Product News
eSignal 11 Preview
We are excited to share with you an all-new version of eSignal that takes advantage of a number of technical advances in software development. eSignal 11 isn't just an upgrade from the previous version; it has been written from the ground up to give eSignal a modern look and feel. eSignal 11 offers many new, long-awaited features, such as tabbed pages, drag-and-drop functionality, a simplified interface and so much more.
A special preview version of eSignal 11 will be made available for download within a few weeks, but, until then, read on to see the highlights.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Themes
Simply put, a theme provides the look for the new eSignal. From the colors of the menus and toolbars to the default schemes of each window type, a theme sets the tone for how the whole application appears. Take, for example, the "Frost" theme shown here:
 |
| Click to enlarge |
We expect that the full launch will contain approximately four to six themes, with the eventual plan being to open this up for users to create their own themes as well.
Tabbed Pages
We have had a long-standing request to include the ability to support multiple pages within eSignal. We knew, at the start, that this would be a powerful feature, and it was simply a must-have. Using this feature is as simple as clicking Page > Open; a new tab appears at the bottom of eSignal 11 with the name of the page you've selected.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Enhanced Pages
Have you ever been building a page in eSignal and tried to get the windows lined up just right? It can be a frustrating endeavor, especially with many windows. eSignal 11 makes this simple with its Docking mode, which automatically lines up windows and allows the user to adjust the size of each. For those who prefer more control, the Standard page mode allows complete freedom of window movement.
With Docking mode, moving windows around is just as easy as dragging a window to a new location; all the other windows just adjust to the new location automatically. You can even drag a window out of the page…popping out windows is now just that easy! Ctrl + Drag brings a detached window back into eSignal 11.
One simple nicety of Windows 7 that has proven to be a success is the ability to quickly see what each item is along a tabbed bar. eSignal 11's Page tabs do exactly this by popping up a small preview pane when your mouse hovers over a tab.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Designing a Watch List
Many of eSignal's window types have very similar features that duplicate common functions (i.e., Quote, Summary, Portfolio, Hot List). Throughout the design of the new application, we looked at where windows could come together and meld into one cohesive, easy-to-use window. The new Watch List window does exactly this and more.
The following image shows Hot Lists and Sector Lists inserted into a list of other symbols and all sorted by volume. Each section is separated by a comment, which enables the user to quickly collapse any symbol list into one row as it is with the Materials sector.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Hot List Window
For those who may still be using the Leaders window (pre-10.5 builds), a look at Hot Lists will show you that these pre-built scans search the markets to identify the best trading opportunities and update them automatically every 30 seconds. In addition to the traditional gainers, losers and volume lists found in the Leaders window, the Hot Lists window features unique scans, such as Unusual Volume, Most Volatile and Trade Rate Hot Lists.
In eSignal 11, two unique aspects to the way Hot Lists are implemented include fully customizable columns and a function that allows you to roll Hot Lists into an existing Watch List window.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Time & Sales
Functionally speaking, the Time & Sales window is almost identical to the 10 series, but with enough usability differences to bring that "oh, wow" feeling. A great example of this is a new drop-down tray used for filtering. With a quick left click, all the filters slide down, so you can get at the data you need fast.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Market Depth Preview
You can see a striking difference between the new window shown above and the existing eSignal Market Depth window.
By default, the window is using the more modern vertical style that most traders now prefer, known as the "Dome mode". The traditional view is, of course, still present for those who prefer that style. Further, the default background colors draw the eye to the inside market (where the ask and bid prices meet in the middle), and the bid / ask histograms really "pop" to make it clear which market maker (MMID) has the greatest size.
Functionally, the former data buttons along the bottom are gone in favor of a more intuitive drop-down menu at the top, which natively knows exactly what types of depth data are available for each symbol.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Language Packs
Embracing our global marketplace is another goal for the next generation of our products, and eSignal 11 does just that with its new language packs. In essence, this is a way to use eSignal in a different language altogether! Each word or phrase within the application has an identifier associated with it, so it is simply a matter of mapping each text piece with a translated version of that same word. Our initial goal is to go out the door with 4 - 5 different languages and grow up to 10+ languages in the following quarters of 2010.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Undo / Redo
The ability to undo a mistake is such an essential feature being added to the all-new eSignal. One unique twist on eSignal 11's implementation is how tasks tracked by the Undo / Redo feature are organized by window. This allows the user to back out of errors made earlier in the day without having to back out of everything.
For instance, I may have entered a bunch of symbols in my Watch List earlier in the morning and have done a lot of work in charts throughout the day. Later that afternoon, I discover that I deleted a few symbols in my Watch List by accident. I don't have to back out of all the chart window work I did subsequently, to undo the symbol deletes. Instead, with a few Ctrl+Z presses on my Watch List, I have everything back to where it was because the Undo / Redo is tracked separately from Charts.
Chart Window -- Old and New
Just as with the Watch List, our goal for the Chart window is, ultimately, to combine the majority of all graphical windows from the eSignal 10 series into one cohesive area. While we are working on this integration, many of the key features from the Advanced Charting in eSignal 10.6 will be in eSignal 11. Other areas of Advanced Charting will be re-introduced into the eSignal 11 series in future releases.
Because eSignal 11 is a separate installation from eSignal 10.6, it will have no impact on your pre-eSignal 11 installation.
 |
| Click to enlarge |
Coming Soon
Be sure to check back on the eSignal Beta Testing Forum; we will be announcing the preview of eSignal 11 in just a few short weeks!
