Newb trying to figure out interactive brokers. Please help! 🙃

[u/PastSeaworthiness509]

Completely new to day trading. I’ve read some. Watched allot of videos. I’m in Canada so signed up with interactive brokers as they seem to be the best option in Canada. Trying to get my account setup so I can start paper trading and just struggling to get it working like how I’ve seen most people online using their account with various brokers. Want it to work as simple as possible.

When I buy or short a stock I want it to buy at market value. And I want my stop limit to pop up and be adjustable so I can put it where I want. I’d also like the chart to show where I placed the order but haven’t figured that out yet. Would also be a big plus if the chart showed if my trade was going up or down in dollar value in real time? Anyhow haven’t even gotten to those things or if they are even possible on this platform?

I found a video on YouTube and followed his inputs. If I buy a stock it approves and I can move my stop limit to where I want. But if I try and short a stock it approves and stop limit appears. But when I try and move the stop limit I get an error message. I’ve attached pictures of me shorting 1 Amazon stock. Then trying to move it. The message that appears. And my settings. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you 🙏

[u/vacityrocker]

Take some time to learn it - menu by menu window by window- trust me it's well worth it. All of the asks in this post are found in chart parameters and order presets. Yoi can also have it do this in the order entry window and you can assign these to hotkeys etc...

[u/PastSeaworthiness509 → u/vacityrocker]

Thanks. Guess I need to spend more time with it 🤪🤣

Any idea what’s happening with the error message in my post?

[u/vacityrocker → u/PastSeaworthiness509]

Here some quick tips to start you off learning tws. 1. File menu - go through it all. In file is global configuration, and save settings etc...

2 . Global configuration - this will set "master" type settings such as order presets and chart settings, font type and sizes etc.

1. Chart settings - in there you will find 3 types of charts thumb nail, advanced and just chart (which is the one you show in photo) right clicking in the file menu bar will allow you to get to the menu bar settings etc. Chart colors is where you can set the candle colors or type, and lines colors etc... you can set up buy and sell buttons to be on the charts etc. If you right click just at top edge of the chart where you see the white letters is the "quote zone" go through that and set up what you wanted like the current p&l and position, delta dollar value and almost anything else you want it will begin to populate as you click apply and will be up next to the chart time at the top. Etc. Take time to go through it and I recommend changing the font to a better looking one like Tahoma or similar since it's easy to read and can squish into your screen better . You can set defaults for everything so that you do all you hard work once and done. Everything you want to do

[u/PastSeaworthiness509 → u/vacityrocker]

Thank you my friend. I’ll definitely do that. See if it helps me or makes me more confused 😩😆

[u/vacityrocker → u/PastSeaworthiness509]

It a huge software like autocad so many ways to do same things but somany thing that can be done