ChartStyles & StyleButtons

Using different indicators and parameter settings when viewing a one-minute chart compared to a daily or monthly chart isn't unusual.

What is a ChartStyle?

ChartStyles are collections of SharpCharts settings that can be used as “templates” for creating new charts later. A ChartStyle contains the settings you see below the chart on the SharpCharts Workbench page—the chart's period, date range, size, type, colors, overlays, indicators, etc. A ChartStyle contains everything about a SharpChart except for its main ticker symbol.

ChartStyles must be “applied” to a specific ticker symbol to create a usable SharpChart. The combination of chart settings and ticker symbol data can be used to create the SharpChart quickly.

If you find yourself configuring the same chart settings repeatedly with different ticker symbols, consider saving that configuration in a ChartStyle that you can reuse. StockCharts members can save up to 50 different ChartStyles in their account and apply them to any ticker symbol.

You can assign up to 12 different ChartStyles to thin, gray StyleButtons that appear to the left of the chart on the SharpCharts Workbench. The StyleButtons allow you to quickly apply your most commonly used ChartStyles with a single click.

Note: While this article is focused on ChartStyles for SharpCharts, the P&F Workbench also offers some ChartStyle functionality.

Special ChartStyles

Most ChartStyles are custom templates you create, but some particular kinds of ChartStyles are worth mentioning.

Default ChartStyle

The Default ChartStyle is a unique collection of settings that can be used whenever you want to create a new chart using a ticker symbol. The following are a few examples of how to apply your default ChartStyle to a ticker symbol:

Type a ticker symbol into the Create-a-Chart box and press Go.
Click on a symbol in the Ticker Cloud.
Click on a symbol in the Market Movers panel on Your Dashboard.
Click on a symbol in one of the Summary reports.
Click on a symbol in a Scan Results list.

Your Default ChartStyle should have the settings you find most useful when first looking at a chart.

Please see the Editing ChartStyles section below for detailed instructions on setting up your Default ChartStyle.

Tool-Specific ChartStyles

You can create special ChartStyles to use with specific StockCharts tools. For example, you can create a ChartStyle named CandleGlance, which will be used whenever you display a CandleGlance chart. Effectively, this creates a default ChartStyle for that tool.

Tool-specific ChartStyles are available for CandleGlance, GalleryView (intraday, daily, and weekly only), Market Summary, and Industry Summary charts.

Learn More. For detailed instructions on setting up your tool-specific ChartStyles, please see the Tool-Specific ChartStyles article in the Support Center.

Predefined ChartStyles

StockCharts offers Predefined ChartStyles. The first few Predefined ChartStyles are basic and intended as starting points for creating custom ChartStyles. The rest of the Predefined ChartStyles are associated with top analysts, reflecting their favorite indicators and chart settings. You can apply Predefined ChartStyles to your charts but cannot edit them.

ChartPack ChartStyles

Similar to Predefined ChartStyles, the ChartStyles included in certain ChartPacks are typically created by analysts to show their chart settings. These ChartStyles are installed in your account, much like custom ChartStyles, meaning you can modify them.

Accessing ChartStyles and StyleButtons

There are two main areas on the SharpCharts Workbench where you can manage your ChartStyles and StyleButtons.

ChartStyles Area

The ChartStyles area is below the chart in the SharpCharts Workbench. You can use the dropdown menu to select a ChartStyle to apply to the current chart. The links to the right allow you to make changes to your ChartStyles and StyleButtons.

StyleButtons Area

To the left of the chart, you will see the StyleButtons Area—a small arrow icon pointing to the right, a plus sign icon, and possibly some small gray rectangles. These small grey rectangles are your StyleButtons, and the arrow and plus sign allow you to manage your StyleButtons and ChartStyles.

ChartStyles and StyleButtons are related. Most style settings can be changed from either area. We will now discuss using both areas to manage your style settings.

Applying ChartStyles

When you apply a ChartStyle to your chart, the settings from the ChartStyle are combined with the ticker symbol from the existing chart to create a new, independent chart. Thus, if you're looking at a saved AMZN chart and apply a ChartStyle with the “Night” color scheme with a MACD indicator below the price panel, a brand new AMZN chart with said color scheme and indicator will be created. You can save this new chart in your ChartList, either as a new saved chart or overwriting the existing saved AMZN chart.

It is essential to understand that there is no ongoing connection between the ChartStyle and the chart where it has been applied. For example, if you later change that ChartStyle to use the “Spruce” color scheme instead, no changes will be automatically made to the color scheme of your saved chart. You must re-apply the ChartStyle to your chart to update its style settings.

There are multiple ways to apply a ChartStyle to an existing SharpChart.

From the ChartStyles Area

In the ChartStyles area, choose the ChartStyle you want to apply from the dropdown menu. Your custom-created ChartStyles are listed in the menu, followed by the Predefined ChartStyles provided by StockCharts.

Using the StyleButtons

For ChartStyles that have been assigned StyleButtons, you can click the StyleButton to the left of the chart that corresponds to the ChartStyle you want to apply.

Click the arrow icon above the StyleButtons to the left of the chart, then choose the ChartStyle you want to apply from the menu that appears. Your custom-created ChartStyles (with and without StyleButtons) are listed in this menu, followed by the Predefined ChartStyles provided by StockCharts.

(Note that a tiny preview image is displayed next to each ChartStyle.)

From the Edit View of a ChartList

You can also apply your ChartStyle to some or all charts in a ChartList at one time using the Edit View of one of your ChartLists. See our Edit View help page in the Support Center for more information on this method.

Applying to a ChartList from the SharpCharts Workbench

In addition to applying saved ChartStyles, you can “copy” the current style from one chart in your ChartList to the other charts in that same ChartList.

Follow the steps below:

Select the ChartList you want to modify from the ChartList dropdown at the top of the page.
Change the chart settings on the loaded chart until it looks the way you want the rest of the charts in the ChartList to look. Click Update after making the changes.
Click the Apply Style to All button near the bottom of the workbench.

Note: If you're a Basic member, you only have one ChartList, so there is no need to select the specific ChartList you want to update in the first step.

Creating ChartStyles

In the previous section, you learned about applying ChartStyles. Now it's time for you to learn about creating ChartStyles customized to meet your analysis requirements.

The first step in creating a ChartStyle is to generate a SharpChart and change its settings to match your requirements. Potential settings include period, range, chart type, and color scheme. You can configure any indicators or overlays you want on the chart. Click Update when you've finished making changes.

When you've configured your chart, save those settings as a ChartStyle from either the ChartStyles Area or the StyleButtons Area.

Saving from the ChartStyles Area

Click the Add New button in the ChartStyles area.
Enter a name for your new ChartStyle in the Name box.
Click the Add button.

Saving from the StyleButtons Area

Click the plus icon below the StyleButtons.
Enter a name for your new ChartStyle where it says ChartStyle Description.
Click the Add New button.

Note: When you save a new ChartStyle from the StyleButtons Area, a StyleButton will be automatically created for the new ChartStyle.

Editing ChartStyles

Changing Chart Settings

Updating chart settings used in a ChartStyle is as simple as changing a chart with that style and replacing the current ChartStyle with the settings in your updated chart.

The first step is to create a SharpChart and change its settings to match your requirements. We recommend applying the existing ChartStyle to your chart and then making changes from there.

Once your chart is configured as you want it, you can replace the existing ChartStyle with these new settings from either the ChartStyles Area or the StyleButtons Area.

Updating from the ChartStyles Area

Click the Replace link in the ChartStyles Area.
From the dropdown menu, choose the ChartStyle you want to replace with these settings.
Click the Replace button.

Updating from the StyleButtons Area

Click the plus icon below the StyleButtons.
In the box labeled ChartStyle Description, begin typing the name of the current ChartStyle that you want to replace.
A list of matching ChartStyle names will appear below the box. Select the one you want to replace.
Click the Replace button.

Remember, changing the ChartStyle will not affect the settings for any charts that have previously had that ChartStyle applied.

Renaming a ChartStyle

Want to rename your ChartStyle? There are a few ways to do this.

Renaming from the ChartStyles Area

Select the ChartStyle to rename from the dropdown menu in the ChartStyles area.
Click the Edit Properties link in the ChartStyles Area.
Type in the new name for the ChartStyle.
Click the Save button.

Renaming from the StyleButtons Area

Click the arrow icon in the StyleButtons Area.
Click the “Edit” button at the top of the menu.
Find the ChartStyle you want to rename in the menu, and type in a new name for it.
Click the “Done” button at the top of the menu.

Setting the Default ChartStyle

The Default ChartStyle is used when you create a brand new SharpChart. This ChartStyle should include the settings and indicators you want to see when first looking at a new ticker symbol.

Note: We recommend using a Range setting of Fill the Chart for your default ChartStyle rather than the Range setting Select Start/End.

Once you have created the ChartStyle you want to use, it's simple to set it as your default ChartStyle.

Setting the Default ChartStyle from the ChartStyles Area

Select the ChartStyle you want as the default from the dropdown menu in the ChartStyles Area.
Click the Save As Default link in the ChartStyles Area.
Click OK to confirm the change.

Setting the Default ChartStyle from the StyleButtons Area

Click the arrow icon in the StyleButtons Area.
Click the Edit button at the top of the menu.
Find the ChartStyle you want to use as your Default ChartStyle, and click the checkmark icon next to it.

Note: There is no confirmation popup when making this change in the StyleButtons Area. The default ChartStyle is changed when you click the checkmark icon.

Deleting ChartStyles

If you no longer need a ChartStyle and wish to remove it from your account, you can do that from either the ChartStyles Area or the StyleButtons Area.

Deleting from the ChartStyles Area

Select the ChartStyle you want to delete from the dropdown menu in the ChartStyles Area.
Click the Delete link in the ChartStyles Area.
Click OK to confirm that you want to delete it.

Deleting from the StyleButtons Area

Click the arrow icon in the StyleButtons Area.
Click the Edit button at the top of the menu.
Click the trash can icon next to the ChartStyle you wish to delete.
Click Yes to confirm that you want to delete it.

Managing StyleButtons

The best way to manage your StyleButtons is from the StyleButtons Area. Clicking the arrow icon will open a menu that allows you to easily add or remove StyleButtons and change the order in which they appear on the SharpCharts Workbench.

When you click the arrow icon in the StyleButtons Area, you will see a menu similar to the one below.

Note: The “buttons” line has two arrows pointing up. ChartStyles listed above this line will have StyleButtons, and any below the line will not.

To move a ChartStyle, click and drag on the striped icon to the right of the ChartStyle. When it has been moved to its desired location, release the mouse button and the location will be updated.

To add a StyleButton for a ChartStyle, click and drag the striped icon for the ChartStyle above the "buttons" line. The buttons on the SharpCharts Workbench will be displayed in the same order as they are on this list, so if you want the ChartStyle to appear as the third button on the workbench, click and drag it to the third position on the list.

To remove a StyleButton for a ChartStyle, click and drag it below the "buttons" line. The ChartStyles below the line will always be listed in alphabetical order, regardless of where you drag and drop it.

The third section of this list contains Predefined ChartStyles. These cannot be dragged above the "buttons" line, but they are listed here, so you can click on one of them to apply ChartStyle to your chart.

Cool Tip: If you want a StyleButton for one of these Predefined ChartStyles, you can apply it to a chart and save a “copy” of those settings as a new custom ChartStyle. Custom ChartStyles can be dragged above the "buttons" line to create a StyleButton.

Managing StyleButtons from the ChartStyles Area

While the StyleButtons Area is strongly recommended for managing your StyleButtons, you can make changes from the ChartStyles Area.

Choose the ChartStyle you are interested in from the dropdown menu in the ChartStyles Area.
Click the Edit Properties link.
In the “Button #” dropdown menu, choose which StyleButton number you want for this ChartStyle (e.g., for the third button, select “3” from this menu). If you choose “none,” the ChartStyle will have no StyleButton.
Click the Save button.

ChartStyles to the Rescue

ChartStyles and StyleButtons help to streamline the analysis process, allowing you to quickly switch between different chart styles for a single ticker symbol. Those charts might cover different time periods or be focused on different aspects of technical analysis. Once you've determined the important settings, indicators and overlays for each chart, you can quickly create a chart with that exact configuration for any ticker symbol you choose.