Credentials - your data key and broker keys stay on your PC
Open CREDENTIALS from the BROKER window. It holds two separate sets of keys: one for market data, and one for your broker. The trading key is always kept separate from the data key. The EXECUTION fields change with the broker you chose.
In this video
The 30-second version
The same topic in thirty seconds, made for a phone screen.
Both videos use AutoScanTrade Lite in paper mode with made-up symbols and prices.
Read the transcript
Two sets of keys
Open CREDENTIALS from the BROKER window. It holds two separate sets of keys: one for market data, and one for your broker. The trading key is always kept separate from the data key. The EXECUTION fields change with the broker you chose.
DATA
DATA is your Alpaca API key and secret for market data, and the feed: SIP or IEX. This key feeds the scanner, the lists, the news and the chart. TEST DATA asks Alpaca whether that feed answers with this key, and whether it is a paper or a live key.
EXECUTION
EXECUTION is the broker that sends your orders, with the fields it needs, its status and its sign-in type. For Alpaca: a trading key, its secret, and whether it is a paper account. Paper and live Alpaca keys are different pairs. TEST BROKER asks the broker whether the account is reachable. Switching to live later still needs your 6-digit code.
Saving
show reveals or hides a secret. SAVE writes the values to the settings file on your PC, and keeps a backup of the old file. New keys are used from the next start; the broker choice applies at once. Saving keys does not switch the desk to live; it still opens in paper. RESET puts the saved values back, and CLOSE closes without saving.
Your PC
Your API keys are stored in a settings file beside the program, on your own computer, and they are used only to talk to your data provider and your broker. Testing a key never saves it. Do not share the settings file, because it holds your keys.
Fill it in order
Start with DATA, then move on to EXECUTION. Test each set, then press SAVE.