TradeStation Help

Plotting Optimization Graphs

Line, Bar, and Tape graphs

Line, bar, and tape graphs require that you select one or more columns to graph. By default, the selected column(s) are plotted on the y-axis (vertical axis). Since the selected columns will share the same y-axis, the numbers in the columns you select should be close in value. Also, you can choose part of a column; you do not need to graph the entire column. By default, your default sort column is plotted on the x-axis.

Stacked Bar and Area graphs

Stacked bar and area graphs should only be used when you select more than one column, and when the columns you select add up to a meaningful whole value. For example, you could select Long Trades: Total gross profit, and Short Trades: Total gross profit to graph. The resulting graphed value will be the total combined gross profit.

By default, the selected columns share the same vertical axis (y-axis) and are stacked on top of each other; therefore, the numbers in the columns you select to graph should be close in value. Also, you can choose part of a column; you don't have to graph the entire column. By default, the x-axis is the column by which the report is sorted.

Pie graph

You should use a pie graph when the information you are graphing is individual parts comprising a whole, and where the relative percentage of those parts is meaningful. For example, you could graph the fields All: Total Winning Trades and All: Total Losing Trades for one particular test.

With a pie graph, you'll most likely want to pick a few specific individual cells to graph, not entire columns; and, you cannot plot negative values. In addition, you can graph cells along a row (across columns), in which case you'll use the data orientation X-axis => Columns, or cells in an individual column (across rows), in which case you'll use the data orientation X-Axis => Rows.

You can change the orientation such that the column by which you sort the report is the y- axis and the columns you select are the x-axis. For instructions on specifying or changing data orientation, see Changing Optimization Graph Settings.

Creating/Formatting a Graph

Select your default sort column, see Sorting the Strategy Optimization Report.
Select the columns to graph.
Click the desired graph from the toolbar to plot the graph:

$image\or_graph1.gif$ Line graph

$image\or_vbars2.gif$ Bar graph

$image\or_colorbars3.gif$ Stacked Bar graph

$image\or_colorgraph4.gif$ Area graph

$image\or_pie5.gif$ Pie graph

$image\or_3dgraph6.gif$ Tape graph

If desired, click to change the style settings for the selected graph type.
The graph is plotted. Click $image\spreadsheet.gif$ to return to the report.