TradeStation Help

Clicking and Dragging in a Chart

There are several types of click and drag movements that you can perform in a Chart Analysis window including horizontal scrolling along the time axis, vertical scaling of sub-graph elements, and object-specific movements in and between sub-graphs.

Horizontal Scrolling

• The entire chart can be horizontally scrolled using the scroll bar (scroll slider and arrows) or by dragging selected chart objects to the left and right using the mouse.
• When a chart is scrolled, all of the sub-graphs are moved horizontally to the left or right because they all share the same time axis.
• Charts cannot be scrolled to the left beyond the first (oldest) bar of the data series with the oldest time stamp.  
• Dragging price data and analysis techniques to the right with the mouse (not using the scroll bar) allows you to create temporary extra space to the right of the current bar that will remain until the chart is refreshed by some other means (changing symbols, intervals, using the scroll bar, etc.).  This temporary space does not affect the Space to the right setting on the Format Window > General tab.

Background Dragging

When background dragging is enabled, clicking and dragging on the background of any sub-graph, or on a selected object within a sub-graph, allows you to reposition it horizontally and vertically within that sub-graph.  An object is marked by a series of square boxes when it is selected.  The following selection rules apply to these elements when background dragging is enabled:

• Background of a sub-graph (without any other objects selected) - Allows you to move all of the objects in the sub-graph at the same time, adjusting the scale range of each sub-graph axis in use.  
• Symbol - Allows you to move the symbol data (price bars) and all objects associated with the related symbol (including drawing objects).  
• Indicator - Can be dragged to another sub-graph.
• Drawing object - Repositions only the selected drawing object.

You can enable the ability to drag the background of a sub-graph by selecting Background Dragging > Enable from the shortcut menu or by clicking  (Background Dragging button) on the default Chart Analysis window toolbar.  

When background dragging is enabled, clicking disables dragging based on the Restore prior Scale Range when disabling Background Dragging setting on the General tab of View > Chart Analysis Preferences.  When this setting is checked, disabling dragging restores the original scale range of the sub-graph and when unchecked disabling dragging maintains the current scale range of the repositioned sub-graph.  

Also, you can directly select the scale range method to use when disabling background dragging from the shortcut menu or when clicking the (down arrow) to the right of by choosing either 1) Disable and restore original scale range, or 2) Disable and maintain current scale range.

Object-Specific Movements

Selecting (clicking on) an object allows you to use the mouse to drag that object to a new position within the chart. In the case of price bars (symbol data) and indicators, you can drag the selected object to a new sub-graph. For drawing objects, you can drag it to a new position relative to its underlying price data in the sub-graph. An object is marked by a series of square boxes when it is selected. The mouse pointer must be over some portion of the selected object for it to be dragged while holding down the mouse button.

• Price bars - Symbol data (price bars) can be dragged within a sub-graph or to a new sub-graph. When moving to a new sub-graph, all of the drawing objects, analysis techniques, and strategies associated with the bars are also moved to the new sub-graph. If the symbols scaling axis in the new sub-graph is in use, the Sub-graph Change window is displayed prompting you to select the scale axis before the symbol data is moved.
• Analysis technique - Indicators can be dragged to a new sub-graph. If the indicators scaling axis in the new sub-graph is in use, the Sub-graph Change window is displayed prompting you to select the scale axis before the indicator is moved.
• Strategy - Dragging strategy elements (entries and exits) is the same as dragging its associated symbol data (see Price Bars above).
• Drawing Objects - A drawing object may only be dragged to a new position in the sub-graph relative to the symbol data or indicator to which it is applied.  

Data Tip

Clicking and dragging on the background of a chart (with background dragging disabled and no other objects selected) will display a data tip near the intersection of the horizontal and vertical cross hairs that track the mouse pointer. You can specify the quadrant in which to display the data tip from the DataTips section of Chart Analysis Preferences > General tab.