CONFIG.SYS file. The table above is very
conservative in that it assumes the DOS default configuration (2
buffers). For floppy disk drives, using between 4 and 10
page -11-
PART I TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE OPERATIONS
buffers will generally produce the very good results. For a
PC-XT or PC-AT, BUFFERS=8, 16 or 32 will noticeably speed up
quote processing. Experiment to find out the right number for
your exact hardware setup.
Processing Quotes -- File Sizes
A translated file of Unistox quotes is almost always larger
than the original raw file. In contrast, for StockCheck data
there is commonly a DECREASE in size. How much larger a Unistox
file will become varies with the kind of translation being done.
For Lotus ".PRN", the increase is 0-12%, so a 20,000-byte raw file
will yield a translated file of less than 23,000 bytes.
For VisiCalc and Multiplan the increase is much greater; the
resulting ".VC" file will be about 2.5 times bigger. A file
translated into ".SLK" format is about 2.7 times larger than its
raw form (e.g., 20,000 byte raw file = 54,000 byte ".SLK" file).
If a large amount of raw data is going to be translated, make sure
you have enough disk space.
MENU ITEM 5 - VERIFY STUBS/TICKER SYMBOLS AGAINST MASTER LIST
This main-menu option is used to compare one list of stock name
abbreviations to another. TRANSTOK will first ask for the name of
the master list, against which the smaller file will be compared.
It will automatically propose using the master list that is named
in the default file. Just press <ENTER> if this is the correct
file to use, or key in a different name.
Next, you are asked for the name of the file to be checked
against the master list. Lastly, TRANSTOK will propose using
default names for 3 different output files; you can accept the
proposed name just by pressing <ENTER>. These 3 files are used
depending on the outcome of the comparison:
1) GOOD####.STB for names that exactly match the master file.
2) NEAR####.STB for those that are "near" matches".
3) EXCP####.STB for those not having a match in the master file.
The "####" part of the file name represents the month and day
the report was prepared. For example, GOOD0701.STB would be the
file name for all the exact matches between your master stub file
and your sample file on July 1. This stub and ticker symbol
comparison can be used in several different ways; a more complete
discussion of their uses is given in Part II, Applications.
MENU ITEM 6 - SORT STUB/TICKER FILE
When you invoke this function from the main menu, TRANSTOK will
ask for the name of the file that is to be sorted. Then it asks:
Rewrite sorted list using: 1) Old file name, or 2) New file name?
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PART I TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE OPERATIONS
If you select option 1, the sort will begin at once; whereas
option 2 will ask for a new file name. The sorting function is
fast -- 300 items per second (on a standard IBM PC, but much
faster on a PC/AT). So, if you have a relatively short list,
don't be surprised if TRANSTOK reports that it is finished almost
immediately!
MENU ITEM 7 - MERGE TWO FILES
When this service is requested from TRANSTOK's main menu, you
will be asked for two file names: (1) the "primary" file (onto
which another file will be appended), and (2) the "secondary" file
(it is added to the primary). This is useful for joining smaller
files to create a larger one. For example, if you have created
several special portfolios of stock names (or ticker symbols) and
then want to see them as a single list, you would use MERGE to
join them.
Merge SHOULD NOT be used to join two files of translated stock
quotes that are in VisiCalc or Multiplan format (.VC or .SLK)
because these files contain information which tells the receiving
spreadsheet where to place values in cells. Two separate
translation files will EACH contain references to the same cells;
the spreadsheet will find this impossible. Lotus ".PRN" files may
be merged because they do not contain specific cell references.
MENU ITEM 8 - EDIT FILE -- THE TRANSTOK EDITOR
The built-in editor within TRANSTOK is customized for working
with stub and ticker files and for inspecting/fixing quotes that
could not be processed. Because of this special purpose, the
editor is not a full-function word processor.
It can edit files up to about 45,000 bytes in size, depending
on the amount of memory in your machine. The editor will easily
accommodate the largest stub file you will have. For example, a
file containing stubs for the ENTIRE New York Exchange is only
about 25,000 bytes. The longest text line the editor will accept
is 79 characters; but files of stock ticker sysmbols, stubs and
quotes always have lines shorter than that so you will not
encounter the 79-character maximum.
Begin Editing
To edit a file, choose item 8 on the main menu. The new screen
display will ask "Edit which file?". Provide the name of the file
you want. TRANSTOK will retrieve it and then display the first 21
lines in the file, with the cursor located on the first line.
To create a new file (instead of retrieving one from disk),
just press <ENTER> when you are asked "Edit which file?". The
editor will give you a blank screen so you can begin typing on
page -13-
PART I TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE OPERATIONS
line 1. The file name displayed at the bottom of the screen is
called "NEW". This can be changed later when you save the file on
disk (see "Quit Editing", below).
Keys Used by the Editor
When a file is loaded into the editor, the keys on the IBM-PC's
keypad immediately take on special duties. Also, the function
keys F1 through F9 perform actions which are displayed at the
bottom of the screen. Here are what the keypad and special
function keys do:
KEY or
COMBINATION FUNCTION
<ENTER> Move cursor to next line, column 1
ARROWS Move cursor up, down, left, and right.
PgDn/PgUp Scroll text down and up, 20 lines at a time.
Home Move cursor to "home" position (upper left corner).
Ins Insert blank space at cursor's current location.
Del Delete character above the cursor.
Backspace Delete character to left of cursor.
End +
left-arrow Move cursor to left end of text line.
End +
right-arrow Move cursor to right end of text line.
End +
up-arrow Move cursor to screen top (column stays the same).
End +
down-arrow Move cursor to screen bottom (column stays the same).
End + End Move cursor to "end" position (lower left corner).
Ctrl +
right-arrow Move cursor one "word" to right.
Ctrl +
left-arrow Move cursor one "word" to left.
NOTE 1: 21 lines of text are normally displayed on the screen.
When PgDn is pressed, what was the 21st line becomes the
top line on the new screen, so continuity is maintained.
When PgUp is pressed, a similar continuity occurs.
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PART I TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE OPERATIONS
NOTE 2: Where a two-key combination is shown that involves the
control key <Ctrl>, the keys must be pressed TOGETHER.
Where a combination involves the <End> key, the two keys
are NOT pressed together; instead, the <End> key is
pressed FIRST, followed by the second key.
F1 - FIRST Displays the first 21 lines of the file and places
the cursor on the first line.
F2 - LAST Displays the last 11 lines of the file; places the
cursor on the last item.
F3 - SORT Sorts the stubs/ticker symbols being edited.
F4 - FIND Activates the "search" function, so text anywhere in
the file can be quickly located (see details below).
F5 - ERASE Erases everything from the cursor's position to the
right end of the line. If the cursor is in column 1,
then the entire line is deleted and text below moves
up one line to fill the gap.
F6 - INSERT Inserts a blank line; the text below is pushed down
to make room for the new line.
F7 - MARK/UN Marks and Unmarks stubs/ticker symbols (with two
asterisks **) so that marked items can be selectively
placed in a separate file.
F8 - PRINT Sends the text being edited to the printer.
F9 - QUIT Stops editing; presents a menu of "save" options.
The Editor's FIND Feature
When you press key F4 (FIND), a prompt will appear at the
bottom of the screen that looks like this: (ESC) Text to find:
You will immediately recognize the (ESC) symbol, which indicates
that escape is available if you pressed F4 by accident. To find
text in the file, just type the sequence of characters that you
want to locate, then press <ENTER>. For example, if you wanted to
look for General Motors but couldn't remember the full stub, you
might key in just "Gen" or perhaps just "Mot" (do not include
quote marks unless the text you are searching for actually has
quote marks).
FIND begins searching for the characters you supplied. If it
finds a match, it temporarily stops looking and displays the
"found" item in the middle of the screen, with the cursor on the
first letter of the match.
If this is not the item you had in mind, then press key F4
again and FIND will look for another match. However, if the item
found IS the one you wanted, then press the ESC key to cancel the
rest of the search. If there are no matches, then the message
"Not found" will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. There
is no need to press (ESC) if "Not found" is reported, because the
search cancels itself when no match is found.
page -15-
PART I TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE OPERATIONS
The Editor's MARK / UNMARK Feature
To construct a selected list of stocks, use TRANSTOK's editor
to retrieve either of the master ".STB" (stub) files. Then use
the PgDn and PgUp keys to scroll through the file. When you see a
stock that you want to have in a separate "special interest" list,
just place the cursor anywhere on that item and press key F7, the
MARK/UNmark key. The editor will add 2 asterisks ** to the end of
an unmarked stock name to show it is now "marked".
If you change your mind or mark one by accident, just place the
cursor anywhere on that line and tap key F7 again to UNmark it.
Whenever key F7 is pressed, it reverses the marked/unmarked status
of the item where the cursor is located. When you are finished
marking, press key F9 to quit and select option 3 on the "quit"
menu, which will write the marked items to disk.
Quit Editing
Press the F9 key to exit from the editor; then select:
1 Save FILENAME (this is the name of the file you were editing)
2 Assign new name
3 Write only marked items -- ## marked
4 Resume edit
5 Main menu (no save)
Here is what each option does:
1 The text in memory is immediately saved on disk. The newly
edited version replaces what was previously stored under that
file name.
2 The text in memory is assigned a new file name (which you
supply) and then stored on disk. The original disk file is
unchanged.
3 The number of items that have been marked is shown on this
menu line. You will be asked for a new file name for the
marked items. ONLY the marked ones are written to disk. The
** at the end of each marked item is not included in the disk
file, only the ticker symbol or stub itself (see "Edit File
Notes", below).
4 The editing screen returns. The cursor is at the first line
in the file, just as if you were starting to edit.
5 The program immediately returns to the main TRANSTOK menu.
The text you were editing is NOT SAVED.
Once a file has been saved, the Editor's "exit" menu remains on
the screen so you can make the next choice. Most of the time you
will return to the main menu; however, you can continue editing
this file if you wish.
page -16-
PART I TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE OPERATIONS
Edit File Notes
When menu option 3 is selected, TRANSTOK will transfer only the
marked items to disk storage. Note again, the two asterisks are
not actually written to disk when using this option.
If you have marked some items but instead choose option 1 or 2
(write the file using the old or new file name), then TRANSTOK
assumes you have a special reason for wanting the ** to stay
attached to the names. So it writes the file on disk exactly as
it appears on the screen. This is handy when you haven't finished
marking and will do more later. However, you should bear in mind
that a stub/ticker file with ** attached to the names CANNOT be
used for uploading to The Source, nor for doing a comparison of
stub lists (TRANSTOK's "Verify" feature). Obviously, "XYZ Corp**"
is not the same as "XYZ Corp".
MENU ITEM 9 - DISK DIRECTORY AND FILE ACCESS
Choosing item 9 on the main menu provides disk directories and
disk file access functions listed on this sub-menu:
1 Disk Directory
2 View a file
3 Rename a file
4 Erase a file
5 Print a file
or (ESC) for Main Menu
DISK DIRECTORY: produces this prompt:
"Disk directory for drive (A,B,C, etc.) or @xxxx ?"
To see an entire (root) directory, just press a letter which
corresponds to the drive name. Or, you may ask to see only
selected files listed instead of the whole directory. To do so,
type the @ symbol first; then you may type any valid drive, PATH,
or file specification you wish, including "wildcard" characters
that DOS allows. For example, @*.DAT will list only the ".DAT"
files on the current default drive (or subdirectory). Other
examples might be:
@A:*.STB @B:NYSE*.* @C:\STOCK\*.DAT @C:\STOCK\*.*
Especially notice the last example, where "\*.*" has been added
to the subdirectory name. This is required when you want to see
all the files listed from a subdirectory. If you type just
@C:\STOCK the program cannot tell whether you mean a file named
"STOCK" that is in the root directory of drive C: or whether you
actually mean a subdirectory called \STOCK. It may tell you
"No such file name(s)" if you do not clearly indicate that you
want a subdirectory listing by adding a final backslash and some
kind of file specifier ( e.g., \*.* or \AMEX.* ).
page -17-
PART I TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE OPERATIONS
Remember, in other parts of the program, you may also ask for
a directory of your default data drive (by pressing ALT-D) at any
time that the program is asking for a file name. See "Beginning
Operation With TRANSTOK", near the beginning of this guide) for a
discussion of this feature.
Both directory functions retrieve a maximum of 112 file names
from a disk's directory. If you have more than that, some will
not be displayed. This maximum (which is actually not very
limiting) coincides with the DOS limit of 112 files on a
double-sided floppy disk.
VIEW:
Allows you to scroll through a file on disk and read it. Supply a
file name, then press <ENTER>; the first 23 lines of the text will
be displayed. To see the next 23 lines just tap any key other
than (ESC) which is used to terminate Viewing at any time.
RENAME:
Asks for the original and new file name; it then changes the file
on disk to the new name.
ERASE:
Deletes a disk file after you supply a file name and press <ENTER>.
PRINT:
Reads the file you specify from disk and sends it to the printer.
TRANSTOK ERROR MESSAGES
TRANSTOK guards against the loss of your data by: (1) checking
keyboard entries for a valid response, and (2) internally handling
more serious errors such as a disk-drive door being open or a
diskette becoming full.
A "beep" from the PC's speaker that is NOT accompanied by a
specific error message is TRANSTOK's method of notifying you of
simple errors, such as inappropriate keyboard entries. For
example, a prompt may ask you to choose item 1 or 2 from a menu
but you accidentally type a 3. In such cases, TRANSTOK will
simply ask for the information again.
In addition to rejecting keyboard mistakes, the error messages
listed below may appear under certain circumstances:
Cannot work with FILENAME
It has too many lines/bytes for TRANSTOK workspace
The data file being read from disk exceeds TRANSTOK's internal
limit of 2400 lines. Or, even with less than 2400 lines, the
file may be larger than the RAM workspace that TRANSTOK can
use. This error will not occur during quote processing, only
during operations in which the program stores large amounts of
data in its RAM workspace (e.g., during editing or sorting).
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PART I TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE OPERATIONS
Cannot work with FILENAME
It has text lines longer than 79 characters
This message only appears when trying to use the TRANSTOK
editor on files with very long text lines. It will not occur
with stock stubs, ticker symbols, or quotes.
No such file name(s); OR disk is empty
This message is produced by TRANSTOK's Disk Directory function.
It is displayed instead of a directory listing if: 1) there are
no files with the name you specified; OR, 2) the disk is
totally blank; OR, 3) the drive does not exist (e.g., asking
for a directory of drive D: when your PC has only 3 drives).
DIRectory not available
You pressed the ALT-D keys (request for default data drive
directory) but that function is not available in this part of
the program. No harm done, just continue your operation.
Illegal file name; OR too many files in disk directory
The file name you supplied contains characters that DOS does
not allow; OR, the total number of files on the disk has
reached the limit imposed by DOS (112 files for 2-sided
diskettes, 64 for 1-sided).
Invalid file name; OR file is not on this disk/subdirectory
The file name you typed is incorrect; OR, the file name is OK
but it is not stored on the disk you specified. In most cases,
this error is simply the result of misspelling a file name.
Drive door open; OR invalid drive specifier;
OR write-protect tab on disk
TRANSTOK is unable to do a read or write operation because you
provided an invalid disk drive name, or because it cannot
properly gain access to the disk (e.g., trying to write onto a
disk that has the write-protect notch covered).
Default file, TRANSTOK.DFL, is missing or damaged
This usually indicates that TRANSTOK cannot find its default
file, TRANSTOK.DFL. If the file is indeed on the same disk/
subdirectory as TRANSTOK.EXE, then some value in the default
file is out of legal range. Get out your backup TRANSTOK disk
and copy the original .DFL file to the work disk. Then use
DEFAULTS.EXE to again customize the defaults.
Program code and/or default file corrupt
The program cannot run because the TRANSTOK.EXE program OR the
TRANSTOK.DFL file has become internally damaged/altered; OR
the .DFL file you are using is incompatible with this version
of TRANSTOK.EXE (e.g., an old .DFL file with a new version of
the program). Make new working copies (from your most current
master disk) of TRANSTOK.EXE, TRANSTOK.DFL, and DEFAULTS.EXE.
Disk is full; deleting incomplete files
If a diskette becomes full while TRANSTOK is in the process of
writing a file(s) (e.g., while writing translated quotes), it
page -19-
PART I TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE OPERATIONS
stops writing, and then erases the half-written file(s). Under
most conditions, it will then return to the main menu. But, if
other errors have also occurred, it may exit to DOS. Once it
has returned to the main menu, you may try the operation again
by sending output to another drive or disk that has room.
RAM workspace is full
Cannot continue this operation
While it is possible for this error to be reported, it is
highly unlikely because of internal safeguards. The program
will return to the main menu. Try the operation again.
Printer not ready
This error is reported when your printer is not turned on, or
its "online" selector is in the offline position, or it is out
of paper, or its cable to the computer is not attached. Fix
the problem, then retry the printing operation.
Hardware error
Cannot continue this operation
You tried to access a disk drive that does not exist; OR DOS
did not get a response from an existing disk drive. The
program returns to the main menu.
SEVERE ERROR
Cannot resume or handle internally
The program has encountered an error from which it cannot
recover, so it exits to DOS. This is rare but can happen; for
example, if it is trying to process stock quotes that are badly
garbled, due to faulty data transmission across phone lines.
If this occurs during quote translation, TRANSTOK displays the
quote it was trying to process when the error occurred. You
can also isolate the "problem" quote by looking at the last one
that was successfully written into the aborted translation file
(the "bad" one in the raw data file will follow immediately
after the last good one). This can be done with the "View a
File" service available under TRANSTOK's main menu "Disk and
File Access" option, or by loading the file into the TRANSTOK
editor (if the file is less than about 45K in size). Once
isolated, you should use the TRANSTOK editor (or any other
editor) to delete badly garbled quotes from the raw data file.
BAD# BADNAME!
Neither of these messages will ever appear while TRANSTOK.EXE
is operating. However, on very rare occasions, you might see
one of them in translated data (e.g., in a spreadsheet or
database). If you see either of these messages, you will know
that the original quote was garbled. TRANSTOK did the best job
it could in translating it, but the information is suspect.
page -20-
PART II TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE APPLICATIONS
This section of the user's guide gives examples and tips on
using program features listed in Part I -- Operations.
Additionally, we discuss in greater detail how to use some of the
features that have several options available.
PROCESSING RAW QUOTES FROM THE UNISTOX DATABASE
Translated Output From Unistox Quotes
When TRANSTOK processes a raw Unistox quote from report 139
(NYSE) or 149 (AMEX), the translated output is divided into 14
separate data elements or "fields". In a spreadsheet, these items
will occupy 14 adjacent columns. Below are the 14 data elements
in a processed stock quote:
1 52-week high.
2 52-week low.
3 The letter H or L depending on whether the stock made a
new 52-week High or Low in today's trading; otherwise
blank.
4 Stock name.
5 For a preferred stock, the letters pf (and perhaps more
letters) will occupy this field (see example, below).
This field is blank for common stocks.
6 Dividend.
7 Yield (or percent stock distribution -- see field 8).
8 The letter Y for a stock distribution in lieu of cash.
9 Price/earnings ratio.
10 Today's sales in 100-share lots.
11 Today's high price.
12 Today's low price.
13 Roday's closing price.
14 The change from the previous day's close.
During processing, fractions such as 50 1-2 are converted to
decimals so your analysis software can treat those fields as the
numeric values they actually are. Here are examples of raw quotes
and a portion of their translation into Lotus ".PRN" format.
35 7-8 25 ABC Corp 4.6 8 9 29 31 30 3-8 30 3-8_ 7-8
35.875,25.000," ","ABC Corp"," ",4.6,8.0," ",9.0,29,...........
In this first example, field 3 (new high/low) is blank (" ") as
is field 5 (the "preferred" indicator). Contrast this with the
next example, a preferred stock that made a new 52-week low.
47 1-2 (L) XYZ Corp 5.25pfD 13. * 23 42 1-4 41 41 _1 1-4
47.500,41.000,"L","XYZ Corp","pfD",5.25,13.0," ",0,23,42.000,41.000,..
As TRANSTOK examines each quote, it uses fields 3, 5 and 8 to
indicate anything special about the quote. Additionally, it
checks for and corrects several other conditions, including:
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PART II TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE APPLICATIONS
1) Verifying that today's high/low trading price is properly
reflected in the 52-week high/low fields for stocks that made a
new high or low today.
2) Dividing the dividend by today's closing price to compute a
yield if the yield is missing.
3) Converting "sales-in-full" to sales in hundred-share lots.
4) Computing a yield for issues with stock distribution in lieu of
cash.
5) Inserting a zero for any value it is able to determine is
missing.
The Exception File
When processing raw stock quotes, occasionally TRANSTOK's final
summary of activity will show that one (or more) quotes could not
be processed and were put into the "exception" file. About 95-98%
of the time, the reason a Unistox quote is rejected is that it is
missing some information that the program needs for successful
processing. Exceptions are seldom found in StockCheck quotes.
Often the reason for rejection may not be obvious until you
inspect the quote carefully. Below are 3 examples of rejected
Unistox quotes. The reason for rejection is noted in each of
these examples, but is not included in an actual exception file.
35 7-8 25 ABC Corp 4.6 8 29 31 30 3-8 30 3-8_ 7-8
^ Price/Earnings ratio missing
9 3-4 2 1-2 DEF Corp .28 1.6 11 10 7 1-2 7 1-4 7 1-2 1-4
"change" symbol missing ^
1 3-8 9-32 GHI Corp * * 29 13-32 13-32 13-32+1-32
^ ^ ^ ^ ^
TRANSTOK is not programmed to deal with stock sales in 32nds
because stocks rarely trade that low on either the NYSE or AMEX.
On rare occasions, TRANSTOK will reject a valid quote because
of the arrangement of the numbers in it. For example, in the
quote below, even the human eye cannot immediately tell whether
the numbers "1" and "7-8" belong together as "1 7-8" or whether
they should be separate numbers. It is little wonder then, that
the program also has the same trouble!
Because of the close spacing between the "1" and the "7-8",
TRANSTOK must assume the two numbers belong together; but, in
fact, they are separate. As it processes the subsequent numbers,
it finds there is not enough data to complete the quote so the raw
quote is put into the "exception" file for your inspection.
3 1-4 1-2 XYZ Corp .05 1.5 9 231 1 7-8 15-16_1-16
When exceptions are generated, we suggest that you use
TRANSTOK's editor to retrieve the exception file and inspect the
rejected quotes. If those stocks are of no interest to you, then
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PART II TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE APPLICATIONS
just erase the exception file. If they are of interest, then
simply use the editor to correct the problems in the quote(s) as
best you can. For example, if the "change" symbol is missing,
then insert the missing symbol.
In the case of the "1" and the "7-8" example above, just insert
about 6 spaces between each of the numbers at the tail end of the
quote so TRANSTOK can easily decide which numbers are supposed to
stand alone. Such a quote would look like this after being
"fixed" with the editor:
3 1-4 1-2 XYZ Corp .05 1.5 9 231 1 7-8 15-16 _1-16
After editing, the quotes in the exception file can be processed
just like any other file of raw quotes. Alternatively, you may
Merge the "fixed" quotes onto the end of their original RAW data
file (see "Merge", below) and reprocess the entire file.
CREATING UNISTOX STUB LISTS
This procedure (main menu item #2) extracts just the
abbreviated security names ("stubs") from the reports 139 (for the
New York Stock Exchange) and 149 (for the American Stock Exchange)
in the Unistox database, and places the stubs in a separate file.
Included with each version of TRANSTOK that is released is the
most current list of Unistox "stubs" for both the NYSE and AMEX.
These are stored in two files on the disk: NYSE.STB and AMEX.STB.
If you get a copy of TRANSTOK from a friend and the DOS file
directory listing (DIR) shows file dates more than a month old,
some of the stubs in those files will have been changed by The
Source. There are two methods for getting a current list:
1) Get a current stub list directly from StockBridge Software
(see Part IV of this manual for the procedure).
or 2) Download quotes for the entire NYSE or AMEX and extract the
stubs from those quotes using menu item #2.
Once you have current stubs, they can be used in conjunction
with the TRANSTOK editor for creating lists of "special-interest"
securities without tedious, error-prone keyboard entry. You can
use these stub files to create portfolios of the various groupings
of stocks you want to follow. TRANSTOK allows you to group stocks
together in ANY manner you choose and to follow them in a single
report. For example, you could:
1. Follow not only the Dow Jones averages, but all the Dow stocks
themselves, each in a separate portfolio of Industrials,
Transportation, Utilities, and Composite.
2. Follow the S&P 500 stocks and the S&P 400 industrials in
separate reports.
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PART II TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE APPLICATIONS
3. Create a portfolio of stocks for every month where there is an
option traded. You can now follow all the January, February,
March, etc., stocks where options are available and follow
them in a single report.
4. Follow stocks by industry groups: The oils, airlines,
computers, high technology, etc.
5. If you follow any of the index options (CBOE S&P 100; AMEX
major market index, market value index, computer technology
index, oil & gas index, oil index, and transportation index;
the Philadelphia gold & silver index; the PSE technology
index), create a portfolio of stocks that make up each index
and track the price performance of each stock versus the
component index.
To maintain a current stub list, you can download Unistox
report 000 once a week to check on stub changes The Source may
have made during the previous week. You can incorporate any
changes into your master list quickly with the TRANSTOK editor
(see Editor, in both Part I and Part II).
PROCESSING RAW QUOTES FROM SOURCE-STOCKCHECK
Translated Output From StockCheck Quotes
When TRANSTOK processes a raw StockCheck quote, the translated
output is divided into 7 separate "fields". In a spreadsheet,
these will occupy 7 adjacent columns. Below is a list of the 7
data elements in a processed quote:
1 Ticker symbol assigned by the stock exchange.
2 Price/earnings ratio.
3 Today's sales in 100-share (round) lots.
4 Today's high price.
5 Today's low price.
6 Today's closing price.
7 The change from the previous day's close.
Here is an example of 3 StockCheck quotes, both in their raw
form and after TRANSTOK has prepared them for Lotus 123/Symphony.
10/31 18:15 AB .. 439 2 3/8 2 1/8 2 1/4 ..
10/31 18:15 SDJ 20 87 149 3/8 147 7/8 148 +1 5/8
10/31 18:15 PDQ 14 6311 14 5/8 14 3/8 14 3/8 - 1/8
"AB",0,439,2.375,2.125,2.250,0
"SDJ",20,87,149.375,147.875,148.000,+1.625
"PDQ",14,6311,14.625,14.375,14.375,-.125
NOTE: Raw StockCheck quotes for stocks trading in the Over-the-
Counter market do not contain price/earnings ratios (data
element 2, above). TRANSTOK fills in the "missing" P/E
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PART II TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE APPLICATIONS
ratio with a zero. If you want to have something other
than a zero displayed for the missing P/E, use item 6 on
the DEFAULTS.EXE main menu to specify any substitute that
you wish.
VERIFYING STUBS/TICKER SYMBOLS AGAINST A MASTER LIST
Suppose you have a list of about 300 stubs for stocks that are
of special interest to you. One of the Unistox reports available
from The Source is report number 087, which lists the stubs for
all stocks (on both the NYSE and AMEX) that made a new 52-week
high or low in today's trading. Here is how Verify can help you
use the 087 report.
To find out if any of the stocks on your "special-interest"
list made a new high or low, just download report 087 and use the
TRANSTOK Verify feature to compare the two lists. TRANSTOK will
be done comparing in less than 30 seconds. Depending on the
outcome of the comparison, TRANSTOK puts stubs from report number
087 into 3 separate files (GOOD####.STB, NEAR####.STB, and
EXCP###.STB). See Part I, "Verify" for more information about
these files.
When you get the Unistox report 087, you will notice that it
contains only the abbreviation of the company name (stub). To
complicate matters, the stub on the new high/low list MAY NOT be
the same as the stub used by Unistox in the actual stock quotes.
(The reason why The Source allows this discrepancy absolutely
escapes us.)
If there are no stocks in the "NEAR" or "EXCP" files that
interest you, just erase the files. However, if there APPEAR to
be names in either of these files that look familiar, or for which
you might want to see the daily trading summary, use the TRANSTOK
editor to retrieve the NEAR####.STB file. This file lists both
the stub as it exists in your master file and as it was "spelled"
in the 087 report. Delete the stub that came from 087 and upload
the correct stub from the master stub file.
SORTING STUB/TICKER FILES
At times, you may find it convenient to sort lists; for
example, after several stub or ticker symbol files have been
MERGEd together (see Merge Two Files, below). If several lists
have been joined, the names will be out of order and may contain
duplicates. Sorting will put the new list into order and
identical items will appear adjacent to each other. Duplicates
can then be deleted with TRANSTOK's editor.
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PART II TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE APPLICATIONS
For example, suppose you had used Merge to join your
GOODxxxx.STB file with your NEARxxxx.STB file, after you had
edited the NEARxxxx.STB file with the TRANSTOK editor. Once the
file is Sort(ed), you can use the editor to delete duplicates and
thus prepare the file for uploading to The Source.
MERGING FILES
You can use the Merge option to join files together to form a
single file. Suppose, for example, you had used the TRANSTOK
Verify option to see if any stocks on the daily new high/new low
list were stocks you were interested in. Again, suppose that you
found some stocks in the GOOD####.STB file that you were
interested in, and also some stocks in the NEAR####.STB file.
After using TRANSTOK's editor to clean up the NEAR####.STB
file, you can use Merge to join the two files together. Then the
Merge(d) file can be uploaded to The Source to get quotes for
those stocks. In some cases, you may also want to have TRANSTOK
Sort the list before uploading.
Even though you maintain separate portfolio lists, you may
wish to see quotes for all your stocks in one large worksheet or
database. Here again, Merge can help by joining all your separate
lists into one large file instead of uploading several files.
This can also save you some connect time/charges.
EDITING STUB/TICKER FILES
Because the TRANSTOK editor is customized for working with
stub/ticker files and for inspecting/fixing quotes, its services
are extremely useful in conjunction with other options in the
program. Also, since it is built into TRANSTOK, you do not have
the bother of exiting from this program and loading another editor
to look at or change text files used by TRANSTOK.
Using The Editor's FIND Feature
The FIND feature operates so quickly that it can also be used
for moving from one part of a file to another. For example, if
the top of the file is displayed on the screen and you wanted to
look at stubs that begin with the letter "S", there is no need to
use PgDn to scroll all the way through a long file. Just use FIND
and have it search for either "Sa" or "SA" (without quote marks)
to rapidly get to the beginning of the "S" series of stub names.
FIND can also be used in conjunction with both Mark/Unmark and
Delete so you can quickly locate certain stubs and then carry out
the next operation (see example below under "Using Mark").
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PART II TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE APPLICATIONS
Using The Editor's MARK and UNMARK Features
One of TRANSTOK's handiest features is its ability to work with
many different stocks without ever asking you to type in a long
list of stock names or symbols. The Mark/Unmark function (key F7)
has a primary role in making TRANSTOK a joy to use instead of a
tedious and error-prone typing exercise.
On your TRANSTOK distribution disk are two files called
NYSE.STB and AMEX.STB. They contain the Unistox stubs for all the
securities listed on the New York and American Exchanges. From
these master stub files, you can easily select one or many
specialized lists.
For example, if you follow and analyze oil stocks, you can use
the editor to retrieve and then page through the master stub file
to select a portfolio or "special interest" list of just oil-
related stubs. There is no limit to the number of stubs in a
special list, nor is there any limit on the number of lists you
may have. If you want to select a special list for every major
industry group, TRANSTOK makes it easy.
As explained in Part I, Operations, an item is Mark(ed) simply
by placing the cursor anywhere on the same line as the item and
then pressing key F7. See Part I for a full discussion of the
various options available once stubs have been Mark(ed).
In many cases, the Mark feature can be combined with the
editor's Find capability to give you a way to quickly find and
mark stock stubs that belong to an industry group. For example,
the stubs for a great many airline stocks contain the letters
"Air". To rapidly isolate them you would:
1) Retrieve the master NYSE.STB stub file (or AMEX.STB).
2) Press key F4 (Find); it will respond with:
(ESC) Text to Find:
3) You type "Air" (without the quote marks) and press <ENTER>.
4) When it finds the first occurrence of "Air" just press key
F7 to mark that item.
From then on, you just alternate between key F4 to Find the
next occurrence of "Air" and key F7 to Mark it. With just two
keystrokes you can continue to isolate each "Air" stub on the
entire NYSE or AMEX. When Mark(ing) is complete, select item 3 on
the "quit" menu (Write only Marked Stubs) and your list of airline
stocks will be saved as a separate file. The whole process takes
less than 2 minutes from the time you first retrieve the master
stub file until the separate airline list is written on your disk.
MOVING TRANSLATED DATA INTO ANALYSIS SOFTWARE
While it is impossible to provide examples for all of the
hundreds of programs that can import data from TRANSTOK
tranlations, we show examples for a couple popular programs below.
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PART II TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE APPLICATIONS
By looking at them, you can see how easy it is. Check the
documentation that comes with your analysis program for the
specific commands it needs.
Lotus 1-2-3 Example
First place 1-2-3's large cell cursor in the cell where you
want to locate the UPPER-LEFT corner of the spreadsheet. Then:
KEYSTROKE(s) COMMENT
/ Switch from data-entry to command mode
F (F)ile command
I (I)mport command
N (N)umbers command
Then follow the normal 1-2-3 procedure to indicate which file
name you want.
Multiplan Example
Before having Multiplan actually read the TRANSTOK data
translation, you must tell MP what kind of file it will be
reading. Multiplan provides 3 choices:
Normal - Multiplan's standard binary spreadsheet format.
Symbolic - Microsoft SYLK format (one of TRANSTOK'S options).
Other - Prior to version 2.0 of Multiplan, VisiCalc .VC
format (also a TRANSTOK option) was the "other"
file format. In version 2, Lotus 1-2-3's binary
.WKS files is the "other" type.
To tell Multiplan the file type, do this:
KEYSTROKE(s) COMMENT
T (T)ransfer command
O (O)ptions command
S or O (S)ymbolic for SYLK or (O)ther for .VC
<ENTER>
Then follow Multiplan's normal file loading procedure. Once
the data has been imported, you may save it as a "Normal" (binary)
worksheet by again using (T)ransfer, (O)ptions. Only this time
you tell MP that you want to reset the file type to (N)ormal.
Database Example
To have data management software manipulate and screen stock
market data, you must first tell the program how the database will
be structured. It must know how many fields there will be, what
their names are, how wide the fields should be, and (for many
programs) the type of data each field will contain (e.g., whether
the data is alphabetic or numeric).
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PART II TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE APPLICATIONS
Follow the procedure your program uses for creating a new
database. You should only need to do this ONCE, before you import
data for the first time. From then on, that database definition
is reused each time you move translated data into the program.
Here is the information about each data element in a translated
Unistox quote that you can use to set up a database.
DATA SUGGESTED FIELD WIDTH DATA
ELEMENT FIELD NAME (characters) TYPE
52-week high HI52 7 numeric (decimal)
52-week low LO52 7 numeric (decimal)
new high/low flag H/L 1 alphabetic
stock name NAME 15 alphabetic
preferred stock flag PF 4 alphabetic
dividend DIV 4 numeric (decimal)
yield YIELD 5 numeric (decimal)
stock distribution STK 1 alphabetic
price/earnings ratio PE 4 numeric (decimal)
sales in 100's SALES 5 "
today's high HIGH 7 "
today's low LOW 7 "
today's close LAST 7 "
change CHANGE 7 "
NOTE: Some programs don't care about the data type, others are
very fussy. Moreover, some do not distinguish between
numeric-integer (e.g., 100) and numeric-decimal (e.g.,
100.125); they treat all numeric data the same.
Once a database structure has been defined, just follow the
program's normal proceedure for importing data. For dBASE, the
command to import data which has a Lotus ".PRN" format, is:
For dBASE II: APPEND FROM <filename> DELIMITED
For dBASE III: APPEND FROM <filename> DELIMITED WITH ,
For PC-File III, you simply run its PC-IMPOR.EXE utility program
to import data that is in Lotus ".PRN" format.
page -29-
PART III TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE COMMUNICATIONS
This section of the user's guide concentrates on communicating
with The Source to retrieve quotes from either of the databases
supported by TRANSTOK: StockCheck and Unistox.
PLEASE NOTE: This section of the TRANSTOK manual is NOT
intended to be a substitute for the information contained in your
Source user's manual! Here, we simply want to pass along to
TRANSTOK users some tips and information that we have discovered
that do not seem to be clearly discussed in The Source user's
manual.
Many subscribers use the facilities of The Source only for
downloading information. However, The Source Command Level can be
a two-way street. That is, one of its options is accepting lists
of stock names that you upload. Then, based upon your uploaded
list, a database is searched and only the quotes for those
specific securities are downloaded. The stock "names" that you
upload can be either:
1. Stock exchange ticker symbols used in the StockCheck
database.
2. Stock name abbreviations called stock "stubs" used in the
Unistox database.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS IN SELECTING A DATABASE
Advantages and Disadvantages of StockCheck
Advantages: (1) The key identifier for a company in this database
is the ticker symbol assigned by its trading market (e.g., NYSE,
AMEX, or OTC), which rarely changes. (2) Creation of the
download file by the Source computer is faster than with
Unistox. (3) Over-the-counter (OTC) stocks can be included in
your portfolio.
Disadvantages: (1) Less data per stock quote than Unistox (7 data
elements versus 14 in Unistox); (2) The Source does not make it
possible to retrieve an entire day's trading on an exchange just
by specifying a report number (as can be done in Unistox).
Instead, a file (list) of specific ticker symbols must first be
uploaded; or, each symbol must be individually entered from your
keyboard, one symbol at a time.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Unistox
Advantages: (1) There is more information contained in each
Unistox quote than in any other electronic database that we are
aware of; (2) after translation by TRANSTOK, retrieved quotes
present information in the same format that you are accustomed
to seeing in your favorite newspaper; (3) you have the option of
requesting quotes for only specific securities. Or, if you
wish, you can download quotes for an ENTIRE market (exchange)
just by providing the appropriate report number.
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PART III TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE COMMUNICATIONS
Disadvantages: (1) If quotes for only selected securities are
being requested (as opposed to the entire exchange), you MUST
know the stock stub. (2) The "spelling" of specific stubs in
this database changes from time to time for no apparent reason,
which means you have to update your master list. (3) The Source
computer takes somewhat longer to create the download file than
with StockCheck.
Summary of Advantages and Disadvantages
If your primary goal is simply to get the most recent trading
volume and prices of stocks you follow, then the higher speed of
the StockCheck database is preferable. If however, you want the
most complete information available (e.g., to do analysis), then
the Unistox database makes the most sense.
CREATING CUSTOM PORTFOLIO(s)
From the StockCheck database you can download quotes based only
on a previously uploaded list of stock ticker symbols. StockCheck
does not allow you to download quotes for an entire day's trading
from an exchange. If you want to use StockCheck to follow only
selected stocks on the AMEX, NYSE and/or the Over-The-Counter
market, you can mix ticker symbols from any of these markets in a
single list that you then upload to The Source.
If you want to use Unistox to follow selected issues on both
the NYSE and AMEX, you MUST maintain a separate stub list for each
exchange. These lists (portfolios) can easily be created offline
with the TRANSTOK editor. (See Editor in both Part I and II for a
discussion of how to select stubs for custom portfolios).
OVERVIEW OF FILE NAMES USED IN UPLOADING AND DOWNLOADING
There are several different files being created when uploading
portfolios and downloading stock quotes. Here, we simply want you
to become aware of the general scheme for naming such files and
the sequence in which they are created.
In the pages that follow (in Part III), we discuss the general
procedures for uploading and downloading files. In Appendices C
thru K, we give examples of the actual procedures and commands
involved. Throughout all these discussions and examples, we will
consistently use the following HYPOTHETICAL file names:
UPFILE -- A file of Unistox stubs, or StockCheck ticker symbols,
that you create offline with the TRANSTOK editor and
then upload to The Source.
QUOTFILE -- A file of raw stock quotes that The Source computer
creates in a "COMO" file while you are online. After
it has been created, you download this file. "COMO"
files can be used for either StockCheck or Unistox.
page -31-
PART III TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE COMMUNICATIONS
A. Offline -- prior to connecting with The Source
Create your portfolio(s) of stubs and/or ticker symbols using
the Mark feature in the TRANSTOK editor (see Part I, Operations
and Part II, Applications). Give them any legal file name that
makes sense to you and store them on disk. For example:
NYSE.STB, or STUB.NYS, or MYFILE.
B. Online -- when connected with The Source
1) Uploading: Provide The Source computer with a name it
should use to store your uploaded file of stub or ticker
symbols, (for example, UPFILE). This can be the same or a
different file name that you used when the stub/ticker
files were created offline with the TRANSTOK editor. The
Source computer "understands" file names either with or
without a file-name extension, and in either upper- or
lower-case (e.g., MYFIL or my.fil; it makes no difference).
2) Downloading: Provide The Source computer with a file name
it should use to store your raw stock quotes in; this is
called a "COMO" file. For example, the command might be:
-> COMO QUOTFILE -N
This file CAN NOT have the same file name as the stub (or
ticker symbol file) that you uploaded. To download your
raw stock quotes (the "COMO" file), you issue the command:
-> TY QUOTFILE
(( NOTE: You DO NOT issue the command: -> TY UPFILE ))
When capturing data, be sure to store it on your disk using a
file name that is relevant to you. For example, RAW0701.DAT (raw
data for July 1), or ASE0901.RAW (raw data from the AMEX for
September 1). Any word association which ties the exchange and
the day's trading session together will be useful in keeping
different days' trading segregated.
OVERVIEW OF STOCK QUOTE RETRIEVAL FROM EACH DATABASE
There are several different methods for retrieving quotes from
both the StockCheck and Unistox databases. Again, specific
examples are provided in the Appendices. Here, we want to
familiarize you with the general concepts involved.
Getting Quotes From StockCheck
1) Upload a list of ticker symbols to The Source and store
them in a file on their computer. The Source computer then
retrieves just the raw quotes from its database that match the
ticker symbols in your upload file. It stores the quotes in a
"COMO" file. When it has finished, you download the COMO file.
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PART III TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE COMMUNICATIONS
While the COMO file is being created, you will not see the
Command Level prompt ( -> ). This search and file building
typically takes only a few seconds; but, if The Source computer
is extremely busy, it can take 10 minutes.
OR
2) Select the StockCheck database at the Command Level prompt
( -> ). Enter the name of the file containing the list of
ticker symbols that you have previously uploaded. You can
watch as each quote is found and then downloaded to you. As
this method skips the building of a COMO file, it can take
longer to get an equivalent number of quotes than method 1.
OR
3) Select the StockCheck database at the Command Level prompt
( -> ). Enter stock ticker symbols one at a time from the
keyboard. This is a much less desirable alternative than
either method 1 or 2. Entering ticker symbols from your
keyboard is prone to error, time-consuming, and, in the final
analysis, costly. TRANSTOK is designed to take advantage of
method 1 or 2, so you will probably never use method 3.
Getting Quotes From Unistox
1) Select the Unistox database at Command Level ( -> ). Enter
the report number for the appropriate exchange (139 for NYSE or
149 for AMEX) and retrieve quotes for ALL stocks on the entire
exchange that had trading activity today.
OR
2) This method for getting quotes for selected stocks from
Unistox is nearly identical to method #1 in the StockCheck
database. The raw quotes are assembled in a COMO file, based
on the list of stock names that you uploaded. The primary
difference is that you must specify a report number in Unistox,
report 139 for the NYSE or 149 for the AMEX.
OR
3) This method of getting quotes for selected issues and seeing
each line of data as it is being downloaded to you is nearly
identical to method #2 in the StockCheck database. You specify
a report (either 139 or 149), and provide the name of the file
that contains your previously uploaded stock stubs. Here
again, not using a COMO file can take longer.
OR
4) Select the Unistox database at Command Level ( -> ). Enter
the report number for the appropriate exchange (139 for New
York and 149 for American) and enter one stub at a time from
the keyboard, or the first four letters of your "best guess" as
to what the stub is. If you enter a "best guess", you will get
page -33-
PART III TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE COMMUNICATIONS
quotes for all stocks that match the four letters you supplied
as the first part of the stub. Only one of these will be the
one you want. (This is clearly the least desirable of the four
alternatives.)
MIXING AND MERGING: NYSE, AMEX AND O-T-C DATA
In the StockCheck database you can follow all your stocks, from
all exchanges and from the over-the-counter market, in a single
portfolio, because you can mix the ticker symbols together.
If you use the Unistox database to follow stocks, you should be
aware of the following:
1) DO NOT mix both AMEX and NYSE stubs in a single upload file.
If you do, The Source computer will spend a lot of your connect
time searching its NYSE stock report for the non-existent AMEX
stubs/stocks and vice-versa. Keep keep your stub lists for each
exchange separate.
2) After separate files of raw AMEX and NYSE quotes have been
received and stored on your disk, you can use TRANSTOK's MERGE
feature to combine all the quotes into a single file before
TRANSTOK translates the raw data. However, DO NOT combine raw
StockCheck quotes and raw Unistox quotes in the same file.
3) Do not retrieve or attempt to translate OTC stocks from the
Unistox database. This version of TRANSTOK provides translation
only for the Unistox-NYSE and Unistox-AMEX. However, as noted
above, OTC quotes CAN be obtained from the StockCheck database.
4) DO NOT use TRANSTOK's Merge feature to combine quotes that have
already been translated (see Part I, "Merge Two Files").
COMMUNICATING WITH THE SOURCE
Using your communications software, sign on to The Source.
You will see the following message on your screen:
WELCOME TO THE SOURCE
1 USING THE SOURCE
2 TODAY
3 BUSINESS UPDATE
4 THE SOURCE MAIN MENU
5 WHAT'S NEW
6 COMMAND LEVEL
Enter item number or help
page -34-
PART III TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE COMMUNICATIONS
To access stock and other financial market quotations, choose
the "Command Level" (number 6), then press the ENTER key
(hereafter designated as <ENTER>). The Source responds with its
Command Level prompt ( -> ). It is at this prompt that you enter
commands which give you access to the various financial databases.
WARNING: Before you start to upload and download data, we
recommend that you specify that you DO NOT want to CHAT while
uploading or downloading. You do this at Command Level by typing:
-> CHAT -OFF <ENTER>
The LAST thing you need when uploading or downloading data is
another subscriber interrupting the data transmission with CHAT.
If you want to CHAT later, go back to Command Level and restore
the CHAT facility by typing:
-> CHAT -ON <ENTER>
DELETING FILES AFTER DOWNLOADING
Once you have downloaded and captured your data and are once
again at The Source Command Level prompt ( -> ), you should decide
whether to leave your uploaded file of stock names stored in The
Source computer or to delete it. In some cases, you may find that
storage charges are less than the connect time needed to upload
the file at a future date. Also, the convenience of not having to
again upload a list may be attractive to you.
In other cases, it is more economical to erase the list of
stock names, particularly if the stocks on your list change (e.g.,
if you follow stocks making new highs and lows). Any "COMO" files
that were created should definitely be deleted, because they hold
the raw quotes which you have already downloaded.
To delete a file, at the command level prompt ( -> ), do the
following:
-> DEL FILENAME <ENTER> (The Source will respond with:)
FILENAME Deleted.
Also, at the command level prompt ( -> ), you can delete all
files you have stored at The Source at various times (and forgot
about) with a single delete command:
-> DEL@@ <ENTER> (The Source might respond with:)
MYFIL Deleted.
THIS.FIL Deleted.
THAT.FIL Deleted.
page -35-
PART III TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE COMMUNICATIONS
GETTING OFF THE SOURCE
Once you have completed uploading, downloading, and deleting
files, go back to The Source Command Level prompt ( -> ). To
PROPERLY EXIT The Source, type OFF. The Source will go through
its own log-off sequence, and you can then "hang up" your modem.
NOTE: If you do not type OFF at Command Level ( -> ), but simply
disconnect your modem, The Source does not log you off
immediately. To avoid connect charges when you are not actually
using the service, be sure to properly log off after each session.
page -36-
PART IV TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE INFORMATION & APPENDICES
USER-SUPPORTED SOFTWARE
TRANSTOK is distributed under the "user-supported" concept.
This means you get to try a full working version of the program,
not a "demo" that has many of its functions disabled. Moreover,
the trial isn't for just 10 minutes in a crowded store, but in the
comfort of your home or office and at your own pace. However,
TRANSTOK is NOT free software, nor is it "public domain" software.
If you decide to use TRANSTOK, after thoroughly testing it at no
cost, we trust that you will send a $30 payment for the program
to:
StockBridge Software
PO Box 2470
Redmond, WA 98073-2470
If the program doesn't meet your needs, then you have lost
nothing. Our only request is that you pass copies along to
friends and associates for their evaluation.
Direct user-support of software authors works well because
users get GOOD QUALITY SOFTWARE AT LOW COST. This is possible
because expensive advertising, copy protection schemes, and a long
distribution chain (publishers, wholesalers, distributors, and
dealers) are eliminated. You deal directly with the authors.
The user-supported concept is based on these beliefs:
1) The value and utility of software is best assessed by users on
their own computer system.
2) Users should be able to obtain quality software at a
reasonable cost, while, at the same time, software authors are
fairly compensated for their efforts.
3) The best programs will survive, based purely on their quality,
usefulness, and how well they are supported by their authors,
NOT just because the vendor has a large advertising budget.
If you believe in these ideals, your payment is requested to
help make them work. Thank you for supporting TRANSTOK and
advancing the user-supported concept.
GETTING COPIES OF TRANSTOK
While we strongly encourage users to pass copies of TRANSTOK
along to others, this method has the disadvantage that you may not
be getting the most current version of the program. Also, a copy
passed from user to user may well have lists of stock names that
are not current or may have been modified by a previous user.
Therefore, a copy directly from StockBridge Software assures you
of the most up-to-date version of both the program and data files.
You can get a copy from us by one of these methods:
1) Send a $30 payment to become a registered user and tell us
which version number you have. If a more recent version exists,
we will immediately send it to you, at no cost, as our thanks for
registering.
page -37-
PART IV TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE INFORMATION & APPENDICES
2) An easy way to get an evaluation copy is to send $10 to
StockBridge Software. We will supply all the program, data, and
documentation files plus a disk, mailer, and postage. Should you
decide that TRANSTOK meets your needs, you will receive a $10
credit toward the $30 user registration payment.
In addition to the program, we always maintain the most current
list of stock name abbreviations (stubs) used in the Unistox
database. While the TRANSTOK program provides all the tools you
need to maintain your own current list of names, we recognize that
some investors simply don't have as much time as they would like
for tracking and analyzing securities, much less for maintaining a
name list. Therefore, any registered TRANSTOK user can order a
disk containing complete and current files of Unistox NYSE and
AMEX stock name abbreviations ("stubs") from us for just $10.
SUGGESTIONS, FEEDBACK, AND BUG REPORTS
We welcome and appreciate any feedback, suggestions, and
problem reports about TRANSTOK or its documentation. We want to
respond to your questions and suggestions and to notify you of
enhancements as we develop them. Also, if you provide your Source
mailbox number, we will be able to leave messages for you about
new releases and revisions to TRANSTOK.
Support is provided to users who have paid for the program.
Send questions to us by mail (a stamped, self-addressed envelope
will speed replies) or to our Source mailbox (BBF925). If you
have a bug report, include: (1) a description of the conditions
under which it occurred; (2) what hardware you have and what other
software you use in conjunction with TRANSTOK; and (3) any
explanatory notes.
We are presently designing future versions with enhancements.
However, we know from experience that excellent suggestions for
new features and improvements come from investors using TRANSTOK
on a regular basis. We can't promise that every suggestion will
be included, but you can be sure that your comments will be
thoughtfully considered.
* Are there any changes that would make the documentation or
programs easier for you to use, or any "missing" functions?
* Are there other Source financial databases for which you would
like TRANSTOK bridge translations?
* Are there any data formats that you would like TRANSTOK to
support other than the three it does now (Lotus ".PRN",
Microsoft "SYLK", and VisiCalc ".VC").
* Are there on-line databases, other than The Source, that you
would like to have TRANSTOK translate (e.g., CompuServe, Dow
Jones, Warner, etc.)?
page -38-
PART IV TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE INFORMATION & APPENDICES
PERMISSION TO COPY
Unlike software distributed through retail channels, you are
encouraged to pass along copies of TRANSTOK so that other users
can evaluate it. Copying is subject to the following:
1) TRANSTOK is copyrighted and may not be copied if it has been
modified, or if the copyright notices are altered.
2) It must be copied and distributed as a complete package. This
includes the TRANSTOK.EXE and DEFAULTS.EXE programs, the default
file, the documentation file, and all data files that are included
on this distribution disk.
3) No fee may be charged for copying, nor for the software itself
unless specific written permission has been granted by StockBridge
Software (see exception for non-profit groups in item 5).
4) Commercial sale of TRANSTOK is prohibited unless marketing and
royalty agreements have been obtained from StockBridge Software.
5) Non-profit computer clubs and investment clubs are hereby
granted permission by StockBridge Software to copy these programs
and documentation and share them with their members, so long as:
a) No price is charged for the software or documentation.
However, a service fee may be requested to cover the cost of
a diskette and copying. This fee may not exceed $10 and
members must be informed that the service fee is NOT a
payment for the software itself.
b) Club members are informed of the user-supported concept and
are encouraged to support it.
6) Non-profit computer bulletin boards may make TRANSTOK
available to their users. The same restrictions and contribution
encouragement, outlined above, apply.
DISCLAIMER
Because StockBridge Software has no control over how you use
this software, nor the conditions under which you use it, we
cannot and do not warrant its performance. The TRANSTOK software
is sold on an "AS IS" basis. StockBridge Software makes no
warranty, either expressed or implied, that the programs will
achieve the results you desire; it is your responsibility to
determine this under your specific conditions. In no case, shall
StockBridge Software be responsible to you for any direct,
incidental, or consequential losses, damage, lost savings, lost
profits, or costs that may occur in using TRANSTOK.
page -39-
PART IV TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE INFORMATION & APPENDICES
TRADEMARKS
The following, which are mentioned in this manual, are
trademarks, service marks, and/or copyrighted material of their
respective organizations: TRANSTOK/StockBridge Software; IBM-PC,
PC-XT, PC-AT, PC-jr/International Business Machines Corp.;
Multiplan, Chart, and SYLK/Microsoft Corporation; Lotus 1-2-3 and
Symphony/Lotus Development, Inc.; PC-File III/ ButtonWare;
dBASE/Ashton-Tate; R:BASE/MicroRIM, Inc; VP-Planner/Paperback
Software; StockCheck/Associated Press; The Source/Source
Telecomputing Inc.; Unistox/United Press International;
SuperCalc3/Sorcim; VisiCalc/VisiCorp.
APPENDIX A
ADDITIONAL NOTES ON DATA TRANSLATION AND FILE FORMATS
With hundreds of different database, spreadsheet, and
investment analysis programs on the market, it is impossible to
list all the different programs and types of data files they are
capable of reading. If you want to import translated quotes from
TRANSTOK into an analysis program, we recommend that you check its
documentation to see which data formats it can accept. Many
programs can read at least one of the "industry-standard" formats
supported by TRANSTOK; some can read more than one. For example,
Microsoft's Multiplan (prior to version 2.0) has a built-in
capability to read VisiCalc's ".VC" files and often does so faster
than reading its own SYLK files. Thus, it pays to experiment if
you have a program that can read more than one of the formats
TRANSTOK can write.
Some programs may not have a built-in capability to read ANY of
the standard data formats that TRANSTOK supports. However, it is
common for such programs to have a separate translation program on
its disk. For example, SuperCalc3 has a utility program which
prepares a data file that is in one of the widely-used formats for
SuperCalc's own unique requirements. Unfortunately, data imports
into such software requires two translations, rather than the
direct import normally available from TRANSTOK.
APPENDIX B
TRANSLATING ONLY PART OF A FILE OF RAW QUOTES
Here is an example of how to use the "Partial file" option when
processing and translating quotes (choice #1 or #3 on TRANSTOK's
main menu). This option is needed when the analysis program you
want to use has a limit on how many quotes it can accept in one
file, or is limited by the amount of RAM in your computer.
Suppose you downloaded quotes for a large number of stocks, say
400. To analyze this data with VisiCalc, which has a limit of 255
lines on a spreadsheet, the raw file must be translated in two
separate groups. In this case, two blocks, of about 200 lines
each, would work well.
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PART IV TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE INFORMATION & APPENDICES
To do this, you use the processing option called "Partial
file"; TRANSTOK will ask for the beginning and ending line number
for the partial translation. In this example, you would specify
that processing begin with line 1 and end with line 200 for the
first partial translation. When that is finished, you would again
invoke Process from the main menu, only this time you specify that
processing should start at line 201.
For the ENDING line, you should provide a number that you KNOW
is larger than the number of lines contained in the raw file; in
this example, line 500 would do nicely. The larger number will
insure that the entire file will be processed, whereas if you had
told TRANSTOK to stop processing at line 400, you could not be
certain that 400 was in fact, the last line. In actual practice,
there are almost always more lines in a raw file than quotes. The
"extra" lines usually contain text, part of your logon and sign
off from The Source, and perhaps some blank lines also.
TRANSTOK ignores all such lines when processing quotes, but
must include them in the total line count of the file. As a
result, TRANSTOK's final processing summary may report, for
example, that only 194 quotes came from the raw file even though
you told it to translate line 1 through 200. You may be assured
that the program did, in fact, read 200 lines from the file, but
that among those 200 lines were 6 lines containing extraneous text
instead of stock quotes.
When processing raw data in blocks, you should:
1) Take care that each of the translated output files get a
DIFFERENT file name. If you don't, the next file with the same
name will replace the one already on your disk.
2) Remember, when TRANSTOK translates in SYLK or VisiCalc format,
the first 4 lines of the spreadsheet are left blank so that you
can add your own title lines (i.e., TRANSTOK tells the
spreadsheet that the first data cell is row 5, column 1).
Therefore, do not tell TRANSTOK to translate 255 lines of data
in a partial translation, because 255 data lines plus 4 blank
lines exceeds the 255-line limit of Multiplan and VisiCalc.
APPENDIX C
UPLOADING PORTFOLIOS FROM COMMAND LEVEL
After you have used the TRANSTOK editor to create your
StockCheck and/or Unistox portfolios, you can then upload those
lists to The Source and receive quotes based on those list(s).
The uploading procedure takes place at The Source Command Level
prompt ( -> ) in this manner:
Step 1. -> ENTER UPFILE <ENTER> (The Source will prompt you ..)
Enter Text
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PART IV TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE INFORMATION & APPENDICES
Step 2. When you see The Source prompt "Enter Text", send your
file of stock names (stubs/ticker symbols) using whatever
commands your communications software requires for
sending a file. When the last stock name in your list
appears on the screen, press the <ENTER> key TWICE. The
Source computer now has a list of names that it can use
for retrieving quotes. If the file contains stock stubs,
you can receive quotes from the New York or American
stock exchanges from the Unistox database. If the file
contains ticker symbols, you can receive quotes from the
StockCheck database.
If you have several different lists (e.g., NYSE stubs and AMEX
stubs), the individual files can be uploaded, one after the other,
at the beginning of a connect session. However, you must tell The
Source computer to assign a different file name for each stub/
ticker list you upload. With multiple files, you repeatedly use
the ENTER FILENAME command shown above. For the duration of a
communications session, you refer to each list of stock names by
its file name within The Source computer (e.g., UPFILE).
APPENDIX D
DOWNLOADING FROM STOCKCHECK
Even though the procedure below is specific to the StockCheck
database, the steps used to download quotes from Unistox are very
similar. Therefore, throughout the rest of these Appendices, you
will frequently be referred to the procedure given below.
REMINDER: From the StockCheck database, you can only download
quotes based upon a previously uploaded list of stock ticker
symbols. You cannot download quotes for an entire day's trading
from an exchange. Here are the commands and keystrokes used at
each step in the process, starting at the Command Prompt ( -> ):
Step 1. -> COMO QUOTFILE -N <ENTER>
Step 2. STOCKCHECK 1 <ENTER>
Step 3. (UPFILE) <ENTER><ENTER>
Step 4. QUIT <ENTER>
Step 5. COMO -E -T <ENTER>
DISCUSSION: (Step 1) Tell The Source computer you want to
create a COMO file named QUOTFILE. (Step 2) Designate the
database you want to receive quotes from; StockCheck 1 in this
example. (Step 3) Provide the file name for your list of ticker
symbols; this MUST be in parenthesis, for example (UPFILE). Then
press the <ENTER> key TWICE. (Step 4 and Step 5) Tell The Source
computer to QUIT and end the transfer of data (COMO -E -T) into
the COMO file.
What you have actually done in steps 1 thru 5 is to give The
Source computer a whole series of steps to execute in one
continuous sequence without checking back with you at each step.
This is quite similar to a series of commands you can execute on
your PC by packaging them in a batch file (e.g., AUTOEXEC.BAT).
page -42-
PART IV TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE INFORMATION & APPENDICES
Following step 5, The Source will not return to the Command
Prompt ( -> ) immediately. Instead, for the next few/several
minutes (depending on the number of stocks in your list), it
collects all the quotes into the COMO file. When it has finished
that task, it will return you to the Command Level prompt ( -> ).
Step 6. Enable the save-to-disk feature of your communications
software. Be sure that the disk you are using to
capture data has enough free space to hold the report.
(about 65 bytes per quote).
Step 7. -> TY QUOTFILE <ENTER>
Your stock quotes will scroll across your screen as the
contents of QUOTFILE (the COMO file) is transmitted to
your computer.
APPENDIX E
DOWNLOAD AN ENTIRE DAY'S TRADING FROM UNISTOX: NYSE OR AMEX
To download quotes from the Unistox database, for an entire
day's trading data on the NYSE or AMEX, get to the Command Level
prompt ( -> ), and then use these commands and keystrokes:
Step 1. -> COMO QUOTFILE -N <ENTER>
Step 2. UNISTOX <ENTER>
Step 3. ??? <ENTER>
Step 4. <SPACE BAR> <ENTER>
Step 5. STOP <ENTER>
Step 6. QUIT <ENTER>
Step 7. COMO -E -T <ENTER>
NOTE: Where ??? is shown in Step 3, you type in the report
number you want (report 139 for NYSE, or 149 for the AMEX).
DISCUSSION: After you press <ENTER> in Step 7, it will appear
as though nothing is happening -- the cursor will remain in the
lower-left corner of the screen. However, in a few minutes, the
command level prompt ( -> ) will reappear. This tells you that
the Unistox report (for the exchange you selected) has been
assembled by The Source computer into the COMO file you named in
Step 1, and is available for download. See Appendix D and F for a
more detailed discussion of the commands in the steps above.
Step 8. Enable the save-to-disk feature of your communications
software. Be sure that the disk you are using to capture the data
has at least 148,000 bytes of free space to capture the NYSE
report. For the entire AMEX report, you will need at least 55,000
bytes of free space.
Step 9. To download the quotes in the COMO file:
-> TY QUOTFILE <ENTER>
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PART IV TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE INFORMATION & APPENDICES
The Source will proceed to download the NYSE or AMEX daily trading
summary to you, which your communications software will capture.
WARNING: Report 149 (the AMEX) contains stock quotes followed
by bond quotations. Because this version of TRANSTOK does not
provide bond translations, you should BREAK out of the ongoing
download when you see that the last stock quote has been received.
The actual keystrokes used to stop the download varies, depending
on which communications program you use.
APPENDIX F
DOWNLOADING CUSTOM NYSE OR AMEX PORTFOLIOS FROM UNISTOX
First, a list of stubs must have been previously uploaded to
The Source computer, as was described in APPENDIX C, "Uploading
Portfolios". Then, at the Command Level prompt ( -> ), enter the
following commands and keystrokes:
Step 1. -> COMO QUOTFILE -N <ENTER>
Step 2. UNISTOX <ENTER>
Step 3. ??? <ENTER>
Step 4. (UPFILE) <ENTER><ENTER>
Step 5. STOP <ENTER>
Step 6. QUIT <ENTER>
Step 7. COMO -E -T <ENTER>
NOTES: a) Where ??? is shown in Step 3, you type in the report
number you want (report 139 for NYSE, 149 for AMEX).
b) Where QUOTFILE appears, be sure to use a file name that
is DIFFERENT than the file name you used when you
uploaded your list of stubs; in this example, UPFILE.)
DISCUSSION: (Step 1) Create a COMO file named QUOTFILE. (Step
2) Select the database, UNISTOX, and (Step 3) the report from
which you want to receive quotes, 139 for the NYSE or 149 for the
AMEX. (Step 4) Provide the file name that contains the list of
stubs that you uploaded. This file name MUST be in parenthesis,
e.g., (UPFILE). (Steps 6 and 7) are used to terminate this series
of commands. Quotes for the stocks listed in UPFILE are then
loaded into the COMO file named in Step 1.
While the COMO file is being assembled, it will appear as if
nothing is happening. The cursor will remain in the lower-left
corner of the screen while the stocks listed in UPFILE are
extracted from the designated Unistox report. When the quotes are
assembled in the COMO file, the Command Level prompt ( -> ) will
reappear. Prepare your computer to receive data.
Step 9. Enable the save-to-disk feature of your communications
software. Be sure that the disk you are using to
capture the data has enough free space to hold the
report (about 70-80 bytes per quote).
page -44-
PART IV TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE INFORMATION & APPENDICES
Step 10. To download the contents of the COMO file:
-> TY QUOTFILE <ENTER>
APPENDIX G
DIRECT DOWNLOAD OF QUOTES WITHOUT USING A COMO FILE
If you wish, you may bypass the steps involved in creating a
COMO file, and have The Source computer download quotes as soon as
it extracts each one from the Unistox database. However, this
method can be noticeably slower than using a COMO file (see note
below). As is described in APPENDIX C ("Uploading Portfolios"),
you must have provided an uploaded list of stock stubs (or ticker
symbols). If you want to watch as each stock on your list is
found and then transmitted to your computer, be sure to enable the
save-to-disk feature of your software BEFORE you enter (UPFILE) at
Step 4, below. If you are not saving-to-disk before the report
starts to download, you will miss capturing some of the quotes.
Step 1. -> UNISTOX <ENTER> (The Source will prompt you with...)
UPI UNISTOX...YOU ARE ON-LINE.
TYPE "HELP" OR "QUIT" AT ANY TIME
WHICH REPORT?
Step 2. 139 <ENTER> (139 for NYSE or 149 for AMEX)
The Source will prompt you with...
ENTER KEYWORDS, ONE PER LINE, AND PRESS
RETURN TWICE, OR PRESS RETURN ONCE FOR
THE ENTIRE REPORT.
Step 3. Enable the save-to-disk feature of your
communications software.
Step 4. (UPFILE) <ENTER> <ENTER>
Your stocks will print out and The Source will return to the
command level prompt ( -> ) after you type:
Step 5. QUIT <ENTER>
NOTE: There are two disadvantages to viewing the data as each
item is retrieved from The Source database, rather than assembling
the quotes into a COMO file.
1) When The Source assembles all the quotes in a COMO file, it can
devote its full attention to just that task, rather than spending
time after finding each quote to transmit it to your computer.
Likewise, once the COMO file is assembled, the download proceeds
rapidly because the search phase has already been completed.
Thus, the entire process can be faster by using a COMO file.
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PART IV TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE INFORMATION & APPENDICES
2) As you see the lines of transmitted data appear on your
screen, you will notice a pause after each line. Some of these
pauses are longer than others, as The Source computer searches its
database from one stock in your list to the next.
If the pause between transmissions from The Source is too long,
it can cause some communications software to assume that the
capture is finished. If this does occur, your software may close
the disk file that was being used to capture data. You will need
to open a new file with a different name. During this renaming
procedure, you may miss capturing some quotes for the stocks on
your list. Therefore, in terms of speed and accuracy, it is much
better to use the COMO-file method, because the are no pauses
between lines of data during downloading.
You may also bypass the COMO file when getting quotes from the
StockCheck database. Assuming that you have uploaded a file
(list) of stock ticker symbols (called UPFILE in the example
below), here are the steps used:
Step 1. -> StockCheck 1 <ENTER>
Step 2. Enable the save-to-disk feature of your
communications software.
Step 3. (UPFILE) <ENTER><ENTER>
The Source computer will proceed to search for, and then to
transmit, a stock quote for each ticker symbol listed in UPFILE.
APPENDIX H
MONITORING CHANGES IN YOUR UNISTOX STUB LISTS
Unistox stubs are continually being changed. The stub you
used to get data one day might have been changed by the next time
you use it. Unistox provides a means of determining which, if
any, stubs have been changed over the past week. To do this you
need to download Unistox report 000. At the Command Level prompt
( -> ), do this:
Step 1. -> UNISTOX <ENTER> (The Source will prompt you with...)
...UPI UNISTOX... YOU ARE ON-LINE!
TYPE "HELP" or "QUIT" AT ANY TIME...
WHICH REPORT?
Step 2. 000 <ENTER> (The Source will prompt you with...)
ENTER KEY WORDS, ONE PER LINE, AND
PRESS RETURN TWICE, OR PRESS RETURN
ONCE FOR THE ENTIRE REPORT.
Step 3. Enable the save (to-disk) feature of your
communications software. Then you press:
page -46-
PART IV TRANSTOK USER'S GUIDE INFORMATION & APPENDICES
Step 4. <ENTER>
The Source will proceed to download all changes in abbreviations
for both NYSE and AMEX stubs in the Unistox data base.
Step 5. QUIT <ENTER> (the Command Level prompt returns)
APPENDIX I
DOWNLOADING THE NEW HIGH/LOW LIST FOR THE NYSE AND AMEX
You can find out which stocks made either a new 52-week high or
52-week low in today's trading on BOTH the New York and American
Stock Exchanges by downloading report 087 from the Unistox
database. At The Source Command Level prompt, enter:
Step 1. -> UNISTOX <ENTER> (The Source will prompt you with...)
...UPI UNISTOX... YOU ARE ON-LINE!
TYPE "HELP" OR "QUIT" AT ANY TIME...
WHICH REPORT?
Step 2. 087 <ENTER> (The Source will prompt you with...)
ENTER KEY WORDS, ONE PER LINE, AND
PRESS RETURN TWICE, OR PRESS RETURN
ONCE FOR THE ENTIRE REPORT.
Step 3. Enable the save-to-disk feature of your communications
software, then press:
Step 4. <ENTER>
The Source will proceed to download the names (stubs) of all
stocks on both exchanges that made EITHER a 52-week high or
52-week low in today's trading. When it is done you type:
Step 5. QUIT <ENTER> (the Command Level prompt returns)
NOTE: You do not get any trading data using report 087, only
stubs. If there are any companies on this list that you either
own or are interested in, you can out find more about them by:
1) VERIFY(ing) the stubs against your master list, using item 5 on
TRANSTOK's main menu.
2) Send (upload) back to The Source any stubs that match your
master list, following the procedure described in APPENDIX C
("Uploading Portfolios From Command Level").
3) Then, follow the procedures for downloading a custom list of
NYSE and/or AMEX stocks from Unistox, described in APPENDIX E,
F, and G.
page -47-
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #0323
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
READ-ME 1ST 384 3-16-87 1:50a
PRINTDOC BAT 128 3-16-87 1:50a
PRINTDOC MSG 896 3-16-87 1:50a
TRANSTOK DOC 144906 3-16-87 1:50a
TRANSTOK EXE 65520 3-16-87 1:50a
TRANSTOK DFL 384 3-16-87 1:50a
TRANSTOK DF2 384 3-16-87 1:50a
DEFAULTS EXE 22784 3-16-87 1:50a
AMEX STB 10268 3-16-87 1:50a
NYSE STB 23345 3-16-87 1:50a
STOKCHEK DJI 2816 3-16-87 1:50a
UNISTOX DJC 5632 3-16-87 1:50a
UNISTOX DJI 3072 3-16-87 1:50a
FILES323 TXT 1535 5-17-88 2:00p
GO BAT 38 5-11-88 10:03a
GO TXT 540 5-11-88 10:03a
MANUAL BAT 147 5-11-88 10:03a
17 file(s) 282779 bytes
30720 bytes free