

  
                                                                 
                                                                 
                                                           Parity
                                                                 
                                        Technical Analysis System
                                                                 
                                                                 
                                                      Version 1.3
                                                                 
                                                                 
                                                                 
                                                                 
                                                                 
                                                                 
                                                                 
                                                                 
                                                                 
                                                                 
                                                     User's Guide
       
       
       
       
       
       Copyright c 1991, 1992, 1993 Paul Rickert.  All Rights Reserved.
       
       The software described in this document is provided under the terms of
       a license Agreement.  Please read it carefully.  The software may be
       used or copied only upon acceptance and in accordance with the terms
       of this agreement.  Unauthorized use, duplication, distribution, or
       disassembly is strictly prohibited by federal law.
       
       Parity, Parity Plus and The Display Matrix are trademarks of ParTech
       Software Systems.
       
       IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines,
       Inc.
       Lotus and 1-2-3 are registered trademarks of Lotus Development
       Corporation.
       Microsoft is a registered trademark and Windows is a trademark of
       Microsoft Corporation.
       MetaStock, The Technician, and The Downloader are trademarks of EQUIS
       International.
       CompuTrac is a trademark of Compu Trac Software Inc.
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       ParTech Software Systems
       Two Bryant Street, Suite 200
       San Francisco, CA  94105
       Tel: (415) 546-9316
       Fax: (415) 546-9319
       
       
       Printed in the United States of America
       

Table Of Contents
       
       Part 1 Introduction                               1
            What Is Parity?                              2
            Parity and Shareware                         2
            About Parity Plus                            3
            Installing Parity                            3
            Price Data                                   6
       
       Part 2 Basic Concepts                             7
            Charts                                       7
            Groups                                       7
            Studies                                      8
            Batches                                      9
            Clusters                                     9
            The Display Matrix                          10
       
       Part 3 The Tool Bar                               13
            The Tool Bar                                 13
                 Moveable Versus Fixed Tool Bar          13
                 Action Tools                            13
                 Display Tools                           14
                 Menu Shortcut Tools                     15
                 Window Management Tools                 15
       
       Part 4 Menu Commands                              17
            File Menu                                    17
            Edit Menu                                    17
            Groups Menu                                  18
                 Load a Security                         18
                 Create or Modify Group                  20
                 Select a Group                          21
                 Reorder a Group                         23
                 Save All Groups                         23
                 Delete Groups                           23
                 Display Group or Security               24
                 Import Other Formats                    24
            Studies Menu                                 27
                 Study Commands                          27
                 Batch Commands                          27
                 Create/Modify Current Study             28
                 Formula Editor                          29
                 Pane Layout Editor                      31
                 Color Editor                            33
                 Options Editor                          33
                 Select a Study                          35
                 Save All Studies                        35
                 Delete Study                            35
                 Display Current Study                   35
                 Batch Studies                           36
                 Select a Batch                          36
                 Reorder Batch                           36
                 Save All Batches                        37
                 Delete Batch                            37
            Clusters Menu                                37
                 Make a Cluster                          38
                 Select a Cluster                        38
                 Save All Clusters                       38
                 Delete Cluster                          39
                 Display Current Cluster                 39
            Pointer Menu                                 39
            Options Menu                                 40
            Window Menu                                  41
            Help Menu                                    42
       
       Part 5 Indicators & Chart Procedures              43
            Technical Indicators                         43
                 List of Predefined Technical Indicators 44
                 Bibliography of Technical Analysis Texts 46
            MetaStock Function Compatibility             46
            Procedures vs. Functions                     47
            Chart Procedures                             48
            Point and Figure Charts                      49
                 The Point and Figure Procedures         50
            Adding Lines to a Chart                      52
       
       Part 6 Formulas, Operators & Functions            57
            Formulas                                     57
            Arrays versus Scalars                        58
            Predefined Variables                         60
            Operators, Parenthesis and Mathematical Precedence     62
            Arithmetic Operators                         62
            Comparison Operators                         62
            Logical Operators                            63
            Trigonometric Functions                      63
            Exponential Functions                        64
            Rounding Functions                           64
            Array Related Functions                      64
            Statistical Functions                        65
       
       Part 7 File Formats Supported                     67
            The MetaStock/CompuTrac Format               67
            ChartPro File Format                         68
            Comma Separated ASCII Files                  68
       
       Part 8 Odds and Ends                              71
            Printing Charts                              71
            Windows 3.0 System Resources                 72
            System Requirements and Execution Speed      73
            Problems and Solutions                       74
                 The Hour Glass Cursor                   74
                 Incomplete Charts and System Resources  75
       
       Appendix                                          77
            Data Vendors                                 77
            Other Resources                              78

Part 1         Introduction
       
       Welcome to the Parity Technical Analysis System.  This User's Guide is
       a comprehensive guide to all of the features and procedures offered by
       the Parity software.  Most of the text of this manual is also
       available through Parity's on-line Help files.  You can access
       Parity's help at any time by pressing F1 or by clicking on the Help
       button on most of Parity's forms and dialog boxes.
       
       We strongly recommend that you read the Basic Concepts and The Tool
       Bar sections of the manual and follow the brief tutorial described in
       the "Getting a Head Start" section of the READ_1ST.TXT file included in
       your Parity Installation Disk.  This should give you enough of an
       overview to permit you to quickly become productive using Parity.
       
       The Menu Command sections are a reference to all the commands that are
       available from Parity's Menu Bar.  You will benefit from a careful
       reading of the Create/Modify Current Study section and the detailed
       description of each of the Study Editors which follows.
       
       More advanced users should skim through the Indicators and Chart
       Procedures section to get a sense of the full range of tools Parity
       gives you for creating charts incorporating a wide variety of
       technical indicators and chart types.  The Technical Indicators
       section also includes a bibliography for the best technical analysis
       books we have found.  We strongly recommend John Murphy's "Technical
       Analysis of the Futures Market" for a beginning text, and Perry
       Kaufman's "The New Commodity Trading Systems and Methods" for a
       comprehensive overview of technical analysis.  Despite their titles
       these books are excellent for the analysis of stocks as well as
       commodities.
       
       Part 6, Formulas, Operators and Functions, is designed as a reference
       guide to the various functions and operators which are available to
       you when you want to chart your own formulas and indicators.  This
       section assumes a fair amount of knowledge about standard math and
       computer notations and conventions.  You will probably want to ignore
       this part of the manual until you are ready to start creating formulas
       which express your own ideas about the best ways to analyze price
       data.
       
       Part 7, File Formats Supported, discusses the three data file formats
       that Parity supports directly and provides some tips about the merits
       of each.
       
       Part 8, Odds and Ends, includes some general comments about Parity and
       Windows 3.0 and the idiosyncrasies of both.
       
       As you use Parity please remember that when you make a mistake in a
       formula you are trying to chart, Parity will seem to "freeze up" and
       the mouse cursor will be locked into an hour glass shape.  Just hit
       the up arrow key and you can proceed normally.  Occasionally an error
       may occur when you have a form or dialog box open.  Normally you can
       recover by pressing the up arrow key and closing the  dialog box by
       double clicking on the control menu box in the upper left hand corner
       of the dialog box window.  This may indicate a bug in the program and
       we would appreciate it if you would report it to us.
       
What Is Parity?
       
       Parity is a Stock Charting and Technical Analysis Program designed to
       take full advantage of the Windows Graphical User Interface.  The
       program permits the user to design sophisticated charts of stock price
       data using a wide range of technical indicators and tools.
       
       Parity's charting capabilities permit you to graph a security's price,
       volume and up to nine indicators in a single chart using any
       combination of stacked or overlapping panes, each of which can include
       one or more indicators.
       
       Parity incorporates traditional Open, High, Low, Close charts, Line
       and Bar charts, Japanese Candlestick charts, Point and Figure charts,
       Equivolume charts, Horizontal Bar charts, and a Price at Volume chart
       which is similar to The Crocker Chartc.
       
       The program includes over 40 of the most popular predefined indicators
       plus a wide range of math and statistical functions.  These indicators
       and functions can be combined in user defined formulas.
       
       The most innovative aspect of Parity is its unique use of Groups of
       Stocks, Batches of Studies, and Clusters of Charts in order to
       simplify the analysis of a large number of securities at one time.
       
       In order to manage the profusion of sophisticated charts you can
       design with Parity, virtually all of its settings can be saved to disk
       and recalled for another Technical Analysis Session.
       
       In addition, Parity provides a graphical Display Matrix that permits
       the user to easily jump from stock to stock and study to study.
       
       Parity has no intrinsic limit on the number of charts you can create,
       although Windows' limited System Resources restrict the number of
       charts that can be displayed at one time.
       
Parity and Shareware
       
       Parity is distributed as Shareware.  Parity is not free or public
       domain software.  Shareware permits you to try Parity before you buy
       the software.  However if you continue to use Parity you must Register
       the software by paying the current licensing fee.
       
       Shareware provides a good channel for a software vendor to distribute
       its products without incurring the high marketing costs involved in
       normal commercial distribution of software.  These cost savings are
       passed onto the user through the lower cost of Parity compared to
       other "commercial" technical analysis programs.  Our goal is to make
       Parity the finest technical analysis program you can buy anywhere.
       
       In addition to the ability to "try before you buy", Shareware also
       permits us to make more frequent updates to Parity than would be
       possible with retail software.  The most recent version of Parity will
       always be available on the INVFORUM of CompuServe.  We will also send
       you the most current version of Parity if you send us your credit card
       number or a check for $5 to cover the cost of shipping and handling.
       
       Feel free to "share" the evaluation version of Parity as long as you
       follow the guidelines in the LICENSE.TXT file included with the
       program.  However, you may not share the registered version of Parity
       or any copies of this manual.  Under no circumstances may you give a
       copy of the REGISTER.DAT file to any other user.
       
About Parity Plus
       
       Parity Plus is the Enhanced Retail Version (ERV) of Parity.  Parity
       Plus is only available directly from ParTech Software Systems or our
       designated distributors.  In addition to all of the great features of
       the shareware version, Parity Plus includes advanced features such as
       Profit Testing, Optimization, Stock Filtering and Scanning, Cycle
       Analysis, Data and File Maintenance, and Data Conversion.
       
       Registered users of Parity will be able to upgrade to Parity Plus at
       any time by paying the difference between the current price of Parity
       Plus and their registration fee for Parity.
       
Installing Parity
       
       The complete Parity program consists of several types of files which
       are listed in the PACKING.LST file included with the program.
       
  Initial Installation
       
       If you are installing Parity from compressed ZIP files which you have
       downloaded or purchased from a disk vendor:
       
        1  Copy the *.ZIP files to a directory on your hard disk.  Unzip the
           files using PKUNZIP or ARCE or LHA depending on the compression
           used.  Do not copy the files to the \Parity directory since this
           is normally where you will want the program installed to.
        
        2  Start Windows.  From the Program Manager Click on the File Menu
           and select Run.  Type in the drive and directory where you
           unzipped the files followed by INSTALL.EXE, i.e.,
           C:\TEMP\INSTALL.EXE.
        
        3  Parity will automatically install itself.  If this is a first
           time installation you should let Parity install the sample data
           files and the sample configuration files.  If this is not a first
           time install uncheck these options to avoid overwriting any files
           you have created.
        
       YOU MAY NOT INSTALL PARITY TO THE SAME DIRECTORY AS THE UNZIPPED FILES
       YOU ARE INSTALLING.
       
       If you are installing Parity from uncompressed files on a single high
       density floppy diskette:
       
        1  Start Windows and insert the diskette in drive A or B.
        
        2  From the File Menu of the Program Manager select Run.  Type in
           the floppy diskette drive and INSTALL.EXE, i.e. A:INSTALL.EXE.
        
        3  Parity will automatically install itself.  If this is a first
           time installation you should let Parity install the sample data
           files and the sample configuration files.  If this is not a first
           time install uncheck these options to avoid overwriting any files
           you have created.
        
       If you are installing the registered version of Parity also copy the
       REGISTER.DAT file to your Parity directory by clicking ont the Copy
       REGISTER.DAT check box.  The Installation Program will not do this
       automatically unless you click on the check box.
       
       Parity's installation routine will automatically create a RLZRUN10
       directory under your Windows directory and a C:\PARITY directory by
       default.  It will not modify your WIN.INI, AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS
       files in any way.
       
  Subsequent Installations
       
       If you are installing an upgraded version of Parity follow the
       appropriate installation procedure as outlined above.  However it is
       very important that in step 3 you uncheck the Sample Data Files and
       Sample Configuration Files options before you proceed with the
       installation.  If you don't do this you may overwrite the *.DAT files
       which contain the definitions of the Studies, Groups, Batches and
       Clusters etc. that you have created.  We suggest you make backup
       copies of these *.DAT files regularly.
      
       Always check for a READ_1ST.TXT file with more up-to-date installation
       instructions.
       
Price Data
       
       Parity is compatible with 5 or 7 field MetaStock/CompuTrac data files,
       ChartPro/MegaTech data files, and Comma Separated ASCII files.  
       Daily, weekly and monthly data in these formats are widely available
       from various on-line and data disk services.
       
       Parity also permits you to import price data from Excel 2.1 and 3.0
       files, Lotus 123 WKS files, Comma Separated Value text files and Tab
       Separated Value text files.  Data from these file formats cannot be
       included in the definition of a Group but can be charted in the same
       fashion that Load a Security permits you to chart a single stock.  See
       Import Other Formats for more information.
       
       Parity does not include any utilities for downloading or maintaining
       price data files.  The Parity Plus version of the program does include
       data and file maintenance utilities, as well as an excellent data
       conversion command.  A number of commercial and shareware programs
       permit you to download and automatically update your data files.  An
       excellent program for updating MetaStock or ChartPro data files from
       ASCII text files of price data is the Personal Ticker Tape (PTT).
       PTT is shareware and the most recent version is always available by
       calling the FlexSoft BBS at (510) 829-2293.
       
Part 2         Basic Concepts
       
       The Basic Concepts section of the User Guide explains some of the more
       innovative terms and concepts which give Parity its power.  Like most
       technical analysis programs, Parity permits you to chart a single
       stock with a single indicator.  However, the real usefulness of Parity
       comes from its unique ability to chart "Groups" of stocks using
       predefined "Studies" which include multiple indicators and very
       flexible chart formats.  These features are summarized below.
       
Charts
       
       A price chart created by Parity has many different components, most of
       which are defined by the user in a Study.
       
       Every chart includes one or more panes.  A Pane is an area of the
       chart where you can plot price or indicator data.  A pane can include
       up to 11 different data arrays including stock prices and trading
       volume.  Parity permits you to define up to 11 individual panes.
       
       Panes are "transparent".  They can be stacked or overlaid and their
       size can be set relative to other panes and the size of the total
       chart.  Any number of panes can be overlaid and each overlaying pane
       maintains its own scale.  A pane's scale can be displayed on the left
       axis, the right axis or not displayed at all.
       
       Stacked panes can be separated in order to show the end values of the
       scales more clearly.  By default a pane will be separated by 5% of the
       total chart size.
       
       Each pane has its own vertical and horizontal grid that can be
       displayed or hidden.
       
       Individual indicators within a pane can have a label defined by the
       user that displays in the same color as the indicator.
       
       The user can set a title for the chart that automatically includes the
       Security Name and the Study Name used to create the chart.  This title
       is displayed in the chart window's Title Bar and can also be added to
       the top of the chart itself.
       
       The user can also control the number of days between tick marks on the
       X axis.
       
       You can use the tools in the Tool Bar and the Pointer Menu to draw
       various types of lines in a chart, zoom in on the data, and add text
       anywhere in the chart.
       
Groups
       
       While Parity can load price data for a single security at a time, a
       powerful feature of the program is its ability to define a Group of
       securities that can be displayed in any sequence using the Display
       Tools.
       
       A Group is a list of security price data files, in any supported
       format, located in any directory, on any disk.  You might prefer to
       think of a Group as a portfolio of stocks or a list of ticker symbols.
       
       Parity permits you to mix data files in different directories, in
       different formats, and of different sizes within a single Group.
       Parity stores all of the information necessary to locate and import a
       data file in the Group definition.  Since a single Group can only
       contain 64KB of characters the maximum number of securities in a group
       depends on the size of the data file's path.  Even with a long path a
       Group will hold about 900 securites and if all your files were in the
       root directory you could create a group with as many as 1800
       securities.
       
       The User can define an unlimited number of Groups, each of which has a
       unique name with up to 16 characters.
       
       Group definitions can be edited, reordered and deleted at any time.
       All defined Groups can be saved to disk for reuse in subsequent
       sessions.  Group definitions are stored in the GROUPS.DAT file in the
       Parity directory on your disk.
       
       Visually, the securities in a Group define the vertical axis of the
       Display Matrix.
       
Studies
       
       A Study defines how Parity will chart an individual security,
       regardless of which security is chosen.
       
       Parity permits the user to define the following aspects of a chart.
       
          How the price data is displayed, i.e., HLC bar chart or Japanese
          candlestick chart.
          Where and whether volume is displayed.
          What indicators and formulas are plotted on the chart and where.
          How individual panes are stacked and overlapped and what their
          relative sizes are.
          Whether to set a pane's scale to Maximize Y Axis, or Optimize Scale
          Labels.
          Which side of the Y axis scale labels are displayed on.
          What colors to use for the chart.
          What labels to use for each data array plotted.
          The number of days between ticks on the X axis.
          How to label the chart with the Security Name and/or the Study
          Name.
          Whether to include the chart title at the top of the chart as well
          as in the title bar of the chart window.
       
       A Study is defined using the Create/Modify Current Study selection in
       the Studies Menu.  Each Study can have up to a 16 character name and
       all Studies can be saved to disk for subsequent sessions.
       
Batches
       
       A Batch is analogous to a Group of stocks.  However, instead of
       defining which stocks will be displayed, a batch defines a list of
       studies that will be displayed.
       
       The concept of a "Batch of Studies" is a novel idea.  Unlike other
       stock charting programs, Parity permits you to define an unlimited
       number of studies.  One study might just show a Candlestick chart of a
       stock with some moving averages.  Another study might plot all of the
       components of Welles Wilder's Directional Movement Index.  A third
       study might only show volume related indicators, while a fourth study
       might include oscillators like MACD, Chaiken's Oscillator or
       Stochastics.
       
       Parity permits you to define a Batch of any or all of these studies.
       When you select a Batch, Parity displays each of these studies in
       sequence on a single security or each stock in a Group.
       
       Selecting a Group of stocks and a Batch of studies creates a two-
       dimensional Display Matrix, where the stocks form the vertical axis
       and the Studies make up the horizontal axis.  It may help to think of
       the Display Matrix as a graphical spreadsheet with individual stocks
       as the rows and studies as the columns.  Each cell of the
       "spreadsheet" is potentially a chart.
       
       Depending on the Display Tool you select, you can move through the
       Display Matrix vertically - looking at the same study on dozens of
       different stocks, or horizontally - looking at multiple studies on a
       single stock.  By selecting a different display tool you can
       instantaneously change direction.
       
Clusters
       
       A Cluster defines the screen configuration for displaying multiple
       Studies at one time.  Like a Batch, a Cluster is a list of individual
       Studies.  However, a Cluster displays all of the Studies at once in
       your predefined screen layout.
       
       You can use a Cluster with a Group of stocks, or when you load
       individual securities.  Use the forward and reverse display tools to
       display the Cluster for each security in the Group.
       
       To define a Cluster, first arrange charts of each of the Studies you
       want to include in the Cluster on the screen.  Make sure that each
       chart is positioned and sized the way you want it reproduced when you
       display the Cluster.  Then select the Make a Cluster menu item and
       enter a name for the Cluster.  Note that Parity automatically excludes
       any "UNNAMED" or "DEFAULT" studies from a Cluster.
       
       You can save the definition of all of your Clusters to disk for reuse
       in subsequent sessions.  Parity creates a CLUSTERS.DAT file in its
       directory that is automatically loaded the next time you start the
       program.
       
       Since all the charts in a Cluster are erased when you move up or down
       in a Group, the Fast Forward and Fast Reverse tools are meaningless
       and are disabled.
       
The Display Matrix
       
       Parity offers the user the possibility of creating dozens of types of
       charts on hundreds of individual securities through the use of its
       Group and Batch features.  In order to manage this potential
       complexity we created an intuitive and easy to use tool we call the
       Display Matrix.
       
  The Display Matrix Concept
       
       Conceptually, the Display Matrix is a two dimensional array of all the
       charts you could create from the individual stocks in a group combined
       with the individual studies in a batch.
       
       It is easiest to think of this two dimensional array (the "matrix") as
       being similar to a spreadsheet.  Each cell of the spreadsheet
       corresponds to a chart.
       
       The rows of the spreadsheet are the price data for each security in
       the group.  The columns of the spreadsheet are the studies that are
       used to plot that price data.  The intersection of each row and
       column, i.e., the cell, corresponds to a unique chart created by
       combining the price data for the security in that row, with the
       definition of the study in that column.
       
       Unlike a spreadsheet, most of the charts/cells in the Display Matrix
       aren't displayed.  Even more importantly, only one chart at a time is
       "current" in the sense that you can retrieve numeric data from it.
       
  What Do We Mean by "Current"?
       
       At any given time Parity can only have one of each type of "thing" in
       memory.  By "thing" we mean the data from one stock, the settings from
       one study, and the definition of one group and one batch.  So, for
       example, when we talk about the current group we mean that one group
       whose list of securities is currently available to define the vertical
       axis of the Display Matrix.
       
       The only time that having just one of each type of thing in memory
       limits us is when we want to use the Data Microscope on a chart to see
       the numbers behind the scene.  Then we are limited to the "current"
       chart, i.e., the one for which Parity still has the price data and
       study settings stored in memory.
       
  The Display Matrix Tool
       
       Parity's Display Tools visually correspond to the conceptual display
       matrix.  When you move from one stock to another, you are moving up
       and down the vertical group axis of the spreadsheet.  When you move
       from one study to another you move left and right along the horizontal
       axis of the spreadsheet.  When you select a Display Tool, you tell
       Parity how to interpret the Forward and Reverse tools, when it creates
       new charts.
       
       With the Display Matrix Tool you can position yourself anywhere within
       the Display Matrix.  Your current location is shown by the
       intersection of the current study and the current security.  By
       clicking on any cell in the matrix you can immediately reposition the
       current study and current security.  You can select from the drop down
       list boxes to do the same thing.  The Display Matrix Tool doesn't
       affect the display state you selected by clicking on one of the
       display tools, it simply repositions you within the matrix.
       
Part 3         The Tool Bar

The Tool Bar
       
       The Tool Bar incorporates most of the tools that are used to display
       and manipulate charts after you have selected whatever Stocks, Groups,
       Studies, Batches or Clusters you want displayed.  Several less
       frequently used tools can be accessed through the Pointer Menu.
       
Moveable Versus Fixed Tool Bar
       
       By default, the Tool Bar is in a fixed position on the right side of
       the screen.  The Tool Bar can be set to be moveable with the Moveable
       Tool Bar command on the Options Menu.
       
       You can also use the Moveable Tool Bar and Fixed Tool Bar commands to
       recreate the Tool Bar if it gets mispositioned.  This can happen when
       you have a fixed tool bar and have moved charts off the screen and
       then do a Window Cascade or Window Tile command.
       
       Normally, though, the Tool Bar is simply hidden under a chart.  You
       can bring the Tool Bar forward by clicking in a chart or selecting
       TBar in the Window Menu.  To hide the Tool Bar behind a chart, click
       in the chart's title bar.
       
Action Tools
       
       Click on the tool and then click on the chart you want to act on.
       These tools are "sticky" and stay active until you select another
       action tool or click on the Pointer Tool.  The Pointer Menu includes a
       selection of some less frequently used action tools.
       
            Tool            Description
            Print Tool      Prints selected chart.  Since the Print Tool
                            gives you much greater control over the printing
                            of a chart you should always use it in preference
                            to the File Print command.  See Printing Charts.
       
            Trash Can Tool  Closes selected chart or all open charts.
       
            Data Microscope Displays price and indicator data for the most
                            recently created chart and can print the data or
                            export it to an Excel, Lotus 123, or text file.
       
            Pointer Tool    Resets other action tools and goes to a neutral
                            pointer mode.
       
            Text Tool       Used to draw text on a chart.
       
            1:1 Magnifying Glass Restores chart to fully expanded state.
       
            + Magnifying Glass   Zooms in on a chart to focus more closely on
                            a date range.  Each use expands the chart to
                            roughly 1/3 its previous data range.
       
            - Magnifying Glass   Opposite of + Magnifying Glass
       
            Vertical Line Tool   Draws a vertical line the entire height of
                            the chart wherever you click.
       
            Horizontal Line Tool Draws a horizontal line the entire length of
                            the chart wherever you click..
       
            Limited Line Tool    Draws a line between any two points you
                            click on.
       
            Extended Line Tool   Draws a line defined by any two points and
                            extending to the chart boundaries.
       
Display Tools
       
       Used to select the Display State and Direction used to move through
       the Display Matrix.
       
            Display Matrix Tool    Shows a graphical depiction of the
                               Display Matrix and the Current Chart's
                               position in it.  By clicking on the grid of
                               the Display Matrix or selecting from the drop
                               down list boxes you can reposition yourself
                               anywhere within the Display Matrix.
       
             Forward & Reverse Tools     Used to move through the Display
                               Matrix in the direction indicated by the
                               Display State tools.  If the next chart in the
                               direction already exists these tools will
                               bring it to the front.  Otherwise the next
                               chart is created from scratch.
       
             Fast Forward & Reverse Used to create multiple charts at a time.
                               Clicking on one of these tools causes Parity
                               to create the maximum number of charts in the
                               current direction.  The number of charts was
                               defined when you selected the current group.
       
             Display Group Tool     This sets the display state to vertical
                               movement between securities in a group.  It
                               causes the current graph in the Display Matrix
                               to be created if it isn't already displayed.
       
             Display Batch Tool     This sets the display state to horizontal
                               movement between studies in a batch.  It
                               causes the current graph in the Display Matrix
                               to be created if it isn't already displayed.
       
             Display Group on Batch This sets the display state to move
                               through the Display Matrix showing all the
                               studies in a batch for a security in a group
                               before moving up or down to the next security
                               in the group.
       
             Display Batch on Group This sets the display state to move
                               through the Display Matrix showing all the
                               securities in a group before moving left or
                               right to the next study in a batch.
       
Menu Shortcut Tools
       
       The Menu Shortcut Tools provide the same functionality as the most
       commonly used menu commands for loading a security, selecting a group,
       editing a study, and selecting a batch.  These commands also have
       function key shortcuts.  See the Menu Commands section of this manual
       for more detail on these commands.  By default Parity creates a new
       chart after you use these tools.  To disable the automatic charting
       use the Chart Preferences command on the Options menu to set your
       display preferences.
       
             Load a Security
             Select a Group
             Create/Modify Current Study
             Select a Batch
       
Window Management Tools
       
       The Window Management Tools provide the same functionality as the
       Window Menu Cascade and Tile commands.
       
            Tile Windows    Works exactly like the Window Menu Tile
                            selection; it tiles all the displayed charts.
       
            Cascade Windows Works exactly like the Window Menu Cascade
                            selection; it cascades all the displayed charts.
       
Part 4         Menu Commands

       This section of the User's Guide reviews all of the Menu Commands that
       are available in Parity.  Most of the Tool Bar tools do not have any
       equivalent functionality from the Menu or the Keyboard.
       
File Menu
       
       The File Menu has relatively limited functionality in Parity since no
       files are "opened" in the traditional Windows sense.  Instead use the
       appropriate commands in the Groups, Studies, and Clusters menus to
       select the items you want to chart.
       
       Close             Will close the currently selected chart.  Generally
                         it will be easier to close a chart by double
                         clicking on the Control-Menu box or using the trash
                         can tool.
       
       Save As           Can only be used to save the contents of the Print
                         Log to a file.  You must save studies, groups,
                         batches, and clusters using their respective Save
                         All commands.
       
       Print             Will print the currently selected chart using
                         default settings.  Generally you should use the
                         Printer Tool instead.  See Printing Charts.
       
       Printer Setup     Standard Windows 3.x Printer Setup dialog.
       
       Exit              Exits Parity.  If you have any unsaved groups,
                         batches, studies, or clusters Parity will ask if you
                         want to save them.
       
Edit Menu
       
       The Edit Menu provides the standard Edit functionality common to most
       Windows 3.x applications and they will not be discussed here.  Most of
       these selections will be disabled except when you enter text in a
       dialog box or use the print log.
       
       Copy Window       The Copy Window menu item will copy the currently
                         selected chart to the Clipboard.  You can paste the
                         chart into most word processors or into a paintbrush
                         program.  If you hold down the shift key while you
                         issue this command the title bar of the window will
                         also be copied to the clipboard.
       
Groups Menu
       
       The Groups Menu provides all of the commands to load one security, or
       to create, select and modify a Group of securities.
       
Load a Security
       
       The Load a Security command permits you to select and load a single
       security for charting using the current study.  Loading a security
       overwrites the current group if one had been selected.
       
       This command consists of two dialog boxes:
       
  Open a File for Charting
       
       This dialog permits you to select a security by symbol or name for
       loading.  Parity will display all the files in the directory you have
       chosen which match the file format criteria.  If the file format
       permits it, the file will be displayed with additional information
       such as company name and data period.  To select a security for
       loading, highlight the security and click OK or double click on the
       security.
       
       Change directories by double clicking on the directory you wish to
       change to in the directories list box.
       
       Parity supports three different data file formats, 5 or 7 field
       MetaStock/CompuTrac files, 7 field ChartPro/MegaTech files, and Comma
       Separated ASCII files.  You can select which file format to use by
       clicking on the appropriate radio button.  The Available Securities
       list box will be automatically updated to show the securities with
       that format in the directory you selected.  To save your file
       preferences from session to session, use the Directory and File
       Preferences command on the Options Menu.  For more information on
       these formats, see the File Formats Supported section.
       
       To quickly move to a particular security, just select any security
       with a single click of the mouse and then type the first letter of the
       file or security name.  If no file starts with that letter nothing
       will happen, otherwise you will move to the first file starting with
       that letter.  This is standard Windows 3.x functionality and you can
       use this method with any list box.
       
  Range of Data to Load
       
       This dialog permits you to select which data records in a file will be
       loaded.  The range of records to load can be specified in two ways:
       This dialog permits you to select which data records in a file will be
       loaded.  You can also set the chart size to be maximized within the
       "working" screen area.  If you manually maximize a chart by clicking
       on its maximize icon it will "snap" back to its default size whenver
       another form, chart or window is opened over it.
       
       You can specify the number of blank periods that you want added to the
       right of the chart by entering a positive number in the "Blanks Added
       to the Right of Chart" box.  This is useful if you want to draw
       extended trendlines into the future.
       
       The range of records to load can be specified in several ways.
       
       
       Absolute Record Number Specify the number of the record in the file.
                         The First Record is the oldest record to be loaded
                         and has to be an integer greater than or equal to 1.
                         The Last Record is the most recent record to be
                         loaded and must be an integer greater than the first
                         record and less than or equal to the total number of
                         records.  By default, Parity will load all of the
                         records in the data file.  There is no limit on the
                         number of records you can load.
       
       Relative Record Position    Permits you to select a range of records
                         to load relative to the most recent record in the
                         file (the Last Record).  Indicate relative record
                         positions by using negative numbers that count back
                         X records from the last record.  If you enter a
                         relative record position for the first record, e.g.,
                         -100, Parity will set the Last Record to 0.  In this
                         example a total of 101 records will be loaded
                         starting with the most recent record and counting
                         back 100 records.  Hitting enter after inputting a
                         relative record position in the First Record field
                         will execute the dialog box.
       
       Absolute Date Range    Enter the dates you want to load data for.
                         Dates must be formatted as MM/DD/YY or YYMMDD.  When
                         you enter a date for the first record, Parity will
                         automatically set the last record to the last date
                         in the file.  You may not mix dates and record
                         numbers or relative record positions.
       
       Compression       Parity gives you two options you can use to
                         "compress" your data files into weekly or monthly
                         formats.  If you select the "True Weekly" option,
                         Parity will use the highest and lowest values, the
                         total volume, and Friday's closing price to create
                         its weekly data.  The "True Monthly" option works in
                         the same way.  The first and last data points may be
                         partial weeks if a full weeks data doesn't exist.
       
Create or Modify Group
       
       The Create or Modify Group command defines a new group or modifies the
       contents of an existing group.  A group is a list of securities in any
       of the supported data formats, located anywhere on your disks.  The
       actual number of securities a group can contain depends primarily on
       the length of the path of the data files, and for MetaStock files the
       lengths of the symbol and name of each security.  The total size of a
       group is 64KB of characters.  On average each entry for a data file in
       the root directory will be 35-40 characters so the largest possible
       group is 1600 to 1800 securities.  However, if your data files have a
       very long path, for example,  C:\PARITY\DATAFILE\STOCKS\CONSUMER then
       the maximum size of your groups will be only 900-1000 securities.  You
       can define any number of groups.
       
       Groups            This box lists all of the defined groups currently
                         in memory.  Double clicking on a group will add all
                         of the securities in that group to the Securities in
                         Group list.  To modify an existing group double
                         click on its name to add its stocks to the
                         Securities in Group list.  Make any modifications
                         you want and save it under the same name.
       
       Securities in Group    This box lists all of the securities you have
                         selected to be in the group.  Add securities by
                         double clicking on an available security or an
                         entire group.  To delete securities from the group,
                         double click on the security in the group.
       
       Available Securities   Lists all the securities of the specified data
                         type that are available in the selected directory.
                         Double click on any available security to add it to
                         the group.  Type the first letter of a security to
                         search the list for it.
       
       Add All Securities     Clicking on this button will cause all the
                         securities in the available securities list box to
                         be added to the group.
       
       Directories       Lists all the directories on your disk.  To move
                         around the directory tree simply double click on the
                         directories or drives that are listed.  The
                         Available Securities list will be updated for the
                         directory you select.
       
       New Group         Enter the name of the group you are creating or
                         modifying in this text box.  The name can contain 16
                         significant characters including A-Z, a-z, 0-9, %,
                         _, $, !, and %.  Names cannot begin with a number
                         and are not case sensitive.
       
       Double Click Action    Selects the effect of double clicking in the
                         list boxes.  By default double clicking will add or
                         remove securities from the Securities in Group list.
                         Selecting Show Details will cause double clicking on
                         a security to list any available details on the data
                         file.  ChartPro data formats contain very little
                         information on the underlying security.
       
       File Format       Selects the data file format Parity looks for in the
                         selected directory.  Only files from one data format
                         at a time can be displayed in the Available
                         Securities list.  Note that you can mix files of any
                         format in a group.
       
       Sort Available Securities   By default Parity sorts the Available
                         Securities list by symbols.  You can also sort
                         certain file formats by name.  This option is
                         disabled for ChartPro and ASCII files.
       
       Create Group Button    Clicking Create Group will save the list of
                         securities in the group to the group name you
                         entered in the New Group text box.  If you didn't
                         enter a name Parity will prompt you for one.  To
                         make the group you created the current group you
                         must use the Select a Group command.
       
       
Select a Group
       
       Use the Select a Group command to select the group of securities which
       you want to be able to display.
       
  Select a Group Dialog Box
       
       The Select a Group command lists all the groups and allows you to
       select the group you want to become the current group by double
       clicking on the group's name.  After you select a group, a second
       dialog box will appear prompting you to enter a data range and some
       other parameters controlling the display of charts for the securities
       in the group
       
  Options for Displaying Groups
       
       This dialog box sets up certain options that will be identical for all
       of the securities in the current group.  These options control the
       size and number of the charts that will be shown and the range of data
       Parity will display from each security in the group.
       
       # of Graphs Displayed  The number of charts Parity can display at one
                         time is constrained by Windows' available System
                         Resources.  Windows 3.1 gives Parity significantly
                         more System Resources than Windows 3.0.  You will
                         receive a warning if you specify more than 12 graphs
                         to be displayed at once.  To display only a single
                         graph at a time, click on the Close Graph After
                         Displayed check box.
       
       Chart Size        Permits you to set the chart size in pixels.  Parity
                         sets the default chart size to equal the size of a
                         chart after a Window Cascade command.  To maximize
                         the size of each chart as it is displayed click on
                         the Maximize Graph Size check box.
       
       Print Each Graph  This prints each chart when it is displayed.  See
                         Printing Charts.
       
       Add Blanks to Chart    Specify the number of periods of "white" space
                         you want added to the right of the chart.  Useful
                         for drawing extended trendlines into the future.
       
       Data Range Options     Since Parity permits you to group securities
                         with different numbers of records and starting and
                         ending dates you must use Relative Record Positions
                         to specify the data range to be printed.  A future
                         release of Parity will include the option to use
                         Absolute Date Ranges.  See Load a Security for
                         details about data ranges.
       
       OK                Sets the display and data range options you selected
                         and loads the first security in the group.  This
                         will overwrite the group or security that was
                         previously selected.
       
Reorder a Group
       
       When you reorder a group you change the display sequence of the
       securities within the group.  You can also change the definition of
       the group by excluding securities from the Reordered Group list.
       
       List of All Groups     Select the group you want to reorder by double
                         clicking on the group's name in this list box.
       
       Original Group    Lists all the securities in the group you selected
                         for reordering which have not been added to the
                         Reordered Group list.  Add a security to the
                         Reordered Group list by double clicking on the
                         security name.
       
       Reordered Group   Lists the display order for all the securities that
                         have been selected for reordering.  Double Clicking
                         on a security in the Reordered Group list will add
                         it back to the Original Group List.
       
       Double Click Action    Permits you to select if double clicking on a
                         security will move it from the Original Group to the
                         Reordered Group or back, or cause any available
                         details about the securities data file to be shown
                         in the upper left corner of the dialog box.
       
       O.K. Button       Resets the securities list and display sequence of
                         the group to be identical to the Reordered Group
                         list.
       
Save All Groups
       
       The Save All Groups command will save the definition of ALL the groups
       in memory to the GROUPS.DAT file in your Parity directory.  This is
       the only way to make any changes, deletions, or newly created groups
       permanent.  It is not possible to save just the changes of a single
       group.
       
Delete Groups
       
       The Delete Groups command permits you to remove the definition of a
       Group from memory.  Groups will not be permanently deleted unless you
       Save All Groups.
       
Display Group or Security
       
       The Display command in the Groups menu will display a chart of the
       current security using the current study and set the display mode to
       Display Group.  This command is included for your convenience only and
       we recommend controlling the Display Matrix using the Display Tools
       found on the Tool Bar.
       
Import Other Formats
       
       Parity permits you to import data from Excel 2.1 and 3.0 files, Lotus
       123 WKS files, Comma Separated Value text files and Tab Separated
       Value text files.
       
       You can import price data using the 5 field date, high, low, close,
       volume format or the 7 field date, open, high, low, close, volume,
       open interest formats.  You can also include other data arrays in the
       file which will be imported as named variables which you can use in
       your formulas.
       
       Each "column" in the file you import is treated as a variable.  The
       first "row" of the column must contain the name of the variable.  Each
       subsequent row contains the elements of the variable's data array.  A
       variable can contain up to 8100 elements.
       
       The Import Other File Formats dialog box is straight forward.  Simply
       select the file you want to import, check the correct file format
       radio button and click on the Import button.
       
       In order to be correctly imported the file must be formatted very
       specificly.  Please read the following sections carefully.  Parity
       performs very limited error checking when it imports data so you may
       need to experiment with the layout of your file before you are able to
       import data correctly.
       
       Parity Plus includes a data conversion utility that lets you convert a
       very wide range of file formats to and from the MetaStock, ChartPro
       and Comma Delimited ASCII data files Parity supports directly.
       
  Importing Price Data
       
       Although Parity permits you to use the Import Other Formats command to
       import price data you cannot use this data in a group.  Importing
       price data is like the Load a Security command but without the ability
       to select a data range.
       
       To successfully import price data you must observe the following
       conventions exactly.  Each variable name must appear in the first row
       of the file and must be exactly as shown.  Subsequent rows must
       include data formatted as described below.
       
       Variable Name     Description
       Date              Mandatory.  Subsequent rows must contain date,
                         rather than text or numeric values for Excel and
                         Lotus files.  Text files must include dates
                         formatted as MM/DD/YY.  Any other formatting will
                         cause an error.  Note you must use Date not Dates.
       High              Mandatory.  High price values.  Excel and Lotus must
                         format the high prices as numeric, rather than text
                         values.  Text files must not contain non-numeric
                         characters such as "," or "$".
       Low               Same as High.
       Close             Same as High.
       Volume            Same as High.
       Open              Optional.  Same formatting as High.
       OpenInterest      Optional.  Same formatting as High.  It is safest if
                         you fill openinterest with zeros if you include open
                         data.  However, this is not mandatory.  Note, there
                         is no space between open and interest in the
                         OpenInterest variable name.
       Name              Mandatory.  You must include a text value for name.
                         The use of more than 16 characters will be
                         unpredictable.  Only the first row after Name will
                         be recognized.
       Symbol            Mandatory.  You must include a text value for
                         symbol.  The use of more than 8 characters may be
                         unpredictable.  Only the first row after Symbol will
                         be recognized.
       NumFields         Mandatory.  NumFields must include a numeric value
                         of either 5 or 7 depending on whether the data
                         includes Date, High, Low, Close, Volume or Date,
                         Open High, Low, Close, Volume, OpenInterest.  Note
                         NumFields is one word with no spacing.  Only the
                         first row after NumFields will be recognized.
       
       The columns can occur in any order and the variable names are not case
       sensitive.  If you are using comma delimited or tab delimited text
       files we strongly recommend that you include Name, Symbol, and
       NumFields at the end of the first and second lines.  Otherwise you
       will need to maintain the correct comma or tab separation in each and
       every row.  Also each line in the file must end with a carriage return
       or carriage return and line feed.  If you are using a word processor
       like Word for Windows that means you must save the file as text with
       line breaks.
       
       You must have the "File Includes Price Data" check box checked to
       correctly import price data.  Once price data is imported you can
       create charts using any study or batch.  If you Load a Security, or
       Select a Group, the price data you imported will be overwritten.  You
       must use Parity's Predefined Variables to access price data you
       import.  The Date, High, Low, Close, Volume, Open, OpenInterest, Name,
       Symbol, and NumFields variable names will not be accessible to you.
       
       An Example of a Comma Separated File
       
          Row 1   date,high,low,close,volume,name,symbol,numfields
          Row 2   3/1/90,33.5,33,33.25,12500,Good Stock,GSTK,5
          Row 3...  3/2/90,34,33,33.75,15000
       
       Common Problems Importing Price Data
       
       The Import Other Formats command is bug free.  If it doesn't work for
       you there is a problem with your file format.  Since we can't tell
       anything about your file format over the phone we are unable to
       provide any meaningful technical support for the Import Other Formats
       command unless you send us the file you are trying to import.  In our
       experience the most common problems importing data are:
       
          1.The date field is not formatted correctly.  This occurs most
             frequently when importing from a spreadsheet.  The date field
             looks like a date value but is really text.  Check the
             formatting of the date column.
          
          2.The Lotus 123 WKS file isn't really in the WKS format but
             simply has a WKS extension.  Parity can only import from true
             WKS format files, not from WK1, WK3 or WRK files.  Check the
             format of your file.
          
          3.Parity does not support the Excel 4.0 file format.  Excel files
             must be saved as 3.0 or 2.1 formats.  Check the format of your
             file.
          
          4.Each line in a comma or tab delimited text files must end with
             a hard carriage return.  Make sure your word processor is
             saving the file in plain text format with line breaks.
       
       Since Parity performs no error handling when you try to import data if
       an error occurs the program doesn't fail gracefully and it will often
       appear to freeze the computer.  Normally you can recover simply by
       pressing the up arrow key and closing the dialog box by double
       clicking on the control menu box in the upper left hand corner of the
       dialog box window.
       
  Importing Other Data
       
       Parity does not limit you to importing only price data.  You can
       import an array of any numeric data.  The name of the data array
       variable will be the same as the name in the first row of the data's
       column.  You can use this variable in exactly the same way as Parity's
       Predefined Variables.  Non-price data can be imported in the same file
       as price data.  These imported variables persist throughout your
       session.
       
       Parity performs no checking to prevent you from accidentally
       overwriting an internal variable.  You may also experience problems
       with certain formulas when an imported variable doesn't have the
       "array range" the formula expects.  This is definitely an advanced
       option which will require experimentation.  One possibility you might
       explore is importing data from a package like The Technician, and
       including it in your analysis.
       
       See the Predefined Variables section for more suggestions on how to
       handle imported data.
       
Studies Menu
       
Study Commands
       
       A study controls every aspect of how a chart is displayed except for
       which security is being charted.  The Studies Menu provides you with
       all of the tools necessary to create sophisticated charts.  Multiple
       studies can be "batched" or "clustered" together to automate
       repetitive display tasks.
       
       
Batch Commands
       
       A batch is a predefined list of one or more studies that is displayed
       sequentially on a single security or group.  Use batches to automate
       and simplify your charting.  A batch can hold an unlimited number of
       studies and you can define an unlimited number of batches.
       
       
Create/Modify Current Study
       
       The Create/Modify Study command opens the Formula Editor, which is the
       first of several dialog boxes that control how a chart is displayed.
       These dialog boxes always display the settings for the currently
       selected study, or the Default Study if no study has been selected.
       
       The changes you make to the study you are modifying will be temporary
       if you select O.K. from the Formula Editor which will then create an
       "UNNAMED" study.  The "UNNAMED" study is overwritten if you move
       through the Display Matrix or select a new current study and your
       changes will be lost.  You can save your changes under a new or
       existing study name by clicking on the Save As button.  These changes
       will be stored for the current session and can be made permanent with
       the Save All Studies command.
       
  The Study Editors
       
       Formula Editor    The Formula Editor lets you create sophisticated
                         technical indicators using the predefined indicator
                         list and your own formulas.  All of the subsequent
                         Study Editors return you to the Formula Editor which
                         controls how your changes will be saved.
       
       Pane Layout Editor     Controls how the indicators you defined with
                         the Formula Editor will be displayed in the chart.
                         You can specify which pane to plot the indicator in,
                         where the pane should be displayed, what the pane
                         size should be, and whether the pane should be
                         displayed with a scale or a grid.
       
       Color Editor      Controls what colors to use for plotting the
                         indicators as well as the colors used for the
                         background, scales, labels and grid of the chart.
       
       Options Editor    Controls how you label the panes and what to use for
                         the chart title.  Also lets you select the number of
                         days between ticks on the X axis and whether the Y
                         axis scale of each pane is optimized for labels or
                         data.  You can also use the options editor to
                         separate stacked panes with white space.
       
Formula Editor
       
       The Formula Editor permits you to create up to nine formulas that can
       be displayed on a chart and/or used in another formula.  Each formula
       can contain any of the indicators, predefined variables, arithmetic
       operators, or chart procedures available in Parity.
       
       The result of each formula is assigned to an array variable named F1
       to F9 as shown to the left of the Formula to Plot box.  The F1 to F9
       variables can be used in exactly the same fashion as the predefined
       variables, O, H, L, C, V, and OI which hold the data for the current
       security.  The values for the first security in a group are stored in
       the predefined variables FO, FH, FL, FC, FV, and FOI.  You can use
       these predefined variables to create spreads and relative strength
       calculations.
       
       Since the formulas are processed sequentially, the result of a
       formula, e.g. F3, can only be used in subsequent formula definitions,
       e.g., F4 - F9.
       
       Some indicators such as BolBands(), and Stoch() are actually
       procedures rather than functions.  You cannot reference the result of
       these procedures by F1-F9 or by including them within another formula
       calculation.
       
       A formula box can also contain a chart procedure.  Chart procedures
       perform special processing in order to create displays like Point and
       Figure Charts, EquiVolume Charts, Crockerc type charts, and horizontal
       bar charts of the number of days at a price, or the total volume at a
       price.  The ChartFirstSecurity() procedure even lets you include a
       chart of the first security in a group on the same chart as the
       current security.  To see the selection of Chart Procedures available
       click on the Chart Procedure radio button.
       
  To Define a Formula
       
       1  Click in the Formula Box.
       
       2  Type in your formula or edit an existing formula.  Or
       
       3  Double click on a predefined indicator in the indicator list box.
          If the Formula Box you clicked on in 1) was empty the indicator
          will be copied to the Formula Box.
          If the Formula Box already contained a formula definition the
          indicator you selected will be saved to the clipboard and you can
          position the cursor in any Formula Box and paste the indicator you
          selected using SHIFT-INS or the Edit Paste Menu Command.
          If you click on the Functions radio button a list of Parity's
          operators and functions will be displayed.  When you double click
          on one of these functions it is saved to the clipboard.  You can
          paste the function into any Formula Box using SHIFT-INS.  You will
          need to edit the function manually.
       
  To Define a Chart Procedure
       
       1  Click on the Chart Procedure radio button.  The list box will now
          display all the chart procedures available to you.
       
       2  Double Click on the Chart Procedure you want to include in your
          chart.  Complete the dialog box if necessary, and the Chart
          Procedure will be copied to the Formula Box or saved to the
          clipboard.
       
  To Define the Line Style
       
       You can select the line style that will be used to plot the result of
       a formula by clicking on the drop down list box to the right of the
       Formula Box.  An example of each of the available line styles will be
       shown.  The Bars style will plot the formula as a histogram or bar
       chart.
       
  Using Japanese Candlestick Charts
       
       By default, Parity will plot the price data as an Open, High, Low,
       Close bar chart.  To plot this data as a Japanese Candlestick chart
       just check the Candlestick check box.  If you are using a high
       resolution printer you may find that candlestick charts print the
       candles too thinly.  You can use the Chart Preferences command in the
       Options menu to increase the thickness of the candlesticks.
       
  Using Point and Figure, EquiVolume, Crockerc, and Horizontal Bar Charts
       
       Parity provides nine powerful Chart Procedures which permit you to
       include special types of graphs in the panes of your chart.  Click on
       the Chart Procedures radio button to see the selection of charts
       available to you.  Simply double click on the chart procedure you want
       to include and complete the dialog box which will pop up.  The chart
       procedure will be copied to the empty formula box.
       
  Button Commands
       
       O.K. Button       Saves the settings of all the Study Editors as an
                         "UNNAMED" Study.  These settings will be lost when
                         another study is loaded.
       
       Save As Button    Permits you to save the settings of all the Study
                         Editors as a "Named" Study.  These settings can be
                         made permanent by selecting the Save All Studies
                         menu command.
       
       Cancel Button     Exits Formula Editor without making any changes in
                         the current study.
       
       Reset All Button  Will reset all of the Study Editors' settings to the
                         Default Study settings.  Useful if you want to
                         create a new study from scratch when a named study
                         is loaded.
       
       Panes Button      Brings up the Pane Layout Editor dialog which
                         controls the layout and appearance of all the panes
                         in a chart.
       
       Colors Button     Brings up the Color Editor dialog which controls the
                         layout and appearance of all the colors in a chart.
       
       Options Button    Brings up the Options Editor dialog which controls
                         pane labels, chart titles and pane scaling.
       
Pane Layout Editor
       
       The Pane Layout Editor controls how each data array will be plotted in
       a chart.  As many as 11 different data arrays can be plotted in a
       single chart.  These data arrays include price and volume as well as
       the array variables F1 to F9 that contain the results of the formulas
       defined in the Formula Editor.
       
       By default, Parity plots each data array you define in its own pane,
       and each pane is displayed in the chart stacked from top to bottom in
       ascending order.
       
       By changing the Pane to Plot In and Pane to Overlay settings you can
       plot multiple data arrays in a single pane and stack multiple panes on
       top of each other.  The Pane to Overlay settings also control the
       order in which each pane appears.  Each pane maintains its own scale
       that can be displayed on the left or right side of the pane or not at
       all by adjusting the Scale settings.  The Relative Size settings
       control the size of each pane in the chart.  The Grid Settings control
       how each pane displays its horizontal and vertical grids.

       Dialog Form Item  Description
       Pane To Plot In   In order to display a data array you must specify a
                         pane to plot the data array in.  A pane can contain
                         any number of data arrays but each pane only
                         maintains a single Y axis scale.  This scale is
                         automatically adjusted for the largest and smallest
                         values plotted in the pane and the Maximize Y Axis
                         settings in the Options Editor controls how the
                         scale is fitted to the data.  The Pane to Plot In
                         setting must contain an integer from 0 to 11.
                         Setting the Pane to Plot In or the Pane to Overlay
                         to 0 will cause the data array to not be displayed.
                         The figure above shows ADX(14) and ADXR(14) plotted
                         in the same pane.
       
       Pane to Overlay   The Pane to Overlay setting controls where the pane
                         is displayed in a chart.  By default each data array
                         is plotted in its own pane that overlays itself.
                         Panes are plotted in the chart from top to bottom in
                         ascending order of the Pane to Overlay value.
                         If you change the Pane to Overlay to a different
                         pane then the contents of the pane will be overlaid
                         onto the other pane.  The size of the panes will be
                         controlled by the first pane that is created.  Since
                         each pane maintains its own scale, you would overlay
                         panes, rather than plot in the same pane, when two
                         or more data arrays have very different ranges.  A
                         good example would be overlaying panes containing
                         PVI() and NVI() data arrays as shown in the figure
                         above.
                         You can also change the order in which panes are
                         displayed on a chart by changing the Pane To Overlay
                         settings.  Valid settings for Pane To Overlay are 0
                         to 13.  Although you can't plot in panes 12 or 13
                         these settings can be useful to quickly change the
                         display sequence.  For example, if you prefer to
                         show the price and volume panes at the bottom of the
                         chart, simply set their Pane To Overlay settings to
                         12 and 13 respectively.  Using 0 will cause the data
                         array not to be plotted at all.
       
       Relative Size     Since Parity permits you to dynamically resize your
                         charts, all pane size settings are relative to the
                         total size of the chart.  To calculate the display
                         size of a pane, Parity totals the relative sizes of
                         all the panes in the stack (overlaid panes are not
                         counted) and allocates a percentage of the chart's
                         display area to the pane based on the pane's
                         relative size divided by the total relative sizes of
                         all the panes in the stack.  Relative sizes can be
                         any number greater than zero.
       
       Scale Settings    Each Pane maintains its own Y-axis scale.  This
                         scale can be displayed to the left or right of the
                         pane or not at all.  Parity will display all the
                         scales of overlaid panes.  Unless you have the Pane
                         Separation setting selected in the Options Editor
                         the highest and lowest labels of stacked panes with
                         scales set to the same side will overlap.  To change
                         the Scale Setting insert the cursor to the far left
                         of the scale box and type L, R, or N.  It is not
                         necessary to type the whole word or delete the
                         setting already there.
       
       Grid Settings     The frequency of the horizontal and vertical grids
                         in a pane are automatically controlled by Parity
                         based on the size of the chart and the pane.
                         However you can control whether either, both or none
                         of the grids are displayed in the pane.  To change
                         the Grid setting insert the cursor to the far left
                         of the grid box and type H, V, B, or N.  It is not
                         necessary to type the whole word or delete the
                         setting already there.
       
       O.K. Button       This temporarily stores any changes you have made in
                         the Pane Layout Editor and returns you to the
                         Formula Editor.  Your changes won't be saved unless
                         you select O.K. or Save As from the Formula Editor.
       
Color Editor
       
       The Color Editor permits you to control the colors used to plot each
       data array, as well as specifying what colors to use for the chart
       background, scales and labels.
       
       To change a color simply click on the button for the item you wish to
       change.  The color selection dialog box will appear.  Select one of 38
       predefined colors by double clicking on the color name, or create your
       own color using the RGB slider bars.
       
       The lines Parity plots are only one pixel wide.  Consequently if your
       display adapter or Windows settings are set to 16 colors and you
       select a dithered color the data plots will be unsatisfactory.  Also
       with a one pixel width, similarly colored lines will look almost
       identical.
       
       As a final caution, you should note that not all printer drivers will
       print all the colors you can display and some printer drivers may
       print any color except white as a solid black line.  Given the
       diversity of drivers for Windows we can only suggest that you
       experiment with the best settings for your particular mix of
       equipment.
       
       Preview Chart
       
       If you have price data loaded, you can preview the chart as it is
       currently defined by clicking on the Preview Chart Button.  This will
       create a small copy of the chart your study is defining in the Color
       Editor form.  A complicated study may take a few seconds to display as
       Parity calculates the value of each formula.
       
Options Editor
       
       The Options Editor controls the display of pane labels, chart titles,
       pane scales and pane separations.  Each of its settings is explained
       below.
       
       Dialog Form Item  Description
       Pane Labels       Each pane can have a label within the pane that will
                         appear in the upper left corner of the pane.  By
                         default pane labels are displayed using the text of
                         the formula used to create the data arrays in the
                         pane.  You can edit the text of a pane label and/or
                         completely disable its display using the Pane Labels
                         text box and check box respectively.  Labels will be
                         displayed in the same color used to plot the data
                         array.
                         Parity attempts to display all the Pane Labels for
                         all the data arrays plotted in a particular pane
                         area.  In other words, labels for all the data
                         arrays plotted IN a pane or OVERLAID on a pane will
                         be printed.  However, the logic for arranging these
                         labels is complicated and can easily become confused
                         when you overlay panes that contain multiple data
                         arrays.  Also the pane may not be large enough to
                         contain all the labels.
                         Once a Pane Label has been created, either manually
                         or automatically, subsequent changes in the
                         underlying formula will not affect the label.
                         We recommend that when you overlay panes you use the
                         pane label to indicate whether a data array is
                         plotted to the left or right scale.
       
       Maximize Y Axis?  The Y axis scale can be adjusted to maximize the fit
                         to the data plotted in the pane by checking this
                         box.  This maximizes the amplitude of the data
                         plotted in the pane.  If the box is unchecked Parity
                         will display the Y axis scale with "rounded" values,
                         i.e. 10 to 50, or 100 to 200.  This will result in
                         "prettier" labels but can flatten the data out quite
                         a lot.  We prefer maximizing the fit to data but the
                         choice is yours.
       
       Separate Panes?   By default, Parity abuts stacked panes top to bottom
                         with no separation.  If you check Separate Panes?
                         Parity will add 4% of the area of the chart as white
                         space to the top of the pane.  Depending on the size
                         of the chart this will usually permit the top and
                         bottom scale labels of two adjacent panes to be
                         displayed without overlapping.  However less space
                         will be available to display the data.  The total
                         white space in the chart is added together and used
                         to adjust the relative size of all of the panes.
       
       Chart Title Includes:  The title bar of a chart can include either the
                         underlying security name, or the study name, or
                         both.  In order to use a chart in a cluster the
                         chart title must include the study name.
       
       X Axis Tick Days  This controls the minimum number of days displayed
                         between tick marks on the X Axis.  If the chart is
                         too small to display all the ticks the number of
                         tick days will be multiplied by a factor of 2 or 5
                         until the largest possible number of ticks can be
                         displayed.  In addition this setting may affect the
                         frequency of the Vertical Grid.
       
       Chart Title at Top of Page  If you check this box the Chart Title will
                         be included at the top of the chart as well as in
                         the title bar of the chart's window.  This can be
                         useful when you are preparing printed charts.
       
Select a Study
       
       Use the Select a Study command to select the study used to display the
       price data from any of the studies you have previously defined.
       
       Note that when you select a new study to become the current study it
       will replace the study, batch, or cluster you had previously selected
       and reset the X or study axis of the Display Matrix.
       
       To display the study using the current security use the Display
       Current Study command or click on one of the display options on the
       Tool Bar.
       
Save All Studies
       
       The Save All Studies command saves the definition of ALL the studies
       in memory to the STUDIES.DAT file in your Parity directory.  This is
       the only way to make any changes, deletions,  or newly created studies
       permanent.  It is not possible to save changes to a single study.
       
Delete Study
       
       The Delete Study command removes the definition of a study from
       memory.  Studies will not be permanently deleted unless you Save All
       Studies.
       
Display Current Study
       
       The Display Current Study command displays a chart of the current
       security using the current study and sets the display mode to Display
       Group.  This command is included for your convenience only and we
       recommend controlling the Display Matrix using the Display Tools found
       on the Tool Bar.
       
Batch Studies
       
       The Batch Studies command lets you define a new Batch of studies using
       the Create Batch form.  A Batch can contain an unlimited number of
       studies.
       
       To add studies to the batch, double click on the study name in the All
       Defined Studies list.  If you change your mind and want to remove a
       study from the batch just double click on the study name in the
       Studies to be Batched list.
       
       Type the name you want to assign to the batch in the Name of New Batch
       box.  The name can contain 16 significant characters including A-Z, a-
       z, 0-9, %, _, $, !, and %.  Names cannot begin with a number and are
       not case sensitive.
       
       Clicking O.K. will save the batch to memory and Cancel will exit.  To
       make your changes permanent you must issue a Save All Batches command.
       
Select a Batch
       
       Use the Select a Batch command to select the batch used to display the
       price data from any of the batches you have previously defined.
       
       Note that when you select a new batch to become the current batch it
       will replace the study, batch, or cluster you had previously selected
       and reset the X or study axis of the Display Matrix.
       
       To display the first study in the batch using the current security use
       the Display Current Study command or click on one of the display
       options on the Tool Bar.
       
Reorder Batch
       
       When you reorder a batch you change the display sequence of the
       studies within the batch.  You can also change the definition of the
       batch by excluding studies from the Reordered Batch list.
       
       Dialog Form Item  Description
       List of All Batches    Select the batch you want to reorder by double
                         clicking on the batch's name in this list box.
       
       Original Batch    Lists all the studies in the batch you selected for
                         reordering which have not been added to the
                         Reordered Batch list.  Add a study to the Reordered
                         Batch list by double clicking on the study name.
       
       Reordered Batch   Lists the display order for all the studies that
                         have been selected for reordering.  Double Clicking
                         on a study in the Reordered Batch list will add it
                         back to the Original Batch List.
       
       O.K. Button       Resets the studies list and display sequence of the
                         Batch to be identical to the Reordered Batch list.
       
Save All Batches
       
       The Save All Batches command saves the definition of ALL the batches
       in memory to the BATCHES.DAT file in your Parity directory.  This is
       the only way to make any changes, deletions,  or newly created batches
       permanent.  It is not possible to save changes to a single batch.
       
Delete Batch
       
       The Delete Batches command removes the definition of a Batch from
       memory.  Batches will not be permanently deleted unless you Save All
       Batches.
       
Clusters Menu
       
       A Cluster is similar to a batch.  However, instead of displaying its
       studies sequentially, a cluster displays all the studies it contains
       at the same time and in a predefined screen configuration.
       
       Command           Description
       Make a Cluster    Creates a cluster using the current screen display.
                         A cluster contains information on the size,
                         location, and underlying study of every "named"
                         chart that is currently displayed.  The underlying
                         security is irrelevant to the definition of a
                         cluster.
       
       Select a Cluster  Selects the cluster to display from any of the
                         clusters you have previously defined.
       
       Save All Clusters Saves the definition of ALL the clusters to the
                         CLUSTERS.DAT file.  Once saved, these definitions
                         are automatically loaded when you start Parity.
       
       Delete Cluster    Removes the definition of one or more clusters from
                         memory.  This change isn't permanent unless you Save
                         All Clusters.
       
       Display Current Cluster     Displays the current cluster charted on
                         the current security.  If no security or group has
                         been selected you will get an error message.
       
       Note that the configuration of a cluster is display specific.
       Displaying a cluster created for a higher resolution display, i.e.
       Super VGA resolutions of 800 x 600 or 1024 x 768, on a 640 x 480 VGA
       display, will have unpredictable effects.
       
Make a Cluster
       
       To make a cluster you must display screen charts of all the studies
       you want included in the cluster.  Size and arrange these charts on
       your screen exactly as you want them to appear when you display the
       cluster.  Any charts which exist, whether or not they are visible,
       will be added to the cluster as long as they based on "named" studies.
       This includes charts that are minimized.  Only charts with titles
       including the study name can be clustered.  Charts without a named
       study in the title, or with a "DEFAULT" or "UNNAMED" study title are
       excluded from the cluster.
       
       The Make a Cluster command is completely automatic.  All you need to
       do is name the cluster.  The name can contain 16 significant
       characters including A-Z, a-z, 0-9, %, _, $, !, and %.  Names cannot
       begin with a number and are not case sensitive.  Clusters, batches,
       groups and studies can all have the same name.
       
       Note that the configuration of a cluster is display specific.
       Displaying a cluster created for a higher resolution display i.e.
       Super VGA resolutions of 800 x 600 or 1024 x 768, on a 640 x 480 VGA
       display will have unpredictable effects.
       
Select a Cluster
       
       Use the Select a Cluster command to select the cluster you want to
       display.
       
       Note that when you select a new cluster to become the current cluster
       it will overwrite the cluster, batch, or study you had previously
       selected and reset the X or studies axis of the Display Matrix.
       
       To display the cluster using the current security click on one of the
       display options on the Tool Bar.
       
Save All Clusters
       
       The Save All Clusters command saves the definition of ALL the clusters
       in memory to the CLUSTERS.DAT file in your Parity directory.  This is
       the only way to make any changes, deletions,  or newly created
       clusters permanent.  It is not possible to save changes to a single
       cluster.
       
Delete Cluster
       
       The Delete Cluster command removes the definition of a Cluster from
       memory.  Clusters will not be permanently deleted unless you Save All
       Clusters.
       
Display Current Cluster
       
       The Display Current Cluster command displays the charts that comprise
       the current cluster on the current security.  If no security or
       cluster has been loaded you will receive an error message.  This
       command is included for your convenience only and we recommend
       controlling the Display Matrix using the Display Tools found on the
       Tool Bar.
       
Pointer Menu
       
       The Pointer Menu includes less frequently used Action Tools than are
       accessible by clicking on an icon on the Tool Bar.
       
       Choose the action you want to perform from the Pointer Menu
       selections.  Then click on the chart you want to act on.  These tools
       are "sticky" and stay active until you select another action tool or
       click on the Pointer Tool on the Tool Bar.
       
       Command           Description
       Erase Vertical Lines   Erases any vertical lines that have been drawn
                         on the chart you click on, including lines drawn
                         with ChartVertLine().
       
       Erase Horizontal Lines Erases any horizontal lines that have been
                         drawn on the chart you click on, except lines drawn
                         with ChartHorizLine() which cannot be erased.
       
       Erase Drawn Lines Erases any lines drawn with the limited line tool,
                         the extended line tool, or the Fibonacci tools.
       
       Erase All Lines   Erases all the lines drawn on the chart except lines
                         drawn with ChartHorizLine().
       
       Draw Fibonacci Lines   Click on any two points in a chart, usually two
                         extreme price points.  Parity will draw horizontal
                         lines at the two points plus lines at 38.2%, 50.0%
                         and 61.8% of the vertical difference between the two
                         points.  Note that the calculations are performed
                         based on the actual points you click on, not the
                         data values they are proximate to.
       
       Draw Fibonacci Fans    Click on any two points in a chart, usually two
                         extreme price Points.  Parity will draw 3 diagonal
                         trend lines extending from the first point, through
                         the points that are 38.2%, 50.0% and 61.8% of the
                         vertical difference between the two points and
                         vertical to the second point.  These trend lines are
                         automatically extended to the far right of the
                         chart.  Note that the calculations are performed
                         based on the actual points you click on, not the
                         data values they are proximate to.
       
       Draw Channel Lines     Click on any two points in a chart, usually two
                         points which you believe define a trend.  Parity
                         will draw an extended trend line between the two
                         points.  Then click on any third point and Parity
                         will draw and extended trendline at the third point
                         which is parallel to the first two points.
       
Options Menu
       
       The Options Menu includes several commands used to customize Parity's
       operation.
       
       Command           Description
       Default Study     Permits you to save the settings of the current
                         study as the "DEFAULT" study.  The "DEFAULT" study
                         settings are loaded when you first start Parity, and
                         whenever you click on the Reset All button in the
                         Formula Editor.
                         To make a new "DEFAULT" study use the Create/Modify
                         Current Study editors to define all of the settings
                         for the current study as you want them to appear in
                         the "DEFAULT" study and click OK.  Then choose
                         Default Study from the Options Menu and click on
                         Make Default Study.  All the settings, including
                         formulas and chart procedures, of the current study
                         will be saved to the DEFSTUDY.DAT file.  To return
                         to Parity's standard "DEFAULT" settings delete the
                         DEFSTUDY.DAT file from your disk.
       
       Chart Preferences Permits you to save settings which affect the colors
                         and sizes used to display various Chart Procedures,
                         Action Tools, and the chart size itself.  The
                         various settings should be self explanatory.
                         You can enable your preference settings for the
                         current Parity session only, or you can save them to
                         the CHRTPREF.DAT file which is automatically loaded
                         when Parity starts.  To return to Parity's standard
                         chart settings delete the CHRTPREF.DAT file from
                         your disk.
       
       Directory and File     Permits you to set a Startup Directory used for
                         the Load a Stock and Create Group commands.  You can
                         also save a preference for MetaStock or ChartPro
                         file formats.  Your settings will be saved to the
                         FILEPREF.DAT file which is automatically loaded when
                         Parity starts.  To return to Parity's standard
                         settings delete the FILEPREF.DAT file from your disk
                         Windows maintains a "current" directory for each
                         disk.  If you change from the "Startup Directory" to
                         a different directory using Parity, or any other
                         Windows application, that will be the directory
                         which will be displayed when you use Load a Stock or
                         Create Group.  Parity can only set your initial
                         startup directory.
       
       Moveable Tool Bar Will recreate the Tool Bar as a moveable window of
                         fixed size.  The moveable Tool Bar will be affected
                         by the Window Cascade and Tile commands.
       
       Fixed Tool Bar    Will recreate the Tool Bar as a fixed windows of
                         fixed size.  The fixed Tool Bar is not affected by
                         the Window Cascade and Tile commands unless you have
                         moved a chart off the "desktop" and used the scroll
                         bars which will appear to move around on the virtual
                         desktop.  Then Window Cascade or Tile may adversely
                         affect the Tool Bar and you may need to recreate it
                         using either the Moveable Tool Bar or the Fixed Tool
                         Bar commands.
       
Window Menu
       
       The Window Menu provides the standard functionality of the Windows 3.x
       windowing commands.
       
       Command           Description
       Cascade           Arranges chart windows in an overlapping pattern so
                         that the title bar of each window remains visible.
       
       Tile              Arranges chart windows side by side so that all
                         windows are visible.
       
       Arrange Icons     Arranges all chart icons in rows at the bottom of
                         the Parity window.
       
       Show Print Log    Opens a very simple and limited text editor.  You
                         can make notes and comments in the print log and use
                         the File Print command to print them or the File
                         Save As command to save them to a file.
       
       Show Scheduler    This command has no function in this release of
                         Parity.
       
Help Menu
       
       The Help Menu provides access to Parity's extensive on-line help
       files.  You can also access help by pressing F1 at any time or
       clicking on the Help button in most of the dialog boxes.
       
Part 5         Indicators & Chart Procedures

       The technical analysis of stocks and commodities generally falls into
       three general types of activity; chart reading, indicator analysis,
       and wave or cycle analysis.  Vociferous proponents of each method
       exist, but most technicians make use of tools from each of these three
       general types of analysis in some measure.  Parity provides the user
       with a wide variety of chart types and predefined technical indicators
       which can be used to predict potential price trends.
       
  Chart Reading
       
       Chart reading typically involves the visual recognition of historical
       price and volume trends and patterns which are believed to be useful
       for forecasting the future direction of a security.  Most chartists
       draw trendlines and resistance and support lines on a chart which
       identify key price patterns.  Parity provides a full complement of
       drawing tools which are accessible from the Tool Bar or the Pointer
       Menu.  Just by "pointing and clicking" the user can quickly add
       trendlines, text, channel lines and Fibonacci lines to any chart.
       Also, Parity's Chart Procedures allow you to create many different
       chart types.
       
  Indicator Analysis
       
       Over the years technicians have developed a number of widely
       recognized "indicators" which can be useful for predicting when a
       security has peaked or bottomed or is continuing in its current trend.
       An indicator is simply a predefined formula which takes historical
       price and volume data and calculates a new indicator value which may
       have predictive significance.  Indicator analysis usually looks for
       indicator values above or below a certain point, divergences from an
       indicator chart and the price chart, or a peak or trough in the
       indicator itself.  Parity offers most of the commonly used indicators
       as predefined functions which can be easily charted or included in
       your own formulas.
       
  Cycle and Wave Analysis
       
       Many technicians believe that stocks and commodities follow certain
       naturally occurring wave patterns and price cycles.  The most
       comprehensive (and difficult) theory of this type is the Elliot Wave
       Theory.  Parity provides a full set of trigonometric functions which
       can be used to generate any sort of cycle and many of the same drawing
       tools used for chart reading will also be useful for wave analysis.
       
       The retail version of the program, Parity Plus, includes special tools
       to draw and position two sets of independent cycle lines on any of
       your charts.
       
Technical Indicators
       
       Parity includes over 40 of the most popular indicators for the
       technical analysis of stocks and commodities.  These majority of these
       indicators act as functions that return an array which can be used as
       the input to another indicator or within a user defined formula.  This
       makes it easy for you to do "studies on studies" or to develop your
       own proprietary charting tools.
       
       A complete list of the indicators available in Parity is shown below.
       A full description of the derivation and interpretation of these
       indicators is included in the manuals for the registered versions of
       Parity and Parity Plus.  Please see the Bibliography which follows for
       a list of books which discuss these indicators in detail.
       
  Notes on Syntax
       
       The naming and syntax for indicators generally follows the conventions
       established by MetaStock and TAS.  Some indicators expect parameters
       of a specific type as shown below:
       
          d  Any data array including predefined variables or the result of
             another indicator.
          
          p  The number of periods to use to calculate the indicator.
          
          t   The type of moving average to use.  Must be "S" for simple, "E"
             for exponential, "W" for weighted.  The quotes are required.
          
          r   Express the result of the indicator in points or percentages.
             Must be "$" for points or "%" for percentages.  The quotes are
             required
          
       Note that Parity is not case sensitive.  D is the same as d, AD() is
       the same as aD().
       
List of Predefined Technical Indicators
       
       Indicator Function          Description
          AD()                Accumulation/Distribution
          ADX(p)              Average Directional Movement Index
          ADXR(p)             Average Directional Movement Rating
          BolBands(p, deviations)  Bollinger Bands.  The deviations parameter
                              is the number of standard deviations used to
                              calculate the top and bottom bands.  BolBands()
                              is a procedure.
          CCI(p)              Commodity Channel Index
          CO()                Chaikin Oscillator
          DX(p)               Directional Movement Index
          EquiVol(p)          EquiVolume Indicator
          LinRegSlope(d, p, t)     Linear Regression Slope Indicator
          MACD()              MACD Indicator.  The 9 day exponential moving
                              average of the MACD is plotted in the same
                              color used by the Text Tool.
          MDI(p)              Minus Directional Indicator
          MFI(p)              Money Flow Index
          MO(p)               Momentum Indicator
          MOV(d, p, t)        Moving Average
          MovLinReg(d, p)     Moving Linear Regression
          NVI()               Negative Volume Index
          OBV()               On Balance Volume
          OSCP(p1, p2, t, r)  Price Oscillator
          OSCV(p1, p2, t, r)  Volume Oscillator
          PctDLine( ... )     %D Line Function
          PctKLine( ... )     %K Line Function
          PriceChannel(p)     Price Channel Bands
          PDI(p)              Plus Directional Indicator
          PVI()               Positive Volume Index
          PVT()               Price Volume Trend
          ROC(d, p, r)        Rate of Change
          RSI(p)              Relative Strength Index
          RSIX(d, p)          Relative Strength Index with specified data
                              array.
          SAR(IAF, MAF)       Parabolic Stop and Reverse System.  IAF is the
                              initial acceleration factor.  MAF is the
                              maximum acceleration.
          SMI(p1, p2, p3)     Stochastic Momentum Index
          STD(d) or STD(d, p) Standard Deviation.  STD(d) calculates the
                              standard deviation of each element of d from
                              all the values in d and returns a single scalar
                              number.  STD(d, p) calculates the standard
                              deviation of each element of d from the values
                              of the preceding p periods and returns an
                              array.
          Stoch(%Kperiods, %Kslowing, %Dperiods, %Dmethod)
          Stoch(%Kperiods, %Kslowing)   Stochastic Oscillator.  Stoch() takes
                              two forms.  You must specify the number of %K
                              periods and the %K slowing periods.  Optionally
                              you can also specify the number of %D periods
                              and the %D moving average method, i.e. "E",
                              "S", "W".  By default %Dperiods is 3 and
                              %Dmethod is "E".  The %D line is plotted in the
                              same color as the Text Tool.  Stoch() is a
                              procedure.
          TR()                True Range
          TRIX(p)             TRIX Indicator
          TSF(d, p)           Time Series Forecast
          ULT(p1, p2, p3)     Larry Williams' Ultimate Oscillator
          VAR(d) or VAR(d,p)  Variance.  VAR(d) calculates the variance of
                              each element of d from all the values in d and
                              returns a single scalar number.  VAR(d, p)
                              calculates the variance of each element of d
                              from the values of the preceding p periods and
                              returns an array.
          VOL(pm, pr)         Chaikin's Volatility Indicator, pm is the
                              number of moving average periods, pr is the
                              number of rate of change periods.
          VOLW(p)             Wilder's Volatility
          WC()                Weighted Close
          WILLA()             Williams' A/D
          WILLR(p)            Williams %R
          ZIG(d, change, r)   Zig Zag Indicator.  Filters out changes that
                              are less than change points or change percent.
                              If r is "%" then change must be less than 1.0.
          
Bibliography of Technical Analysis Texts
       
       The New Commodity Trading Systems and Methods.  Perry J. Kaufman.
       Technical Analysis of the Futures Markets.  John J. Murphy.
       The Encyclopedia of Technical Market Indicators.  Robert W. Colby &
       Thomas A. Meyers.
       The Technical Traders Guide to Computer Analysis of the Futures
       Markets.  Charles LeBeau & David W. Lucas.
       Technical Analysis of Stock Trends.  Robert D. Edwards & John Magee.
       Technical Analysis Explained.  Martin Pring.
       New Concepts in Technical Trading Systems.  J. Welles Wilder.
       
MetaStock Function Compatibility
       
       Parity supports virtually all of the indicators and functions provided
       with MetaStock 3.0, and adds many new indicators and functions of its
       own.  The following details the differences between MetaStock and
       Parity.
       
  MetaStock Functions Not Supported In Parity 1.3.
       
       Options & Commodities  None of MetaStock's options or commodities
                         related functions are supported in Parity 1.0.
                         These include the option functions delta(), gamma(),
                         life(), option(), theta(), and vega().  The
                         commodity related functions are aswing(), csi(),
                         hpi(), and swing().  A future release of Parity will
                         provide equivalent support for these functions.
       Indicators        We have had trouble finding the correct formulas for
                         the following indicators:  corr(), di(), and ffi().
                         These indicators will be added as we figure out how
                         to calculate them.
                         
  MetaStock Functions which will never be supported.
       
       Function          Description
       fml()             This has no equivalent in Parity since the result of
                         a formula can be referred to directly using F1 to
                         F9.
       if()              if is a reserved word.  Equivalent functionality is
                         provided by: IF test THEN d1 ELSE d2.
       mod(d, v)         mod is a reserved word.  Equivalent functionality is
                         provided by: d mod v.
       ref(d, p)         Equivalent functionality is provided by d[-p] or
                         d[+p].
       sqr(d)            sqr is a reserved word.  Equivalent functionality is
                         provided by: SQRT(d).
       sub(a, b)         sub is a reserved word.  Equivalent functionality is
                         provided by: a - b.
       sum(d, p)         sum is a reserved word.  Equivalent functionality is
                         provided by: StatMovTot(d, p)
                         
  Trivial MetaStock Functions which are supported.
       
       For your convenience we do support the following MetaStock functions.
       The actual underlying Parity equivalent is shown for your edification.
       We cannot guarantee that these functions will be supported in future
       releases of Parity.
  
       Function          Description
       ADD(a, b)         a + b
       DIV(a, b)         a / b
       FRAC(a)           a mod 1
       HHV(d, p)         StatMovMax(d, p)
       INT(d)            d \ 1
       LLV(d, p)         StatMovMin(d, p)
       MID(d, p)         (StatMovMin(d, p) + StatMovMax(d, p))/2
       MP()              (H + L) / 2
       MUL(a, b)         a * b
       NEG(d)            -d
       PER(d)            (d - d[StartValid(d)])/ d[StartValid(d)]
       PREC(d, p)        ((d * 10^p) \ 1) / 10 ^ p
       PWR(a, b)         a ^ b
       
Procedures vs. Functions
       
       Parity includes several indicators which are defined as Procedures
       rather than Functions.  These indicators, which include BolBands() and
       Stoch() do not return an array of data values.  However, BolBands()
       and Stoch() do create named Global Variables which can be used in
       subsequent calculations.
       
       Parity also includes a special class of Chart Procedures which are
       used to create special chart types in a pane of a study.  Chart
       procedures are used in a study just like indicators but they do not
       return an array of data values.
       
       Indicator procedures and chart procedures cannot be used within any
       other function and the result of the procedure cannot be referred to
       using the F1 to F9 array variables.
       
       The following predefined indicators are Procedures rather than
       Functions.
       
            BolBands(p, deviations).  Calculates the Bollinger Bands for the
            closing price using p periods and deviations standard deviations.
            The result of the calculation are stored in the global variables
            topband, centerband, and bottomband which may be referenced in
            subsequent calculations.
       
            Stoch(%Kperiods, %Kslowing, %Dperiods, %Dmethod)  Calculates the
            Stochastic Oscillator for the price data.  The results of the
            calculation are stored in the global variables %KLine and %DLine
            which may be referenced in subsequent calculations.
            
Chart Procedures
       
       Parity includes the ability to display multiple types of price charts
       within the same Study/Chart.  Parity accomplishes this with its Chart
       Procedure functionality.  Chart Procedures are used in a Study almost
       exactly like Parity's predefined indicators.  However, instead of
       returning a data array which is plotted in a pane of the chart, chart
       procedures create an entirely different chart type in the specified
       pane.
       
       Like indicators, chart procedures can be added to a study by double
       clicking in the Formula Editor's list box when the Chart Procedure
       radio button is on.  Or you can manually type a chart procedure into a
       formula box.  Note that the color and width used for many of the Chart
       Procedures can be set with the Chart Preferences command on the
       Options Menu.
       
  Types of Chart Procedures
       
       ChartFirstSecurity(typechart)
       Creates a bar, line, or candlestick chart of the first security in the
       Group.  Use "B", "L", or "J" for the typechart parameter.  See
       Predefined Variables.
       
       ChartHorizLine(data), ChartVertLine(data, c1, c2)
       
       Draws vertical and horizontal lines on a chart based on the values of
       data.  No results are returned.  See Adding Lines to a Chart.
       
       DaysAtPrice(array, band)
       
       Plots a horizontal bar chart of the number of days array was within
       the price range defined by band.  DaysAtPrice() is usually used with
       price data such as C, but you can use it with any array variable such
       as F1-F9.  The band parameter sets the "granularity" of the price
       ranges which are used to total the occurrences of array.  For example
       a band of 1 will treat a closing price of 33, 33.5 and 33.75 as
       occurring in the same band while .25 would treat them as falling into
       separate bands.  The horizontal bar is plotted at the midrange of the
       band.  Each increment along the X axis equals 1 day where array's
       price was within the band.  By default Parity will plot DaysAtPrice in
       the Price Pane.
       
       DBarPointFigure(boxsize, reversals, $or%, reverseWhen, constantBox)
       
       Causes a modified point and figure chart which incorporates the
       duration or time period of a column to be displayed in its pane.  No
       results are returned.
       
       EquiVolumeChart()
       
       Creates the Equivolume chart popularized by Richard Arms.  The width
       of each box on the chart is proportional to the volume traded, while
       the top and bottom of the box corresponds to the High and Low prices
       for that day.  A future version of Parity will include Equivolume
       Candlestick charts.  If you plot more than 1500 days of data with
       EquiVolumeChart() you will hit Parity's limit of 8189 data array
       elements and receive an error message.
       
       VolumeAtPrice(array, band)
       
       Plots a horizontal bar chart of the total volume when array was within
       the price range defined by band, proportional to the total volume
       traded during the period of the chart.  Unlike DaysAtPrice(), the
       length of the horizontal lines is relative, not absolute.  Roughly
       speaking, a line twice as long had twice as much volume at that price.
       See DaysAtPrice() for more detail.
       
       XOPointFigure(boxsize, reversals, $or%, reverseWhen, constantBox)
       
       Causes a traditional point and figure chart to be displayed in its
       pane.  No results are returned.
       
       XVolumeYPrice()
       
       This procedure plots a line chart where the X axis is volume and the Y
       axis is the closing price.  The first day is indicated by an "S" on
       the chart, and the last day by an "E".  The direction of the lines is
       indicated by their color.  By default, the lines cycle through Red,
       Green, and Blue.  So the line for the first data point is Red, the
       second is Green, the third is Blue, the fourth is Red etc.  The
       overall effect is to create something akin to The Crocker Chartc.  The
       analysis of Crocker Chartsc is beyond the scope of this documentation.
       
Point and Figure Charts
       
       Point and Figure charts are used to plot price movement rather than
       price action over time like bar or candlestick charts.
       
       You create point and figure charts by typing one of Parity's two types
       of point and figure chart procedures in the formula box of the Formula
       Editor.  Point and figure charts can be plotted in a unique pane,
       which can be stacked or overlaid on another pane, or plotted in a pane
       with other indicators.
       
  Constructing Point and Figure Charts
       
       Traditional point and figure charts display price movement as a series
       of columns of X's and O's.  An X column indicates rising prices and
       the O column indicates falling prices.  By default Parity also colors
       the X columns blue and the O columns red to facilitate their
       interpretation.
       
       The two most important parameters in the construction of a point and
       figure chart are the box size and the reversal criterion.  The box
       size determines the minimum price movement necessary to add an X or O
       to a column.  The reversal criterion is usually expressed as x number
       of boxes and is used to determine if a new column of X's or O's should
       be started.  The procedure to create a chart in an English/BASIC
       dialect is:
       
          Get the high and low prices for today
          SELECT CASE current column
               CASE current column is X's
                    IF today's high is at least 1 box > than previous high
          THEN
                         Plot new X's.
                         Do not fill box if scale price is > today's high
                    ELSE IF today's low is x boxes below the X column high
          THEN
                         Move right one column
                         Enter O's beginning 1 box below the X column high
                         Do not fill box if scale price is < today's low
                    END IF
               CASE current column is O's
                    Do the reverse of the X case.
          END SELECT
       
       Traditional point and figure charts disregard time.  This makes it
       difficult to relate point and figure charts to standard price volume
       charts.  To alleviate this problem Parity incorporates a point and
       figure chart type, DBarPointFigure(), which changes the width of the X
       and O columns to reflect the passage of time.
       
The Point and Figure Procedures

       Parity has two chart procedures which can be used to create point and
       figure charts.
       
  XOPointFigure(boxsize, reversals, $or%, reverseWhen, constantBox)
  
       
       Plots a traditional point and figure chart of X and O columns.  If you
       have a color display, X's will be displayed in blue and O's in red.
       The procedure is entered as a formula in a Study.  How point and
       figure charts are displayed can be controlled in the same fashion as
       any other item plotted in a study.
       
  DBarPointFigure(boxsize, reversals, $or%, reverseWhen, constantBox)
  
       
       Plots a modified point and figure chart which incorporates time by
       varying the width of a column to match the entry and exit dates.  X
       columns are displayed as blue rectangles, O columns are displayed as
       red rectangles.
       
  Parameters
       
       Parity permits you to experiment with a number of varieties of the
       point and figure method by changing the parameters used with
       XOPointFigure() and DBarPointFigure.
       
          Parameter           Description
          boxsize             The box size of the chart can be expressed in
                              points or percentages, i.e. 1.0 could indicate
                              one point, or .05 could indicate 5% depending
                              on the setting of $or%
          reversals           Determines the number of boxes need to reverse
                              direction and start a new column.  Must be a
                              positive number.  Note that a boxsize of 1 and
                              reversals of 3 and boxsize of .5 and reversals
                              of 6 will create identical charts.
          $or%                Determines whether the value of boxsize is used
                              as an absolute dollar amount or a percentage of
                              the closing price.  $or% must be either "$" or
                              "%" including the quotes.
          reverseWhen         An important question for point and figure
                              charts is when to test for a reversal if the
                              high and low prices of a volatile trading day
                              could be used to continue a column or reverse
                              to a new column.
                              Setting reverseWhen to "A" causes Parity to
                              test for a reversal even after a column has
                              been continued.
                              Setting reverseWhen to "N" causes Parity to
                              only test for a reversal if the column has not
                              been continued.  This is the case shown in the
                              chart construction example above.
                              Setting reverseWhen to "B" causes Parity to
                              test for a reversal before it tests if the
                              column has been continued.
          constantBox         Parity can automatically vary the box size as a
                              function of closing price when $or% is set to
                              "%".  constantBox must be either "Y" for a
                              constant box size or "N" for a variable box
                              size based on boxsize * today's close.  If $or%
                              is set to "$" constantBox is ignored.
          
  Limitations
       
       An XOPointFigure() chart can contain a maximum of 8189 X and O
       elements.  This is a limitation for all data arrays in Parity.  An X
       or O element is created for every box movement.  If you use a very
       small box size relative to the volatility and price of the security it
       is possible to hit the 8189 element limit.  An example would be using
       a 0.5 box size on something like the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
       
Adding Lines to a Chart
       
       Parity includes two procedures which can be used to automatically plot
       vertical or horizontal lines on a chart.  ChartVertLine() is
       particularly useful for indicating buy/sell criteria while
       ChartHorizLine() is useful to graphically illustrate threshold values
       for the formulas and indicators you plot.
       
       To use these procedures simply type them into a formula box in the
       Formula Editor.
       
       ChartVertLine(array, type, color1, color2)
       
       Causes vertical lines to be plotted the full height of the chart.
       ChartVertLine requires 1, 2 or 4 parameters as explained below.
       Generally, you will want to set the Pane To Plot In to the value of a
       pane which contains data.  This doesn't affect how ChartVertLine()
       works but otherwise you will have an empty pane in your chart.
       
       ChartVertLine(array) -- One Parameter Case.
       
          array               Holds a data array which can be a predefined
                              variable, F1 to F9, the result of an indicator,
                              or an expression combining any of these.
                              ChartVertLine(array) tests for array <> array[-
                              1] and plots a vertical line whenever it is
                              True.  In other words ChartVertLine will plot a
                              vertical line whenever today's array value is
                              not equal to yesterdays array value.  For
                              example:
                              ChartVertLine(C > MOV(C, 50, "S")
                              Will plot a vertical line when the closing
                              price crosses above or below the 50 day simple
                              moving average.
       
       ChartVertLine(array, type) -- Two Parameter Case
       
          array               Holds a data array as above.  Or array can
                              contain an array of dates.  The type parameter
                              determines how array will be evaluated.
                              If you want array to be a list of dates you
                              must express the dates as follows:
                              ChartVertLine({"07/01/91", "09/15/91",
                              "10/20/91"}, "dates")
                              This will plot a vertical line at each date
                              contained in array if that date exists in the
                              chart.  If the date doesn't exist no line will
                              be plotted.  Dates must be enclosed in quotes
                              and can be expressed as "MM/DD/YY", "YYMMDD",
                              or "DD-MMM-YY" type formats.  To plot a singe
                              date use ChartVertLine({"07/01/91"}, "dates")
                              or ChartVertLine("07/01/91","dates")
          type                Must be set to either "dates" to plot an array
                              of dates, or "values" to plot a data array as
                              in the one parameter case.
       ChartVertLine(array, type, color1, color2) -- Four Parameter Case
       
          array               As above
          type                As above
          color1              The name of a color, enclosed in quotes.  Valid
                              names are shown in the select color list in the
                              Color Editor.  Examples include "Blue",
                              "Black", "Red", "Green", "Yellow", "Cyan",
                              "Magenta".  The first vertical line will be
                              drawn in color1, the second in color2, the
                              third in color1, etc.
          color2              As above.
          
       ChartHorizLine(data)
       
       Plots horizontal lines at the Y axis values held in data, in the Pane
       To Plot In assigned in the Pane Layout Editor.  The color of the line
       is set using the Color Editor.
       
       By plotting ChartHorizLine in the same pane as a formula, indicator,
       or price chart it is possible to set one or more visual "thresholds"
       which you can use to judge whether the formula or indicator is
       signaling a buy or sell condition.
       
       ChartHorizLine(data) takes a single parameter, data, which can be
       either a scalar or array value.  For example to plot 4 horizontal
       lines in a pane use:
       
            ChartHorizLine({100, 50, 0, -50, -100})
       
       To plot a single horizontal line you can use either:
       
            ChartHorizLine({0})
       Or
            ChartHorizLine(0)
       
       The values in data can appear in any order.
       
Part 6      Formulas, Operators & Functions

       Parity provides a full complement of powerful mathematical functions
       and operators which can be used to create very complex user defined
       formulas.
       
Formulas
       
       Parity permits you to create extremely sophisticated formulas using
       the Formula Editor.
       
       With Parity you can create formulas using:
       
          Arithmetic Operators     +, -, *, /, ^, Mod, \
          Comparison Operators     =, <>, <, >, <=, >=
          Logical Operators   AND, OR, NOT, XOR, EQV, IMP
          Trigonometric Functions  Cos(), Sin(), Tan(), ACos(), ASin(),
                              ATn(), ATan2()
          Exponential Functions    Exp(), Exp10(), Log(), Log10(), Sqr(),
                              Sqrt()
          Rounding Functions  Round(), Ceil(), Floor(), Abs(), Sgn(), Bool()
          Array Related Functions  Sum(), Product(), RunTot(), Min(), Max(),
                              IF test THEN data1 ELSE data2
          Statistical Functions    StatNorm(), StatPercent(), StatRegress(),
                              StatMovTot(), StatMovMin(), StatMovMax()
          Technical Indicators     Predefined technical indicators for stock
                              and commodity charting, i.e. AD(), ADXR(),
                              MOV(), TRIX(), TSF() etc..
          Other Formulas      F1 to F9 when previously defined
          Custom Formulas     Not Supported in Version 1.0
       
  Limitations of Formulas in Parity
       
       Version 1.3 of Parity includes several important limitations on the
       formulas you create:
       
       1  A formula cannot contain more than 512 characters.
       
       2  You cannot assign the result of a formula to a variable.  By
          default, formulas created using the Formula Editor will assign the
          result of a formula to its corresponding F1 to F9 variable, which
          can be used in subsequent calculations.  You cannot use = as an
          assignment operator within a formula.  The following will cause an
          error when you chart a study.
            x = H - L
          The Custom Functions feature, which will be implemented in a future
          version of Parity, will permit you to assign the result of a
          formula to a temporary variable.
       
       3  Parity calculates the result of a formula "all at once" and does
          not support FOR or WHILE loops.  This can create a problem where
          you might want to use "yesterdays" value of the formula in the
          formula.  For example, a 9 day exponential moving average of the
          closing price is defined as:
          
                current period close * 0.2 + previous period's avg. * 0.8
          
          In Version 1.3 of Parity there is no way to reference "the previous
          periods avg" before all the elements of the array are calculated.  
       
          Note that it is easy to reference the previous value of an array
          once it has been calculated using the [-x] array notation, you
          simply can't do it while its being calculated.  This is equivalent
          to MetaStock's ref( data array, period) function but is much more
          powerful and direct.
       
       4  Parity does not perform any error checking on user defined formulas
          before it executes them.  If you attempt to plot a formula with an
          error in it Parity will issue a cryptic error message and appear to
          hang.  To resume the program simply hit the up arrow key and close
          the error message.
       
  Examples of Valid Formulas
       
            AD()
            MOV(C, 20, "S")
            Stoch(5, 3, 3, "E")
            (H - L) / C
            ROC( RSI(14) , 10, "%" )
            (MOV(C,10, "E") > MOV(C, 40, "E") AND RSI(14) <= 70) * 2 - 1
            TSF(C, 21)[-1] <= TSF(C,21) AND TSF(C,21) >= TSF (C,21)[+1]
            C > 30
  Examples of Invalid Formulas
       
            x = H- L
            Stoch(5,3,3,"E") / C
            Any formula that results in division by 0.
            
Arrays versus Scalars
       
       A good understanding of arrays is essential to creating your own
       formulas.  When you chart an indicator in Parity it appears as a
       continuous line.  In fact the line simply connects the multiple
       discrete data values which make up the array which is defined by that
       indicator.  Likewise, Parity loads a security's price data into
       separate arrays for the high, low and closing prices which are then
       available to you via the predefined array variables, H, L, C.
       
       An example of an array with five values would be:
       
          DA = {2, 4, 6, 8, 10}
       
       The squiggly brackets indicate that the numbers form an array, which
       can be thought of as a set of numbers which can be referred to as a
       single entity or variable, in this case the variable DA.  Each element
       of an array can be referenced by its "index", i.e. its position in the
       array.  In the example above the number 6 has an index of 3 and could
       be specified as DA[3] (see below for more information on referencing
       arrays).  Many math texts also refer to arrays as vectors.
       
       An array doesn't have to contain multiple values, it could include
       only a single number, for example the array {5} contains just one
       value.  However, the array {5} is a different type of data than the
       "scalar" number 5.  In other words, scalars contain a single value,
       such as 2.7 or 5.  Arrays generally contain multiple values, each
       element of which is addressed by an index.
       
       Most of Parity's operators and functions work equally well on arrays
       and scalars and the two can be mixed together in computations.  For
       example, you can multiply an array variable with 5 values by the
       scalar number 2 as shown below:
       
          {4, 8, 12, 16, 20} = {2, 4, 6, 8, 10} * 2 = DA * 2
       
       An array can contain a maximum of 8189 elements.
       
  Referencing Arrays
       
       There are several ways to refer to arrays and to their elements as
       shown below.
       
       V The whole array Where V is {2, 4, 6, 8, 10}
       V[x] Element x of array V V[4] would be {8}
       V[x:y] Elements x to y of V V[2:4] would be {4, 6, 8}
       V[-x] V with elements shifted ahead by x units.  The valid range is also
       adjusted to match the shifted elements V[-1] would be {?, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10}
       V[+x] V with elements shifted back x units.  Elements shifted before x are
       discarded. V[+1] would be {4, 6, 8, 10}
       
       The size of an array is the total number of elements it contains.  In
       the example above V's size is 5 elements.  Arrays also have valid
       ranges and they do not have to be defined starting with index 1.  In
       our example the valid range of V[-1] is [2:6].  Index [1] of this
       array is undefined.
       
  Array Calculations
       
       All of Parity's operators and most of its predefined functions and
       indicators work on arrays.  The careful use of array shifting can
       permit you to create very powerful formulas using Parity.  For example
       to calculate the percent change of today's closing price versus two
       days ago you could use the formula:
       
          ( (C - C[-2]) / C[-2] ) * 100
       
       Or, to calculate the difference between a 14 day simple moving average
       and the closing price:
       
          C - MOV(C, 14, "S")
       
       Generally Parity is able to automatically compensate for the changes
       in size and valid range that occur in array calculations.  However it
       is conceivable that you might create a formula which tries to perform
       an operation on two arrays that don't have overlapping valid ranges
       and have different sizes.  In that case Parity will give you an error
       message when you try to execute the formula.
       
Predefined Variables
       
       Whenever Parity loads price data for a security it creates a number of
       predefined array variables that can be used in your formulas.  These
       variables include:
       
          H              Array of High Prices
          L              Array of Low Prices
          C              Array of Closing Prices
          V              Array of Trading Volume
       
       If the data file which is loaded includes open and open interest data
       Parity will also create these additional variables:
       
          O              Array of Opening Prices
          OI             Array of Open Interest
       
       Each element of these predefined variables contains data from the
       corresponding record in the data range that was loaded.  The first
       element is always the oldest record and the last element is the most
       recent record loaded.
       
  Predefined Variables for the First Security in a Group
       
       Parity also stores the price data for the first security in a group in
       a special set of predefined variables.  This lets you create formulas
       that perform spread or relative strength calculations.  These special
       variables include:
       
          FH             Array of High Prices of First Security in a Group
          FL             Array of Low Prices of First Security in a Group
          FC             Array of Closing Prices of First Security in a Group
          FV             Array of Trading Volume of First Security in a Group
          FO             Array of Opening Prices of First Security in a Group
          FOI            Array of Open Interest of First Security in a Group
       
       If the date range of the first security in a group is different from
       subsequent securities in a group, the use of these special variables
       will be misleading at best.
       
       The ChartFirstSecurity(type of chart) chart procedure can be used to
       plot a line, bar, or candlestick chart of the first security in any
       pane of a chart.
       
       If you Load a Security before you select a current group these Fx
       variables will be identical to the predefined variables for that
       security.  However, if the Fx variables are already defined they will
       not be overwritten, except when you select a new group.  This prevents
       "Undefined Variable" errors and gives you maximum flexibility in
       designing your studies.
       
       The Fx variables are extremely useful for charting spreads and
       relative strength comparisions.  Typically the first security in a
       group would be an index like the S+P 500 or the leading company in an
       industry.  You could then use a formula like
       
             C - FC
       
       to plot a spread or
       
            (C-C[1])/(FC - FC[1])
       
        to plot relative strength.
       
  Importing User Defined Variables
       
       Parity gives you the unique ability to import user defined variables
       using the Import Other Formats command.  These user defined variables
       will persist for the duration of your session with Parity and can be
       used just like predefined variables.  Note that Parity provides no
       error or range checking for user defined variables.  There is a
       special syntax which can make user defined variables more useful to
       you.  Let say you imported a variable called NYSEADVANCE which has 800
       data elements.  The data you are charting includes 101 data elements.
       Assuming the date of the last element of NYSEADVANCE is the same as
       the last day of your price data you could use the following command to
       include NYSEADVANCE in a formula correctly:
       
          NYSEADVANCE[EndValid(NYSEADVANCE) - 100 : EndValid(NYSEADVANCE)]
       
       To actually chart NYSEADVANCE you might also need to adjust its valid
       range by appending
       
          [ + (EndValid(NYSEADVANCE) - 100) ]
       
       To the formula above.    Obviously user defined variables are a
       powerful AND complex feature.  You will need to experiment to become
       familiar with this capability.  Please see the sections on Arrays
       versus Scalars, and Array Related Functions for more information on
       the use of the [ ] array operator and the StartValid and EndValid
       functions.
       
Operators, Parenthesis and Mathematical Precedence
       
       Formulas in Parity follow the normal conventions for the use of
       parenthesis and precedence to control the order in which mathematical
       operations are performed.  Parity also supports the normal
       mathematical operators available in most BASIC dialects including (in
       order of precedence):
       
          (  )           Parentheses
          [  ]           Array Brackets
          ^              Exponentiation
          - (unary minus)     Unary Minus
          * /            Multiplication and Division
          \              Truncated Division
          Mod            Modulus
          + -            Addition and Subtraction
          = <> > < >= <= Comparison
          Not            Logical Negation
          And            Logical And
          Or             Logical Or
          Xor            Logical Exclusive Or
          Eqv            Logical Equivalence
          Imp            Logical Implication
       
       With some rather complicated exceptions these operators can be used
       equally well with Scalar or Array values.  The Logical Operators
       consider a 0 value to be False and any non zero value to be True.
       Using a Logical Operator on an array will return an array of ones and
       zeros.
       
Arithmetic Operators
       
       Parity permits you to use all of the standard arithmetic operators in
       your formulas as shown below.
       
          A + B               Add B to A
          A - B               Subtract B from A
          A * B               Multiply A and B
          A / B               Divide A by B
          A ^ B               Compute AB
          A Mod B             Return the integer remainder of A / B
          A \ B               Truncated Division.  Divide A by B and discard
                              digits to the right of the decimal place.
          - A                 Negate A.  This is a unary operator
          
Comparison Operators
       
       The Comparison Operators compare two values which can be either an
       array or a scalar.  The comparison operators return 1 if the
       comparison is true or 0 if it is false.  Using a comparison operator
       with an array will return an array of 1's and 0's for each element in
       the array.
       
          A < B               If A is less than B the result is 1, and 0
                              otherwise.
          A <= B              If A is less than or equal to B the result is
                              1, and 0 otherwise.
          A <> B              If A is not equal to B the result is 1, and 0
                              otherwise.
          A = B               If A is equal to B the result is 1, and 0
                              otherwise.
          A > B               If A is greater than B the result is 1, and 0
                              otherwise.
          A >= B              If A is greater than or equal to B the result
                              is 1, and 0 otherwise.
          
Logical Operators
       
       Logical Operators work on true and false values.  Parity considers any
       non-zero value to be true and 0 to be false.  Logical Operators can be
       combined with comparison operators and other values to form a logical
       statement.  Using Logical Operators with arrays will return an array
       of 1's and 0's.
       
          A AND B             If A and B are both non-zero the result is 1.
                              Otherwise, the result is 0.
          A OR B              If A or B is non-zero the result is 1.
                              Otherwise, the result is 0.
          A XOR B             If A is non-zero and B is 0, or A is 0 and B is
                              non-zero, then the result is 1.  Otherwise, the
                              result is 0.
          NOT A               If A is non-zero, the result is 0.  If A is 0,
                              the result is 1
          A EQV B             If A and B are both non-zero, or A and B are
                              both 0, then the result is 1.  Otherwise, the
                              result is 0.
          A IMP B             If A is 0 or B is non-zero, the result is 1.
                              Otherwise, the result is 0.
          
Trigonometric Functions
       
       Parity supports the standard trigonometric and inverse trigonometric
       functions.  Angle measurements are in radians.
       
       Degree measurements are converted to radians by multiplying by the
       factor pi/180.  The value of Pi can be obtained using ACos(-1).
       
       Trigonometric functions will operate on either scalar or array values.
       
          Cos(data)           Computes the cosine of a value given in
                              radians.
          Sin(data)           Computes the sine of a value given in radians.
          Tan(data)           Computes the tangent of a value given in
                              radians.
          ACos(data)          Computes the arccosine of a value given in
                              radians.
          ASin(data)          Computes the arcsine of a value given in
                              radians.
          ATn(data)           Computes the arctangent of a value given in
                              radians.
          ATan2(Xdata, Ydata) Computes the tangent of a line from the origin
                              to a point.
          
Exponential Functions
       
       Parity includes a set of common exponential functions:
       
          Exp(data)           Computes ex
          Exp10(data)         Computes 10x
          Log(data)           Computes ln(x)
          Log10(data)         Computes log10(x)
          Sqr(data)           Computes x2
          Sqrt(data)          Computes the square root of a value.
       The logarithm of a number for a base other than e or 10 is computed
       with the following formula:
       
          Logbx = Log(x) / Log(b)
       The value of the constant e is calculated with the equation below:
       
          e = Exp(1)
          
Rounding Functions
       
       Rounding functions are used to adjust scalar or array data in a number
       of ways.
       
          Round(data)         Returns the nearest integer to a value
          Ceil(data)          Returns the smallest integral number >= the
                              value.
          Floor(data)         Returns the largest integral number <= the
                              value.
          Abs(data)           Returns the absolute value of a number.
          Sgn(data)           Returns the signum function of a number, i.e. 1
                              for 6 and -1 for -6.
          Bool(data)          Converts a number to a Boolean. Either 1 for a
                              non- zero value or 0.
          
Array Related Functions
       
       The Array Related Functions may operate on scalar parameters, though
       generally they are only meaningful for array values.  See the Arrays
       versus Scalars section for a more general discussion of arrays.
       
          StartValid(array)   Returns a scalar which is the index number of
                              the first element of the array.
          EndValid(array)     Returns a scalar which is the index number of
                              the last element of the array.
          RunTot(array)       Creates an array containing a running total of
                              the input array.
          Sum(array)          Returns the sum of all the elements in an
                              array.
          Product(array)      Returns the product of all the elements in an
                              array.
          Min(array)          Returns the smallest value in an array.
          Max(array)          Returns the largest value in an array.
          IF test THEN data1 ELSE data2 Returns data1 if test is true (non-
                              zero) or data2 if test is false (0).  If test
                              is an array this evaluation is done element by
                              element and the corresponding element in data1
                              or data2 is returned.  Arrays and scalars can
                              be mixed.
          
Statistical Functions
       
       Parity provides you with a number of statistical functions which you
       can use in the formulas you define.
       
          StatNorm(data, min, max) Normalizes an array to a specified range.
                              The smallest element in the array will be
                              mapped to min and the largest will be mapped to
                              max with all intermediate values linearly
                              scaled.
          StatPercent(data)   Computes the sum of all the elements in data
                              and returns an array containing data divided by
                              the sum.  Equivalent to data / Sum(data).
          StatRegress(data)   Computes a best fit least squares regression
                              line for data.  The result is an array filled
                              with values representing the Y values of the
                              regression line.
  Time Series Functions
       
       The following functions perform an operation, such as computing an
       average, involving an element of an array and the preceding N elements
       where N is determined by the parameter lengths.  Since lengths can be
       either a scalar or an array of the same size as data, it is possible
       for undefined values to occur in the middle of an array.  For example
       if element 4 of array lengths is 15.  This would mean that the fourth
       element was a function of the preceding 15 elements.  In this case the
       fourth element of the result, and all preceding elements, would be
       undefined.
       
          StatMovAvg(data, lengths)     Determines the moving average of an
                              array.  The ith element in the result will be
                              the average of the ith element and the
                              preceding N-1 elements, where N is the ith
                              element of lengths.  If lengths is a scalar, N
                              is always equal to lengths.
          StatMovMax(data, lengths)     Determines the moving maximum of an
                              array.
          StatMovMin(data, lengths)     Determines the moving minimum of an
                              array.
          StatMovTot(data, lengths)     Determines the moving total of an
                              array.
          
Part 7         File Formats Supported

       Parity directly supports 5 and 7 field MetaStock (and most CompuTrac)
       data files, 7 field ChartPro/MegaTech data files, and a variety of
       Comma Separated ASCII file formats.  You can also import data from
       Excel spreadsheets (3.0 or 2.1 formats but not 4.0), Lotus 123 WKS
       spreadsheets (but not the WRK, WK1 or WK3 formats), and a variety of
       tab and comma delimited formats (see Import Other Formats for more
       details).  The Parity Plus version of the program includes a very
       flexible Data Conversion utility that can convert to and from all of
       the above formats.
       
The MetaStock/CompuTrac Format
       
       The MetaStock/CompuTrac format dates from the late 1970's and is
       widely supported by most data vendors.  The files use the
       antiquated Microsoft Binary Format to store numbers and the data must
       be converted to IEEE floating point format.  This makes MetaStock
       files slower to load.  You can only have 255 MetaStock data files in a
       single directory.  
       
       Parity supports 5 and 7 field MetaStock data files.  The program does
       not support MetaStock composite securities which are ignored.  The
       MetaStock file format is a subset of the original CompuTrac file
       format.  Most standard 5 and 7 field CompuTrac files should work with
       Parity.  The 6 field CompuTrac format is not supported.
       
ChartPro File Format
       
       The ChartPro format was created by the developer of the ChartPro and
       MegaTech charting programs.  Although this file format isn't widely
       supported by dedicated data vendors, there are a number of shareware
       and quasi commercial programs available which can create and update
       these files from daily quotes downloaded from general information
       services like Prodigy, GEnie, and Dow Jones News/Retrieval.  The most
       popular of these programs appear to be PML, StockWatch 6.0, Pro$tock,
       and PDL.  The author's of all of these programs offer support on the
       Money Talk BBS of the Prodigy service.
       
       ChartPro format files consist of daily records that are each 26 bytes
       long.  The first two bytes are an integer value representing the date.
       The next 24 bytes are 6 four-byte single precision IEEE floating point
       fields for the open, high, low, close, volume and open interest in
       that order.  The first 2 records or 52 bytes are ignored by Parity for
       compatibility with future versions of MegaTech.  The date numbering of
       ChartPro files is somewhat unusual.  ChartPro assigns a value of 1 to
       January 1, 1983.  Add 1 for each subsequent day including weekends and
       leap years.  For periods prior to 1983 use negative numbers
       subtracting 1 for each day of the year.  In order to be recognized by
       Parity, ChartPro format files must end with the .PRO extension.
       Generally the first 8 letters of the file name are the security's
       symbol.
       
Comma Separated ASCII Files
       
       Parity directly supports a variety of different types of comma
       separated or delimited ASCII text files.  The advantages of this
       format are that is can be imported or exported by almost every
       spreadsheet and database program on the market and it is easily
       maintained using any text editor.  The primary disadvantage of this
       format is that text files are a fairly bulky way of storing numeric
       information.
       
       Parity supports comma delimited files in the following formats:
       
       date,close
       date,close,volume
       date,high,low,close
       date,high,low,close,volume
       date,open,high,low,close,volume
       date,open,high,low,close,volume,open interest
       
       Parity expects dates to be formatted as MM/DD/YY (leading zeros are
       optional) or YYMMDD.  The dates must not be enclosed in quotes.  For
       example 5/21/92 will be correctly imported while "5/21/92" will cause
       an error.  The price data must be in integer or decimal format.  For
       example 35 or 35.5 will work but 35 1/2 will not.
       
       Each line of the text file represents a single date or record and each
       line must end with a carriage return or carriage return and line feed.
       The fields must be in the format and order shown above, and each field
       is separated by a comma.  Leading spaces are ignored.  The file must
       not contain any headers or extraneous text.
       
       Parity automatically detects the number of fields in the file by
       counting the number of commas in the first line of the file.  If the
       first line of the file is longer than 70 bytes or contains the
       incorrect number of characters Parity will be unable to load the file.
       Parity will automatically create the appropriate high, low, and volume
       data arrays for files with less than 5 fields.  These arrays will be
       filled with zeros.  Similarly, a 6 field file will cause Parity to
       create an openinterest data array filled with zeros.  If Parity
       doesn't recognize the data in a field as a number it will set that
       data element to zero.
       
       Parity permits comma separated ASCII files to have any name or
       extension.  We suggest you use a standard convention when you name
       your files.
       
       Because Parity can only load 8100 data records and ASCII files have no
       set record length, Parity will not load ASCII files that are larger
       than 250 KB.
       
       You can use Parity Plus' Data Conversion command to convert a number
       of other ASCII formats to standard comma delimited ASCII files or any
       of Parity's other supported file types.
       
Part 8         Odds and Ends

       The odds and ends section includes information on printing, some known
       problems with Parity and optimizing the program for speed.
       
Printing Charts
       
       There are three ways you can print a chart.
       
       1  Use File Print to print the a chart if it is the current window.  A
          window is current when the title bar of the window is blue.  This
          will print the chart as it is displayed.  If the chart's window is
          small then it will print a smaller chart than if the window is
          large.  A chart that has been maximized may not fit within the
          margins of your printer.  File Print provides the least control
          over how the chart is printed.
       
       2  Use the Print Tool.  When you select the Print Tool from the Tool
          Bar a dialog box will pop up asking if you would like to print the
          chart "As Displayed", i.e., the way File Print does, or "Full
          Size."
       
          Full Size is the default and it will print your chart to fit the
          size of the page.  To print a chart just click anywhere within the
          chart while the Print Tool is active.  Parity also gives you the
          option of including or excluding the title bar of the chart window
          as the header for the print out.  You would probably choose not to
          print the title bar as the header if you had selected the Chart
          Titles at Top format from the Options Editor.
       
       3  Check the "Print Each Chart" option in the Select a Group dialog.
          This prints a chart each time it is created.  The chart will be
          printed according to the same settings as the Print Tool.
       
       Use File Printer Setup or the Printer Setup button on the Printer Tool
       dialog to select the device to print to and adjust the orientation of
       the page.
       
       Printing Caveats

       Windows prints slowly.  Graphics print very slowly.  Unfortunately
       there is nothing we can do to improve Window's printing speeds.
       However, Windows 3.1 prints much faster than Windows 3.0.  A product
       called SuperPrint from Zenographics claims to accelerate graphics
       printing from Windows but we have never used it.  However we
       wholeheartedly recommend the WinJet 800 add on for LaserJet II and III
       printers.  The WinJet 800 costs roughly $700 by mail order and is
       manufactured by LaserMaster.
       
       How charts print depends on the printer driver you use.  The Hewlett
       Packard LaserJet drivers do a very poor job of translating colors.
       For example, the LaserJet prints prints certain colors of some High,
       Low Close bars as a dashed rather than a solid line.  For the best
       results, we recommend you only use black in charts you will be
       printing on a LaserJet.  Postscript printers try to show colors with
       shading and the results are usually less than satisfactory.  The Epson
       printer driver is exceptional.  Printing is fast and the printed graph
       is very accurate.
       
       If you have a Laser Printer you may run into problems with inadequate
       memory to print full page charts.  We are unable to print charts full
       page using a LaserJet II with only 512 KB.  With 1.5 MB, the LaserJet
       II prints fine.  The standard 1 MB of memory in the LaserJet III is
       right on the border.  Some charts will print, others won't.  This is a
       limitation of the printer, not Parity.
       
       If you are using a high resolution printer you may find that
       candlestick charts print the candles too thinly.  You can use the
       Chart Preferences command in the Options menu to increase the
       thickness of the candlesticks.
       
Windows 3.0 System Resources
       
       The following discussion of System Resources refers specifically to
       Windows 3.0.  Windows 3.1 usually doubles or triples the System
       Resources that are available.  We strongly recommend that you upgrade
       to Windows 3.1.
       
       System Resources or Program Resources refers to a 64K byte segment of
       memory where Windows maintains the USER and GDI heaps which include
       information on all the Windows applications that are currently
       running.  Regardless of the amount of memory you have installed,
       Windows still includes this 64K constraint on the total System
       Resources that are available to ALL the Windows applications that are
       running.
       
       Every window, icon, menu, bit map, and chart etc. consumes some
       percentage of these System Resources.  Selecting the Help About
       command from the Program Manager will tell you what percentage of
       System Resources is available at any given time.  Note that running
       the Program Manager or the Norton Desktop Utilities often consume as
       much as 40% of total System Resources.  Deleting unused icons and
       program groups will free up these resources.
       
       Because of the complexity of some of its dialog boxes Parity is also a
       resource hog.  With no charts displayed, but using the Create/Modify
       Studies dialog, Parity consumes 30% of the System Resources.  Each
       chart Parity displays typically requires an additional 1.5-2% of these
       System Resources.
       
       Generally, you encounter a problem with System Resources when a large
       number of charts are displayed and you then open the Create/Modify
       Studies dialog box.  You may also have a problem if you try to have
       multiple Windows applications open at one time.  Unfortunately,
       Windows doesn't provide any particular error message for no more
       resources.  You will simply be unable to open a dialog box or create a
       chart.  The more you try the worse it gets since partially created
       charts and dialog boxes will continue to take up more and more memory.
       We suggest you save all your studies, groups, batches and clusters and
       restart Parity.
       
       On occasion, System Resources will be so low that Windows, and
       therefore Parity, will start to crash.  If this happens you may need
       to do a CTRL-ALT-F2, which will wipe all of Parity's charts and
       variables from memory.  If you do this you will lose any unsaved
       studies, groups and clusters and you will need to restart Parity.
       
System Requirements and Execution Speed
       
  Minimum System Requirements
       
       Parity requires Windows 3.x set in VGA or higher display mode, running
       on an 80286/80386/80486 IBM compatible computer with at least 2 MB of
       memory and 1 MB of free disk space.  Parity will perform best on a
       80486 DX  or a 33 MHz 80386 DX computer equipped with a math
       coprocessor and 8 MB of memory.  Parity takes full advantage of high
       resolution displays and 17 or 20 inch monitors.  Parity is compatible
       with OS/2 2.0 when it is run as a Windows application
       
  Maximizing Execution Speed
       
       While every effort has been made to optimize Parity's execution speed
       there are inevitably two factors that make it (and every other Windows
       application) slow compared to their DOS equivalents.  The first is the
       processing overhead required by Windows' multitasking operating
       system.  Secondly, Parity is graphically processor intensive.  This
       also consumes significant CPU cycles.
       
       Finally, Parity performs calculations on large data arrays.  Each time
       you create a chart is equivalent to recalculating a large spreadsheet
       filled with formulas.
       
       What to do?
       
       The first thing is that Parity is not intended to run on 80286 or 16
       MHz 80386 computers.  If that is  your hardware configuration nothing
       we suggest is likely to make Parity perform adequately.  If you do
       have adequate hardware and would like Parity to perform faster here
       are a few suggestions in order of their importance.
       
       1  Upgrade to Windows 3.1 if you are using Windows 3.0.  Windows 3.1
          runs Parity noticeably faster and provides faster printing and
          greater System Resources.
       
       2  Install a Math Coprocessor.  Unlike most programs Parity makes full
          use of a Math Coprocessor when it calculates the result of a
          formula or loads a data file.  A math coprocessor will increase the
          speed of these operations , which can involve tens of thousands of
          floating point calculations, 3-5 fold.  Best of all, math
          coprocessors are cheap and easy to install.

       3  Make sure you have at least 4 MB of available memory on your
          computer, i.e. memory not devoted to disk caches etc.  Studies have
          shown that 8 MB is the optimal memory configuration for Windows 3.x
          from a speed standpoint.
       
       4  If screen redraws are a problem buy a new graphics card with an
          accelerator or coprocessor chip optimized for Windows.  These cards
          cost $300 to $500 and have display resolutions up to 1280x1024
          pixels.
       
       5  Upgrade your motherboard.  This is technically more challenging but
          an excellent AMI Baby Voyager 80486 motherboard can be purchased by
          Mail Order for about $1100 dollars.  Based on our own experiences,
          we do not advise you to buy off-brand motherboards.  We do not
          recommend 80386 SX or 80486 SX computers.
       
       6  The best enhancement we ever made to our computers was to go to 17"
          flat screen 1024x768 non-interlaced monitors.  This won't enhance
          the speed of Parity at all but we guarantee you will find a whole
          new pleasure in running any Windows program.
       
       7  Parity is relatively insensitive to your hard disk speed but, if
          you don't have a disk cache installed, we strongly recommend that
          you install the SmartDrive cache that comes with Windows 3.x and
          DOS 5.0 or buy Super PC-Kwik 4.13 from MultiSoft.
       
Problems and Solutions
       
       Although Parity is as bug free as possible, there are a few things
       that may cause problems.  In particular, Parity performs no error
       checking on the formulas in a study before it attempts to chart a
       study.  This causes two problems if you make an error in a formula.
       
  The Hour Glass Cursor
       
       If a study has an invalid formula, Parity gives an error message when
       it attempts to chart the study.  In most cases, Parity will not have
       reset the Hour Glass Cursor for the mouse.  When the Hour Glass Cursor
       is set, all commands and mouse clicks are disabled.  To reset the
       cursor hit the up arrow key on your keyboard.
       
  Incomplete Charts and System Resources
       
       When Parity encounters an error in a study, it has already begun
       constructing a chart, but is stopped before the chart can be
       displayed.  It is not possible to close this chart and free up the
       System Resources it consumes.  Since each chart only consumes 1.5-2%
       of the System Resources this isn't a problem in and of itself.
       However, if you have created a large number of partial undisplayed
       charts, you may find your self running out of resources.  The only
       solution is to exit Parity (and possibly Windows) and restart.
       Remember to save any studies, groups, clusters and batches you may
       have created or modified.
       
  Other Problems
       
       If you attempt to display a cluster created for a higher resolution
       display the effects will be unpredictable.  In many cases the Tool Bar
       will be locked onto a new screen position.  This can also happen if
       you move a chart partially off the "desktop" and then use the scroll
       bars to view it and the perform a Window Cascade or Tile command.  In
       either case you should simply recreate the tool bar using the commands
       on the Options Menu.
       
       Also, note that a maximized chart is restored to its previous size
       when you open a dialog box or display another chart.  If the Tool Bar
       is hidden behind a maximized chart, use the Window Menu to select the
       "TBar" window.
       
Appendix

Data Vendors
       
       Version 1.3 of Parity does not include any utilities for collecting
       price data or automatically updating data files.  If you are upgrading
       to Parity from another technical analysis program you should continue
       to use whatever data collection and file maintenance utilities you are
       comfortable with.  If your price data is not in the
       MetaStock/CompuTrac, ChartPro/MegaTech, or comma delimited ASCII
       formats Parity supports please contact us.  If you are able to provide
       sufficient information on the file format you are currently using we
       may choose to include file compatibility with your data format in a
       future version of Parity.
       
       If you do not own any utilities for collecting and maintaining price
       data you have several alternatives.  You can manually maintain price
       data files in Excel, Lotus 123 WKS, comma separated value (CSV) or tab
       separated value files and use Parity's Import Other Formats command to
       chart the data in these files.  However, you will not be able to
       include these files in a Group and using Parity will generally be more
       cumbersome than if your data is in one of the supported formats.
       
       A number of third party utilities exist which can create or maintain
       price data files in MetaStock or ChartPro formats.  One of the best
       general purpose tools is the Personal Ticker Tape (PTT).  PTT is a
       shareware program which can convert ASCII text files into MetaStock
       data files.  PTT will also update and maintain your existing data
       files from data downloaded from on-line services like CompuServe,
       Genie, Prodigy, and Dow Jones News/Retrieval.  The latest version of
       PTT can be downloaded from the FlexSoft BBS at (510) 829-2293.  The
       cost of registering the software is $30.  ParTech Software Systems
       will also provide PTT on a diskette for a $5 shipping and handling
       fee.  We cannot provide any support for using PTT.
       
  Most of the Price Data Vendors listed below also offer software which can
  be used to access their data service and download price data into
  MetaStock data files.  Each vendor's service is different and we suggest
  you contact them directly for information on the capabilities and current
  pricing of their products.  General Information Services
       
       CompuServe, Inc.
       P.O. Box 20212
       5000 Arlington Centre Blvd.
       Columbus, OH 43220
       (800) 848-8199
       (614) 457-8650
       
       GEnie
       401 North Washington Street
       Rockville, MD 20850
       (800) 638-9636
       Current quotes only.
       
       Prodigy Service Company
       P.O. Box 791
       White Plains, NY  10601
       (800) 284-5933
       Current quotes only.
       
       Dow Jones News/Retrieval
       P.O. Box 300
       Princeton, NJ  08543
       (609) 452-1511
       
Price Data Vendors
       
       Commodity Systems, Inc. (CSI)
       200 W. Palmetto Park Road
       Boca Raton, FL  33432
       (800) 327-0715
       (407) 392-8663
       Commodity and stock data.  Relatively expensive but comprehensive and
       high quality.
       
       Genesis Financial Data Services
       P.O. Box 49578
       Colorado Springs, CO  80949
       (719) 260-6111
       
       Stock Data Corp.
       905 Bywater Road
       Annapolis, MD  21401
       (410) 280-5533
       Only Stock Data.  Weekly diskette or daily updating for the entire
       stock market.
       
       Technical Tools
       334 State Street, Suite 201
       Los Altos, CA  94022
       (800) 231-8005
       (415) 948-6124
       Commodity and stock data.
       
       Tick Data, Inc.
       720 Kipling Street, Suite 115
       Lakewood, CO  80215
       (800) 822-8425
       (303) 232-3701
       Mostly commodity data.  Data Base includes tick data for every trade.
       
       Worden Brothers
       4905 Pine Cone Drive, # 10-12
       Durham, NC  27707
       (800) 776-4940
       Relatively inexpensive but won't directly update files.  Use PTT.
       
Other Resources
       
       An excellent source of information on technical analysis is the
       magazine, Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities.  TASC can be
       difficult to find on a newstand but you can get a sample copy by
       calling 1-(800) 832-4642.
       
       The Traders Press offers a comprehensive catalog of books on the Stock
       Market and Technical Analysis.  You can reach them at 1-(800) 927-8222
       or at 1-(803) 298-0222.
       
       The Farpoint BBS offers a free source of historical stock data.  Call
       1-(312) 274-6128 to log on.  Farpoint gives you 120 minutes of free
       time daily.  They have historical data files on hundreds of stocks and
       you can use PML to convert Farpoint's ASCII data files to the
       MetaStock format.
       
       The Market Technicians Association BBS is an excellent source of
       advanced technical analysis information and discussion.  Log on at 1-
       (914) 478-7311.  Other good on-line sources for information and
       discussion on investing include the INVFORUM on CompuServe and Money
       Talk on Prodigy.
       
