eSignal Symbol Count/Limit
Overview
Limiting and controlling the maximum number of concurrent symbols a user can work with is a vital and integral part of our Network model. Users have access to over 2,000,000 symbols (must subscribe to each exchange) and are free to add or delete new symbols at anytime. The symbol limit refers to the number of symbols you can monitor at the same time.
By pre-defining how many symbols can be tracked at the same time, we can accurately forecast how many servers and how much Internet bandwidth will be needed to handle a specific number of subscribers. As we add more customers, our model enables us to stay ahead of the curve and purchase more hardware and bandwidth before it's needed. Due to our excellent track record of reliability and uptime, we're strong believers that our model works.
Our pricing packages are also designed to support the symbol limit model. As our customers need more symbols, they can upgrade their service to include more symbols. To review how many symbols are included with each eSignal pricing package, please review the eSignal Pricing Page. To adjust the eSignal package you are subscribed to or to add more symbols to your account, please visit Account Maintenance.
The symbol count you subscribe to includes the automatic inclusion of several wildcard symbols. As a result, if you subscribe to 500 symbols, the actual number of symbols you can concurrently monitor will be closer to a range of 490 - 495. If you subscribe to 200 symbols, you'll have access to between 190 and 195, etc.
Finally, there are a number of ways to manage your symbols and keep your costs down. Here's just a few tips to consider:
Quote or Summary Window - Long lists of symbols can be kept in a single Quote Window or Summary Window and then one can scroll through the list to find the needed symbol(s). While this can be beneficial, it can often use up a significant portion of the Symbol Count. An alternative method is to save shorter lists inside multiple quote windows, and only open the list of symbols that you need to view. Remember, symbols only count against the symbol limit if they are actively being tracked by the eSignal Data Manager, and closing (not minimizing) will cut down on the Symbol Count usage.
option window - the options window can take up a large amount of your symbol count by the sheer amount of options available per symbol. the amount that symbols that appear can be controlled by going to option window options and then properties at the top of esignal (menu is available when you have an options window open and selected.) you will see a set of filters that you can apply to the options window to limit the number of options displayed. many options traders only trade a certain month or near or at the money, so using the month filter or the strike price filter will help bring the number of symbols down.
Alternatively, you can utilize the Dynamic/Snapshot Toggle which is the "D/S" icon at the top of the window. By default, the Options Window is in Dynamic mode, in which every symbol updates in real-time and counts against your symbol limit. If you switch the window to Snapshot mode, none of the symbols count and you get a one-time view of the real-time data. If you're in Snapshot mode, you can get a refresh of the real-time data by clicking on the Green OK indicator.
How the Symbol Count Works and How to Maintain
When you enter a symbol in any window within eSignal, the program, starts tracking it. This includes all quote windows, charts, portfolios, SuperMontage, options, etc. If a window is minimized, it still counts as an open window and will reflect your limit. Alerts will also count toward your symbol limit if you have set an alert for a symbol that does not exist in any other window.
To maintain this, be sure not to enter more symbols than you are allowed. If you are sure that you have no more than you are allowed, you can force the program to "recount" what you have. To do this click File, then Preferences, in eSignal. In that box, click on the Reset Symbol Count button. You can also exit and re-enter eSignal to clear these symbols.
At the bottom of your eSignal screen, you will see a symbol counter. This is a quick visual reflection of the total number of symbols you are following. If you don't see this indicator, make sure that you are using the most current version of eSignal and that your Status Bar has been enabled (Click View and select Status Bar). To download the most current version, click here.
Hibernation (New with eSignal 10.3 and newer)
Data hibernation is the ability for the eSignal application to put symbols to sleep that aren’t being used. For example, if you had a Quote Window that had 120 symbols on it, but only 30 lines long, then you will only receive data for those 30 symbols. 90 of those symbols will be hibernated until the point in which they become visible on your screen. This can dramatically lower the amount of data being processed by eSignal and being downloaded from the eSignal servers. Please note that the Hibernation feature will cause fluctuations in the symbol count on your Status Toolbar if the toolbar is turned on.
the data hibernation algorithm implements many safeguards to ensure that your usage of esignal is not impacted by this change. first, if any symbols exist in advanced charts, they are never hibernated. this is important because of the processing of efs files may still need this data. second, if any alerts are set, those symbols are never hibernated. likewise, if global alerts are turned on then the user has the choice to either alert only on visible symbols or all symbols, the latter of which would disable hibernation.
sorting with hibernation. please note that hibernation will sort only those fields visible in the quote window. to activate sorting for all the symbols in the quote window, click quote window on the main toolbar and select auto sorting. add a check to 'auto sort current quote window every ___ seconds. if you don't wish to auto sort frequently, set this field to a high number (such as 10000 seconds). there's also an option to auto sort all quote windows if you want hibernation to be active on any quote windows. 
how the drop-down lists count towards symbol limit
when you first open up esignal, the symbols sitting in your drop-down lists are not counted toward your limit. once you start clicking on them within the list to get data, they start counting toward your limit. you can click on file, preferences, then click on the reset symbol count button to reset the count in your data manager. one other alternative way to reset the symbol count is to double-click on the data manager symbol count area (i.e. the part with the sym) on the status bar.
cannot receive 2500 symbols
if you have subscribed to receive 2500 symbols, and the data manager is only showing a 600 symbol limit, you will need to upgrade to esignal 7.7 or higher. to download the lastest version of esignal, please click here. for installation instructions, click here