How do I Integrate my Brokerage Account in eSignal 21.x?

ICE Data Services -

With eSignal 21.x, you can integrate your Brokerage Account into eSignal through the eSignal Futures Trader plugin, to allow you to place trade orders within the eSignal software that then get sent to your Broker to be executed. This capability streamlines your ability to not only analyze the market, but also place trade orders all in one place, rather than flipping back and forth between eSignal and your brokerage.

What is required to use the eSignal Futures Trader plugin?

Before you can begin using the eSignal Futures Trader plugin, there are a few requirements you must be aware of:

  1. You must have an active subscription to eSignal.
  2. You must have the latest version of eSignal installed.
  3. You must have an open and funded account with the Brokerage you wish to integrate into eSignal.
  4. The Brokerage you wish to integrate must be a qualifying Brokerage compatible with eSignal Futures Trader (click here for a complete list of compatible brokerages).
  5. Your Brokerage must fill out and submit the New Trader Order Form on your behalf, and you must wait until we activate the eSignal Futures Trader entitlement on our, end after we receive the submitted Form. The link for the form can be found here.
  6. You must install the appropriate eSignal Futures Trader plugin for the version of eSignal you are using (click here to download the latest version) prior to setting up the integration.

How do I configure the eSignal Futures Trader plugin?

Once you have met all the requirements for using the eSignal Futures Trader plugin, you can begin configuring the plugin to connect your Brokerage to eSignal 21.x. The steps are as follows:

  1. In the toolbar at the top of the eSignal program, click on the "Trade" tab.
  2. In the drop-down menu that appears, click the "Broker Manager" option.
  3. In the Broker Manager window that appears, in the top left-hand corner click the "+" icon to create a new Broker Connection.
  4. In the small "New Connection" window that appears, within the "Broker" drop-down menu select the "eSignal Futures Trader" option.
  5. In the "New Connection" window, where it says "Name", clear out the "eSignal Futures Trader" text and replace it with the name of the Broker you are connecting.
  6. In the "New Connection" window, click "OK".
  7. In the "Broker Manager" window you should now see the the new connection you just created, and it should already be selected.
  8. In the "Broker Manager" window, click on "Connection Settings".
  9. In the "EFT Connection Settings" window that pops up, enter the following:
    • Username - This should be your CQG username (this will most likely be the same username for your Brokerage account)
    • Password - This should be the password you use for CQG.
    • Broker - Select your Broker from the drop-down menu OR if your broker is not listed, manually type the name out of the Broker you are trying to connect.
    • Do NOT change any of the other settings such as Live Trading, Use SSL, or Enable Logging, unless instructed by eSignal Technical Support or your Brokerage.
  10. Once you configure the settings for the "EFT Connection Settings" window click "OK".
  11. In the "Broker Manager" window, click "Connect".
  12. Once the eSignal Futures Trader plugin establishes a connection, the lightning icon will turn green and a message in the Message tab will indicate that it is connected.

Note: Before you can connect your Brokerage account to eSignal, you must contact your Broker to have them enable your CastID to work with eSignal, if they have not done so already. Should you attempt to click the "Connect" button and it provides the error "Invalid Username/Password" in the logs, but you can confirm these are correct, this usually indicates your Broker has not enabled eSignal on their back-end. If they confirm that it is enabled, please reach out to our Support Team using one of the following methods here.

How do I manually map Symbols within the eSignal Futures Trader plugin?

To solve the symbol differences between eSignal and eSignal Futures Trader, we've implemented a Symbol Dictionary. The Symbol Dictionary will automatically associate a major number of the eSignal symbols with those used by eSignal Futures Trader. However, there may be times when an eSignal symbol will need to be manually mapped to eSignal Futures Trader. To manually map symbols, do the following:

  1. In the toolbar at the top of the eSignal program, click on the "Trade" tab.
  2. In the drop-down menu that appears, click the "Broker Manager" option.
  3. Within the "Broker Manager" window that appears, on the left side, click on the Broker connection that needs to have a symbol mapped for it.
  4. On the right side of the "Broker Manager" window, click on the "Dictionary & Order Defaults" tab.
  5. In the "Dictionary & Order Defaults" tab, click "Add".
  6. In the "Create New Symbol" window that appears, in the "Symbol" field, enter the symbol you would like to map.
  7. Once you enter the Symbol you would like to map, click "Lookup".
  8. In the "EFT Symbol Select" window that appears, click in the "Filtering" box and enter the symbol you want to manually map, and then click "Apply."
  9. In the list that appears within the "EFT Symbol Select" window, find the security that matches what you are looking for and select it. If the symbol has an expiration date, be sure to adjust the Expiry fields as necessary, or if the symbol is an Option be sure to select whether its a Put or Call, and enter the Strike Price.
  10. Once the correct symbol is selected, and you have optionally configured the correct settings for it, click "OK" in the bottom right-hand corner of the "EFT Symbol Select" window.
  11. Back in the "Create New Symbol" window, the fields should automatically be filled out for you. You can then click the "Accept" button to add the new symbol to the Symbol Dictionary.
  12. In the "Broker Manager" window, you should now see the new symbol listed there. Go ahead and click "Close" in the bottom right-hand corner of the window to close it if you are finished.

How do I set and remove Order Defaults within the eSignal Futures Trader plugin?

Preset order defaults allow users to assign settings such as quantity, type of order (Market, Limit, or Stop), and other such settings. Additionally, users can also set defaults for an Asset Class such as Stocks or Futures. To set or remove the order defaults, follow these steps:

Configuring the Order Defaults

  1. In the toolbar at the top of the eSignal program, click on the "Trade" tab.
  2. In the drop-down menu that appears, click the "Broker Manager" option.
  3. Within the "Broker Manager" window that appears, on the left side, click on the Broker connection that you need to configure Order Defaults for.
  4. On the left side of the "Broker Manager" window, click on the "Dictionary & Order Defaults" tab.
  5. Under the "Dictionary & Order Defaults" tab, highlight the Asset Class or the individual Symbol you wish to configure Order Defaults for, by clicking on it.
  6. Once the Asset Class or Symbol is selected, click on the "Order Defaults" button within the "Dictionary & Order Defaults" tab.
  7. In the "Order Defaults" window that appears, configure the settings as you see fit, and then click "Accept" to implement the changes.
  8. Once the defaults are configured, you should see a blue checkmark listed next to the Asset Class or Symbol you configured defaults for in the "Broker Manager" window, under the "Defaults" column, that indicates a default has been set for it. Go ahead and click "Close" in the bottom right-hand corner of the window to close it if you are finished.

Removing the Order Defaults

  1. In the toolbar at the top of the eSignal program, click on the "Trade" tab.
  2. In the drop-down menu that appears, click the "Broker Manager" option.
  3. Within the "Broker Manager" window that appears, on the left side, click on the Broker connection that you need to remove Order Defaults for.
  4. On the left side of the "Broker Manager" window, click on the "Dictionary & Order Defaults" tab.
  5. Under the "Dictionary & Order Defaults" tab, highlight the Asset Class or the individual Symbol you wish to remove Order Defaults for, by clicking on it.
  6. Once the Asset Class or Symbol is selected, click on the "Remove Defaults" button within the "Dictionary & Order Defaults" tab.
  7. Once the defaults are removed, you should no longer see a blue checkmark listed next to the Asset Class or Symbol which indicates that there are no Order Defaults configured. Go ahead and click "Close" in the bottom right-hand corner of the window to close it if you are finished.

How do I turn off Order Confirmation within the eSignal Futures Trader plugin?

By default, eSignal will ask you to confirm orders when placing them, giving you the opportunity to modify the order or cancel out of ordering it. This can be disabled by following these steps:

  1. In the toolbar at the top of the eSignal program, click on the "Trade" tab.
  2. In the drop-down menu that appears, click the "Trade Settings" option.
  3. In the "Application Properties" window that appears, under the "Trading" section, uncheck the box next to the "Confirm Orders Before Submitting" option.
  4. In the bottom left-hand corner of the "Application Properties" window, click "OK" to save the settings and close the window.