Cursor: magnet effect / move freely

[Djobydjoba]

Hi Mark,

I make a slight change / addition on this request (originally posted here: viewtopic.php?p=17169#p17169):

Another request: an option to lock the cursor only to the price line, in order that the moving averages or Bollinger bands, don't catch it.
... With the cursor locked to price line only, this would be lot easier and quicker to manipulate the cursor, because we wouldn't have to deal with the vertical movements anymore. We would always know that the value under the cursor is a value of a price, and not a value of MA or BB.

Currently the cursor can only be above the price line, a moving average or a Bollinger bands (or some other elements I forget). Another request is an option for moving freely the cursor on the graph (above any (X,Y) point). This would allow to read the values we want, even where there is no price line, MA or BB at this location.

Examples :
1) on this graph: https://img15.hostingpics.net/pics/4480 ... 7h0702.png, the upper trendline is my take profit. I want to be able to move the cursor above the point (1) to read its values (date and price)
2) on this graph: https://img15.hostingpics.net/pics/6905 ... 7h1101.png, the trendline (1) is my level of stop loss. I want too to be able to move the cursor to this level to read its value (price level).
3) Another common use of the crosshair cursor: it is handy when we just want to move freely a straight line (horizontal or vertical) on the graph, to check levels, see if there could be levels of support/resistance, etc.

Suggestion: the addition of several options
1) An option to move freely the cursor on the screen (but still with a possible magnet effect with the graphical elements when the cursor approaches them, depending on the state of the options 2, 3 and 4)
2) An option to enable/disable the magnet effect to the MAs & BB. (with option 1 disabled, this is the same as my original request)
3) An option to enable/disable the magnet effect to the trendlines (but maybe not necessary if option 1 can be implemented)
4) An option to enable/disable the magnet effect to the price line (while we're at it... For really free cursor movements)

If option 1 (moving freely the cursor) is not feasible for some reasons (the cursor has always to be above a graphical element), option 2 and 3 would be nice at least (thus, for stop loss and take profit levels, we could draw a trendline and move the cursor above it to have the value).

Edit: not sure about all of this, but you have the overall idea of the request.

Thanks.

[Mark]

Hi Djobydjoba,

I believe your #1 is already available. Just turn the cursor "off". The position directly under your cursor will be shown in the status bar. The cursor can be any of these: Off / Crosshair / Track ball. When it is off, nothing is drawn on the graph as you move the mouse, and the current position under the mouse is shown in the status bar. When you have either Crosshair or Track ball, the snapped cursor is shown on the nearest element, and this snapped position is shown in the status bar. Also, you can find the end points of your trendlines by putting your cursor over the end. The start/end positions, the yield, and the slope are all shown in the left pane of the status bar. If you have on the option "Graphs / Options / Display... / Display Marker Data in Popup Tooltip" that same information will be shown in a tip right on the graph.

Tip: Use the keyboard shortcut 'F3' to scroll between the different cursor types.

[Djobydjoba]

I didn't know about the cursor "off" to get the cursor position. And it's handy with the shortcut F3, thanks.

With the crosshair cursor, I think I would prefer the center of the crosshair at the cursor position, so not snapped to a element. When we move the mouse, we spontaneously track visually the cursor and it is a litte bit disturbing when the crosshair doesn't follow it. We look at the cursor, and the center of the crosshair is elsewhere... we have to find it. Mentally is a little bit tiring...

And as said above, the ability to move freely the crosshair is the ability to move freely a horizontal and a vertical line. To study freely the price levels, is it useful.

So this can be a suggestion: a different crosshair behavior where:
- the center of the crosshair follow the mouse cursor.
- a snap behavior of the crosshair to an element only when the cursor is near the element (X pixels).

[Mark]

Hi Djobydjoba,

Okay, thanks for the feedback. I can see it being useful to separate the cursor shape from whether or not it "snaps" to a nearby object.

[Djobydjoba]

Hi Mark,

That would be better if the crosshair cursor type could be moved freely on the graph window instead of been locked on the price or MA lines.

One of the advantages of the crosshair tool is normally to move freely through a graph, to evaluate / locate price levels, support and resistance levels, etc. This is a standard in all the other stock chart programs.

Animated screenshot:
https://i.ibb.co/HFmb5L3/Free-Crosshair.gif

(or, just to illustrate more, a YT video to show that the crosshair moves freely: https://www.youtube.com/live/UsUnwqefck ... dBK&t=3818)

The fact that the crosshair is currently locked to lines does not allow this free evaluation of levels. It's a kind of "straitjacket". And it causes these sudden, non-fluid jumps from one price / line to another, which is tiring, instead of a smooth movement when the cursor is free.

IMO when the user want the very precise value of a price / line he can switch temporarily to the trackball cursor type, which is snapped to the lines / prices (and that's fine).

Thanks

[Mark]

Hi Djobydjoba,

Okay, understood. Thanks for the idea/feedback.