File format contains all information describing a text file (csv or txt) and more precisely the position and what columns represent.
Text file must contain the historical series of an instrument expressed in a given time-frame. Each row represents a bar/candle. Each column represents a value: date, time, open, high, low, close, volume etc.
File format defines with the utmost precision the position and value contained in each column, column separator, decimal and thousands separators, etc.
Access Text-File-Format list #
You can access text-file-format list in one of the following ways:
1. From Overcharts main window > Instruments Tab > Text file formats button
2. From Overcharts main window > Instruments menu > Text file formats
Create or Modify a text-file-format #
Using Analyze Text File button you can analyze a text file automatically. Text files often contain information on their formatting as well. This function automatically analyzes and sets all information found. Check the correctness of information found and modify it if necessary
To create/modify a text-file-format:
1. Access text-file-format list
2. Select the text-file-format to edit and press Edit button, or press New button to create a new text-file-format
3. Set or change the following properties:
Name: text-file-format unique name
Column separator: define the character used as column separator. Usually TAB or comma ‘,’ is used
Decimal separator: define the character used as decimal separator (usually ‘.’)
Thousands separator: define the character used as thousands separator (it is usually not used > in this case set None)
String delimiter: define the character used as a string delimiter, that is, that particular character that delimits a string to the right and left. Usually, if used, it is represented by quotation marks > “
Start at row: indicates the first row containing data. Often the first row is used to define column names. In this case, first row containing data is the second one
Price multiplier: necessary only if prices are expressed without decimal separator (e.g. 1055 actually represents 10.55)
Volume multiplier: necessary only if volumes are expressed without decimal separator (e.g. 1055 actually represents 10.55)
Define columns and their format in the grid below, respecting the position they have within the file:
In particular: for date/time columns it is also necessary to define date/time format by selecting the correct formatting from predefined ones. If desired formatting is not present, choose Other item and define the formatting according to these rules:
Date characters: y = year; m = month; d = day
Time characters: h = hour; m = minute; s = second; f = millisecond; c = microsecond; @pm = post meridiem (to use only if the time is expressed in 12 hours)
Wildcard character: if any date/time part is of variable length, insert a wildcard * (asterisk) before character representing the year, month, day, hour, minute, etc. If it is of fixed length, repeat the character as many times as the part is long. For example, if the year is always expressed as 4 digits, correct format for the year is: yyyy
Separators: Space – / . : etc.
Formatting samples:
| 20220614 | yyyymmdd |
| 06 Feb 22 | dd mmm yy |
| 2022-1-27 | yyyy-*m-dd |
| 22-01-27 | *y-*m-*d |
| 17:25:13.000 | hh:mm:ss.fff |
| 17:25:13.000 | *h:*m:*s.*f |
| 5:25:13pm | *h:mm:ss@pm |
| 16-02-2014 14:30:13.332 | dd-mm-yyyy hh:mm:ss.fff |
| 16-02-2014 14:30:13.332.547 | dd-mm-yyyy hh:mm:ss.fff.ccc |
| 11:30 | hh:mm |
| 11:30:23 | hh:mm:ss |
Overcharts already contains some preconfigured text-file-formats. Preconfigured text-file-format properties can be modified by the user, but if you modify them, any future property updates will NOT be applied.
You can restore the default configuration of a preconfigured text-file-format at any time by selecting the text-file-format from the list and pressing Restore Standard button.
