The plug-in runs automatically whenever you start MetaStock.  Properly configured, the MetaStockCSV Plug-in allows your .csv format datafiles to be used directly within any MetaStock function with no import or conversion.

Before you begin to learn about and use the MetaStockCSV Plug-in for your own purposes, test your installation with a few  of the included MetaStock functions and historical datafiles.

Open MetaStock (you may click on the "Open MetaStock" button below).

In MetaStock, click on the (open) icon.  At the bottom of the "Open" dialog window that appears, make sure that "Smart Charts" is displayed in the "Files of type:" section.

If you used the default settings for your installation, the sample MetaStock format price files (.dat) are located in the "C:\MasterDATA\CSVPlug-in\Data\PxData" directory.  Browse to this directory now in MetaStock.

Select and open the symbol ".SPX".  A .SPX (Standard and Poors 500 Index) chart will open with your MetaStock default chart settings.

Apply a Template

Right click somewhere on the chart you just opened above and then left click on "Apply Template".

In the "Apply Template" dialog window that opens, browse to the "C:\MasterDATA\CSVPlug-in\Data\Templates\BySym" directory (this assumes that you installed to the default directories).

Select the template "NewHighLow.mwt" and click on the "Open" button.  If your MetaStockCSV Plug-in is installed and working properly, a three pane chart will open. 

• The top inner window is a candlestick chart of .SPX and includes MasterDATA's Trend Channel indicator (medium blue outside lines and red "pivot" line between the two outside lines) as well as the 200 day moving average of .SPX (light blue).

• The middle window is a histogram showing the percentage of components of .SPX with new daily highs (medium green) and lows (dark red) and first day daily highs (lime green) and lows (red). 

• The bottom inner window is a histogram showing the total volume of all 500 .SPX added together (lime green).  Take a moment to examine these composite indicators.  Very, very informative.

Cycle Charts Through the Open Chart

Next, let's try cycling through the other sample price files with this template.  There are two methods to accomplish cycling.

Once you have selected and configured your method of cycling charts and while the previously opened chart is still open, click on one of the two arrows in the lower right hand corner of the chart window.  This will cycle forward or backwards through all of the MetaStock price files in the "C:\MasterDATA\CSVPlug-in\Data\PxData" directory (three sample price files).  While interesting, it is also a good test of the plug-in.  Remember, every new symbol that is displayed in a chart is drawing its high/low statistics from its own .csv format composite / breadth historical datafile.  In this case, MetaStock is displaying 5 composite / breadth statistics in each chart from the symbol's related .csv format datafile.

Success!

If you were able to complete each of these simple tasks successfully, your plug-in is installed properly.  Certainly, experiment with the MetaStock templates included with the MetaStockCSV Plug-in.  A little experience with the plug-in at this stage will make your own development later much easier.