GETTING STARTED WITH METASTOCK Part 11:

Converting Excel data to Metastock format

Converting Excel files to Metastock files can be frustrating. The problem usually is related to the date structure, format and hidden formulas. Some traders create synthetic Excel files using market data. These include advance_decline data, new high-new low data, or data used to track an individual portfolio average. Excel has very limited charting abilities when compared with Metastock so there is an advantage in turning the Excel data into a Metastock file. For more advanced users, this process also provides a way to set up a DDE link with live data coming into an Excel spreadsheet that is linked to a Metastock file which is updated. The same direct links can be used to develop Excel based indicators which are displayed on a Metastock data file. This might include plotting the equity curve calculated in an Excel spreadsheet directly over the appropriate price chart. The steps below are used for establishing a new base Metastock reference file and importing historical Excel data into it. CREATING THE NEW FILE Step 1 Create Excel data file. Date format is not important. Step 2 Establish a new folder for these files Step 3 Launch the Downloader. Select NEW then SECURITY

Step 4 Use the BROWSE button to find the folder you wish to store the new security in. Do not mix these up with your other stock data files. Give the security a name and a symbol. Make sure the FIRST DATE is the same as the first date in your Excel data file.

Click CREATE. Then click CANCEL to exit this part of the program. This now creates a blank data file. You can now add the Excel data to this file TRANSFERRING DATA FROM THE EXCEL FILE TO THE NEW DATA FILE. Step 5 Select FILE then OPEN. Use the standard navigation dialog to locate the folder the new security file has been stored in. The click the OPEN button.

Step 6 The screen blow comes up. It is a blank data file. It has no date or data in the screen display. Leave this screen open and switch back to the open Excel file containing the data you want to convert into a Metastock file.

Step 7 Highlight all the data you want to transfer to the Metastock data file. Do NOT highlight the date column, or the row with the headings. Metastock will fill in the date sequence for you.

Step 8 Select COPY from the menu. Step 9 Return to the Downloader with the open data file. Click on the first cell under OPEN Select EDIT and then PASTE. This will insert all the new data. Metastock will automatically fill in the date sequence for you. Note: This may take some time, so be patient. The downloader screen will flicker, and then all the data will appear. Note: The first starting date will be the date you set when you created the blank file even though the first date cell is blank when you start the paste process. Step 10 To save the new data file just click the X close button at the top of the dialog box. You will be prompted the save the data.

OPENING AND WORKING WITH THE NEW FILE To open the new file simply use your normal procedures. Just make sure that you navigate to the new folder where the new security files you created have been stored. Indicators can be constructed and applied to the new data in the same way as you would with any chart.

Comments

From Excell to MS firstly the Headers are to be appropiate like.......... <ticker> <name> < Date> etc etc ,then the Excell has to be saved in CSV.Format,lastly with Downloader (available within MS) you mark this file in Source and File Type ASCII and to Destination you mark where you want to store and File Type there is Metastock,at the end in Option mark the Periodicity either Intraday or Daily put max error to 1000 and tick today's date.After all this click OK button it will be converted. I forgot to mention the Date Format in MS is Month-Date-Year,this has to be in basic Excell sheet.

Thomson Reuther

Why can't I convert an Excel file with multiple ticker symbols?

Why cant I convert an Excel file with multiple ticker symbols? Excel files allow data for one ticker symbol only. If you have data for more than one Ticker in the same file you will not be able to convert this as an Excel file. The conversion will stop after one symbol is completed. You will need to save this file as a Comma Separated ASCII file. ASCII files allow data for multiple symbols so you will be able to convert 160 securities from an ASCII file into 160 MetaStock files. To save this file as an ASCII file, open this file in Excel: 1. Click File | Save As. 2. Change the Save As Type field to Comma Separated (CSV). 3. Click OK or Save and this will save your file as an ASCII file with a .csv extension. You convert ASCII files into MetaStock files in The DownLoader as follows: 4. Start The DownLoader. 5. Click Tools | Convert. 6. Set the Source File Type column to ASCII Text.

7. Set the Source Directory to the directory where your ASCII file is located. 8. Type the name of the ASCII file you want to convert, into the Source File Name column. Note: use Wildcard characters to convert multiple ASCII file names. For example *.CSV would convert any ASCII file with a CSV extension. 9. Set the Destination File Type to MetaStock. 10. Set the Destination Directory to the directory that contains all of your MetaStock files. If you are converting into only 1 folder or less than 2000 securities, set the Destination folder to the directory that contains your MetaStock files. For example you might have MetaStock files in 2 directories; c:\MetaStock Data\Stocks. 11. Leave the Destination File Name column blank. The file Names are supplied automatically by the conversion. 12. Click the Options button. 13. Click the Destination Tab. 14. Select Append data to end of file and click Replace matching dates. 15. Put a check in the Include open & open interest option 16. Put a check in the Create New files option 17. Verify that Traverse Destinations folders in unchecked 18. Click OK. 19. When the Convert Securities menu appears click OK. This will start the conversion process and store the files in a MetaStock format If you are converting into more than 1 folder or more than 2000 securities, set the Destination folder to the topmost directory that contains all of your MetaStock files. For example you might have MetaStock files in 2 directories; c:\equis\data\A and c:\equis\data\B. In this example you would set your Destination directory to c:\equis\data. 11. Leave the Destination File Name column blank. The file Names are supplied automatically by the conversion. 12. Click the Options button. 13. Click the Destination Tab. 14. Select Append data to end of file and click Replace matching dates.

15. Put a check in the Include open & open interest option 16. Put a check in the Create New files option 17. Put a check in the Traverse Destinations folders option 18. Click OK. 19. When the Convert Securities menu appears click OK. This will start the conversion process and store the files in a MetaStock format Go Back