Session is a FUNDAMENTAL instrument attribute. Define it incorrectly or incorrectly define properties such as the reference time zone, results in the incorrect display of charts, DOM and anything else concerning the instrument.
Trading Session (a.k.a. Trading Hours) defines the days and trading hours of an Exchange. Session represents a data filter and affects the loading and display of charts, indicators, etc.
Access session list #
You can access session list in one of the following ways:
1. From Overcharts main window > Instruments Tab > Trading Sessions button
2. From Overcharts main window > Instruments menu > Trading Sessions
Create or Modify a session #
To create/modify a session:
1. Access session list
2. Select the session to edit and press Edit button, or press New button to create a new session
3. Set or change the following properties:
Name: session unique name
Time Zone: It is the time zone of the city/country/area where the session reference exchange is located: Eg. CME > Chicago time zone; NYSE > New York time zone etc.
If you do not define a time zone (NOT RECOMMENDED), you can use the session in any exchange or instrument. If instead the time zone is defined, you can use the session only in exchanges/instruments that have the same time zone defined in their configuration. This second option is ALWAYS RECOMMENDED except in special cases such as in the FOREX exchange.
4. Add/modify week days and exchange trading hours for each single day by pressing the corresponding button in the configuration window. In particular, times MUST be expressed in the time zone of the city/country/area where the exchange is located (and NOT in your local time zone!).
For each day, set or change the following properties:
Starting day: represents the session start day (Monday, Tuesday, etc.)
Session starting time: represents the exchange opening time on specified starting day
Ending day: represents the session end day (Monday, Tuesday, etc.)
Session ending time: represents the exchange closing time on specified ending day
End of Daily session: select the check-box if the trading day is made up of a single time interval or if it is divided into several time intervals (very rare case), and the entry interval is the last of the day.
WARNINGS:
- Session days must be added progressively from Sunday to the following Saturday
- A daily session CANNOT exceed 24 hours. In case of multiple session intervals on the same day, the set of intervals must NOT exceed 24 hours
- Daily sessions CANNOT overlap
How to use it #
Trading session is used:
- in the exchange/instrument configuration (normally an instrument inherits the session defined in the exchange and is rarely modified)
- in charts and indicators
- and more generally as a data filter. For example, if the data-feed sends data not belonging to the session, these data, although saved in the database, are not considered in charts, indicators, etc.
Overcharts already contains many preconfigured sessions. Preconfigured-sessions 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 session at any time by selecting the session from session list and pressing the Restore Standard button.
