How To Set Period, Range, Type, colors etc.

Click on the blue "Continue" button to start.

When working with SharpCharts, it's always important to customize a chart's appearance so that it works best for you. What type of chart you're looking at, how large it is on your screen, how much data you want to see, and how plain or colorful you want the chart to be, are all important features to consider when working with our charts. StockCharts makes it very simple to adjust all of these basic features, using a set of easily accessible buttons and menus at the top of the SharpCharts page, so that you can have the chart you want with the information you need.

To begin, look at the text box just below the StockCharts logo at the very top of the page. This is where you can enter the ticker symbol you want to see with your chart; simply enter the symbol and click "Go". This will reload the page with a chart for your chosen symbol.

Just to the right of the text box is the Period dropdown, which lets you determine what intervals of data you want your chart to be based on. Typically, this will be preset to daily data; however, you can choose larger intervals, like weekly, monthly, or even yearly data, or smaller ones, from every 120 minutes all the way to every one minute. Make your selection, and the chart will reload with data drawn from the interval you chose.

To the right is the Chart Type dropdown. This lets you choose the basic format of your chart, with common options like Candlesticks, OHLC bars, Solid or Dashed Lines, and Histograms, or more advanced options like Heikin-Ashi or Renko charts. Make your selection, and the page will reload, with the chart now rendered in your preferred type.

To the right once more is the Range dropdown. This is where you can choose how much data is included within your chart, in combination with your selected Period. The "Fill the Chart" option will intelligently calculate how much data can be visibly displayed on your chart based on your chart's size and period; however, you can also choose from a preselcted list of ranges, including anywhere from 1 day to 100 years. You can also choose a specific range manually with the options at the bottom of the menu.

Finally, you can adjust even more chart settings with the dropdown menu to the right of Range, indicated by a gear icon. These include the background color scheme of your chart, the chart's scale (arithmetic or logarithmic), the color of the bars/candlesticks/etc. of your chart, the volume display, the grid style, and whether your chart includes a legend. Background colors can either be selected from a predefined list (the Color Scheme dropdown) or chosen manually (Up Color, Down Color, and Opacity).

There's a lot of options to choose from, but don't fret -- modifying a SharpChart to fit your preferences is only too easy. We recommend taking some time to explore the different options available to you to find your own best fit.

See these instructions visually in this step-by-step demo!