The Dragon and Chips series

FCharts2SE
by Spacejock Software
For Windows 7 and newer


FCharts Pro is cheaper than alternatives because it's up to the user to source their own data.There are plenty of all-inclusive charting packages out there, but they're four or five times the price and you still have to pay for a data subscription.

So, after you've installed FCharts the first question is usually How do I set up my database? This quickstart guide will help you do just that. (95% of FCharts users live in Australia, so I'm using the ASX in this example.)

The first next step is to import recent price data. Visit float.com.au and download a years worth of data. If the data is packed, extract it to an empty folder. Next click Import/Export in FCharts, then Import Folder, then navigate to this folder containing the extracted data.

Now your charts will be up to date, and from this point you need a daily EOD file which is supplied for free by most online brokers. E.g. Comsec, NAB, etc. At the end of the trading day you can download this file and use Import/Export then Import File to bring it in. (There's a guide to retrieving and importing data from Comsec right here)

Your database should contain ASX prices for the past couple of years. But what if you want older prices? Visit float.com.au where you can download entire years at a time, from 1999 to 2009.

Finally, you might like to set up watchlists for the ASX100, ASX50 and so on. This tutorial explains how