Some Preliminaries

This drawing tool works on any chart, any time frame. However

• You must adjust the number of bars for your particular intraday time frame

• The tool finds yesterday's High and Low, but Alan' method uses the net High and Lows from yesterday 08:00am to today 08.00am ET, so check your charts and adjust accordingly

• You must check "Open Hash Mark" and "Zero Volume Bars"

• Non-intraday charts (ie, Daily, Weekly, Monthly) work best without Auto Find H/L

• If you use this on non-minute charts (tick, volume, or range) you will have to estimate the number of bars in the day as these bar types do not print in a set number of bars per day. This is generally not a productive approach, unless you are using ESPL code to transfer the angulars, which are among the most important elements of the box.

You might find these template add-ons useful. Also see User Templates Page
(right click and Save to Ensign Templates Folder)

ALAN BARS	AlanBars.dat	This template from dblue highlights Bar1, Bar8, Bar11, and the 2pm bar. Optionally, it will also number the bars (click to turn on), and paint close/open bar relationships (click to turn on).
4-DAY ROTATION (PVAC)	PVAC2.dat [ chart image ]	This template by Quartz adds two DYOS that puts a line of letters along the bottom, along with a "color" designating the 4-day rotation.

Make Default or Tab Settings for Alan Square

If you only plan to draw Chart1, use the settings below and Click the "Use as Default" box on the Property window. Here is a sample setting. Tab settings are recommended if you will use other timeframes. The table below lists various settings. Here is How to Set an Alan Square Tab

Symbol	Time Frame	Start Time	Chart Type & Image	Auto Find H/L	Square Width	Property
A. 90% of users will just want the first line. The other settings are only suggestions as starting points for further exploration. (*) 23 Aug 05: chg to 48 bars)
YM,ES, NQ, AB	Intraday	8.20ET	10-minute Chart 1	Checked	48 (*)	Link A
GB (Bund)	Intraday	2.00ET	10-minute Chart 1	Checked	65	Link A
B. Apart from the Alan's current YM Chart2 setting, the others are suggested settings as starting points for further exploration.
YM	Intraday	19.10ET	10-minute Chart 2	Checked	131	Link B
ES, NQ	Intraday	16.50ET	10-minute Chart 2	Checked	141
Euro	Intraday	18.00ET	10-minute Chart 2	Checked	138
GB	No	Globex	dna
C. Use the same Property as (B), change Square Width as shown
YM, ES, NQ, AB	Intraday	8.20ET	n-minute Chart 1 5m Example	Checked	(10/n)*48	Link B (n=# of minutes)
Futures	Intraday, Regular Hours (9.30am-4.15pmET)		3m Example	Checked	(405/n)-1
Stocks	Intraday, Regular Hours (9.30am-14.15pmET)		Example	Checked	390/n
D. Use the same Property for each timeframe, resize Square at handles
Any	D,W,M	tbd by user	Examples	Unchecked	Varies	Link
E. Use the same Property for each timeframe
Any	Intraday, Tick, volume, or range		532T Example	Checked	Varies (see example)	Link

Draw the Alan Square

1. Select the Alan Square icon from the Drawing Tools.

2. Click on the chart in the time of interest.
   The following is very important for intraday:
   a. For Chart1, click in the Globex area on the bar starting at 8.20 ET
   b. For Chart2, click in the Globex area at least 4 bars to the right after the close

3. An Alan Square will appear with the default Alan Square properties

4. Open the Chart Objects and select Alan Square Property

5. Select the appropriate tab, or enter settings manually

6. Click OK

7. If the box needs adjusting, click the Lower Left Low and drag the box to the Start Time taking care that the left vertical splits the bar

Your Alan Square is complete.

What If it Doesn't Work...

IF you do not see the Alan Square Draw Tool in the Tool Bar

1. Go to Setup | Toolbars

2. Make sure that the Alan Square is checked

IF nothing at all appears,

1. Open the Alan Square Property. Be sure that there is a number (eg, 47) in the Study Width box

2. Open the Alan Square Property. If there are zeros in the Point A and B boxes, try putting in real values.

3. Open your Chart Objects List and remove any Alan Square
   objects that may be there and try again.

IF the box is too small or too large

1. If you have *unchecked* Auto Find HL, you can resize from the Property Window, inserting the desired H, L, and width as needed. You can also resize using the box handles on the chart.

2. If you have *checked* Auto Find HL, you can move the box but cannot  resize using the handles. To widen, increase the Square Width count.
   Note: You may need to re-check/re-uncheck Auto Find HL to force the box to change size.

3. If you are making Chart1 or Chart2, be sure your chart properties is selected for all-sessions

4. Refresh your chart to be sure that no bars are missing. If bars are missing, you must insert "dummy" bar spacers in to preserve the correct geometry. This is extremely important for correctly reading box signals. You will have to review your chart bar-by-bar to find exactly where the missing bars are located.

5. Open the property and adjust the Square Width up or down to fit

6. If you are running Chart2, be sure you are using the Global Chart Settings
   Show Open Hash and Zero Volume Bars

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