Greetings all -- I am in the final stages of writing, and the editor is in the final stages of editing, Introduction to AmiBroker. I anticipate it will go to the printer in about two weeks. Depending on the printer's schedule, it should be available to customers in October. I'll be posting the Table of Contents and a section or two, and offering a pre-publication sale price. It looks like to book will be near 500 pages. It covers installation, setting up free databases, subscription databases, real-time databases, introductory tutorial lessons, documentation of all menus, commands, and functions, and so forth. It will be well indexed, so you can find things quickly. The cover price is $39.95, and it will be sold through the book's web site. I'll post more here when the Contents is up on the web.
Thanks, Howard On Sun, Aug 31, 2008 at 8:07 AM, sidhartha70 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Grover, > > My desire for a beginners, intermediate and advanced user guides, is > to put the information in a format that will allow a clear development > arc for users. Right now what we have are disparate sources of > information, offered in non-heirarchical structure. I kind of have a > sense that I am missing the potential of AmiBroker in a way... but I'm > not quite sure what I'm missing because I haven't seen it yet!!! > > Hopefully Howard can cover some of these angles, or further & easier > contributions to the UKB can help. > > However, your suggestion is an excellent one. I've just done a few > google searches and I've found articles and information that I > probably wouldn't have seen before. > > > --- In [email protected] <amibroker%40yahoogroups.com>, "Grover > Yowell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > I'm with you Herman. > > > > > > > > As to the many comments about it is hard to find the information you > want > > even though it is there (somewhere), I agree. But now that I have re- > > discovered the Google site search feature and using that can find almost > > anything with a one line entry on the internet. In the Google > toolbar the > > search is : whatIwant site:www.amibroker.com > > > > > > > > So I am wondering if 90% of the problem of needing a new Help manual > would > > be solved by simply making available a convenient Google site search > line on > > the AMIbroker Home page. It has sure worked for me. I have been > able to > > find things in the UKB or the KB that I knew were there but couldn't > find at > > a later time. > > > > > > > > Sometimes it is better to solve a part of the problem that is easy > rather > > than the whole thing. > > > > > > > > Just a thought, > > > > > > > > Grover > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > From: [email protected] <amibroker%40yahoogroups.com> [mailto: > [email protected] <amibroker%40yahoogroups.com>] > On Behalf > > Of Herman > > Sent: Sunday, August 31, 2008 2:49 AM > > To: George Loyd > > Subject: Re[2]: [amibroker] Help Manual -> UKB > > > > > > > > I agree 100%. > > > > > > > > If anybody really wants a glossary he/she can have it published > tomorrow on > > the UKB. Tomasz created the UKB for this type of use and he already gave > > permission to draw on existing AB Help content if used on that site. > Don't > > underestimate the value of this. It means that you already have 95% > of the > > work, structure and content, done for you by Tomasz. I have no idea > what all > > the fuss is about. I can further clear copyright issues with him if > you want > > to go this route. > > > > > > > > The UKB comment field's can be used to add notes, code snippets, > references, > > etc. Volunteers can screen, polish, and add this to the main item to > make it > > look nice - with minimal effort. The tools are there and they are > already > > supported by AmiBroker. Just dump the whole thing in one post from Word > > (minimal formatting) on the UKB (contact me for details) and the search > > engine will find the required item. The UKB will have more > permanence than > > any other private site. > > > > > > > > I think 90% of all the talk in this thread is due to a desire to try > some > > new layouts and try a new glossy user interface. All that won't add any > > value to the contents of the site; it only adds lots of work to set > it up > > and maintain. > > > > > > > > If you want something done, simply do it. > > > > > > > > Best regards, > > > > herman > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Sunday, August 31, 2008, 12:58:43 AM, you wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I don't reply to many emails - in fact VERY few, but this one and > many of > > the replies forced me to write something. > > > > > > > > Maybe AmiBroker should be more like MetaStock where errors remain > for many > > upgrade cycles ( ie months to a year or more) and NO BETA upgrades ever > > occur. In the 6 1/2 years I have used AmiBroker Tomasz has provided > > literally far more than 100 beta versions - FREE of charge, often fixing > > bugs within a few hours to a couple of days. No other investment > software > > that I know of does this that fast. MetaStock's Enhance Backtester or > > Optimizer still has included errors in its handling of returns - > which in my > > opinion renders it less than useful for "real" investment work where > money > > is on the line. Enlighten me if I am wrong. Each "one tenth" upgrade for > > MetaStock costs $99 or more while Tomasz was providing 5 "one tenth" > > upgrades and MANY betas FREE for about the same price. Checking > MetaStock's > > manual - AmiBroker's is superior. Now I realize this is a comparison > with > > only one other available software package, but others will fail to > generate > > much improved comparisons. I think I would rather still have what > AmiBroker > > provides. > > > > > > > > Furthermore Tomasz is a virtual Help file to this message board, > although I > > think he would rather be programing new features for AmiBroker than > > answering questions here. > > > > > > > > Each investment software package has their own programming language. > As new > > features and functions are included into the language, it becomes more > > difficult to use and understand. The added complexity generates more > > questions. No other investment software package has generated much > in the > > way of third party reference texts, other the few Tradestation has. > Howard > > Bandy's book is the first of several I foresee for AmiBroker. > > > > > > > > Tomasz has been chided for "for failing to provide a 5.1 Manual yet" > - geez > > give the man a chance - he will get it out ASAP. You can't have > everything > > at once - new features are better than a new Manual the day the upgrade > > comes out. People here on the message board will help your > understanding of > > new features if the Readme file and examples doesn't clear up the > problems. > > > > > > > > What other investment software package has been created and > maintained by > > one man that rivals the functionality of AmiBroker? AmiBroker is > evolving > > faster than any other package I am familiar with - or am I just wearing > > "rose-colored" glasses? > > > > > > > > I could write more but I think I have made my opinion clear. Yes I want > > more, but I can be patient - it WILL come. > > > > > > > > Regards, > > > > George Loyd > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > brian_z111 wrote: > > > > > > > > There are far too many Help Manual questions posted in this forum. > > > > > > > > This takes up our valueable time answering questions that should have > > > > been answered by AmiBroker. > > > > > > > > In fact they waste far more time than OT posts. > > > > > > > > Our precious time would be far better spent answering more interesting > > > > questions. > > > > > > > > Some of the features in AB aren't explained in the manual, some things > > > > are out of date and sometimes the explanations are a bit cryptic. > > > > > > > > Example: > > > > > > > > Prettify was added to the Formula Editor in beta version 5.04 > > > > - included in devlog under version 5.05 Feb08 > > > > - official release v5.10 in June08 which includes manual 5.10 > > > > > > > > Ami website PDF manual is still version 5.00 > > > > > > > > - Search PDF for prettify == nothing > > > > - Search AB manual version 5.1 for prettify == nothing > > > > - Use AB site search engine == nothing > > > > - Google amibroker.com == 3 hits from devlog > > > > - devlog records release but has no info about it and no explanation in > > > > the read me > > > > - searched KB == nothing > > > > - searched UKB == nothing > > > > > > > > The screenshot of the FE edit dropdown menu, in the Help Manual is out > > > > of date (at least it looks different to my version 5.10) > > > > > > > > http://www.amibroke <http://www.amibroker.com/guide/w_afledit.html> > > r.com/guide/ <http://www.amibroker.com/guide/w_afledit.html> w_afledit. > > <http://www.amibroker.com/guide/w_afledit.html> html > > <http://www.amibroker.com/guide/w_afledit.html> > > > > > > > > The Devlog just says that the Prettify function was added ... looked in > > > > the AFL function list and couldn't find anything... is it a function or > > > > a function()? > > > > > > > > New features should be explained in the official help manual that comes > > > > out immediately after the beta inclusion. > > > > We should not have to search elsewhere but even if we do we, in this > > > > case, we still find nothing. > > > > > > > > It shouldn't be up to volunteers to explain help manual items in this > > > > forum, or the UKB, or anywhere else. > > > > > > > > It saves AB some effort if they don't have to keep the manual up to > > > > date but the effort is transferred to the volunteers, who have to > > > > answer it scores of times, instead of AB answering it once. > > > > > > > > If we all took the rationalist approach, that some people are > > > > advocating e.g. "users should have skills or lower their sights or pay > > > > Graham", and charged AB for the time we spend providing AB support then > > > > the program would cost thousands of dollars and wouldn't look so cheap, > > > > up against other software, afterall > > > > > > > > brian_z > > > > >
