MAIN MENU
The Main Menu controls functions for the overall software, rather than individual charts.
Here is a breakdown of the Menu features:
- Add Single Chart: This will add a new chart to your layout. You will be prompted to select the cross rate and then the time frame. The time frame along with many other settings can be adjusted once the chart is launched.
- Show Streaming Quote Window: This will open Streaming Quote, a window that displays real-time, self-updating quotations, including the Bid/Ask, Today's Change, and Day High/Low with color-coded instantaneous updates. Export of DDE data is accessible from this window for most datafeeds. On the streaming quote window, the column labeled "Change" for most datafeeds, the Change is calculated as follows:
Change = Price (last bid) - Day Open. However, for Interactive Data Corp. datafeed the charts are calculated using the average of the bid and ask price.
- Exit Application: This will close Desktop Lite program.
Group allows you to save a series of charts and their settings as one group.
- New: To open space for a new Group, select the "New" option.
- Open: To open an existing Group, one that you have already saved, select "Open Group". When you choose this, another menu will open displaying all of your previously Saved Groups. From here, choose a Group by highlighting the name and clicking on it, this will open that Group.
SHORTCUT: To open the groups using a shortcut, simply left click with your mouse on the button labeled "Group" located in the lower left corner of the software's main window, from the pop-up menu, select the name of the group you wish to open and double click, this will open that group.
Note about Closing a Group: A group cannot be closed if it is active on the screen. You must open 2 or more groups to close one of the other groups. So, begin by opening a few groups let us call them A, B, and C. Then you opt to close group C. To close C, you must make sure it is not the active group, so the color of the tab will be gray, not white. Right click with your mouse on the group tab C and a pop-up menu will appear, from there you may select "Close". As long as the group is not actively visible, and the tab is gray in color, you will have the option to close the group.
- Save: This allows you to save a Group that either:
- The Group has never been saved. If Group is new and has never been saved; you will be prompted to name the group you would like to save.
- The Group is not new, it is an existing group (already named and saved) then you will be saving any new settings and adjustments that were applied to the charts.
SHORTCUT: You may also Save a Group by right clicking directly on an opened Group tab and select "Save".
AUTO SAVE: Automatically saving all Groups upon exiting the software is a feature located in the section of the manual
- Save All: This command will easily save all work and changes made to any of the groups currently opened. Simply click "Save All" and all the groups will be saved instantly.
- Save As: This allows an existing Group to be saved as a new Group. You will be prompted to apply a new name to the Group.
- Rename: This allows you to rename the group that is currently opened and active (tab will be white if active).
SHORTCUT: You may also Rename a Group by right clicking directly on an opened Group tab and select "Rename", then follow the onscreen prompts
- Delete: If you wish to delete a group, this will delete the group that is opened and active (tab will be white if active).
- Create Local Backup: This allows you to Backup all of your Groups, Alerts, and saved settings on to your computer locally. Just like making copies of critical documents, it is a good idea to periodically create a backup copy of your charts. To use this feature, simply highlight and click on the "Create Local Backup" selection. You will be prompted to name the Backup and then select "OK". You will be notified with a small pop-up window when the Local Backup is complete. It is essential that you wait until you see this notification message, otherwise you may not have successfully completed the back up.
- Restore Local Backup: Restoring your Backup will allow you to retrieve your personalized settings for the charting software. When you highlight the "Restore Local Backup", a drop down list of the names of your backups will appear, simply highlight and click on the Backup version you wish to now use. Be aware that restoring this Backup will overwrite any current settings. Note that the software will close once you choose to restore a previously saved backup file. You will need to log back into the software to see your Restored Backup.
- Delete Local Backup: To discard any of your Saved Backups, simply choose "Delete Local Backup", a menu will appear listing all of your currently saved Backups. Highlight and click on the name of the Backup you wish to Delete. Once this is removed from the list, it is deleted from your computer and no longer retrievable, so please be sure you wish to delete a Backed up setting prior to using this feature.
- Change Password If you would like to change your Password, please click on this button and you will be brought to a webpage, simply follow the onscreen directions to reset your password.
- Time Zone: From the drop down menu, choose "New York Time (US & Canada Eastern Time)" or "Local Time". This second setting "Local Time" will adjust to the time zone set on your computer. When you select this, you will be prompted with some onscreen directions, here is a summary of the direction you will need to follow: Close your charting application, then log back into the charts, use the login screen to adjust the Time Zone you wish to run.
NOTE: If you have enabled "Auto Login feature, before closing g this software, you must go to "Setting" and then select "Options..." In the Options window go to the tab labeled "General" and be sure to disable the Auto Login feature.
- Data Feed: When you click on this you will see the name of the datafeed you are accessing, it will be grayed out, since it cannot be adjusted from this menu. In order to change datafeeds, click on the next menu option down, "How to Change Datafeed..." and follow the onscreen directions. In short, to change the datafeed you must log out and log back in again to the software. When you log in again, on the login screen select the feed of your choosing.
- Get Latest Version: Getting the Latest version is a tool that allows you to retrieve a version that might be newer then the version you are using. Getting the latest version from the drop down menu might get a version that is not publicly deployed, which means there are potential bugs, so we would like you to rely on Live Update (this occurs upon login if a new version is publicly deployed) instead of getting the latest version yourself, unless specifically directed so by a member of the support staff. Though if instructed to get the Latest Version, these are the steps you would follow:
- Go to charting software's main menu and select "Settings".
- At the bottom of the dropdown menu you will see "Get latest version", click on this selection.
- A warning message will pop-up, please click on "Continue".
- The charts will then close and a box will appear that tells you the progress of the new download.
- When download is complete, a box will popup and you can log in again. This should not affect any of your saved settings or groups.
The Windows feature allows you to re-arrange the charts at the click of a button. By highlighting and clicking on the items in the dropdown menu, you can instantaneously manipulate the charts to Cascade, Tile in 1 Column, Tile in 2 Columns, or Tile Vertically. You can minimize all opened chart if you click on "Minimize All". If you have minimized the charts, you can then reopen them one-by one by clicking on the chart name in the list below "Minimize All". Additionally, you can switch between which individual chart you wish to make active by clicking on the chart names in this list.
- Help is your connection to what things are new and improved in the software, click on "What's New" to learn about changes, repairs, and improvements.
- Help is your link to the Chart's instruction manual.
- Help offers Chart product information, including what version of the software you are accessing. Here are steps to you can follow to check what version of the charts you are using:
- Log into the charts.
- Go to the charting software's main window, and choose "Help."
- A drop down menu will appear, select, "About Chart Name here..."
- Next a pop-up window will appear, at the very bottom of the image you will see a line of text, an example would be, "FXDesktop 10.0.Build 2009.0218", this represents the version of the software that you are accessing.