Copyright: Copyright ©1996, 1997 by Anatoly Ivasyuk


Welcome to Personal Stock Monitor

Personal Stock Monitor (PSM) is a leading Internet financial quote retrieval application.  It will periodically retrieve prices from quote servers on the Internet and display them in a convenient manner on your desktop.  It can also keep track of your portfolio, and automatically alert you when a symbol reaches a high or low target price.

System requirements.

Disclaimer and shareware license agreement.

How to order.

Quote server usage restrictions.

Features in this release


Features in this release

The following is a list of the major features in this release:

Track US and Canadian stocks, mutual funds, options, futures, etc.

Symbol search by company name or substring.

Enhanced portfolio management.

Price history with graphing.

Scrolling ticker bar (Win 95 and NT 4.0 only).

Company news links

Software Update Wizard

Multiple symbol categories.

Multiple column configurations.

Retrieve data from any of sixteen supported quote servers.

Up to nine simultaneous connections for maximum speed. *

Multi-quote support

HTTP proxy support, including authentication.

Support for Dial-Up Networking, and improved off-line operation.

Price alerts.

Several export formats.

* - Maximum.  Actual number may be restricted by quote server policy.


System Requirements

PSM will run under the following operating systems:

Windows 95

Windows NT 3.51 or later

8MB RAM.

3MB disk space.

A 32-bit winsock is required.  The few of you who are still running 16-bit versions of Trumpet Winsock on Windows 95, for example, will need to upgrade to the 32-bit version.


License Agreement
Disclaimer and Shareware License Agreement

Before you use Personal Stock Monitor (the ''Software'') for the first time, please read this Disclaimer and License Agreement.  By your action of using Personal Stock Monitor, you are agreeing to comply with all terms contained in this License.

Users of Personal Stock Monitor must accept this disclaimer of warranty: ''The Software is supplied as is.  Anatoly Ivasyuk (the ''Author'') disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose.  The Author assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential, which may result from the use of the Software.''

Personal Stock Monitor is a ''shareware program'' and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation for a period of 30 days.  After the 30-day evaluation period you must make a registration payment to the Author (see the How to Order section for details).  The registration fee will license one copy of the Software to the user for use on any one computer at any one time.  When you register, you will receive a key that will turn off the trial period timer, as well as disable the reminder screen and the ''UNREGISTERED SHAREWARE'' notice on printouts.  When the Software has been registered, it is no longer considered shareware and may not be freely distributed.  Site-License arrangements may be made by contacting the Author.

All content accessed through the Software is the property of the applicable content owner and may be protected by applicable copyright law.  This License gives you no rights to such content.

Individuals may freely distribute only unaltered, unregistered copies of the archive containing the Software and all associated files to your friends for evaluation. Organizations who wish to include this program in "shareware" distributions for remuneration must contact the Author for explicit authorization.

The Title, ownership rights, and intellectual property rights in and to the Software shall remain with the Author.  You agree to abide by the copyright law and all other applicable laws of the United States including, but not limited to, export control laws.  You acknowledge that the Software in source code form remains a confidential trade secret of the Author therefore you agree not to modify the Software or attempt to decipher, decompile, disassemble or reverse engineer the Software, except to the extent applicable laws specifically prohibit such restriction.


How to Order
How to Order Personal Stock Monitor

When Personal Stock Monitor is first installed, you have a 30-day trial period in which to determine if the software meets your needs.  Unregistered shareware versions of Personal Stock Monitor will stop updating data after the trial period.  The number of days remaining in the trial period is displayed on the About dialog.  The process of registration will allow you to use the program indefinitely and will place your name in the About dialog as the registered user.  Registration also includes free minor upgrades (2.1, 2.2, etc.), and technical support.

After you submit your registration payment, you will receive an email with your user name and registration key/password.  This method of distribution eliminates any packaging, media, and shipping costs, and allows the author to pass these savings on to you in the form of reduced registration fees.

Registration Fees

New single user license for v2.x	US$25

Payment Method

Payment of the registration fee can be made through one of the following methods:

US check or money order.

Canadian postal money order.

Visa, MasterCard, or American Express.

First Virtual.

On-line Registration

If you wish to use a credit card, you should use a secure on-line registration form using an SSL 2.0-compatible browser such as Netscape 2.0 or later or MS Internet Explorer 2.0 or later.  Links to the on-line registration are available from the Personal Stock Monitor home page on the Web:

http://www.personaltools.com/psm

After your registration is processed, you will receive a confirmation email from Kagi Shareware indicating this fact.  Shortly after you receive confirmation from Kagi, you will receive an email with your user name and registration key from the author.  If you do not receive this information within four days of the confirmation email, please notify the author.

Email or Mail-in Registration

If you are not using on-line registration, you must use the register.exe program included in this distribution to send in your payment by email or via the Postal Service.  Follow these steps to register:

1.	Run register.exe.

2.	Enter the required information, including the payment method and number of licenses requested.  IMPORTANT: Please make sure your email address is correct and is accessible from the Internet.

3.	Enter the optional information, such as comments.

4.	Follow the directions in order to save or print the registration form.

5.	Send in your registration form according to the instructions.

If you submit your registration via email, you will receive a confirmation email from Kagi Shareware after your payment is processed.  Shortly after you receive confirmation from Kagi, you will receive an email with your user name and registration key from the author.  If you do not receive this information within four days of the confirmation email, please notify the author.

If you send your registration through the Postal Service, please allow up to two weeks (14 days) from the time you send it, or twenty (20) days if you are not in the United States or Canada.  If you do not receive your registration within this time, please notify the author.


Quote Server Usage Restrictions

Due to heavy use of the quote servers by automated stock quote clients such as Personal Stock Monitor, several restrictions have been placed on quote server usage in order to make PSM a ''better neighbor'' on the Internet.

In particular, PC Quote has restricted use in the following way: automated clients must use their MarketSmart service, which is password-protected and requires a registration.  Additionally, quote intervals can not be set at less than five minutes.  This restriction applies to the MarketSmart Delayed, MarketSmart Real-Time, DATEK, and E*Trade real-time servers.

Personal Stock Monitor enforces these restrictions, but to promote the continued availability of free financial quotes over the Internet, it is recommended that the global update interval setting remain at no less than five minutes.


Command Line Arguments

The following is a table of command-line arguments, which may be used to modify the behavior of Personal Stock Monitor on startup.  In particular, the /lan option is useful if you are running PSM on a laptop which may sometimes be connected to a LAN, and other times a dial-up connection.

/stop	Starts with automatic updates turned off.
/offline	Same as /stop.
/dialup	Forces use of Dial-Up Networking for symbol updates.
/lan	Forces use of direct connection for updates even if Dial-Up Networking is configured.
/proxy	Enables use of proxy server, as configured in Network preferences.
/noproxy	Disables use of proxy server.


Tracking Stocks, Funds, Indexes, Options, etc.

PSM can track almost any symbol which can be retrieved directly from the quote servers, which includes stocks, mutual and money market funds, options, futures, commodities and indexes.

Since the actual availability of this information varies from server to server, a symbol can be ''tied'' to a particular server so that it is independent of the global server settings through Symbol Advanced Properties.

See Also: Quote Server Guide, Options, Index and Futures Symbols


Symbol Lookup

PSM can search for symbols based on fragments of a company name.  PSM uses the search engine provided by the selected quote server.  After matching entries are returned you can select and add any number of entries your document.

See Also: Symbol Lookup Dialog


Portfolio Management

PSM can keep track of your current holdings, and will automatically recalculate the value of your portfolio whenever it changes.  The value of the current category is always displayed in a total line at the bottom of the document view.  You can also create multiple cash accounts, and have them updated based on your trading activities.  Additionally, a complete history of your trades is saved in a transaction log, and is available for review or printing at any time.

You can use the category feature of PSM to create multiple portfolios.  Each will be totalled separately, and can have separate cash accounts which will be updated as purchases and sales are made.


Price History and Graphing

Personal Stock Monitor can be configured to save intraday and end of day history for any symbols.  History is initially saved to text files in directories you specify.  This history information can be used to create high-low-close graphs for end of day data over a period of time, and line graphs for intraday data for any particular day.


Company News Links

Personal Stock Monitor can access news sources provided by the quote servers in order to display news associated with stock symbols in your Web browser.  PSM can also launch your browser if it is not running when you select the news icon.


Software Update Wizard

One of the problems with software today is distribution of new releases when fixes and enhancements are made.  The new Software Update Wizard helps to resolve this issue by allowing you to determine if you have the latest version of the software, and downloading it for you at your option.  This convenience is made possible by leveraging existing Web technology built into Personal Stock Monitor.


Multi-quote Support

Support for requesting and retrieving several quotes at once greatly increases the speed at which quotes can be updated, while reducing the load on the quote server since less individual requests are made.  The tradeoff with using multi-quote support is that some quote servers don't return some of the basic data or fundamental data when multi-quote support.  Please see the quote server guide for details.

Note: For network efficiency reasons, it is highly recommended that this feature be enabled at all times.


Ticker Bar

A scrolling ticker bar is now a standard feature of PSM, and can be activated using the Ticker Bar command under the View menu.  The bar can be "docked" at the top or bottom of the screen or it can float in the middle of the screen.  You can also drag the ticker symbols right or left with your mouse to see symbols not currently in the view.

Note: The Ticker Bar is only available under Windows 95 and NT 4.0 and later.


Ticker Bar

The Ticker Bar displays a continuously scrolling list of symbols in the current category.  Use the Ticker Bar command under the View menu to enable it.

You can perform the following actions when the Ticker Bar is displayed:

Move the list of symbols to the left or right with your mouse by clicking and dragging in the body of the bar.

Display the detailed properties for a symbol by double-clicking on the symbol.

Display the Ticker Bar context menu with a right-click in the body of the bar.

Move the Ticker Bar elsewhere on the screen with your mouse by clicking and dragging near the edges of the bar.

Resize the Ticker Bar by clicking and dragging on the border of the bar.

Note: The Ticker Bar is only available under Windows 95 and NT 4.0 and later.


Ticker Bar context menu

The following options are available from the context menu:

Always on top - Enables the ticker bar to stay on top of all other windows on the screen.

Autohide - Enabled the ticker bar to scroll off the screen when the mouse leaves the area of the bar.  When the mouse moves back near the edge where the ticker bar is placed, the ticker bar will scroll bar into view.

Close ticker bar - This command closes the ticker bar window.

Clear Alert - This command only appears if the symbol clicked hit a price target, causing an alert.  Selecting this command will clear the alert for the selected symbol.

News - If the context menu is selected when the mouse is over a stock symbol, this command will display news about the stock symbol in your browser.

Properties - If the context menu is selected when the mouse is over any symbol, this command will bring up the Symbol Properties dialog.

General Preferences - This command brings up the General Preferences dialog.


Multiple Symbol Categories

A category is a tool for organizing your symbols.  When you create a new file, you automatically have two: All Symbols, and Portfolio.  The former should be self-explanatory, while the latter automatically includes any symbol for which you enter purchase or sale information. You can also create user-defined categories as watch lists or any other types of lists you wish.  Some people organize their symbols by the type of stock or fund just to make it easier to look at group trends.  A symbol can also belong to more than one category at once, and this is controlled by the Symbols->Categories command, so for example you can have something belong to a watch-list, and a transportation stocks list at the same time.


Multiple Column Configurations

Personal Stock Monitor supports separate column configurations for each category.  A column configurations is created automatically when you create a category.  When you change to a different category, the associated column configuration is invoked, changing the appearance of the view.  You can rearrange the currently visible columns by dragging them with your mouse and dropping them into position.  The list of visible columns can be can be edited using the Properties command under the View menu.


Supported Quote Servers

Personal Stock Monitor can switch between a number of quote servers, depending on what types of symbols you are trying to retrieve.  You can ''tie'' symbols to a particular quote server if it is not available from other servers, and you can switch the primary quote server from the Network Toolbar.


Supported Quote Servers

See also: Quote Server Guide, Usage Restrictions

This is a list of the quote servers supported by this version of PSM.  Please note that all of these quote servers provide services beyond those offered by PSM, and should be investigated as a way of rounding out your financial strategy.

Server Name	Address (URL)
PC Quote	http://www.pcquote.com
CNNfn	http://www.cnnfn.com
Security APL	http://www.secapl.com
StockCenter	http://www.stockcenter.com
Lombard	http://www.lombard.com
Quote.Com	http://www.quote.com
Quicken.com	http://www.quicken.com
Yahoo!	http://quote.yahoo.com
Yahoo! UK	http://finance.yahoo.co.uk
Swissquote	http://www.swissquote.ch
E*Trade	http://www.etrade.com
DATEK	http://www.datek.com
Canada StockWatch	http://www.canada-stockwatch.com
Dreyfus Brokerage	http://www.tradepbs.com

Quote Server Notes:

Prices displayed by this software are delayed at least 15 minutes when retrieved from a delayed quote service.  Prices retrieved from supported real-time servers are current as of last trade, or as defined by the quote server.

User-defined quote servers are not supported.  If you know of a quote server you want to see supported in PSM, mention it to the author and offer your help.

Some quote services may charge a subscription fee to access their data.  This is separate from the PSM registration fee, and is paid to the quote service, not to the author of PSM.

As of PSM v2.0, the unrestricted quote server at PC Quote (http://www.pcquote.com) is no longer supported at the request of their administration.  Instead, the MarketSmart delayed server (http://marketsmart-delay.pcquote.com) is supported, which requires free registration.

Many people have requested support for PC Quote Europe (http://www.pcquote-europe.co.uk).  However, there is a clause in their legal disclaimer which prohibits automated access to their server.

As of PSM v1.0.1, the quote server at DBC (http://www3.dbc.com) is no longer being supported, neither is DBC’s real-time quote server (http://mw.dbc.com). This is at the request of DBC administration.


Simultaneous Connections

Personal Stock Monitor supports multiple simultaneous connections to most quote servers.  This feature increases the rate at which a list of stocks can be updated, which can potentially reduce the time spent on-line with a dial-up connection.

Due to the recent load on the quote servers, (see Quote Server Restrictions) it is recommended to keep this value at its default setting of one.


Proxy Host Support

A proxy host is a computer that sits between your computer and the Internet, and which acts on your behalf when you use Internet services.  A proxy host is often the gateway to the Internet and sometimes performs a firewall function, which protects an organization’s network from outside intruders.  PSM also supports the proxy host authentication mechanism, which is required by some organizations before allowing you access to the Internet.


Proxy Host Support

The HTTP proxy host is configured in the Network Preferences dialog.  Some guidelines for setting a proxy host are as follows, but you may need to consult with your network administrator if one of the following does not fit your situation:

If your Web browser (ie. Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer) has an HTTP proxy host filled in, you should probably copy that information to the appropriate spot in the Network Preferences dialog and make sure that the proxy host is enabled in PSM.

If you are an individual connecting via dial-up line through an Internet Service Provider such as Netcom, ClarkNet, or GNN, or an on-line service such as CompuServe you probably don’t need to fill in the proxy host.

If you are an individual connecting through a university account, you probably don’t need to fill in the proxy host, but you should confirm this with your network administrator, because it seems that some universities are finally starting to put in firewalls.

If you are an individual who is part of a small company, you should check with your network administrator to determine whether you need to configure a proxy host.

If you are an individual in a large company, you have a good chance of having a proxy host, so if it’s not filled in in your Web browser (see above), ask your network administrator.

If you need to fill in the proxy host, only put the name of the machine in the host name field, without the http:// prefix.

What about SOCKS?

SOCKS is an authentication and connection protocol which is supported by some proxy hosts, and is used by a few companies.  Although the protocol is simple enough, due to lack of time and testing facilities, SOCKS will not be supported in PSM for at least the near future.


Support for Dial-Up Networking

Personal Stock Monitor will detect if Dial-Up Networking or Remote Access Service is installed, and will allow you to select a connection from the currently available list.  When so configured, PSM will automatically dial your Internet service provider when a symbol update is requested, and will disconnect when updates are completed.  This option is configured in the Dial-Up Preferences dialog.

One benefit of this feature is improved off-line operation.  Since winsock is only loaded when a network operation is requested, you can load PSM without being connected to the Internet in order to modify your document.


Price Alerts

You can configure high and low target prices on a per-symbol basis.  When the target is reached, Personal Stock Monitor can generate one of five types of alerts, including playing a .WAV file.


Export Formats

Personal Stock Monitor supports the following text-file based export formats:

Comma-separated export of current column configuration.

Tab-separated export of current column configuration.

Quicken (up to 4.0)

Quicken (5.0 and 6.0), exports more data than the 4.0 format

Metastock

Quotelink

Prodigy Quotetrack


Real Time Quotes
Real-Time Quotes

The real-time quote support in Personal Stock Monitor allows you to retrieve quotes that are current as of last recorded trade, or as specified by the quote server, in order to assist with your trading strategy.

In this release, real-time quotes are supported through the following quote servers:

PC Quote MarketSmart RealTime	http://marketsmart-real.pcquote.com
DATEK	http://www.datek.com
E*Trade (US)	http://www.etrade.com
For access through DATEK and E*Trade brokerages, two Microsoft libraries, WININET.DLL and SCHANNEL.DLL, must be properly installed on your system.  Please read the Real-Time FAQ at

http://www.personaltools.com/psm/rtfaq.html

for more information about these libraries, as well as answers to other frequently asked questions about real-time quote support.


Quote Server Guide

Although the quote server you use is largely a matter of personal preference if you only need the basic features, the servers are actually quite different.  If you need direct support for a specific feature, you may need to choose a specific server.  Since the servers can and occasionally do change the fields they support, the best way to determine currently supported fields is to visit the server with your Web browser.

The specific fields and features supported by each of the servers is shown in the following table:

	PC	APL	CNN	SC	L	QC	QK	Y
Symbol Name	X	X	X			X	X	X
Current Price	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Last Trade Size	X				X
Last Trade Time	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
$ Change	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
% Change	C	X	C	C	X	C	X	X
Open	X		X		X	X	X	X
Open Interest	X				X
Day High/Low	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Previous Close	X	C	X	C	X	C	X	X
52 Week High/Low	X	X	X			X	X	X
Volume	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Bid/Ask	X	X	X		X	X		X
Bid x Ask Size	X	X	X		X	X
Exchange Name	X	X			X		X	X
P/E Ratio	X	X	X		X	X	X	X
Yield	X							X
Earnings Per Share		X	X			X		X
Dividend	X	X				X	X	X
Symbol Lookup	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Multiple Queries	X	!	X					X
Canadian Stocks	X	X		X		X	X	X
Mutual Funds	X	X	X	X	X	X	p	X
Money Market Funds	X		X	X		p		X
Commodities	X
Options	X			X	X

Key: PC = PC Quote/PC Quote MarketSmart, APL = Security APL, CNN = CNNfn, SC = StockCenter, L = Lombard, QC = Quote.com, QK = Quicken.com, Y = Yahoo!.

X = supported, p = partial support, C = calculated.

! - Server supports this feature, but not in a format that PSM can use.

Special Note for Lombard Users

You can retrieve options and indexes from the Lombard delayed quote server by prepending a pound sign (‘#’) to option symbols and a dollar sign (‘$’) to index symbols.  Please note that these special characters are used by PSM for identification purposes, and should not be used when retrieving options and indexes directly from the Lombard Web site.


How to retrieve option quotations

Servers such as PC Quote and Lombard support option quotes.  For those servers, you can enter an option symbol by prefixing it with a pound sign, "#".  For example, a Microsoft June 100 Call is #MSQFT.  Personal Stock Monitor will recognize that this is an option quote, and will do any conversion necessary in order to submit the correct information to either of these servers.

Note: Option quotes are not supported on Quote.com due to technical difficulties.


Canadian Quotes
How to retrieve Canadian quotes

Each of the quote servers which supports Canadian quotes has a slightly different format.  Please use the general guidelines here, or go to the quote server symbol guides for more information.  In all cases, the symbol TD (Toronto Dominion Bank) is used as an example.

PC Quote	Add .CA suffix to the symbol  (ie. TD.CA)
Quote.com	Add the exchange name + colon as a prefix to the symbol.  (ie. TSE:TD)
Secapl	Add the first letter of the exchange + period as a prefix to the symbol.  (ie. T.TD)
Yahoo!	Add a letter for the exchange as a suffix to the symbol.  (ie. T.V)
StockCenter	Add a dash + exchange letter + C as a suffix to the symbol.  (ie. TD-TC)
Quicken.com	Add an equal sign + exchange letter as a suffix to the symbol.  (ie. TD=T)
Canada Stockwatch	Add a letter for the exchange as a suffix to the symbol.  (ie. TD.N)


How to retrieve index and futures quotations
How to retrieve and index and futures quotations

Some of the quote servers support retrieving futures and index quotations.  The rules are a little different for each server, so you need to check for specifics.  You can check the symbol guide on your preferred quote server in order to find rules for index symbols, futures, Canadian stocks, and any other symbol types supported by the server.  The following is only a small sample of the indexes available from Quote.com.  Your mileage may vary if you use other quote servers.

Dow Jones Industrial Average	$INDU
Dow Jones Composite	$COMP
NASDAQ Composite	$COMPX
NASDAQ Computer	$IXCOX
NASDAQ Transportation	$TRANX
NASDAQ Utilities	$UTILX
NASDAQ Finance	$OFINX
S&P 100	$OEX
S&P 500	$INX
S&P Midcap 400	$MID.X
Note: Index symbols on most quote servers have a dollar sign prefix, except on Yahoo!, where it is a cicumflex, "^".  So on Yahoo!, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is actually "^DJI".


Import symbols
How to import a list of symbols

In the current version of PSM, you can import a list of symbols by using the Windows clipboard or a plain text file.  To do this, you can create a text file with the symbol name as the first item on each line.  Any text occurring after the symbol name will be ignored.  For example:

$INDU

MSFT

IBM

NSCP

IOM

To import using the clipboard load this file into a text editor (ie. Notepad) , select the whole file, then copy it to the clipboard.  Then go to PSM, and hit Paste (CTRL+V).  All symbols which are not in the current .stk document will be added.

To import directly from the file, select Import from the File menu, select the format, and select the file.  All symbols that are not in the current .stk document will be added.


Building Your Portfolio
How to Build a Portfolio

See also: How to Create Cash Accounts

Personal Stock Monitor has a variety of features which will help keep track of your overall portfolio.  You can enter purchase and sale transactions, as well as entering short sales, and PSM will automatically recalculate your portfolio value each time the data is updated.

Entering purchase information

To add shares to your portfolio, select the symbol from the list, and select the Enter Purchase command from the Symbol menu.  The information you enter will be added to your portfolio, and a TOTAL line will be added to the bottom of the symbol view.  Initially you will not see any information in the list view, because the portfolio columns are not visible by default.  You should go to the View Properties dialog and make sure that the portfolio columns you want to see are visible.

You can view your holdings for a particular symbol through the Portfolio page of the Symbol Properties dialog.  All changes in this page will be reflected in the main list view after you press the OK button.

When you are ready to sell your shares, select the Enter Sale command from the Symbol menu.  Your sale will update the cash account, if any, in the current category, and the sold shares will be removed from your current holdings.


How to Get Historical Data

In this release, it is possible to get free high, low, close, and volume data for most US stocks since the end of 1996. Due to the limitations of the data source, only US stock data can be retrieved at this time, which means no mutual funds, indices, or non-US stocks.  Additionally, the data must be retrieved one symbol at a time.

To get the data, select the symbol, then select the Get History Data command under the Graph submenu of the Symbol menu. The data is downloaded and saved to the symbol history file in preparation for graphing.

Notes: Data is provided by Dreyfus Brokerate at http://www.tradepbs.com.  Data is not available for all symbols, and is not available for dates before September 6, 1996.


Cash Accounts
How to Create Cash Accounts

Cash accounts can be used to keep track of the amount of money left in your account after investments.  This money is usually put by the brokerage into a money-market account, and will earn interest.

Create cash accounts in your portfolio by creating a symbol beginning with the '@' character, ie. @ETRADE.  You can set the initial value of the cash account by using the Set Value command under the Symbol menu.  After this, the value of the cash account will be updated whenever you enter purchase or sale transactions.  (Note: you should not have two cash accounts with the same name -- it will get confusing very quickly.)

Cash accounts can be members of categories just like any other symbol.  This means that your @ETRADE symbol can be in the E*Trade category along with your other E*Trade holdings, and it will be totaled together with those holdings.


New command

Use this command to create a new document in Personal Stock Monitor.


Open command

Use this command to open an existing document in a new window.


Save command

Use this command to save the active document to its current name and directory.  When you save a document for the first time, Personal Stock Monitor displays the Save As dialog box so you can name your document.  If you want to change the name and directory of an existing document before you save it, choose the Save As command.


Save As command

Use this command to save and name the active document.  Personal Stock Monitor displays the Save As dialog box so you can name your document.  To save a document with its existing name and directory, use the Save command.


Export command

Use this command to export the current data to a text file.  Personal Stock Monitor displays the Export dialog box so you can select the type of file you wish to create.


Import command

Use this command to import data from a text file.  Personal Stock Monitor displays a dialog box which will let you select the text file from which symbols will be imported.  The file is read one line at a time, the symbol is assumed to be the first word in each line, and anything after the symbol name is ignored.


Set Password

Use this command to enter a user name and password for the current document.  These authentication parameters will be required upon opening the document.


Print command

Use this command to print a document.   This command presents a Print dialog box, where you may specify the range of pages to be printed, the number of copies, the destination printer, and other printer setup options.


Print Preview command

Use this command to display the active document as it would appear when printed.  When you choose this command, the main window will be replaced with a print preview window in which one or two pages will be displayed in their printed format.  The print preview toolbar offers you options to view either one or two pages at a time; move back and forth through the document; zoom in and out of pages; and initiate a print job.


Print Setup command

Use this command to select a printer and a printer connection.  This command presents a Print Setup dialog box, where you specify the printer and its connection.


1, 2, 3, 4 command

Use the numbers and filenames listed at the bottom of the File menu to open the last four documents you closed.  Choose the number that corresponds with the document you want to open.


Exit command (ALT+F4)

Use this command to end your Personal Stock Monitor session.  You can also use the Close command on the application Control menu.  Personal Stock Monitor prompts you to save documents with unsaved changes.


Undo  command (CTRL+Z)

Use this command to reverse the last editing action, if possible.  This command is currently not implemented.


Cut command

Use this command to remove the currently selected data from the document and put it on the clipboard.  This command is unavailable if there is no data currently selected.  Cutting data to the clipboard replaces the contents previously stored there.


Copy command

Use this command to copy selected data onto the clipboard.  This command is unavailable if there is no data currently selected.  Copying data to the clipboard replaces the contents previously stored there.


Paste command

Use this command to insert a copy of the clipboard contents at the insertion point.  This command is unavailable if the clipboard is empty.   NOTE: you can use this command to import symbolsimport_symbols into the current document.


Select All command (CTRL+A)

Use this command to select all symbols currently displayed.


Find command (CTRL+F)

Use this command to locate a symbol or company name in the current document containing a specified search string.


Find Next command (CTRL+G)

Use this command to find the next occurrence of the search string in the current document.


Symbol lookup (Alt+L)

This command will bring up the Symbol Lookup dialog, and allow you to search for symbols by substring.


New command (Alt+Ins)

Use this command to insert a new symbol into the document.  The symbol will be added to the view, at which point you can edit the actual symbol name directly in the view.


Delete command (Alt+Del)

Use this command to delete the currently selected symbol(s) in the view.  If delete confirmation is set, a confirmation dialog will be displayed before the symbol(s) are deleted.


Rename command

Use this command to rename the currently selected symbol.  If rename confirmation is set, a confirmation dialog will be displayed before the symbol is renamed.


Update Selected command (Alt+U)

Use this command to update the currently selected symbol(s) in the view.


Update All command (Ctrl+U, F5)

Use this command to begin an update of all symbols in the current document.  The process of the update is displayed in the status bar.


Clear Alert command (Alt+A)

Use this command to clear any alerts on currently selected symbol(s) in the view.


Clear All Alerts command

Use this command to clear alerts on all symbol in the document.


Set Value command

Use this command to explicitly set the value of a cash symbol.


Enter Purchase command

Use this command to add a portfolio entry for the selected symbol.  This command is disabled if more than one symbol is selected.


Enter Sale command

Use this command to enter a sale of shares of the selected symbol.  This command is disabled if more than one symbol is selected.


Categories command

Use this command to bring up the Categories dialog, which allows you to select category membership for the selected symbol(s).


Properties command

Use this command to display the symbol properties dialog for the selected symbol.  This command is disabled if more than one symbol is selected.


Category command

Selecting this option will bring up a submenu which allows you to select a category to view.  The category which is currently displayed in the view has a check mark next to it in the menu.


Sort command

Selecting this option will bring up a submenu which allows you to select the sort order and sort field from those fields currently visible.

Ascending

This command is checked if the current sort order is ascending.  Select this command to change the sort order.

by...

This shows a list of currently visible columns, with the current sort column checked.  You can change the current sort column by selecting another entry. from this list.


Split Vertically command

Use this command to split the view vertically.  PSM will allow you to position the splitter bar, and will create a graph window to fill the new view.


Split Horizontally command

Use this command to split the view horizontally.  PSM will allow you to position the splitter bar, and will create a graph window to fill the new view.


Close Graph command

Use this command to close the graph window.


Securities command

Use this command to display the securities view for the current document.  The securities view is the default view for a document, and replaces the transaction view if currently shown.

A bullet next to this command indicates that the securities view is currently visible.


Transactions command

Use this command to show the transaction log for the current document.  When the transaction log is displayed, it replaces the securities view.

A bullet next to this command indicates that the transaction log is currently visible.


Ticker Bar command

Use this command to display the ticker bar, which displays symbols from the currently selected category.  A check mark is displayed next to this menu item when the ticker bar is enabled.


Properties command

Use this command to bring up the View Properties dialog.


Preferences command

Use this command to bring up the Preferences dialog box.


Standard Toolbar command

Use this command to display and hide the Standard Toolbar, which includes buttons for some of the most common commands in Personal Stock Monitor, such as File Open.  A check mark appears next to the menu item when the Standard Toolbar is displayed.


Network Toolbar command

Use this command to display and hide the Network Toolbar, which includes buttons for some network-related parameters, such as changing the primary quote server.  A check mark appears next to the menu item when the Network Toolbar is displayed.


Symbol Toolbar command

Use this command to display and hide the Symbol Toolbar, which includes buttons for symbol and category commands, such as Update All.  A check mark appears next to the menu item when the Toolbar is displayed.


View Toolbar command

Use this command to display and hide the View Toolbar, which includes buttons for some view parameters, such as changing the column profile.  A check mark appears next to the menu item when the View Toolbar is displayed.


Status Bar command

Use this command to display and hide the Status Bar, which describes the action to be executed by the selected menu item or depressed toolbar button, and keyboard latch state. A check mark appears next to the menu item when the Status Bar is displayed. See Status Bar for help on using the status bar.


Always on top command

Use this command to toggle the “always on top” status of the application window.  When this flag is enabled, a check mark appears next to the menu item, and the PSM application window will remain on top of other windows on the desktop which do not have this flag set.


Tip of the Day

This command will bring up the Tip of the Day dialog, which displays tips and tricks about features of Personal Stock Monitor that may not be readily apparent.


Help Topics

Use this command to display the opening screen of Help.  From the opening screen, you can jump to step-by-step instructions for using Personal Stock Monitor and various types of reference information.  Once you open Help, you can click the Contents button whenever you want to return to the opening screen.


How to Order

This command displays ordering and payment information from the on-line help.


About command

Use this command to display the registration screen, which also shows the copyright notice and version number of your copy of Personal Stock Monitor.


File Open dialog box

The following options allow you to specify which file to open:

File Name

Type or select the filename you want to open.  This box lists files with the extension you select in the List Files of Type box.

Drives

Select the drive in which Personal Stock Monitor stores the file that you want to open.

Directories

Select the directory in which Personal Stock Monitor stores the file that you want to open.

Network...

Choose this button to connect to a network location, assigning it a new drive letter.


File Save dialog box
File Save As dialog box

The following options allow you to specify the name and location of the file you're about to save:

File Name

Type a new filename to save a document with a different name.  A filename can contain up to eight characters and an extension of up to three characters.  Personal Stock Monitor adds the extension you specify in the Save File As Type box.

Drives

Select the drive in which you want to store the document.

Directories

Select the directory in which you want to store the document.

Network...

Choose this button to connect to a network location, assigning it a new drive letter.


General Preferences

This property page allows you to configure general application preferences.  Click on a hot spot to get a description of the field.


General options

Force symbols to upper-case

Checking this option will cause PSM to force all symbols entered to be converted to upper case.  This option should be turned off if you own preferred stock, since this seems to be the only time the quote servers are case-sensitive.

Confirm deleting symbol

Checking this option will bring up a confirmation dialog whenever you want to delete a symbol from the document.

Confirm renaming symbol

Checking this option will bring up a confirmation dialog whenever you want to change the name of an existing symbol.

Auto-save document on exit

Checking this option will always save the current document when exiting the application or switching documents without asking for confirmation.

Icon in system tray (Win95 and NT 4.0 or later)

Checking this option places a PSM icon in the system tray, and hides the icon in the taskbar when the main application window is minimized.

Mouse wheel support (Win95 and NT3.51)

Checking this option allows PSM to interpret mouse wheel message from the Microsoft IntelliMouse and 100% compatibles.  When this option is changed, PSM must be restarted for the change to take effect.


Numeric display options

Display numbers as fractions

Checking this option will cause PSM to display numbers in their fractional form when it is appropriate to do so.  If a number is not divisible by 1/64th, it is left as a decimal.  Also, this option does not affect percentages, which are always displayed as decimals.

Display numbers as decimals

Checking this option will cause PSM to display all numbers in their decimal form.  This option does not affect percentages, which are always displayed as decimals with two digits to the right of the decimal point.

Precision

When numbers are displayed as decimals, this field specifies how many digits will appear to the right of the decimal point.  Numbers will be rounded when necessary.


Numeric display options

Show zero values

Checking this option will suppress display of all zero-value data.

Volume in 100s

Checking this option will display all volume information reduced to multiples of 100.  This option makes volume data easier to read, and is therefore turned on by default.

Separate thousands

Checking this option will display a comma separator character for values starting at 1,000.  This option makes large numbers easier to read, and is therefore turned on by default.


Update Preferences

This property page allows to configure update parameters for all of your symbols.  Click on a hot spot to get a description of the field.


Automatic Updates

Disable automatic updates

Checking this option will completely disable automatic updates.

Enable automatic updates at all times

Checking this option will enable automatic updates at all times.

Enable automatic updates during market hours

Checking this option will enable automatic updates only during market hours.

Open and Close

Specifies times (in local time) between which the market is open.


Options

Update current symbols every n minutes

Set the frequency at which symbol prices will be updated.  This setting is used only if automatic updates are enabled.  Each symbol is updated independently, so the update period for a particular symbol will be reset if you choose to update it manually.  The next symbol to be updated is always listed in the Status Bar.

Update unknown symbols after n minutes

Setting this number to a non-zero value will cause a symbol to be retried after n minutes if it becomes unknown due to inability to access the quote server.

Disable updates on weekends

Checking this option will disable automatic updates on weekends, regardless of all other settings.

Update only currently displayed category

Checking this option will cause PSM to only update the current category.  One implication of this option is that history data will only be saved for the current category.


Alert Preferences

This property page allows you to set the type of notification you will receive when an alert is generated.  Click on a hot spot to get a description of the field.

Note: After an alert is generated, it must be cleared using the Clear Alert or Clear All Alerts command.  Clearing the alert indicates that you have seen it, and allows another alert to be generated during future updates of the symbol.


Alert Type

No alerts

Checking this option will disable all alerts.

Flash window

Checking this option will flash the title bar of the application window if the application is minimized when an alert occurs.

Bring window on top

Checking this option will bring the application window to the top of the window stack if it is obscured by another window, and will restore it if it is minimized.

Beep

Checking this option will cause Personal Stock Monitor to generate a system beep when an alert occurs.  You can set the repeat frequency of the beeps using the settings below.

Play .WAV file

Checking this option will cause Personal Stock Monitor to play a .WAV file when an alert occurs.  You should use this option only if you have a sound card or speaker driver capable of playing .WAV files.  You can set the repeat frequency using the settings below.


Alert Frequency

Once

Checking this option will generate only one alert indication when an alert occurs.

Repeat every n seconds

Checking this option will generate an alert indication at the specified interval for as long as there are active alerts.  Use the Clear Alert or Clear All Alerts options to clear the active alerts.


Network Preferences

This property page allows you to configure preferences for network and winsock settings.  Click on a hot spot to see a description of the field.


Quote server

Preferred quote server

Select one of the default servers as the one to query for symbol prices.

Modify list

Allows you to determine the order in which the quote servers will be displayed in the selection dialogs.  Also allows "hiding" unused quote servers.

Use multi-quote if available

Some quote servers support multiple requests per connection.  The tradeoff with this feature enabled is that some quote servers, notably PC Quote, do not report all of the available information for a symbol in this mode.  However, since this feature greatly increases the efficiency of symbol updates, it is recommended that it be left enabled.

Save passwords

If this option is checked, passwords entered during quote server login screens will be saved for later use.

Note: Saved passwords are not encrypted in any way, but since passwords transmitted to quote servers over the Internet are not encrypted anyway, this does not increase the security risk.


Quote server

Max. server connections

Set the maximum number of simultaneous connections to use for updating stock prices.  Since Personal Stock Monitor currently can only query one symbol per connection, and if you have a reasonably fast Internet connection, increasing the number of server connections will increase the speed at which update can occur.

Drop connection after n seconds

Set the maximum number of seconds of inactivity which can occur before a connection is terminated.  This setting prevents symbol updates from hanging the application, and allows Personal Stock Monitor to retry the update a bit later.


News server

Preferred news server

Select one of the supported news servers as the one to use for stock news.  This setting is independent of the preferred quote server.


Proxy Preferences

This property page allows you to configure use of a proxy host if necessary.  Click on a hot spot to see a description of the field.


Proxy host

Use proxy host

If this box is checked, the HTTP proxy configuration will be used as the active configuration.  If your organization uses an HTTP proxy host and you have filled in the host and port fields, you need to check this box.

Proxy host

Set the host name which is used as the HTTP proxy.  Some organizations use a HTTP proxy host for one reason or another, so ask your system administrator if you need to use this field.  If you are not sure about what to put in this field, you should probably leave it blank.

Proxy port

Set the port used at the HTTP proxy.  If you set the Proxy host, you need to make sure that the port number entered in this field is correct for your location.  In many cases, using the default port 80 is fine, but check with your system administrator if you are not sure.

Save password

If this option is checked, the user name and password entered during proxy authentication will be saved for later use.

Note: Saved passwords are not encrypted in any way, but since passwords transmitted to quote servers over the Internet are not encrypted anyway, this does not increase the security risk.


History Preferences

This property page allows you to configure settings for saving history information.  This information is used to generate end of day and intraday.


History Configuration

 You must enable automatic updates during market hours in order for this feature to work properly.  See Update Preferences.

Enable history logging during market hours

Checking this option will enable global history logging and allow you to specify directories for intraday and end-of-day data.  By default, history is saved for all symbols in the current document.  After this option is enabled, you will be able to override this default setting to set the history parameters on a per-symbol basis, which is done in Symbol History Properties.

Directory for intraday data

The name of a directory, relative to the directory in which the psm.exe file is located, which will be used to store intraday data.

Purge daily

If this option is selected, the intraday directory will be purged at the time when the market opens.

Directory for end-of-day data

The name of a directory, relative to the directory in which the psm.exe file is located, which will be used to store end-of-day data.

Prompt for save on exit

If this option is selected, you will be asked if you wish to write out the end of day data for the current document when you exit the application or when you load another document.


Ticker Bar Preferences

This property page allows you to configure the behavior and appearance of the Ticker Bar, which can be displayed on the screen when the main window is minimized.  Click on a hot spot to display a description of the field.


Settings

Main font

This option selects the main (large) font that is displayed in the ticker bar.  The small font used for the status bar is automatically selected to be the same font, but at a smaller size.

Ticker speed

This option sets how many times per second the ticker bar is scrolled.  Drag the slider to the left for a faster scrolling, or to the right for slower scrolling.

Ticker smoothness

This option sets how much the ticker bar "jumps" every time it is updated.  Drag the slider to the left for smoother looking scrolling, or to the right for a coarse looking scroll.


Colors

Background

This selection changes the background color of the ticker window.

Alert Bkgd

This selection changes the background color for a symbol which is in the alert state.

Status Line

This selection changes the color of the status line text in the ticker window.

New Symbol

This selection changes the color of "new" symbols.  New symbols are those which have been updated, but not displayed.  New symbols are allowed to scroll by once with the "new" color, after which they revert to the "old" color.  This option makes it easier to spot symbols which have recently been updated.

Old Symbol

This selection changes the color of the "old" symbols.

+ Change

This selection sets the color of the number below the symbol name when the symbol  is up for the day.

- Change

This selection sets the color of the number below the symbol name when the symbol is down for the day.


Numeric display options

Override global

Checking this option allows you to set numeric display parameters for the ticker bar separately from the program default as set under the General tab.

Display numbers as fractions

Checking this option will cause PSM to display numbers in the ticker bar in their fractional form when it is appropriate to do so.  If a number is not divisible by 1/64th, it is left as a decimal.

Display numbers as decimals

Checking this option will cause PSM to display numbers in the ticker bar in their decimal form.


Dial-Up Preferences

This property page allows you to configure how Personal Stock Monitor will use Dial-Up Networking.  Use of Dial-Up Networking assumes that you will be using PPP, SLIP, or CSLIP connection which allows use of Winsock.  Clock on a hot spot to get a description of the field.


Dial Up Networking

Open dial up connection…

Select this option to enable use of Dial-Up Networking.  The specified dial-up connection will automatically be initiated when a symbol update or lookup is requested.

This option will be disabled if Dial-Up Networking is not installed on your machine.


Dial Up Networking

Connection name

This displays the list of connections currently configured under Dial-Up Networking.  Use this to set the name of the connection to be used for network operations.

NOTE: If the connection is already established when PSM needs to update symbol data, PSM will use the existing connection.

Properties

This button will allow you to edit the properties for the selected connection, using the standard Dial-Up Networking dialog.

New connection

This button will allow you to create a new connection, using the standard Dial-Up Networking dialog.

User name

Enter the user name to use for the selected connection.  This user name should be the same name as you would enter when starting the connection manually.  If a user name is not entered, a dialog box will prompt you for it before attempting to establish a connection.

Password

Enter the password to use for the selected connection.  This password should be the same as you would enter when starting the connection manually.  If a password is not entered, a dialog box will prompt you for it before attempting to establish a connection.

Save password

Check this option to save the password for future use.  Note that the password is not encrypted when it is saved, so it may pose a security risk.


Dial Up Networking

Close dial up connection…

Checking this option will automatically disconnect after a set period of inactivity, but only if PSM initiated the dial-up connection.  If the connection was initiated outsite of PSM, it will be left alone.


Modify Server List

This dialog allows you to rearrange the list of quote servers displayed by dragging them around with your mouse.  Only servers with a check next to their names will be displayed in the list, which allows you to "hide" quote servers that you don't use.


Modify Server List

To rearrange the order of the servers, drag them to the desired position with your mouse.  To remove a server from view, uncheck the box to the left of its name.


Symbol General Properties

This property page shows you all of the information available for a symbol, as well as allowing you to enter high and low target prices for the symbol.  Please note that some of these values may be zero if they are not available from the quote server.


Name

This field specifies the name of the current symbol.  You may edit this field to reflect the correct name if it is incorrect, or to enter a name if it was not retrieved from the quote server.


Fields

These fields display all information which is available from the quote server.  Some information may not be filled in if it is not available from the server.


Alerts

You can cause PSM to generate alerts when a symbol price falls above and below a target price.  To do this, enter the decimal high or low target value into the edit box next to the appropriate label.  You can configure the type of alert to be generated in Alert Preferences.

When an alert is generated, a [image] symbol is displayed to notify you of the alert.  Once set, the alert symbol remains until cleared with the Clear Alert command.


Symbol Portfolio Properties

This property page shows you your current holdings for the given symbol.  Current holdings are listed by date.  Current value and gain/loss are calculated.


Portfolio Information

Purchase

This button brings up the Purchase Details dialog box which allows you to add an entry to your current holdings.

Sale

This button brings up the Sale Details dialog box, which allows you to enter sales information for the symbol.

Split

This button allows you to record a split for the current symbol.  After entering the split ratio, and date all of your portfolio entries for the current symbol are updated to reflect the new basis and number of shares.  Optionally, you may also choose to automatically have your history files adjusted in the same manner.

Edit

This button allows you to edit the selected portfolio item.

Remove

This button will remove the currently selected entry from the current holdings for the symbol.


Symbol History Properties

This property page allows you to configure history settings on a per-stock basis.  Note that the global History Preferences must be set properly in order to enable these options.


History Preferences

Override global settings

If this option is checked you are allowed to modify the history settings for the selected symbol(s).  This option is disabled if history is not enabled in the global History Preferences dialog.

Save intraday history

When this option is checked, intraday information will be saved to the file specified in the Filename field.  This information can be used to create intraday graphs.

Save end-of-day history

When this option is checked, end of day information will be saved to the file specified in the Filename field.  This information can be used to create end of day graphs.


Symbol Advanced Properties

This property page allows you to override some global parameters in order to fine-tune the actions taken for a symbol.  Click on a hot spot for descriptions, or click on a tab to go to help for that tab.


Quote Server Override

Setting this option allows you to always update the selected symbol(s) from a particular server, regardless of the global server setting.  This is useful if the symbol is only available from a particular server, which is possible if the server uses a proprietary format for the symbol.


Updates Override

Setting this option allows you to customize the update interval on a per-symbol basis.

Do not update

If set, the selected symbol(s) will never be updated automatically.  This option does not preclude manual updates.

Update prices every [n] minutes

If set, the selected symbol(s) will be updated at the specified interval instead of at the global update interval.


Purchase Details dialog box

This dialog box allows you to record a purchase or grant of shares.  Click on a field for description.


Symbol Information

Symbol

The ticker symbol for which the information is being displayed.

Name

The name of the company which corresponds to the ticker symbol.

Current Price

The last known price for this ticker symbol.


Purchase Details

Purchase Date

The date the shares were purchased.  When creating new purchase records, this field is filled in with the current date.  If the shares were not purchased on the current date, you may edit this field to enter the real purchase date, or press the calendar button to visually select a date.

Shares

Number of shares purchased.  This value may be non-integral.

Purchase Price

The actual price at which the shares were purchased.  When creating new purchase records, this field is filled in with the current price.  If the shares were purchased at a different price than shown, you may enter the price here as a decimal number or as a fraction.

Commission

The commission paid for the shares, entered as either a real number or a percentage.  If a percentage is entered, the dollar amount is shown next to the edit field, and vice versa. The commission is factored into the total cost, and is subtracted from the net gain.

Total Price

The total purchase price of the shares.  This is automatically calculated when the Shares or Purchase Price fields are changed.


Sale Details dialog box

This dialog allows entering a sale of shares.  Click on a field for a description.


Symbol Information

Symbol

The ticker symbol for which the information is being displayed.

Name

The name of the company which corresponds to the ticker symbol.

Current Price

The last known price for this ticker symbol.

Shares Held

The number of shares currently held.


Purchase Details

Sale Date

The date the shares were sold. If the shares were not sold on the current date, you may edit this field to enter the real date of sale, or press the calendar button to visually select a date.

Shares

Number of shares sold.  This value may be non-integral.

Short

Check this box to indicate a short sale.

Sale Price

The actual price at which the shares were sold.  If the shares were sold at a price different than shown, you may enter the price here as a decimal number or as a fraction.

Commission

The commission paid for the shares, entered as either a number or a percentage.  If a percentage is entered, the dollar amount is shown next to the edit field, and vice versa. The commission is factored into the total cost, and is subtracted from the net gain.

Net Sale

The net amount received from the sale.  This is automatically calculated from all of the other fields, and is displayed as negative for short sales.


General view properties dialog box

This dialog lets you configure which columns will be displayed and in what order.  The settings only affect the current view profile.  Click on a field to display a detailed description.


Column List

This list shows which columns will appear on the screen, and their order of appearance.  Items with a check next to them will be shown on the screen.  Selecting a column will enable the Move Up and Move Down buttons as appropriate.  You may arrange the columns either by dragging the column with your mouse to the desired location, or by using the Move buttons.

The column list in this tab is only applicable to the current category.  Therefore you may have different columns visible, and in different orders, in each category.


Move Up

Clicking this button will move the currently selected column up in the list so that it will appear on the screen before the columns that preceed it.


Move Down

Clicking this button will move the currently selected column down in the list so that it will appear on the screen after the columns that preceed it.


View Options

These view options apply to view for all categories at once.

Color Arrows

Checking this option will cause up arrows to be colored green and down arrows to be colored red.  If this option is not checked, the up and down arrows will be gray.

Full-row select

Checking this option will allow you to select a symbol by clicking anywhere in the row instead of only on the symbol label.  It will also cause the whole row to be highlighted when it is selected.

TitleTips

TitleTips are little pop-up windows, similar to tooltips, that will be shown over a cell in the list view if the column is not wide enough to fit the text.  The window will only be displayed for as long as the mouse pointer is within the area of the cell.

Grid lines

Checking this option will cause grid lines to appear in the securities and transaction views, so that it is easier to look at long columns and rows.


Graph Properties

The Graph Properties window allows you to modify the standard appearance of the Graphs.  Click on a field for a description.


Graph Properties

Enable horizontal grid lines

Select this option to enable horizontal grid lines in the graph.

Enable vertical grid lines

Select this option to enable vertical grid lines in the graph.

Moving average…

This option sets how many points are averaged for a moving average plot.


Results

The results area indicates which versions of the listed components you are currently running.  If a component is out of date, the "Download new version now" button will be enabled, allowing for easy upgrades.


Start

Press this button to start the process of retrieving the latest release information from the Personal Stock Monitor Web site.


Standard Toolbar

The toolbar is displayed across the top of the application window, below the menu bar.  The toolbar provides quick mouse access to the basic tools used in Personal Stock Monitor.

To hide or display the Toolbar, choose Toolbar from the View menu (ALT, V, T).

Click	To

Open a new document.

Open an existing document.  Personal Stock Monitor displays the Open dialog box, in which you can locate and open the desired file.

Save the active document or template with its current name.  If you have not named the document, Personal Stock Monitor displays the Save As dialog box.

Print the active document.

Remove selected data from the document and stores it on the clipboard.

Copy the selection to the clipboard.

Insert the contents of the clipboard at the insertion point.

Display copyright and version number of application.

Select context-sensitive help.

Run the Software Update Wizard, which can determine if you have the latest release of Personal Stock Monitor.


Stop command

Use this command to stop all network operations and temporarily suspend automatic updates.


Resume (Go) command

Use this command to resume network operations after a stop command.


End of Day (Interday) Graph

Use this command to create a high-low-close graph for the currently selected symbol, based on saved historical data.


Intraday Graph

Use this command to create a line graph of the intraday price for the currently selected symbol, based on saved historical data.  The graph will be displayed for by default for the last day for which there is historical data.


Allocation Graph

Use this command to create a portfolio allocation pie chart based on symbols in the currently displayed category.  Only symbols which have a positive monetary value will be included in the graph.


Get History Data

Use this command to retrieve interday historical data for the selected symbol.  The retrieved data will automatically be saved to the end of day history file for the selected symbol, and can then be used for graphing.

Notes: Data is provided by Pacific Brokerage Services at http://www.tradepbs.com.  Data is not available for all symbols, and is not available for dates before September 6, 1996.


Display News

Use this command to get news on the selected symbol.  The news is displayed in your Web browser directly from the news provider.


Select Quote Server

This combo box allows you to easily change the primary quote server used for symbol updates.


Change categories

Use this command to change the current category displayed in the main symbol list.


Status Bar

The status bar is displayed at the bottom of the Personal Stock Monitor window.  To display or hide the status bar, use the Status Bar command in the View menu.  Click on a hot spot to display a description.


Status Bar (Left Pane)

This pane displays status of symbol updates, network messages, menu item descriptions, or tool bar button descriptions.


Status Bar (Right Pane)

Status	Description
Not connected	Network connection has not been established.
Updates are off	Automatic updates are disabled in preferences, or market is not open.
Updates are stopped	Automatic updates are suspended because you pressed the “stop” button or started Personal Stock Monitor with the /offline command-line switch.
No symbols	The document is empty.
Nothing to update	The document does not contain any symbols which can be updated.  This may be caused by having all symbols in the unknown ( [image]) state.


Context Help command

Use the Context Help command to obtain help on some portion of Personal Stock Monitor.  When you choose the Toolbar's Context Help button, the mouse pointer will change to an arrow and question mark.  Then click somewhere in the Personal Stock Monitor window, such as another Toolbar button.  The Help topic will be shown for the item you clicked.

Shortcut

Keys:	SHIFT+F1


Title Bar

The title bar is located along the top of a window.  It contains the name of the application and document.  To move the window or a dialog box, drag its title bar.

A title bar may contain the following elements:

 Application Control-menu button

 Document Control-menu button

 Maximize button

 Minimize button

 Name of the application

 Name of the document

 Restore button


Scroll bars

Displayed at the right and bottom edges of the document window.  The scroll boxes inside the scroll bars indicate your vertical and horizontal location in the document.  You can use the mouse to scroll to other parts of the document.


System Menu Commands

Size command

Use this command to display a four-headed arrow so you can size the active window with the arrow keys.

After the pointer changes to the four-headed arrow:

1.	Press one of the DIRECTION keys (left, right, up, or down arrow key) to move the pointer to the border you want to move.

2.	Press a DIRECTION key to move the border.

3.	Press ENTER when the window is the size you want.

Move command (CTRL+F7)

Use this command to display a four-headed arrow so you can move the active window or dialog box with the arrow keys.

Minimize command (ALT+F9)

Use this command to reduce the Personal Stock Monitor window to an icon.

Maximize command (CTRL+F10)

Use this command to enlarge the active window to fill the available space.

Close command (CTRL+F4 closes document, ALT+F4 closes application)

Use this command to close the active window or dialog box.  Double-clicking a Control-menu box is the same as choosing the Close command.

 If you have multiple windows open for a single document, the Close command on the document Control menu closes only one window at a time.  You can close all windows at once with the Close command on the File menu.

Restore command

Use this command to return the active window to its size and position before you chose the Maximize or Minimize command.


Choose Font Dialog
Choose Font dialog box

Use this dialog box to choose a font.


Choose Color Dialog
Choose Color dialog box

Use this dialog to choose a color.


Find dialog
Find dialog box

Enter a search string, then press the Find Next button.  The Find dialog box will disappear, and PSM will search for the specified string in the symbol names and company names of the current document.  You can then use the Find Next command (CTRL+G) to go to the next item which contains the search string.


Edit Replace Command
Replace command (Edit menu)

<< Write application-specific help here. >>


Replace Dialog
Replace dialog box

<< Write application-specific help here. >>


Edit Repeat Command
Repeat command (Edit menu)

Use this command to repeat the last editing command carried out.  The Repeat menu item changes to Can't Repeat if you cannot repeat your last action.


Edit Clear Command
Clear command (Edit menu)

<< Write application-specific help here. >>


Edit Clear All
Clear All command (Edit menu)

<< Write application-specific help here. >>


Next Pane Command
Next Pane

<< Write application-specific help here. >>


Prev Pane Command
Prev Pane

<< Write application-specific help here. >>


Modifying the Document

<< Write application-specific help here that provides an overview of how the user should modify a document using your application.

If your application supports multiple document types and you want to have a distinct help topic for each, then use the help context i.d. generated by running the MAKEHELP.BAT file produced by AppWizard.  Alternatively, run MAKEHM as follows:

makehm IDR_HIDR_,0x2000 resource.h

If the IDR_ symbol for one of your document types is, for example, IDR_CHARTTYPE, then the help context i.d. generated by MAKEHM will be HIDR_CHARTTYPE.

Note, AppWizard defines the HIDR_DOC1TYPE help context i.d. used by this help topic for the first document type supported by your application.  AppWizard produces an alias in the .HPJ file for your application, mapping HIDR_DOC1TYPE to the HIDR_ produced by MAKEHM for that document type. >>


No Help Available

No help is available for this area of the window.


No Help Available

No help is available for this message box.


Print
Print dialog box

The following options allow you to specify how the document should be printed:

Printer

This is the active printer and printer connection.  Choose the Setup option to change the printer and printer connection.

Setup

Displays a Print Setup dialog box, so  you can select a printer and printer connection.

Print Range

Specify the pages you want to print:

All	Prints the entire document.
Selection	Prints the currently selected text.
Pages	Prints the range of pages you specify in the From and To boxes.
Copies

Specify the number of copies you want to print for the above page range.

Collate Copies

Prints copies in page number order, instead of separated multiple copies of each page.

Print Quality

Select the quality of the printing.  Generally, lower quality printing takes less time to produce.


Print Progress Dialog

The Printing dialog box is shown during the time that Personal Stock Monitor is sending output to the printer.  The page number indicates the progress of the printing.

To abort printing, choose Cancel.


Print Preview toolbar

The print preview toolbar offers you the following options:

Print

Bring up the print dialog box, to start a print job.

Next Page

Preview the next printed page.

Prev Page

Preview the previous printed page.

One Page / Two Page

Preview one or two printed pages at a time.

Zoom In

Take a closer look at the printed page.

Zoom Out

Take a larger look at the printed page.

Close

Return from print preview to the editing window.


Print Setup
Print Setup dialog box

The following options allow you to select the destination printer and its connection.

Printer

Select the printer you want to use.  Choose the Default Printer; or choose the Specific Printer option and select one of the current installed printers shown in the box.  You install printers and configure ports using the Windows Control Panel.

Orientation

Choose Portrait or Landscape.

Paper Size

Select the size of paper that the document is to be printed on.

Paper Source

Some printers offer multiple trays for different paper sources.  Specify the tray here.

Options

Displays a dialog box where you can make additional choices about printing, specific to the type of printer you have selected.

Network...

Choose this button to connect to a network location, assigning it a new drive letter.


Authentication Mechanism

Personal Stock Monitor automatically detects whether a quote server or proxy host requires authentication, and will pop up a dialog box allowing you to enter your user name and password.  During the time PSM is waiting for the user name and password, all network activity is suspended.

You should enter your user name and password for the quote server or proxy, then press the OK button.  If you have entered the user name and password correctly, all network activity will resume as before.  If you have entered the user name or password incorrectly, PSM will again ask you to authenticate yourself.  If you press Cancel out of the authentication dialog box, network activity will be suspended until you manually resume it by pressing the Resume Button on the Network Toolbar.


Password Protecting Documents
Password-Protecting Documents

Personal Stock Monitor allows you to password-protect a document with a username and password combination, using the Set Password command under the File menu.  The standard authentication document will appear and ask you to enter the information.  After you enter the information, you should save the document.  When the document is reopened, you will be asked for the user name and password before Personal Stock Monitor will allow access to the data.  If an invalid password is entered or you cancel out of the password dialog, Personal Stock Monitor will refuse to read the data.

Note: Don't forget your user name and password.  The author will recover forgotten passwords from documents, but there will be a US$15 charge for time used to perform this service.


Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Note [image] This list may be out of date.  The most current FAQ is always posted on the Personal Stock Monitor home page at http://www.personaltools.com/psm.

Why can't PSM connect to the server through the AOL?

AOL normally provides only a 16-bit version of their software.  If you are running Windows 95 or NT, PSM requires a 32-bit winsock, and therefore will not run with the AOL software.  There may be a 32-bit version of the AOL software available, but you should inquire with AOL technical support for details.

Why doesn't clicking on the PSM icon restore the main window?

When the ticker bar is running and the main window is minimized, sometimes you will not be able to restore the main window simply by clicking on the icon in the taskbar.  You can restore the main window by right-clicking on the icon, and selecting Restore.

Why doesn't fundamental data get retrieved for some servers?

When in multi-quote mode, most servers will not return fundamental data such as 52-week high and low, EPS, and Dividends.  If you need to see this data, you can turn off multi-quote in Network Preferences.

Why can't PSM save history data for my symbol?

This problem may occur with symbols having characters in their names which are illegal in file names, such as NOK/A.  The workaround for this problem is to go into the Symbol Properties dialog, and under the History tab, override the file name setting to something more appropriate.

What are the different bitmaps next to my symbols?

These are status symbols.  The different bitmaps are explained here.

Why is a password now required for PC Quote?

By request of PC Quote, PSM support now uses the MarketSmart Delayed server, which is password-protected.  Register for MarketSmart Delayed for free at http://www.pcquote.com.

Why do my window controls (maximize, minimize, etc.) disappear / get corrupted? (Win 3.1x with Win32s)

Possible cause: interaction of some 32-bit applications with particular video drivers or video cards.  Recommended solutions: install the latest 16-bit drivers for your video card; upgrade to Windows 95.  Last chance solution: replace your video card.

Why does PSM crash when updating symbols? (Win 3.1x with Win32s)

Possible cause: multiple socket connections sometimes have problems in a 16-bit environment.  Recommended solution: reduce maximum number of connections to 1 in Network preferences.

Why does PSM display question marks (‘?’) next to my symbols?

There are two situations in which this will happen:

  The quote server reports that the symbol is unknown.

  Three unsuccessful attempts at retrieving the quote.

While the question mark is displayed next to the symbol, it will be skipped by the automatic update cycle.  You can resolve this situation in two possible ways:

  Manually update the symbol.  If the update is successful, the question mark will disappear and the symbol will be available for automatic updates.

  Switch to a different quote server.  This will remove question marks from all symbols, and those symbols will again be available for automatic updates.

What exactly is the automatic update cycle?

Each symbol is on a separate update cycle, based on the time of last update.  Initially, symbols are updated in the order they are entered.  However, after the symbol is updated, the next update is scheduled by adding the update frequency to the last update time.

What are the little plus and minus signs next to some of the symbols?

They indicate positive or negative change since last update, designed to be an indication of movement.  Unfortunately, they are of limited usefulness because they only indicate direction for one update.

See also: symbol status indicators.


Errors
Errors generated by Personal Stock Monitor

Unable to connect to (server name)

PSM can not determine the IP address of the requested quote server, or the quote server is not responding.

Unable to send request to (server name)

PSM can not complete sending a quote request because there was an error on the connection.

Request for symbol (symbol name) timed out

PSM has determined that data for the specified symbol has not been received during the allowable time period, and will close the connection for this request.

Unable to get value for symbol (symbol name)

PSM has received a response from the quote server which can not be interpreted as valid quote data.  The response is discarded.

Can not perform operation; symbol (symbol name) is locked

An operation, such, as delete, can not complete because the symbol has been locked by an update operation.  You may retry the operation after the symbol is unlocked by the update operation.


Technical Support

If you have a question that is not answered in the Frequently Asked Questions, please check the on-line support section at http://www.personaltools.com/psm for up-to-date information.

Bug reports should be submitted to support@personaltools.com.  Please read the Reporting a problem topic for guidelines about information you should submit with your report.

General technical support is available for registered users by sending email to support@personaltools.com.  Please indicate which version of Personal Stock Monitor you have, which version of Windows you have, and clearly state your question.

NOTE: Do not send support inquiries to support@kagi.com.  Kagi Shareware acts only as a credit card clearinghouse, and does not provide support for this software.


Problem Reports
Reporting a problem

When reporting a problem, it is very important to include the following information:

As much detail as possible about the events leading up to problem.

As much detail as possible about the problem itself.

If it is a crash, the address of the crash.

Personal Stock Monitor version.

Operating system name and version.

Software name and version used to connect to the Internet.

Please be as specific as possible, because this will help me find and fix the problem.  Send the problem report via email to support@personaltools.com with the subject PR: PSM vn.n (substitute the version number of the PSM you are currently using for the n.n.: for example, v2.2.1).


Symbol context menu

This menu appears if you click the right mouse button in the symbol view.  The menu is sensitive to the context, of where and when the mouse button was clicked, therefore some menu items may be disabled or not present.  The context menu is a convenient way to perform some symbol functions without going through the top-level menu.


Export dialog
Export dialog box

The export dialog box will save the data in the currently visible columns to a text file in a specified external format.  Select a field to get more specific help.


Selection

Entire Document

Check this option to write the data for all symbols in the current document to the export file.

Current Category

Check this option to write the data for all symbols in the current category to the export file.

Selected Symbols

Check this option to write the data only for symbols you have selected from the symbol list.


Format

Comma-separated text file

Check this option to generate a text file in which the fields will be separated by commas.  This option is useful for importing the resulting into spreadsheets.

Tab-separated text file

Check this option to generate a text file in which the fields will be separated by tab characters.  Some applications that you may want to use the data with may support this format instead of the comma-separated format.

Quicken-compatible text file

Check this option to generate a text file that Quicken 4.0 will accept as an update file.

Quicken 5.0-6.0 compatible text file

Check this option to generate a text file that Quicken 5.0 or 6.0 will accept as an update file.  With this option, more data fields will be exported than the standard Quicken 4.0 export format can support.

MetaStock-compatible text file

Check this option to generate a text file that the MetaStock charting program will be able to import.

QuoteLink-compatible text file

Check this option to generate a text file that CompuServe® QuoteLink will be able to import.

QuoteTrack-compatible text file

Check this option to generate a text file that Prodigy® QuoteTrack will be able to import.

Append to file

Check this option if you wish the exported data to be added to the end of the selected file.  The default is to overwrite the file.


Export...

This button will bring up an Export To dialog box, and will let you select the path and file name for the file you wish to use for export.


New Category dialog
New Category dialog box

This dialog box allows you to add a category to the list of available categories.


Categories
Categories dialog box

This dialog box allows you to select category membership for the currently selected symbol(s).  The dialog displays all currently defined categories in a list box.  Click on a field to get a description.


Category List

The box next to the category name indicates the status of selected symbols with respect to the category.   A symbol can belong to more than one category at any given time.

 	All selected symbols are members of the category.

Some of the selected symbols are members of the category.

None of the selected symbols are members of the category.

To change category membership, click in the box next to the category name in order to show or hide the check box.  If you leave a grayed check box next to a category, membership for that category will not be changed for the selected symbols.


Export command (Toolbar)

Use this command to export current data to the default file in the last format specified in the Export dialog.


New Category (Toolbar)

Use this command to create a new category.  The default column layout for the new category will be the same as the currently displayed category.


Delete Category (Toolbar)

Use this command to delete the current category displayed in the main symbol list.

Note [image] The standard categories, All Symbols and Portfolio, can not be deleted.


Symbol Toolbar

The toolbar is displayed across the top of the application window, below the menu bar.  The toolbar provides quick mouse access to the most commonly used symbol operations.

To hide or display this toolbar, choose Symbol Toolbar from the Options menu (ALT, O, Y).

Click	To

Create an intraday graph for the currently selected symbol.

Create a high-low-close graph for the currently selected symbol.

Create an allocation graph for the current category.

Display news in Web browser.

Display the View Properties dialog.

Change current category.

Create a new category.

Delete current category.

Export current data using default settings.


Network Toolbar

This toolbar is displayed across the top of the application window, below the menu bar.  The toolbar provides quick access to the most commonly used network operations.

To hide or display this toolbar, choose Network Toolbar from the Options menu (ALT, O, N).

Click	To

Update all symbols.

Stop all network operations.

Resume network operations.

Change preferred quote server.

Search for a symbol by substring.


Symbol Lookup
Symbol Lookup (Toolbar:  )

This dialog allows you to query one of several quote servers to find a symbol if you only know part of the name.  Click on a field to get a detailed description.


Search Results

Displays symbol and company names matching the search string.  Double-click in the list to add a symbol to the current category.


Add to Document

Add currently selected symbol(s) to current category.  If Save Server is checked, the symbols are saved with the server override set to the current search server.


Save Server

If this is checked, symbols are saved with the server override set to the current search server.


Previous Page

Retrieves previous page of symbols if available from selected server.


Next Page

Retrieves next page of symbols if available from selected server.


Search String

Enter as much of the name of the company or symbol as you know.  Most quote servers are not case-sensitive, so there is no need to enter a proper name.


Server

Select the server to search.


Exchange

If the selected server supports this option, you may narrow your selection by selecting the exchange or type of equities to be searched.


Begin Lookup

Press this button to begin the search.


Stop Lookup

Press this button to interrupt the search.


Close

Press this button to close the dialog.


Status Line

This line displays information about the status of your search request.


Tip of the Day

This dialog displays various hints and tips related to features of Personal Stock Monitor that may not be obvious.  You can flip through all of the hints by using the Next button.


Acknowledgements
Acknowledgments

This is a short short list of people who deserve a bit of credit for their support, advice and ideas, or a bit of their code.

Dan Heller

Jon Bauer

Brad Werner and Teresa Bisaillon

Paul DiLascia

Zafir Anjum

There are many others who contributed kind words and ideas along the way, but they are too numerous to mention here.  You know who you are!  Thanks!

I would also like to thank the folks at Microsoft for producing a very nice a development environment in Visual C++ 4.1b, without which PSM would not exist, and also for making available the variety of sample programs which demonstrate concepts and allow developers to learn.


OK Button

Accept the currently displayed options and close the dialog.


Cancel Button

Cancel any changes and close the dialog.


Apply Button

Apply changes to current document, but do not close the dialog.


Help Button

Bring up context-sensitive help for the dialog.


Main Window

Personal Stock Monitor (PSM) is a leading Internet financial quote retrieval application.  It will periodically retrieve prices from quote servers on the Internet and display them in a convenient manner on your desktop.  It can also keep track of your portfolio, and automatically alert you when an symbol reaches a high or low target price.

System requirements.

Disclaimer and license agreement.

How to order.

Quote server usage restrictions.

Features in this release


Status Indicators

Symbol is up for the day.

Symbol is down for the day.

Symbol has hit a target price.

Symbol is up since last update.  (Uptick)

Symbol is down since last update.  (Downtick)

Symbol is locked due to a network or other activity.

Symbol is unknown or can not be found on server.

Symbol is a placeholder for a cash account.


Software Update Wizard

This command will start the Software Update Wizard, which will determine if you have the latest version of Personal Stock Monitor and the server parameters file.


Online Product Information

This command will display Personal Stock Monitor online product information by launching your browser and pointing it to the current PSM home page on the Internet.


Software Update Wizard

The Software Update Wizard will query an Internet Software Version Control server about the latest release of Personal Stock Monitor and the associated server parameters file.  If the version you currently have is found to be out of date, you will have the option of downloading the new version immediately.

The Software Update Wizard will save the server parameters file directly to the correct place on your hard disk, after verifying that the it was downloaded without errors.  However, downloads of new releases of Personal Stock Monitor are handled by passing the download request to your Web browser.


Definition: Category

A category is a tool for organizing your symbols.  When you create a new file, you automatically have two: All Symbols, and Portfolio.  The former should be self-explanatory, while the latter automatically includes any symbol for which you enter purchase or sale information. You can also create user-defined categories as watch lists or any other types of lists you wish.  Some people organize their symbols by the type of stock or fund just to make it easier to look at group trends.  A symbol can also belong to more than one category at once, and this is controlled by the Symbols->Categories command, so for example you can have something belong to a watch-list, and a transportation stocks list at the same time.


Quick Start Guide

The following topics will get you started with the most common features of Personal Stock Monitor in a minimum of time:

•	Configure the Internet Connection

•	Enter Symbols

•	Create Categories

•	Configure History

•	Run the Software Update Wizard


Configure the Internet Connection

Personal Stock Monitor (PSM) may be configured to control a dial-up connection if you are using Dial-Up Networking (DUN).  If you have a direct connection or wish to dial using another method, please go to step 2.

Follow these steps to configure PSM to work with DUN:

1.	Under the Options menu, select General Preferences.

2.	Select the Dial-Up tab.

3.	Select Open dial-up.

4.	Select the Connection Name to use for dial-out.

5.	If you wish to have PSM automatically hang up after updating, select the Close dial-up option.

6.	Press OK to accept your selection.

PSM is now configured to use DUN.  Whenever PSM needs to access the network, your dial-up connection will be started automatically.


Enter Symbols

Now you can enter new financial symbols into your document.

1.	From the Symbol menu, select New.

2.	An edit box will appear in your document to indicate where you will be adding the symbol.  Type in the symbol, then press Enter.

3.	If you do not know the name of the symbol, but you know part or all of the company name, you may search for the symbol.  Under the Symbol menu, select Lookup or press the [image] button on the toolbar.  Use the search dialog to help you find the symbol.

After you add a symbol, PSM will immediately attempt to update the value of the symbol over the Internet, so your computer may dial out if you have configured it to do so.


Create Categories

Categories allow you to create lists of symbols, which may be viewed as a group for organizational purposes.  For example, a Watch List category may contains stocks you are considering purchasing, while a Transportation category would contain only transportation stocks.  A symbol may also belong to more than one category, which would allow it to be both in the Watch List and Transportation at the same time.

When a new document is created, it automatically gets two categories: All Symbols and Portfolio.  The "All Symbols" category contains all of the symbols in the document, while the Portfolio category automatically contains all of the symbols for which you have entered a non-zero number of shares either purchased or sold.

To create a new category:

1.	Select New from the Category submenu under the View menu, or press the [image] button.

2.	Enter the name of the category, the press OK.

You can change the current category displayed using the Category submenu, or the combo box in the Symbol Toolbar.


Configure History

The history feature allows you to save intraday and end of day data for later use for graphing or other analysis.  To enable history, follow these steps:

1.	Select the General Preferences command under the Options menu, and click the History tab.

2.	Make sure that the Enable history during market hours is selected.

3.	If you wish to change the location of the directories that will hold the history data, do so at this time.

4.	Press OK.


Run the Software Update Wizard

The Software Update Wizard is a tool built into Personal Stock Monitor which will help you determine if you are running the latest released version of the software.  This tool also helps you determine if there are any updates to the server parameter file.  This small file is updated if a server changes its data format, and the Software Update Wizard can automatically download and install it in order to ensure continued access to quote data.

•	To run the Software Update Wizard, select the [image] icon from the toolbar, or the Software  Update Wizard menu item under the Help menu.