Quick Start

Software Installation & TWS connection

Prior to the setup sets listed below you will need to install the Trade Automation Toolbox software and IBKR's TWS software and get them connected. For details on how to do that, please view our installation instructions here.

Step 1: Settings

The first thing that you need to do once you get the program installed and communicating with TWS is to configure your settings.

1. Go to the Settings page

2. Enter the Market close hour in your local time zone

3. Enter the Hour and Minute you would like the system to convert any vertical stops to short only. (local time zone)

4. Enter your notification email address and toggle notifications for trade open and/or closed. (You may want to set up support@tradeautomationtoolbox.com as a contact to be sure emails are not marked spam.)

5. If you configured the TWS port to something other than 7496, enter it under broker settings. NOTE: The IBKR TWS Host field should almost always be left blank, unless you are connecting to a TWS gateway running on a different computer than TAT. 

6. Click Save Settings button

For international users in non US timezones, we recommend closing and restarting TAT after setting your Market Close time.

Step 2: User Defined Trade Templates

User Defined Trade templates are the foundation of the Trade Automation Toolbox application. A template is used to define your desired entry parameters for a trade, such as target premium, spread width, stop multiple, etc. You can create multiple trade templates for different purposes.

Learn about Trade Templates here.

Step 3: Placing Trades (Instant Orders and Scheduled Entries)

Trades can be placed in two ways: Instant Orders or Scheduled Entries. 

Scheduled Entries: 

Scheduled entries allow you to pre-configure an entry time when a trade should be placed. You select the trade template, quantity, and account and the application will attempt to place the trade automatically.

Read more about scheduled entries here.

Instant Order:

If you prefer to trigger your orders, manually that can be done on the Instant Order menu item. 

Read more about instant orders here.