Notes Journal
Overview
The Notes Journal allows a trader to keep a log of what they were thinking at the time they took a particular action in the market (Buy, Sell, Hold). This can be accompanied with a snapshot image of the chart (or page) they were working with at the time. This provides a great opportunity for traders who audit their own performance in an attempt to see where things went right, and where improvements can be made. Journal entries can be made on a page by page basis, or saved to the code. When saved to the code, past journal entries can be viewed even on newly opened charts.
Video
The video below explains in detail how the journal works in Optuma:
Adding a Note to the Journal
When you roll your mouse over the History Slider at the top of a chart the Notes tab will be displayed in the middle as pictured below.
To add a journal entry simply drag the Notes tab down to display the following.
Entering Text
You can enter the desired text in the Notation filed. The Notes Journal also includes an automated spell checking function.
In the following example, “demonstration” has been misspelt, the word is underlined in red. Right-clicking on the misspelt word then displays a window of suggested corrections.
Status
From here you can alter the status of the entry from either: HOLD, BUY or SELL by simply left-clicking on the HOLD label.
It is possible to attach a screen image of the active chart or the complete page (if you have tiled charts).
After the trading status has been set you can then type the desired message in the box provided.
Multiple entries can be added to the Journal. Whenever you view another chart of the same security you will be able to access any previous journal entries, when you open the Notes Panel a scroll bar is displayed to the right that you can use to view past entries.
Printing Journal Entries
The Notes Journal includes an option to print a report of past entries.
When you bring the Journal window into view, the Print button will be located on the bottom left corner. If you can not see it, increase the height of the window.
Left click the Print Journals button and a small window will display where you can select the number of journal entries included in the report and the order in which they will display Ascending / Descending.
Click the Print button and a PDF report will be generated using the options you selected.
The report layout will display the most recent chart along the top, and each journal entry below. If a chart or page image was taken at the time the journal entry was made it will be displayed right of the journal text.
Custom Journal States
By default there are 5 Journal States available to select (Hold, Buy, Sell, Exit, Trim). From Optuma 2.0 and onward you can add custom states to your Journal.
To do this, click on the Settings menu, go to Workspace and expand the Charts section.
Locate the Journal States section and expand it to see the current values.
To add a new custom state, click on the + on the top left corner of the window.
A blank enter will appear at the bottom of the list, type the text for the new state and press Enter to save it.
Once the new state has been saved you will be able to select it when next accessing the Notes Journal on any chart.
Custom States can also be displayed in a Watchlist via the Recommendation column.
Actions & Properties
If you want to adjust the font size of your message then you can do so from the Notes Panel Properties in the Control Panel. To adjust the font size drag the slider bar to the right to increase the size or to the left to decrease.
In the Notes Panel, there is also the option to quickly hide the panel from view by left-clicking on the Hide Notes Panel.
Show Journals on Charts
You can add symbols to your chart indicating dates where a journal entry has been entered.
To display the symbols on your chart, open the Notes Journal and go to the left side panel. Under the Properties section tick the option called Show Journals on Charts.
Symbols will appear on your chart:
When you hover over the symbol a tips window will display showing the Date, Position and Text entered into the journal, as well as an image preview (if one was taken).
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Notes Journal Position Options
It is possible to have the Notes Journal displayed to the left of the chart, in addition to the default top position.
To change the Notes Journal so that it displays to the left of the chart go to Settings > Workspace > Charts > Journaling Panel Position.
Also, the Notes Journal can be “Pinned” in position, making it easy to print the chart with the Notes displayed. When the position has been changed to the left, you just need to hover your mouse over the center left of the chart, then you can grab the Journal handle and pull it out.
The above example is using a compressed chart for easier viewing, so the Notes Journal is not to scale.
Deleting a Journal Entry
If there is an entry that you wish to delete from the Journal, roll your mouse over the top-right corner of the comments section then left-click the red x as pictured below:
