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JCSM Shareware Collection 1996 September
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JCSM Shareware Collection (JCS Distribution) (September 1996).ISO
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10860b01.ziv
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OPPL24.EXE
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User's Guide for theOWL Portfolio Price Loader (OPPL)Version 2.4
Copyright 1992-1994 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Written by:
'Otto-Williams Ltd.
P.O. Box 794
Lanham, MD 20703-0794
U.S.A
Phone: (301) 306-0409
Compuserve: 72144,1223
Internet: 72144.1223@compuserve.com
CONTENTS
GETTING STARTED
Technical Support
Changes
Installation
RUNNING OPPL
Import Closing Quotes
Browse Closing Quotes
Abandon Closing Quotes
Set Import Format
Set Quote Year
Commit Data & Exit
DOWNLOADING STOCK QUOTES
Compuserve CIM
Compuserve Weekly Quotes
Prodigy
GEnie
Dow Jones News Retrieval Service
America Online
PRN-5 Format (Farpoint BBS)
Just Data (Australian Stock Exchange)
GETTING STARTED
The OWL Portfolio Price Loader is designed to help you maintain
current and historical prices for stocks, bonds and mutual funds that
you are tracking using the OWL Personal Portfolio Manager (OPPM). The
program works by updating OPPM's price data using price quotes that
have been downloaded from an on-line data service. OPPL accepts price
data downloaded from Prodigy, CompuServe, GEnie Dow Jones News
Retrieval Service, America Online, Farpoint BBS and Just Data.
Technical Support
For technical support, contact 'Otto-Williams Ltd at the above
address or call (301) 306-0409. Support is also available via E-
Mail on Compuserve (write to: 72144,1223) and Internet (write to:
72144.1223@compuserve.com).
Changes
Version 2 incorporates the following changes and enhancements.
1. Mouse support has been added. Double click the left mouse
button to select a menu item. The right mouse button cancels
the current menu.
2. OPPL now remembers the file name of the last file successfully
loaded and defaults to this file name the next time OPPL is
run.
3. OPPL now remembers the last quote date successfully loaded and
warns you if you enter a date span which is earlier than data
which has been previously loaded.
4. Menu selections using the keyboard must now be confirmed by
pressing the return key. The earlier version ran the option
when the first letter of the option name was pressed.
5. Ticker symbols are no longer case sensitive i.e.(if your OPPM
data base contains the symbol "Ibm" and the download file
contains "IBM", OPPL see these as matching ticker symbols and
accept the record.
6. OPPL is now compatible with quotes downloaded using
Compuserve's WinCIM. Earlier versions supported only DosCIM.
Also the handling of data records that do not contain an update
date has been modified (please read the Compuserve CIM section
below).
7. OPPL now supports loading Compuserve's weekly composite quotes.
8. The browse function has been enhanced with scroll bars and
mouse support.
9. OPPL is now compatible with quotes downloaded from Farpoint BBS
in a ".PRN" format.
10. OPPL is now compatible with quotes downloaded from Just Data,
an Australian data service.
11. OPPL is now compatible with quotes downloaded using America
Online's portfolio feature.
Installation
The OPPL program and data files must be installed on the same drive
and directory as the OWL Personal Portfolio Manager (OPPM) program.
Copy OPPL.EXE, OPPL.DBF, OPPLCFG.DBF and OPPL.HLP to the
drive\directory where OPPM.EXE is installed. Example: if you are
currently using version 5.0 of OPPM and it is installed on C:\OPPM5
use the following commands:
COPY OPPL.EXE C:\OPPM5
COPY OPPL.DBF C:\OPPM5
COPY OPPLCFG.DBF C:\OPPM5
COPY OPPL.HLP C:\OPPM5
Running OPPL
Before running OPPL be sure to review the applicable section of
this guide on downloading quotes. OPPL has specific requirements
for file formats and file contents which must be met to avoid the
possibility of introducing invalid data into your database.
Once you have captured a file containing closing quotes, you can
run OPPL to import these prices into the OPPM price database. OPPL
accumulates daily quotes into OPPM's composite weekly price
database as follows.
1. If a weekly price record DOES NOT exist within the OPPM
database for the date being loaded, a new price record is
created and the import record's HIGH, LOW, CLOSE and VOLUME
data are transferred to the new record.
2. If a weekly price record DOES exist within the OPPM database
for the date being loaded, the import records high and low are
compared to the existing high and low and the existing record's
high and low are updated if necessary; the import record's
volume is added to the existing volume; and the existing
closing price is updated to the import record's closing price.
To run OPPL set your default drive\directory to the drive\directory
where OPPM and OPPL are installed and type "OPPL". Example:
C:
CD \OPPM42 OPPL
The program has 6 options which are described in the following
paragraphs.
Import Closing Quotes
This option reads a file containing captured closing quotes, checks
the ticker symbols against your OPPM database and creates a
temporary database of prices. NOTE: Only those quotes that have
ticker symbols matching the ticker symbols in your OPPM database
are accepted. In addition, any quotes that are not within the date
span that you specify will be ignored.
WARNING: Before selecting this option, be sure that the current
setup shown in the upper right corner of the screen shows the
correct file type for the file you will be loading. See Set File
Format below.
After selecting this option, enter the name of the file that
contains the closing quotes you want to load. Be sure to include
the full drive and path specification when entering the file name.
Once you have correctly entered the file name, enter the date span
you want loaded. DO NOT INCLUDE DATES THAT HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY
LOADED. Loading closing quotes for the same date more than once
will cause invalid volume data in your OPPM database (the volume of
shares will be too high because the repeated day's volume will be
added more then once). Closing quotes are not committed to the
OPPM price database until you exit the program. Multiple closing
quotes files can be imported by re-selecting this option.
Browse Closing Quotes
This option allows you to view the closing quotes which have been
read and accepted by the program using the Import Closing Quotes
option. This allows you to preview the imported data before it is
committed to the OPPM price database.
Abandon Closing Quotes
If you made an error and imported the wrong file or specified the
wrong date span, you can abandon all closing quotes in the
temporary database by selecting this option. This will prevent
erroneously loaded closing quotes from being written to the OPPM
Price database.
Set Import Format
Before using the Import Closing Quotes option, check the current
setup in the upper right corner of the display to insure that file
format is properly set. If not, use this option to select the type
of file you will be importing.
Set Quote Year
Since the closing quotes output by GEnie and Compuserve are coded
with the month and day only, the program assumes that the year of
the quotes is equal to the year set in your system. If this is not
the case, select this option to specify the year of the quotes to
be imported.
Commit Data & Exit
This option will commit all closing quote data in the temporary
database to the OPPM price database and exit the program. If the
temporary database is empty (no files loaded or you selected the
Abandon Closing Quotes option after loading your closing quotes
files) the program will simply exit to DOS.
DOWNLOADING STOCK QUOTES
OPPL supports loading stock, bond and mutual fund quotes downloaded
from Prodigy, CompuServe, GEnie Dow Jones News Retrieval Service,
America Online, Farpoint BBS and Just Data. The program has specific
requirements for download file formats and contents which are
described in the following paragraphs.
Compuserve CIM (Compuserve Information Manager) Quotes
Current stock quotes can be obtained from Compuserve when using the
Compuserve Information Manager (DosCim or WinCim) by selecting the
"Quotes" option under the services menu. The Compuserve software
permits you to predefine the ticker symbols for the quotes you want
to retrieve. Once you have defined a group of ticker symbols,
select "Quotes" followed by "Get All" to display the current quotes
for all predefined issues. To download these quotes to your hard
disk select "SAVE" or "SAVE AS" under the file menu. We recommend
that you save the file in your OPPM directory (double click on the
drive letter then select the directory where OPPM & OPPL are
installed) and enter a file name other than the default of
"UNTITLED.TXT."
WARNING: Data downloaded using the CIM Services/Quotes option
often contains an update time and not an update date. Records that
do not contain an update date are assumed to be dated on the ending
date of the import time span that was entered. Note: OPPL does
not support loading of Compuserve's Basic Quotes.
Compuserve Weekly Quotes
Compuserve also provides historical weekly composite quotes which,
though a premium service with a charge of 5 cents per quote plus
time charges, provides an excellent means of back-filling prices
for an issue that you have recently begun tracking. (Balance the
charge of $2.60 for 52 weeks of historical data against the time it
would take to extract and enter the data from newspapers). To
obtain weekly composite prices go to the "Issue Pricing History"
section of Compuserve (GO PRICES). Once you enter this section,
set your communications program to begin logging data (Press F5 in
DosCim). You will be prompted as follows:
Issue: (Enter the ticker you want historical prices for)
(D)aily, (W)eekly, (M)onthly ?: (Enter "W" for weekly)
Next you will be asked to enter the "starting date or number of
periods from the last pricing data." Enter "52" to get the most
recent 52 weeks of data. After the data has been displayed, you
will be prompted for another issue. WARNING: if you choose to
capture historical quotes for another stock, the time span or
number of periods you previously entered will stay in effect. You
will not be prompted to reenter this data. Once you have acquired
the desired weekly composite prices, signal your communications
program to close the log file and type "/EXIT" to leave the Issue
Pricing History section.
Prodigy
Current quotes can be obtained from the Prodigy Quote Track page
(Jump - Quote Track). Within quote track, you must establish one
or more "Tracks" containing the ticker symbols you want to
download. Prodigy's tracks are limited to 15 issues per track. If
you are tracking more than 15 issues we suggest using the Hard Disk
track. The hard disk track is limited to 50 issues per track.
Consult Prodigy's help screens for more information on establishing
tracks.
After establishing your track(s), select the report setup option.
Setup your report options to output the report to a "delimited
file" ( *.CSV format). If you will be importing quotes to OPPM
from several Prodigy sessions at one time, select the append option
in the report setup. Alternatively, if you will be importing
quotes to OPPM each time you download, select the overwrite option.
WARNING: When downloading quotes from prodigy, be sure to download
"CURRENT QUOTES" and NOT "CLOSING QUOTES."
Prodigy permits you to save report setups for either a single
session or for all future sessions. To save time in future Prodigy
sessions, we suggest that you make this setup permanent for all
prodigy sessions. Once your quote track and report setup has been
saved, it is not necessary to modify these for future sessions. To
download quotes, open your quote track (FILE MENU) and run the
report option (FILE MENU).
Genie
Closing stock and mutual fund quotes can be obtained using GEnie's
closing quotes page. Type "M270;1" at any GEnie page to go to the
closing quotes page. Before selecting the option to retrieve
closing quotes, set your communications program to begin logging
output to a file. Enter up to 30 ticker symbols of the stocks and
mutual funds you want to retrieve. After retrieving up to 30
quotes the "Enter Ticker Symbol(s)" prompt will reappear and you
may enter additional ticker symbols until you have retrieved quotes
for all of the stocks and mutual funds you are tracking. Once you
have retrieved all of your closing quotes, set your modem
communications program to stop logging.
NOTE: depending on your modem communications program, much of this
process can be automated through the use of scripts or command
files. Check the documentation of your communications program for
details.
The ticker symbols for stocks and mutual funds you are tracking
using OPPM must match the ticker symbol, type and class shown in
the GEnie closing quotes. This is entered in the ticker symbol
field in OPPM as:
GEnie Ticker Symbol <space> GEnie Type <space> GEnie Class
Examples of stocks are:
Genie Tick Description TP C OPPM Ticker
-------------------------------------------------
GM GENERAL MTRS CORP GM GM
GM GENERAL MTRS CORP PR B GM PR B
GM GENERAL MTRS CORP PR P GM PR P
Note that all mutual funds have a type of "X". This type should be
ignored and NOT included in the OPPM ticker symbol field:
Genie Tick Description TP C OPPM Ticker
---------------------------------------------------
FMAGX FIDELITY MAGELLAN FD X FMAGX
JANSX JANUS FD INC X JANSX
Dow Jones News Retrieval Service (DJNRS)
OPPL supports quotes retrieved from Dow Jones News Retrieval's
current quotes (//CQ), historical quotes (//HQ) and Dow Jones
Averages (//DJA) databases.
//HQ: The historical quotes database allows you to retrieve up to
one year's worth of daily quotes for stocks. After selecting the
HQ database set your communications program to begin logging to a
new file. Enter the symbol of the stock you want to retrieve
quotes for followed by "P1" e.g.(IBM P1). DJNRS will display 12
days of quotes for the selected stock. Each time you press the
return key, the preceding 12 days of quotes will be displayed until
a full year's of quotes have been displayed. After you have
retrieved all the quotes you are interested in, set your
communications program to stop logging. Note, you may save
historical quotes for multiple stocks to a single log file.
//CQ: The current quotes database allows you to retrieve current
quotes for stocks and mutual funds. After selecting the CQ
database set your communications program to begin logging to a new
file. Enter the symbols of the stock or mutual funds you want to
retrieve current quotes for. You may enter up to 5 symbols at a
time separated by a space. DJNRS will display current quotes for
each selected security. You may enter more symbols as needed.
After you have retrieved all the current quotes you are interested
in, set your communications program to stop logging. Note, do not
save current quotes for multiple dates in the same log file. Since
the DJNRS CQ database does not display the date, OPPL is unable to
distinguish the date that the quote applies to.
//DJA: The Dow Jones Averages database allows you to retrieve up
to one year's worth of daily quotes for the various Dow Jones
Averages. After selecting the DJA database set your communications
program to begin logging to a new file. Enter the symbol of the
average you want to retrieve quotes for followed by "P1" e.g.(DJI
P1). DJNRS will display 12 days of quotes for the selected
average. Each time you press the return key, the preceding 12 days
of quotes will be displayed until a full year's of quotes have been
displayed. After you have retrieved all the quotes for a selected
Dow Jones Average, set your communications program to stop logging.
Note, do not save different averages to the same log file. OPPL
reduces volumes of Dow Jones Averages by a factor of 10. When
loaded, DJA volumes are in units of thousands instead of hundreds
as shown in the DJA download file.
America Online
Current or Closing stock and mutual fund quotes can be obtained
using the Display Portfolio feature of America Online for Windows.
After signing onto America Online, click on "Go To" in the main
menu (top of screen) then click on "Stock Quotes."
If you have not already entered ticker symbols for the issues you
wish to track, enter each ticker symbol then click on "Add to
Portfolio." The ticker symbols you add to your portfolio are
retained for all future sessions so you only need to enter them
once.
To display current prices for issues in your AOL portfolio, click
on "Display Portfolio." Next click on "Save Portfolio" and enter a
file name (e.g., PORT.TXT) where the prices will be saved. By
default, the file will be saved in the "\WAOL" subdirectory. When
you import the quotes into OPPM using OPPL, you will need to enter
the full name of the file (e.g., C:\WAOL\PORT.TXT).
Quotes downloaded in this way do not contain volume or daily
high/low data and as such, the volume loaded into OPPM will be set
to zero and the high/low will be set equal to the current or
closing quote (depending on the time of the download). The date of
the data is assumed to be the date of the beginning of the date
span you entered.
PRN-5 Format (Farpoint BBS)
The PRN-5 format is an ASCII -- comma delimited format having
records of the following form: date,high,low,close,volume where
the date is in the form "yymmdd" and prices are in decimal format.
For example, a record for 30 October 1993 would be written:
931030,27.5,26.125,27.25,30643
All records in a given PRN file are for a single issue (ticker
symbol). The Farpoint BBS provides free (except for the cost of
the phone call) downloading of historical stock quotes in PRN-5
format. Data is available for most stocks listed on U.S. stock
exchanges. When downloading from this service you will download
one file for each stock using one of several supported file
transfer protocols such as XModem. The phone number for Farpoint
BBS is (312) 274-6128.
Just Data (Australian Stock Exchange)
OPPL will import daily stock quotes downloaded from "Just Data"
data service in Australia (Just Data, 26 Bellevue Street, Highgate
Hill, Q 4101, Phone 008 777 972 or (07) 899 2148). Downloaded file
data should be in the following form:
ad19900814cnAdtSdbJDvn1.0 Header / date record
cABCs1f1050h1100l1050a1100v65000 Stock price records
cCBAs1f990h1020l980a1000v1022
cDBAs1z2200v45000
yUGa2220.7 Index price records
The above format is exactly as the data is downloaded from Just
Data and should not be modified by any of Just Data's available
data conversion utilities. If multiple days of data are contained
in a single file, the price records for each day must be seperated
by a Header/Date record.
<End of Document>