FastTrack Export

FastTrack Export Mutual Fund Charting, Ranking, and Analysis

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FastTrack Export

updated 06/23/10

What is Exporting and Why use It

FastTrack's export puts FT's data into formats readable by other programs. The FT databases continues to exist along with the exported data. As such, exported database is always "backed up" because it can be recreated from the FT database.

The data exported is the data of the Issue List. Click on the link to learn how to change the contents of the issue list.

Exports can be performed automatically on startup. Click for details.

Export Period

The Date range of the data exported is from the date you type in to the current date. This is the "Export Period." There is no provision for exporting to an ending date other than the last date in the FT database.

In the case of existing "MetaStock New (6.0 and later) files". The export adds new data starting at the last day in the existing MetaStock data. Earlier FT data will not be prefixed to the MetaStock data. If you wish to extend the early data. select the "Delete all files" Export Option, below. Exception, when FT4WEB rewrites MetaStock data to to adjust for distributions, the data is rewritten for the FT Export Period.

The Daily, Weekly, etc. options are NOT available for all types of exports. When selectable, the export will include the last market day of a each period and the last day in the database which may not be the final day of the selected period.

Export Options

Add New Update Existing . . .
This can be selected only for MetaStock files.

Delete all files then Export . . .
Selecting this Export Option always rewrites everything. Used this when your data folder has become corrupted or you wish to clear out accumulated trash.

Export all data to a single file . . .
The comma-delimited and Fixed length export can be written to individual files or a single file. The MetaStock PRN export is always to a single file.

If the button is NOT selected, then the issues, SPMS, WALB, etc. would each be written to a different disk file. For example, SPMS would be written comma-delimited to SPMS.CSV. SPMS would be written fixed length to SPMS.EXP.
If the button is selected, then all issues in the list would be written to a single file named XXXX.CSV (Comma-delimited) or XXXX.EXP (fixed). Where XXX is a name of your choosing.

Date Format
You fill this field in yourself. There are many options. This governs how the date is displayed. For some export types, the date format is predetermined and cannot be changed.

Paths for Export

This folder list shows where the exported files will go. You must know where your other programs expect their data files to exist. While FastTrack for DOS guesses at paths for MetaStock exporting, FastTrack for the Web requires that you specify the path. Over the years since FT4DOS was written, Equis has added so much flexibility to MetaStock data structures that guessing is no longer practical.

FastTrack can remember where to export. Whenever you load a saved export the path associated with that export displays in the folder list.

You may change the path temporarily. Choose a new path in the folder list, then click the export button.
If you want the new path to be permanent, push the Save Export button.
MetaStock exported files DO NOT automatically go to a folder named after the family being exported (as in FT4DOS).

Remember: Exported files go to the currently highlighted path.

Note: You can export Metastock data to any path for Metastock to use. However you must tell Metastock what path to find your data.

Export Button

Click this button when all options have been selected and you are ready to do the export.

The hot key for this function is "E".

Stop Button

Click this button to interrupt the export. The issue currently being exported will complete and then the process will stop.

The hot key for this function is "S".

New Folder Button

Clicking this button will create a new folder under the current folder selected. In the screen shot above, the D:EQUIS\FT\FIDELITY folder is highlighted so the new folder button would create an additional level of folders under FIDELITY.

The new folder will automatically receive the current family name above the Issue list. In the graphic above, a New Folder click would create and "AUTO-POE" family under the FIDELITY folder. If you want a different name, then click on the family name above the Issue List and type in the new name before making a new folder.

The hot key for this function is "N".

Delete Folder Button

The folder currently highlighted will be deleted. Certain checks are made to determine if the folder looks like a data directory. If FastTrack finds programs or a large number of file types, then it will give you a chance to chance your mind. Also, while it won't let you delete the root FT directory, it does not prevent you from deleting other very important folders (like C:\Windows ). Be as careful with FT's folder delete capability as you are using the Windows Explorer's delete.

The hot key for this function is "D".

Load Export Button

When you load an export, FastTrack reads a disk file that contains the all the settings, the family name, the date format, the path to which files are exported, etc. This way you can do the same export every day without having to change settings. Exports are loaded, by default, in the C:\FT\FT4WIN\EXPORT\USERDEF folder . . . but you may load an export from any folder, providing you remember where.

The hot key for this function is "L".

Save Export Button

When you save an export, FastTrack write a disk file with the extension INI. This file contains the all the settings, the family name, the date format, the path to which files are exported, etc. This way you can load the same export every day without having to change settings. Exports are saved, by default, in the C:\FT\FT4WIN\EXPORT\USERDEF folder . . . but you may load an export from any folder. You cannot save an export in the USERDEF folder when a export file of the same name exists in the lower level EXPORT folder.

The hot key for this function is "S". Note: All hot key functions are performed while the mouse is on the blue or yellow section of the export screen.

Adjusting for Distributions

When distributions occur, FastTrack automatically determines that existing data must be adjusted and re-exports that data. There is no provision for exporting unadjusted prices or the distributions.

All exports, except New MetaStock, always re-export everything since that is faster than checking end dates and appending.

Using the Export

Choose the Type of Export. Choose the Export Options. Use "Delete All files" when you wish to clear out accumulated trash or the contents of the folder have been corrupted. Use "Add New and Update Existing" because its is faster when doing a regular day after day export.An example of why you would delete everything might be:

With the MetaStock export, if the list you export today does not contain all the ticker symbols that you exported yesterday, then the data for the missing symbols will NOT be updated, but the MetaStock data files for them will continue to exist. The MetaStock issue list will continue to show you the missing symbols, but their charts will not be current.
With any type of export, you no longer care about issues you exported previously.
Using the "Delete All Files" option for MetaStock deletes everything in the directory. With nonMetaStock exports, "Delete All files" deletes only the data files of that type exported in the target folder and leaves all other files and programs untouched.

Set the earliest export date for the data. All FastTrack exporting will start at that date except New MetaStock format will append to existing data unless the "delete all files" option is chosen. In that case the New MetaStock export will start exporting at the earliest date.
Highlight the path to which the export files will go.

MetaStock Export

FastTrack's export now used the MSFL65x.DLL library of programs supplied under agreement with Equis. These are routines written by Equis and provided to 3rd parties. Equis does NOT take tech support calls from end users relating to this library. Call FastTrack with your export related questions.

Note: This DLL only allows the export of 2000 issues at a time.

Note: You can export Metastock data to any path for Metastock to use. However you must tell Metastock what path to find your data.

Most Notable Change:
If you use FastTrack's export on an existing MetaStock folder of data, then the entire folder will automatically be converted to MetaStock 6+ format and will not be accessible to older versions of MetaStock and older MetaStock-compatible programs.

Prior versions of FastTrack exported in the original MetaStock format. This old format, among its many faults, was limited to 255 issues per directory. The new MS format does much better being is limited to about 2,000 issues per directory.

The volume exported with the price data is the same for every issue. It is the data from FT symbol $TVOL, the volume of the NYSE.

If you are limited to using the older versions of MetaStock, then export to a MetaStock PRN file (still supported in the FT export) and use the MSU utility to import the data. Equis has indicated that the old MS formats will not operate correctly as of the year 2000.

Comma Delimited Export Type - Export data in comma-delimited format.

The data elements are separated by commas. This is the most efficient way to export single funds in a single file to spreadsheets and databases. Data is exported to a text file named SYMBOL.CSV where SYMBOL is replaced by the fund's 5-letter NASDAQ symbol. The file is placed in the FastTrack directory. Data is exported in the following format:

DATE, JJJJJJ, CCCC.CC, DDDD.DDD, N

DATE is the date as specified in the date format. Click to see date formatting options. When in doubt use MM/DD/YYYY.
CCCC.CC is the Net Asset Value.
DDDD.DDD is always 0000.000. Formerly with FastTrack for DOS, it was the sum of all distributions paid on that day. FastTrack for the Web exports only adjusted prices without dividends. The field was retained for compatibility purposes.
N is always the letter "N". It has no specific meaning.

Note: This Format is not the same as used in DOS. There is no separate Julian date field since one of the date format options (j) is Julian date instead of MM/DD/YYYY format.

The lines of text are only as long as necessary to contain the values. The spacing of the fields and commas will vary according to the data. The lines of data are not all the same length although they always have the same number of fields. Values are rounded to the third decimal place.

This format is suitable for import as a CSV into spreadsheets and for input to a variety of PC programs.

Fixed Length - Export data in fixed length format.

This is an ASCII text format without any carriage returns at the end of each line. The data values occur at fixed length intervals. Short number fields are padded with blanks or zeros. This is often the best way to export data that will subsequently be processed by a mainframe or database program that is unable to accept comma-delimited formats. Data is exported to a text file named SYMBOL.EXP where SYMBOL is replaced by the fund's 5-letter NASDAQ symbol. The file is placed in the FastTrack directory. Data is exported in the following format:

MM/DD/YYYY_JJJJJ_CCCC.CC_DDDD.DDD_N

Note: If you set the date format to something other than MM/DD/YYYY, then the above line will be different.

FastTrack Format (FNU) - Export into the FastTrack Import Format (FNU)

This exports data into a FastTrack ASCII text file with the extension FNU. See Importing Data for more information on this format.

The benefit of using this type of export is that you could export an issue, change the data (perhaps the most recent distribution is missing), and the display it with corrections. By default symbols exported will end in a $ so that the FNU file name does not duplicate a name already in the database. In prior versions of the export, we appended an "A" to the name, but this assumed that we were dealing with mutual funds whose symbols all end in X. Now that the database also includes stocks, simply appending an A may make an unintended valid symbol.

FundMaster Prn - Export into old and new Fund Master versions

This export creates individual files in any folder you specify. The file contains lines of ASCII text in the form

MM/DD/YY, NNNN.NN

where,

MM/DD/YY is the date
NNNN.NN is the distribution- adjusted closing price in dollars and cents.

Spreadsheet - Export in a multi-row/multi-column comma-delimited text file.

This format is for importing FastTrack data into spreadsheets. The data is in ASCII, comma delimited, text in columns.

The first column contains a Date in the form specified by the Date Format. Click to see date formatting options
The top row contains the comma-delimited, 5-letter text symbol for each issue.
Note that we use the CSV format since this format is compatible with Excel, Quattro Pro, Lotus 1-2-3, and other spreadsheet and database programs.
Most spreadsheets cannot handle FastTrack's huge quantity of data. For example, Microsoft Excel 97 is limited to 256 columns. AND . . .You better have at least 64MB of memory and patience import anything close to a 256 column x 2000 row spreadsheet.

MetaStock Format (PRN) - Export an ASCII text for import by MetaStock's MSU or Downloader utility.

In addition to exporting FastTrack data via New MetaStock export type, FastTrack can export an ASCII text file that is compatible with MetaStock's (old MS versions) MSU data import utility and Downloader (Newer MS versions). Other programs like FundMaster can read this file format as well. Contact Equis (801-265-8886) for details on how to use MetaStock.

AutoExport Feature

When FastTrack starts it will automatically perform a saved export if you wish. Here are the steps.

Save an export as discussed above. Save under any name. In the following steps, we assume the name, XXX.
Create a desktop shortcut for starting the export. . Right-click and drag the FT4WIN.EXE file from the Window Explorer view of C:\FT\FT4WIN then drop on the desktop selecting create a shortcut.
Right-click on the shortcut and select properties.
On the Shortcut Tab add the following to the Target box . . . /CMD XXX,YYY,ZZZ (Typical example C:\FT\FT4WIN\ft4win.exe /CMD XXX,YYY,ZZZ)
No quotes, no periods, space before and after /CMD. Do not erase the existing box contents. The XXX, YYY, and ZZZ are multiple saved exports names separated by commas. The files must be saved in their standard location (typically C:\FT\FT4WIN\EXPORTS\USERDEF\).
Click OK.
Right-click on the desktop shortcut and rename to something like FTExport XXX

Finally, to perform the export, double-click the new shortcut. When the export completes, you may use FT normally or just shut it down.

Note: When autoexporting to a single file the export is done to a file named Family.CSV. where Family is the name of the family that is being exported.