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Patternz is a Windows based
program that automatically finds chart and candlestick patterns. It has these features.
- Finds 66 unique chart patterns (see Patterns Form)
- Finds 105 candlestick patterns (see Patterns Form)
- Allows the selection of patterns with the best overall performance, fewest failures,
reversals, and continuations (see the Patterns form)
- Scans files to find patterns and lists results (see List Form)
- Allows up to 9 criteria to select patterns for performance (radio buttons on List Form)
- Filters stock selections for price and volume
- Shows cycles (chart form)
- Shows phi extensions for price prediction (Phi button on chart form)
- Sorts selected patterns to highlight most recent (see List Form)
- Export pattern information to clipboard or Excel for analysis (see List Form)
- Pattern watch lists make the selection of patterns easier
- Security watch lists allow important securities to be found quickly and easily
- Highlights support and resistance (SAR button on Chart Form)
- Tells about chart and candlestick patterns (the Tell button)
- Calculates a volatility stop (the Stop button)
- Calculates pivot points, S1, R1, S2 and R2 (the Forecast button)
- Calculates a Fibonacci retrace (the Retrace button)
- Forecasts tomorrow’s closing price (see the Forecast button) with back testing capability
- Detects tall candles which means a minor high or low 66% of the time (give or take a day)
- Supports trendlines (see the Chart Form)
- Volume ticks show pattern end points, which helps with volume trend and shape analysis
- Supports bar or candlestick charts
- Extensive help manual or look at the black help window as you tab around
- Setup allows the tuning of Patternz parameters (see Setup button on Chart Form)
- Works with a variety of ASCII file formats
- Supports Windows 3.11 and more recent versions, such as XP and Vista
- Adware and spyware free
- It’s FREE
An online tour of the program is available by clicking here. The tour shows screen captures of the program and briefly explains each control. It gives a good overview of what the program looks like, what it can do, and gives tips on operation.
What Patternz will NOT do
- Use files with quotes from multiple stocks in one file. Each stock symbol MUST
have its own file.
- Work with intraday data. It coughs up fur balls and dies.
- Update the data files. You have to do it yourself. Want to
automate the process? Click on MLDownloader
for more information.
Release Notes for latest version
Troubleshooting Patternz
Check this list if you are having problems with Patternz. When I write "consult Patternz help," consult the manual. Most problems deal with the date in the data files.
0) Check the Known bugs list in case your problem is there.
1) Does the FRNT data file that accompanies Patternz display properly in the Chart form? If NO, then run the File
Format form and be sure the Enable checkbox is NOT checked. If it is NOT checked and errors still occur when trying to
chart a stock, you are probably running Patternz outside the U.S. If so, your country’s date format may be
different from what is used in the FRNT file. See #4 below. Otherwise send the text of any error messages you receive
to Tom Bulkowski. Also include the data
file causing the problem (compress it, please) and a screen capture of the error (press Print Screen and then paste it
into Word or Paint (save as a .tiff file) and send as an attachment).
2) If FRNT DOES display properly but other files do not, then the other data files are in the wrong format. Open the
FRNT file using the File Format form (or an editor or spreadsheet) and compare it to the file causing the error. Does
the error file have a
header (the first line in the file: Date, Open, High, Low and so on)? If the header is missing then you need to run the
File Format option for Patternz. Consult Patternz help.
3) Are the dates in the same format? If not, then you need to run the File Format option for Patternz.
4) Are the dates in the proper format for your country? In the United States, the default format is mm/dd/yyyy. In
Canada, Australia, Austria, and other countries, the format is different. The easiest way to fix this is to run the
Windows Control Panel, Regional and Language Options, and switch to the United States format. For more information,
consult the readme file that accompanies the Patternz program or consult Patternz help manual.
5) If the Date is a special format, such as yyyymmdd or yyyyddmm, (notice no field separators such as / as in
yyyy/mm/dd) then the File Format form has options for these date formats. If one does not work then try the others!
Known Bugs
If you have a problem with the software and the program's help manual,
readme.txt file, this web page, or Tour
do not answer your question, then contact me,
Tom Bulkowski.
- For Vista users the program should run. If it does not then you may have to: ’Open the Program Compatibility
Wizard
by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Programs, and then
clicking Use an older program with this version of Windows.’ Then follow the
instructions. If you receive a message that NTVDM.EXE is not running, then run it
before running Patternz.
- Best viewed on 1024 x 768 resolution screens.
- In countries outside the U.S. any date field (Chart and List forms, in
particular) shows a bogus date until you click on them.
- If you try to view too much information on a chart (like a decade of daily price
information), the chart may overwrite itself. Adjust the begin date to view less data. It may take multiple clicks of the Graph
button before the problem clears.
- If you receive an error message similar to "C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\AUTOEXEC.NT.
The system file is not suitable for running MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows
applications" then locate the autoexe.nt file on your system (probably in
c:\windows\repair or c:\I386) and place it in the windows\system32 folder.
- Patternz is a 16-bit application. I am told it will not run with XP x64
(regular Windows XP runs fine). You will receive an error message like "The image
file [path to patternz.exe] is valid, but it is for a machine type other than the
current machine."
- If you receive an error message similar to "The file
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SS3D3.VBX is out of date. This program requires a newer version"
contact me and I will provide a version of Patternz that does not use the ss3d3.vbx
file.
- Does not Chart or List patterns on systems that use a 2 year date. Use the
Windows control panel to switch to a 4 year date. See the readme.txt file for more
information (it is in the installation folder that contains Patternz).
- If you receive error messages citing DrawChars() and DrawIt(), then you should
search your computer for the following files: chart2fx.vbx, msafinx.dll,
msmasked.vbx, ss3d2.vbx, ss3d3.vbx, threed.vbx, and vbrun300.dll. These
should be in the windows\system folder only and NOWHERE ELSE. Remove them from the
Patternz folder or wherever you find them (other than the windows\system folder,
that is). Then, reboot your machine and try Patternz again.
If that still does not cure the problem, then download the complete
installation package again and manually place the above mentioned .vbx and .dll
files in the
windows\system folder. There is no need to run installation again. Remove the *.vbx
and *.dll files from the Patternz folder, reboot, and try again.
- The program throws out data from the weekends. If weekend trading is important to
you, let me know and I will consider fixing it.
Download
IF YOU HAVE ALREADY INSTALLED
Patternz, then you don’t need to install it again. Click
here
for the latest version of the program. Be sure to extract the new version of the
Patternz program. Not sure what version
you have? Run Patternz and from the main menu click Help then Version. If it
shows the version matching the one at the top of this page, then you have the
latest release.
FOR NEW INSTALLATIONS, click
here
to download the complete package. You’ll get a zip file that contains the
Patternz software. Extract all of the
files into a folder of your choice. Read the ENTIRE readme file so you understand
what the setup program will do, especially
if you are running an older version of Windows. Run setup.exe to complete the
installation. Once installed you can remove
all of the files from the Patternz folder except the FRNT data file, readme.txt,
patternz manual.txt, and PATTERNZ.
Enhancements
If you have an idea for an enhancement, then contact me,
Tom Bulkowski.
I have been asked to support file formats other than ASCII, such as Metastock.
I thought that if I were to charge for this program, then I'd add this type of
support.
MLDownloader
MLDownloader is a
program that automatically updates your database in a file format compatible with Patternz, according to one user. I
have not tried it, but I am told it works reliably. Here is a list of instructions to automate the updating of files
for Patternz, courtesy of Tom Helget (contact Tom at THelget@aol.com for more information. Click
here for the Patternz.cfg file, and an improved version Patternz2.cfg).
- Run Patternz.
- Click on File Format
- Check and configure the following:
- 01 Date
- 02 Open
- 03 High
- 04 Low
- 05 Close
- 06 Volume
- How many columns does the file use? 6
- Check Enable
- Select the date format (usually Standard) suitable for your country
- Save changes.
Set up the MLDownloader program
- Download the Patternz.cfg file and save it to the MLDownloader/Symbol Lists/USA folder.
- Invoke MLDownloader.
- To utilize the Patternz.cfg file with any Symbol List:
- Highlight the Symbol List you have already created and click on Download...Get Quotes. Insure that the Download historical data box is checked and that the Server is set to Yahoo (Worldwide) on the Get Quotes screen:
- Click on the Options button near the lower right of the Get Quotes screen.
- On the Options screen check ASCII file format and then...
- Look for the Patternz.cfg file in the MLDownloader/Symbol Lists/USA folder where you stored it.
- Highlight Patternz.cfg and click on Open.
- When the Options screen returns, click on Apply and then OK.
- When the Get Quotes screen returns, set your Start Date and End Date and Periodicity. You can now click on Download historical data to obtain your quotes for use with Patternz.
Creating Patternz .txt files for TC2005 Users
These instructions are courtesy of John Myer (e-mail TC2005 questions to:
johndmmyer@yahoo.com) and are for TC2005 users. I've never used TC2005, so this is
not an endorsement, just a convenience to those who have.
To create a .txt file that works in Patternz from TC2005:
- Bring up TC2005
- Start with a watch list of those stocks you wish to analyze
- On the Databank menu select "Data export to text."
- The export window will give you choices
- One at a time select the fields from the first line of the example .csv file for Frontier. (Date[mm/dd/yyyy],open,high,low,close,volume,volume)
- For each field hit the "Add" button to move the field to the "Export Fields (In Order)" box.
- Be sure the "TAB" is selected as the Data Delimiter.
- Set the export path to whatever directory you wish. I put mine in the same directory as Patternz.exe file.
- Check the "Multiple Files (named with symbol)" button.
- Set the number of days to export. I use at least 150, sometimes more.
- Set the "Dates Ascending/Descending" button to Ascending. I've done it both ways. They appear to work either way.
- Hit the "Export" button at the bottom of the window.
On my system, the export of a dozen stocks for 150 days of data took in the area of 1 second.
I don't yet have adding the first line automated, so I just copy that first line, tab delimited, and paste it in each stock file at the top. [Note: You can eliminate this step by using the File Format option in Patternz to configure the column format for all of the files].
- Bring up Patternz.
- The files just created will appear on the drop list.
- Select the one you want and away we go. You will get the error message "Beginning date not found, using the first date in the file." Ignore the message and continue.
Creating Patternz files from Wealth-Lab
The following instructions are to create files from Wealth-Lab for Patternz. I do not own Wealth-Lab, so this is not an
endorsement, nor have I tried these instructions. They are provided courtesy of Ray Senesac. For more information,
email Ray at raysenesac@aol.com. The instructions are also available as a compressed Notepad file by clicking
here.
1. Start Wealth-Lab.
2. Copy the following script into Wealth-Lab:
var Bar, WatchListNumber,
f: integer;
var FileName: String;
for WatchListNumber := 0
to WatchListCount - 1 do
begin
SetPrimarySeries(WatchListSymbol(WatchListNumber));
FileName
:= 'c:/DataBus/Patternz/' + WatchListName + '/' + GetSymbol + '.csv';
PrintStatus(GetSymbol);
f := FileOpen(FileName);
FileClear(f);
FileWrite(f, 'Date,open,high,low,close,volume');
For Bar := 0 to BarCount - 1 do
FileWrite(f, IntToStr(GetMonth(Bar)) + '/' + IntToStr(GetDay(Bar))
+ '/' + IntToStr(GetYear(Bar)) + ',' +
FloatToStr(PriceOpen(Bar)) + ',' +
FloatToStr(PriceHigh(Bar)) + ',' +
FloatToStr(PriceLow(Bar)) + ',' +
FloatToStr(PriceClose(Bar)) + ',' +
FloatToStr(Volume(Bar)));
FileClose(f);
end;
3. Change the File
name "DataBus/Patternz" to the path you are using for Patternz data files. Note that this is setup to use the
WatchList Name as part of the file structure. I like this because I have the same groupings for stocks in Patternz as
I have in Wealth-Lab.
4. Create the Folders
that you defined for Wealth-Lab in the script above. For example, I have a WatchList called "Total Stocks" so I created a
folder "c:/DataBus/Patternz/Total Stocks".
5. To execute the script,
click on a stock in the appropriate WatchList. This will create a Patternz file for each stock in the WatchList.
6. If you have a large
number of stocks in your WatchList this can take a while to execute. I maintain several thousand stocks in Wealth-Lab
so if I only want to see current signals, I set Wealth-Lab to only use 250 bars of data (one year) and the script runs much
faster.
7. After you run the
Wealth-Lab script start Patternz and follow the instructions to run it.
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