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PARITY.ZIP
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README.1ST
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Parity Technical Analysis System
--------------------------------
Version 1.1
INSTALLATION INFORMATION
------------------------
In order to install Parity you will need to have both the PRTY11D1.ZIP
and PRTY11D2.ZIP files. If you received Parity on a high density disk
the files contained in these two ZIP files may already have been
uncompressed for you.
TO INSTALL PARITY FOR THE FIRST TIME
------------------------------------
If you are installing from the PRTY11D1.ZIP and PRTY11D2.ZIP files:
1) Copy PRTY11D1.ZIP and PRTY11D2.ZIP to a directory on your hard disk
and unzip the files using PKUNZIP. Do not copy the files to the
\PARITY directory since this is normally where you will want the
program installed to. Please check the contents of the unzipped
files against the PACKING.LST file to verify that you have a
complete copy of the Parity files.
2) Start Windows. From the Program Manager click on File Run and type
in the directory you unzipped Parity's files to, followed by
INSTALL.EXE, for example type C:\TEMP\INSTALL.EXE. Answer any
questions the installation program poses. If this is a first time
installation you should let Parity install the sample data files and
the sample configuration files. If this is not a first time install
uncheck those options to avoid overwriting any files you have created.
YOU MAY NOT INSTALL PARITY TO THE SAME DIRECTORY AS THE UNZIPPED
FILES YOU ARE INSTALLING.
Parity will create a Parity 1.1 program group. This is a bit silly
so just drag the Parity 1.1 icon to any existing program group.
Make sure the Parity 1.1 program group is selected and then issue a
File Delete command.
If you received a disk directly from Parity Software Systems you can
skip step 1 above and install Parity directly from the floppy disk.
Parity does not modify your WIN.INI or SYSTEM.INI files although it will
create a subdirectory under the Windows directory for its runtime files.
IMPORTANT -- UPGRADING FROM A PREVIOUS VERSION OF PARITY
--------------------------------------------------------
You must be careful when you upgrade to Parity 1.1 if you have a previous
version of Parity already installed. Make sure that the Sample Data
Files and the Sample Configuration Files (*.DAT) check boxes are
unchecked in the Installation Dialog Box. Otherwise you may overwrite
the Studies, Groups, Batches and Clusters you have created or modified.
If you are a registered user make sure you check the Copy REGISTER.DAT
option during the installation. Otherwise you can manually copy the
REGISTER.DAT file from your floppy disk and into your Parity directory
in order to make the nagware screens go away. YOU MAY NOT DISTRIBUTE
YOUR REGISTER.DAT FILE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM INSTALLING OR RUNNING PARITY
--------------------------------------------------
There are only three known reasons why you might have trouble installing
or running Parity.
1) You didn't read the installation directions or follow the install
routine. Parity must be installed not just copied to your disk!
2) Your program files or runtime files are incomplete or corrupted. For
some reason many users find the PRTY11D1.ZIP or PRTY11D2.ZIP files
don't unzip correctly the first time they try to install Parity. If
you are having problems installing the program we recommend that you
unzip these files again and repeat the installation. Check the file
sizes against the PACKING.LST file to verify that the files unzipped
correctly. If the ZIP files were corrupted by downloading you will
need to download a new set of files. We recommend that you use the
ZMODEM protocol for downloading if it is available to you.
3) Parity requires at least 2 MB of free memory and Windows must be
running in Standard or Enhanced Mode. You can check this by clicking
on the Help About commands in the Windows Program Manager.
Please check that none of these three things is causing your problem
before you call us for help.
GETTING A HEAD START ON LEARNING PARITY
---------------------------------------
Parity is a sophisticated, flexible and powerful technical analysis
package which incorporates some unique concepts in its user interface
and chart creation capabilities. Although we strove to make Parity
intuitive and easy to use, its inventiveness and novelty will require
you to learn some new concepts.
We recommend that you quickly review the brief definitions below.
Then follow our step by step directions for your "first session" with
Parity. After that feel free to experiment with Parity's Group, Study,
Batch and Cluster commands. At some point we recommend that you take
the time to browse through Parity's extensive online help or print out
and read the MANUAL.DOC file. Registered users of Parity receive a
comprehensive printed manual.
SOME DEFINITIONS
----------------
STUDIES
-------
A Study defines a Chart. You can define any number of studies in
Parity, each of which can have a 16 character name. A study can
include up to 9 formulas, each of which can be 500 characters long.
Normally a formula is simply one of Parity's predefined indicators or
chart procedures.
However a study is much more than just a list of the indicators you
want to plot or the formulas you have defined. A study also includes
all of the information on the colors, pane sizes and layouts, and
label settings which were used to create the chart.
By using the Study Editors you can control every aspect of a chart's
appearance, and then save that study definition to use with price data
from any stock you load. You can also accept Parity's default settings
which will be fine for most of the charts you create.
GROUPS
------
A Group is a list of any number of data files, in any number of
directories, on any disk, in any supported format. Think of each group
as defining a portfolio or area of interest.
BATCHES
-------
A Batch is a list of any number of studies you have created. Batches
will become more obvious after you complete the "First Session"
tutorial.
CLUSTERS
--------
A Cluster is the definition of the studies and screen configurations
which are used to display multiple charts at one time on any underlying
security.
YOUR FIRST SESSION WITH PARITY
------------------------------
1) Start Parity by double clicking on its icon in Windows 3.0. Read
the nagware forms which remind you that you are only permitted to
evaluate Parity for 30 days without paying for it.
2) From the Groups menu click on Load a Security. Double Click on one
of the four data files that are provided with Parity or load your
own data. A second Dialog Box will come up with various options you
can set for displaying a stock. Type -100 in the First Record text
box and click on OK. There will be a slight pause while the data
for the stock is loaded and a chart is displayed using the DEFAULT
study. Load a Security is the only Menu Command which automatically
causes a chart to be displayed. Normally you will display a chart
by clicking on one of the Display State icons which are explained
latter.
3) Now lets create a group. From the Groups menu click on
Create/Modify Group. Add stocks to the group by double clicking on
stock names in the Available Stocks list box. When you have added
several stocks to the group, type SampleGroup into the New Group
text box and click on Create Group.
4) After you create a group you still need to select it as the
"current" group. From the Groups menu click on Select Current
Group. Double click on the SampleGroup shown in the available
groups list box. A second Dialog Box will come up with various
options you can set for displaying the stocks in this group. For
now just click OK. There will be a slight pause while the data for
the first stock is loaded.
5) Click on the Display Group icon on the tool bar. It looks like:
/\
/||\ When you click on this icon it will turn magenta and
|| the cursor will turn into an hourglass while the first
\||/ chart is being created. This will take 2 to 5 seconds
\/ depending on the speed of your computer, and display adaptor.
This is the default chart, just a High, Low, Close bar chart plotted in
the top pane and volume plotted in the bottom pane. If you want, use
Create/Modify Current Study in the Studies Menu to peruse the
definition of this study.
6) To display a more complicated chart, click on Select Current Study
in the Studies menu. Double Click on AllChartTypes. Now go back
and click on the Display Group icon again. There will be a longer
pause as Parity creates this chart. Just so you know, the
AllChartTypes study is about the slowest you can create with Parity.
If you have a math coprocessor in your system Parity will create
this chart fairly quickly. A 20 Mhz 80386 with a coprocessor will
outperform a 33 Mhz 80386 without one. Math coprocessors are CHEAP
and EASY TO INSTALL! After the chart displays, use Create/Modify
Current Study in the Studies Menu to peruse the definition of this
study. Click on the Chart Procedures radio button to change the
list box to display the chart procedures used to create this study.
7) Now lets select a new current study using the Select Current Study
command. Pick Cstck_BB_TSF_MOV by double clicking on its name.
8) Remember a Group is just a list of securities. Lets get our first
experience of moving around the Group. Click on the Forward icon in
the tool bar. It looks like --> a right arrow. This will cause the
next stock in the SampleGroup to be displayed with the Candlestick
study. Note how the Candlestick study displays Bollinger Bands,
Moving Averages, the Time Series Forecast indicator and the
Parabolic Stop and Reverse, and Zig Zag indicator all in the same
pane with the price data. By changing the settings with the Pane
Editor each of these indicators could be displayed in their own pane
which could overlay the price pane or be stacked on top of or below
it. Play around with the <-- and --> icons to move around the group.
7) Lets explore a Batch of Studies. Click on Select Current Batch in
the Studies menu. Choose SampleBatch. Now click on the Display
Matrix icon in the tool bar. It is the one that goes all the way
across the width of the tool bar. The Display Matrix icon brings up
a visual representation of the virtual chart space that is defined
by the SampleGroup group and the SampleBatch batch. Think of the
Display Matrix as a spreadsheet. The vertical axis, or rows,
represent individual stocks. The horizontal axis, or columns,
represent individual studies. Each cell of the display matrix
represents the unique chart defined by that intersection of a stock
and a study. Click on a cell and then click on the Reposition
button. The chart defined by that cell will now be displayed and
you are repositioned in the matrix.
8) Play with the other Display tools at the bottom of the tool bar to
get a feel for how they move you through the Display Matrix.
Basically, the Display Group, Display Batch, Display Group on Batch,
and Display Batch on Group tools establish your "path" through the
Display Matrix. They also select the current chart, i.e. bring it
forward, or create it if it doesn't exist yet. The VCR type tools,
i.e., forward and reverse, and fast forward and fast reverse, move
you through the Display Matrix according to the path you established
with the Display tools. You can change your path any time just by
selecting a new Display tool.
9) Now lets see what a Cluster is. Click on Select Current Cluster in
the Clusters menu. Double click on the cluster which is named after
your display resolution. Before you do this make sure Parity is
maximized to run full screen. Click on the Display Group icon on
the tool bar. Parity will create 4 charts in a predefined screen
configuration using the data from your current stock. Resize the
charts which are created by dragging on the chart's frame. When you
are satisfied, click on Create Cluster in the Clusters menu. Name
the cluster after yourself. Now select the cluster you just created
and display it again. I'm sure you see the possibilities!
Well that's your introduction to Parity in a nutshell. Please read the
Help. It includes lots more information, most of which will be
logically presented by using the browse feature of Windows 3.0's help
facility. You can also print out the MANUAL.DOC file which contains the
text for the Parity Manual. The actual manual includes extensive
illustrations and formatting. Good Luck with your charting!
THE HOURGLASS MOUSE CURSOR
--------------------------
When Parity is creating a chart it sets the mouse cursor to an
hourglass shape. When the cursor is an hourglass you are unable to use
the mouse or the keyboard. If Parity is unable to complete creating
a chart because of an error in one of the formulas you entered the
mouse cursor remains locked in the hourglass shape. To unlock the
cursor, hit the up arrow key.
PRINTING CHARTS
---------------
In order to achieve the best results when you want to print a chart we
strongly advise you to use the Print Tool icon at the top of the tool bar,
rather than the File Print menu command.
ABOUT PARITY PLUS
-----------------
In addition to the shareware version of Parity, we also offer an Enhanced
Retail Version (ERV) called Parity Plus. Along with all the great
features of the shareware version, the Parity Plus software includes
sophisticated profit testing which lets you test the performance of the
technical analysis strategies you devise. You can chart the results
of a profit test against stock price to show the cumulative profit and the
profit by position and display detailed trade information by security or
summaries for each stock and group you are testing. Parity Plus even
includes a new chart procedure, ChartProfitTest() which lets you include
the results of a profit test on any chart you define. Parity Plus also
lets you specify two variables that you can automatically "optimize" for
by repeatedly running the profit test on each variable as it steps through
the range of values you specify. If you've ever wondered whether you
should use a 40 day moving average vs. a 53 day moving average Parity Plus
will let you find out!
Parity Plus also lets you filter a group of stocks and select just those
stocks that meet the technical criteria you set and create a new group of
just the ones that match. Or scan through all the stocks in a group and
create a sorted table with output of your indicators.
Finally Parity Plus includes cycle analysis that lets you set two cycle
periods which are plotted right on any of your charts. Change the width
and horizontal position of the cycles to find the perfect match to help
you predict the dates for the next peak or trough in price.
Parity Plus, Version 1.1, is just $129. Registered users of Parity can
upgrade to Parity Plus at any time by paying the difference between
their Parity registration and the current cost of Parity Plus. Parity Plus
is available directly from Parity Software Systems.
Parity Software Systems Fax: (415) 546-9319
Two Bryant Street, Suite 200 CIS: 76655,2570
San Francisco, CA 94105 GEnie: RICKERT
Tel: (415) 546-9316 Prodigy: GKHK06A