Guide 4.6
Beginner, 6 min read. Checked with Scalpel 1.12.8 on .
In short
The order bar sits under each desk's chart: a Buy row with the sizing method dropdown, your four buy buttons (each with the dollar size it would buy above it) and the buy Offset, and a Sell row with Full, 1/2, 1/4, 1/2 Ask, 1/2 Mid, B/E, Trail, Cancel and the sell Offset. Below it, the ORDERS & POSITIONS panel has a Positions tab (open position over closed trades, with fees and R) and an Orders tab, plus a NET P&L for the desk's symbol.
Everything on the order bar has a hotkey (guide 4.3), and most traders end up using the keys. The bar is still worth knowing: its size lines tell you what a key will buy before you press it, and its steppers are the fastest way to change an offset or the Risk (Cents) stop mid-session.
| Control | What it does | Key |
|---|---|---|
| Method dropdown | Shows the first preset's sizing kind; picking a kind switches all four presets to it (guide 4.1) | |
| Buy buttons | Buy with preset 1 to 4. The label is the preset: 100 sh, $2500, Risk $50 | Shift+1 to 4 |
| Size line (above each buy) | The dollar size that press would put on at the current ask: $571, $1.9k. A dash means no ask yet or zero shares | |
| Stop stepper | Only with Risk (Cents) as the method. The cents stop the risk buttons size against, 5c a click, never under 1c. It changes the saved setting for every desk (guide 4.2) | |
| Offset (buy row) | How far above the ask a buy may fill, 10c a click, never under 0 | |
| Full, 1/2, 1/4 | Sell all, half or a quarter at the bid minus the sell offset | Ctrl+Z, X, C |
| 1/2 Ask, 1/2 Mid | Offer half at the ask or the midpoint | Ctrl+A, S |
| B/E | Move the working stop up to your entry (a stop already above it stays put) | B |
| Trail | Turn trailing on or off; the button is lit while trailing | Shift+T |
| Cancel | Cancel working orders on this symbol; only shown while you hold a position | Ctrl+Q |
| Offset (sell row) | How far under the bid a bid exit may fill, 10c a click |
Clicking any button also focuses that desk, so the next hotkey goes to it.
To hide the bar, open the chart pane's settings (the gear on CHART) and untick Quick-order buttons. The hotkeys keep working without it.
Each desk's ORDERS & POSITIONS panel shows only that desk's symbol, in the mode you are in (SIM and LIVE keep separate positions, orders and history). Two tabs:
OPEN (your position) above CLOSED (finished trades on this symbol, newest first).
| Column | Open row | Closed row |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SYMBOL | TIME the trade closed |
| 2 | QTY shares | QTY shares |
| 3 | AVG entry price | ENTRY price |
| 4 | NOTIONAL: shares x last price | EXIT price |
| 5 | FEE: commission so far | FEE: entry and exit commissions |
| 6 | UNREAL (R): open P&L and R | NET (R): P&L after fees, and R |
The open row is washed green or red, stronger the more R it is up or down. NET P&L at the top right adds this symbol's closed trades in the list to the open P&L.
To read returns as a percent of entry instead of R, set Settings > Appearance > Stops / TP returns to Percent (%); the headings change to UNREAL (%) and NET (%) (guide 5.4).
Every order on the symbol, newest first: TIME, QTY, SIDE (BUY green, SELL red), FILL (the average fill price), FEE and STATUS: Pending, Working, Partial, Filled, Cancelling, Cancelled or Rejected. Filled reads in plain text, Rejected in red, and every other status in amber.
The TIME columns are New York time, the same clock as the header, so 09:41 is eleven minutes after the open whatever time zone your computer is in.
A fee of - means none has been booked yet. In LIVE the commission is the broker's real figure and can arrive a moment after the fill; in SIM it is the estimate for your commission plan (guide 6.3). The full history and stats are in Analytics (guide 6.4).