Chapter 2. First Things

Sign up for QCharts Basic or QCharts Intermediate

This chapter describes what you need to do to download and install ErlangerQuote on your computer, setting up an account for the data feed with Quote.com, and other important steps that will help your work. Read the steps carefully. You will need your credit card to sign up for the 2-week trial and you will need an account with Quote.com.

ErlangerQuote uses the same datafeed as the program QCharts, which is sold by Quote.com. You can find out about QCharts at http://www.quote.com/quotecom/qcharts/default.asp. Details for the different services can be found under the link: QCharts Pricing.

Quote.com sells this service as part of their QCharts program (which is a charting and analytics program similar to ErlangerQuote, but with fewer features), and they encourage developers to write programs that work with the same datafeed. ErlangerQuote works with the same datafeed that QCharts uses, ErlangerQuote adds new features that are not in the QCharts feature set, and are often appealing to QCharts users.  However not all QCharts features are reproduced in ErlangerQuote, for example ErlangerQuote does not offer the powerful Option Montage of QCharts and does not have direct access trading built in. QCharts and ErlangerQuote can be used simultaneously or individually, taking advantage of their complementary features.

Quote.com offers two ways to obtain a feed service that works with ErlangerQuote:

·         QCharts Basic ($79.95 per month plus exchange fees)

·         QCharts Intermediate ($99.95 per month plus exchange fees)

QCharts Basic is for traders who don’t need extensive web based news, research or analysis. The QCharts Basic subscription includes:

QCharts Intermediate is designed for active investors who wish to combine real time quotes with fundamental analysis, market profile information, news from Reuters, Dow Jones, etc and advanced Option Chains. The QCharts Intermediate subscription includes:

You can sign up for QFeed and the QCharts investor or Trader package by filling out some forms at the Quote.com web site. Once you have the QCharts subscription you are ready to install and start your QCharts trial.

You can also order QCharts by telephone at 866-TRADERS (866-872-3377). Sales representatives are available Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. PST.

Caveats About Quote.com

You will pay all feed and exchange fees to Quote.com.

Non-professional prices for exchanges included in your QCharts subscription can be seen at this link http://www.quote.com/quotecom/subs/realtime_npro.asp Level 2 NASDAQ is $10 per month, and includes NASDAQ Level 1. AMEX and NYSE are each $1 per month. OPRA for options is $1 per month.

IMPORTANT: We are not responsible for the operation, contents, accuracy, punctuality, delay, gaps, or any other parameters of the QFeed datafeed, from now until eternity, in all areas of the world and the solar system, including the moons of Europa. While we will do what we can to notify Lycos Financial of problems QFeed may exhibit at times, we are in no position to offer any control over QFeed or its servers, employees, and management.

 

System Requirements for Running ErlangerQuote

The following are the system hardware and software requirements for ErlangerQuote.

ErlangerQuote Requirements

Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, or Windows 2000

Pentium 233 MHz or better

64 MB of RAM

20 MB of hard disk space

Microsoft Explorer Browser 5.1 or higher

28.8 Modem or better and an ISP (Internet Service Provider)

VGA Monitor and Mouse

 

Recommended System

Windows 2000 or higher

Pentium IV 800 MHz or higher

256MB of RAM (more is better)

100 MB of hard disk space

Cable or DSL Modem and ISP

Dual Monitor CRT or LCD displays

 

Manual Requirements

MSIE 5.0 or better

Adobe Acrobat 5.0 or better

Install ErlangerQuote

    1. Download the ErlangerQuote Installer from www.Erlangerquote.com/download.htm.
    2. Save the file in a temporary directory. You might want to use C:\Temp or C:\Install.
    3. Run the Installer by double clicking on it.
    4. Accept default directory or choose another if you wish. You can use the browse button to locate a different directory for installing the program. You can also enter a new directory name if its proceeded with a "\" backslash character.
    5. Finish Installation

Run Program and Sign up for a Free 14 Day Trial

    1. Connect to the Internet
    2. Start the ErlangerQuote program (note you will not be able to trial ErlangerQuote unless you follow the steps below and enter your credit card number.)
    3. Follow these steps:

1.        Evaluation Policy document appears. Please Read. This explains the subscription terms and the sign up process. Press the OK button to continue or Cancel to end the installation.

2.        License Agreement appears. Choose "I Agree" or "I Disagree". Click Next to move to the next step.

3.        ErlangerQuote dialog appears. If you are a NEW user you must click on the "Signup" button and choose a ErlangerQuote signup name and password. If you are already using ErlangerQuote and have a screen name click OK to move to the next step. Your current screen name and password will be used in the next steps.

4.        Subscription and Credit Card dialog appears (choose monthly or yearly). Enter monthly or yearly subscription, credit card and administrative information including your address. Please click Next to continue.

5.        Subscription Agreement appears. Choose "I Agree" or "I Disagree". Click Next to continue.

6.        Your credit card is now verified. If the card is valid you will move to the next step. If the card is invalid the reason will be given and you can try again. Some of the reasons your card may be rejected include the address you entered does not match the address on file for this card, incorrect credit card number, incorrect zip code, credit card declined, or invalid expiration date. If you get an error message with code please call our office and tell us the code.

7.        The ErlangerQuote dialog reappears. You can now click OK to continue and log into ErlangerQuote. You can check Autologin to save the ID name and you can check the Password to save the password so you don't have to type them in the next time you start ErlangerQuote.

8.        Quote.com dialog appears. Enter your Quote.com ID and password and click OK to continue.

9.        ErlangerQuote starts up and you are ready to learn how to use the program.

When Your Trial is Up

At the end of your 2-week trial period you will be presented with a dialog when you first log in that explains that the trial is up. You have the option of continuing your subscription under the payment plan for which you signed up , and starting your billing, or quitting the program. The dialog will say the following:

Trial has Expired

Thank you for evaluating ErlangerQuote. Your two-week trial subscription has expired. If you would like to continue using ErlangerQuote and commence billing, please click the YES button below. This will enable us to begin billing your credit card and will allow ErlangerQuote to log you in and continue.

Your subscription will be monthly or yearly, depending on which option you chose at the beginning of the trial. If you wish to change the subscription period, please call our offices at 415 383 6152.

If you do not wish to use ErlangerQuote you will need to click on the NO button below.

YES

I wish to continue to use ErlangerQuote. I understand I will be billed (fill in the amount you signed up for i.e. $39.95 per month or $384 per year (a 20% discount).

NO

I do not wish to continue to use ErlangerQuote or start a subscription. Please quit when I click OK.

[OK]

 

Logging into ErlangerQuote for the First Time

There are a few things you should know about logging into the ErlangerQuote and the Quote.com servers before you start. The most important is that you will see two dialog boxes when you log into ErlangerQuote.

The first dialog box is for ErlangerQuote and is shown below. Enter your ErlangerQuote ID and password and this will connect you to ErlangerQuote's server at Tenlights.com. At the Tenlights.com server we verify your login and your payment status. This takes a few milliseconds and then you are passed to the regular Quote.com dialog box for connection to a Quote.com server. 

IMPORTANT: ErlangerQuote is case sensitive and accepts both lower case and upper case characters for ScreenName and Password.

Auto Login and Save Password

Note in this dialog that there is a checkbox for Auto Login and another for Save Password. If the Auto Login dial is checked the dialog box will not stop and wait for you to enter the name and password. You can over ride this case by holding down the Control key when you start ErlangerQuote. The Save Password checkbox will automatically save your password so you don’t have to enter it each time you run ErlangerQuote.

Forgot Your Password?

If you ever forget your password you can click on the button called Forgot my Password. Your password will be sent to you by email. If you have never signed up for ErlangerQuote before you can click on the ErlangerQuote Sign Up button at the bottom of the dialog box.

 

Figure 1 ErlangerQuote login dialog box

 

Status Login Window

As you are logging into ErlangerQuote and Quote.com a small status window appears next to the dialog box that holds a running list of the login process. Check marks appear as each function is preformed successfully. This information will help if there are any problems with logging in, and can be reported to our support person at support@Erlangerquote.com.

 

Figure 2 ErlangerQuote Status login window

 

Figure 3-A below is an example of the dialog box for Quote.com. Figure 3-B shows the items on this menu when it is selected. Quote.com has more than 20 servers located across the United States and all these servers are listed on the menu. Each server provides identical data and sophisticated load balancing techniques are used to ensure maximum efficiency. Occasional problems with servers occur, but can be minimized by understanding a few tips about how to troubleshoot server hiccups.

  1. We recommend you select <Default (Use Continuum.lst)>. This selection accesses a list of servers in the file Continuum.lst that is in your ErlangerQuote directory. You will be able to move between servers by pressing the three keys Control, Alt, and N simultaneously. Note that it is not recommended that you switch servers and better results will be obtained if you let Quote.com determine what servers you are connected to. You will see the new server name appear in the Status bar as shown below. Note that the server name is snyvale-r02.quote.com (more on this later).

  1. If you select <Default (Use Refresh.ini)> Quote.com will select your server automatically using its own algorithms and usage statistics. The Refresh.ini file is updated automatically from Quote.com’s servers each time you log in (Note Continuum.lst is not updated by the servers). However you will not be able to switch servers from inside ErlangerQuote with Ctrl-Alt-N.
  2. If you select a specific server from the menu, when you are logged into Quote.com you will not be able to switch to a new server without quitting the program and logging back in. So this is probably the least desirable way to log on. Still certain users prefer certain servers, because perhaps their ping path is shorter from their specific ISP, so this feature is available for those situations.

Keep in mind that changing servers does not guarantee an improvement in the data service. Some problems can be caused by bad data coming out of the exchanges or sudden surges in trading activity can create problems beyond the control of QCharts and ErlangerQuote.  The first ten minutes of the trading day and sometimes the last ten, as well, can be troublesome due to higher than normal trade activity.

IMPORTANT: Quote.com accepts only lower case names and passwords.

 

Figure 3-A Quote.com login dialog

 

The Quote.com dialog box also contains an Auto Logon and Save Password checkbox.

Figure 3-B Quote.com dialog box showing the servers available

Chapter Revision Wednesday, May 30, 2001