During the initial data feed setup process, the wizard typically offers to import a sample list of 10 futures instruments. If you have no special customisation needs, these symbols, as all the main other futures listed in our symbol guides (for IQ feed and the various brokerages), do not require any additional setup. To add up another instrument on this QuotePage, just click right on any existing ticker cell and select Insert New Row, and type its symbol in the empty ticker column cell. You will mainly deal with such instrument definition in two cases:
- Rollover periods: Investor/RT rollover procedure is detailed here, with the rollover calendar providing an easy way to identify the successive front-month contract symbols
- Addition of a new future type: In case one of the less frequently traded markets would not be included in the Investor/RT default instrument database, you have the ability to create a new instrument type, with possibly a new session reference (if none of the existing session hours would be adequate). Do not hesitate to open a support ticket if you encounter any issues with this process or if you would like us to add a new instrument type to our database.
General symbol setup with Rithmic, CQG or IBKR as main data source (and with the DTN MA backfill services)
To check the setup of a symbol, press Alt-A to open the Instrument Setup window (or right click on any chart and select the Menu Setup > instruments). The Symbol field (top left corner) should match the symbology that is used by your specific brokerage source (in the case below: Rithmic).
What is important to notice is the "Downloading Alias"(in the bottom left corner): this indicates the DTN continuous contract symbol that will be used by Investor/RT for accessing DTN historical servers (through the DTN MA backfill service)
Importing many symbol at a time
There are two ways to import a list of symbols into Investor/RT. The first way is to save the list as a text file (.txt extension) and import the list. This can be done by going to Data->Import Data and selecting Ticker Symbols as the Import Type as shown below:
Then press Import and browse to the file location. More details on this import procedure can be found here
The second way is to copy the list of symbols to your Windows or Mac clipboard. Then open the QuotePage that you'd like to add the symbols to and place your cursor in any Cell and choose Edit->Paste or Ctrl-V.
Deleting Symbols
Deleting symbols is easy in Investor/RT. Just press Alt-O to open the Object Manager and select Instruments as the Object Type. Then use select the Instrument(s) you'd like to delete and press delete as shown below. You can hold down the Ctrl key to select multiple Instruments or the Shift key to select groups of Instruments:
