Export and import the Replikanto follower list

This article explains how to save the follower accounts of a Replikanto tab to a text file (Export...) and load them back (Import...), for example to keep a backup, move your setup to a new computer or VPS, or copy it to another workspace. It also covers what changed in Replikanto 1.7.0.0 and what to do if an import on an older version brought your followers back with the wrong Ratio or turned Off.

What the follower file is

Export writes a plain .txt file (default name Followers.txt) with one line for each account listed in the Follower Accounts grid of the tab. Each line holds that account's copy settings: whether it is on, ATM Copy, Cross Order, Ratio, Pre Allocation, Pct. Change (%) and Market Only.

The file only holds the follower list. It is not a NinjaTrader workspace: the leader account, the instrument, the Properties and the rest of the tab are saved with the workspace, not in this file.

Export the follower list

1. Open the Replikanto tab whose followers you want to save.
2. Right-click anywhere in the Follower Accounts grid.
3. Click Export....
4. Choose a folder and a name (the default is Followers.txt) and click Save.

Import the follower list

1. Open the Replikanto tab you want to configure, with the leader account and instrument already selected.
2. Right-click the Follower Accounts grid and click Import....
3. Select the file and click Open. Every account named in the file gets the settings from the file. Accounts that are not in the file are not changed.
4. Check the grid, then save the workspace (Workspaces > save in the NinjaTrader Control Center). Until you save it, the imported settings are not kept for the next NinjaTrader start.

Each imported account is recorded in the NinjaTrader Log tab (Control Center > Log) with a line that starts Replikanto: [Workspace] Imported a follower account from file. and shows the status, Ratio and other values the follower ended up with.

What happens during an import

Starting with Replikanto 1.7.0.0:

• Any Windows language works. Ratio and % values are read the same way on every computer. A file exported on a computer that uses a decimal comma, such as Windows in Portuguese or German, is read correctly, including fractional Ratio and % values (for example 0.5 or 1.125). This also applies to follower files exported by older Replikanto versions.
• Accounts that are not connected yet are kept. If the file names an account that does not have a row in the grid yet (usually because its broker connection is still starting), Replikanto keeps its settings and applies them as soon as the account appears. The Log shows Warning [1069] for that account. If the name is not an account you have, check the file for a typo.
• A bad value does not reset the follower. If one field of a line cannot be read, or is outside the range the grid accepts (Ratio from -100 to 100, or 0 to 100 in the Compliance Mode edition; % from -100 to 100), that follower keeps its current value for that field and the rest of the line is still applied. The Log shows Warning [1066], and field= names the field. Fix that value in the file and import again.
• Followers come back armed. A follower that was Disarmed or Out of sync when the file was exported is imported as on (armed). If turning it on would create a copy loop with another Replikanto tab, it stays Off.
• Market Only wins over ATM Copy. If a line has Market Only on, ATM Copy is turned off for that follower, as it is in the grid.

Import... is greyed out

With the property Lock follower settings while in a trade turned on (Properties, General section; it is on by default), Import... is disabled while any follower account of the tab, or its leader account, has an open position or a working order. Hovering over the item shows: "At least one follower account on this tab has an open position or a working order. Flatten it, or wait for the trade to finish, before changing this setting."

Flatten the accounts, or wait for the trade to finish, and then import. Export... stays available during a trade.

Problems with imports on older versions

Before Replikanto 1.7.0.0, importing a follower file on a computer that uses a decimal comma (for example Windows in Portuguese or German) could bring followers back with Ratio 1 and turned Off, or with a fractional Ratio read as a much larger number (an exported Ratio of 1.125 came back as 1125), while the Log still reported a successful import. Accounts whose broker was not connected yet were also skipped.

To fix it, update Replikanto to 1.7.0.0 or later and import the same file again: it is now read correctly. Then check the Ratio and % of each follower and save the workspace.

File format

You normally never need to edit the file. For reference, each line has eight fields separated by semicolons, in this order:

Account;ATM Copy;Cross Order;Ratio;Pre Allocation;%;Status;Market Only
Sim101;False;False;1;0;0;Checked;False
Sim102;True;MES;0.5;0;0;Checked;False

• Numbers use a decimal point and no thousands separator, on every Windows language.
• Cross Order is False when it is not used; otherwise it holds the Cross Order target.
• Status is Off or Checked (on). Files may also contain Disarmed or OutOfSync, which are imported as on.

If you edit the file by hand, keep the account names exactly as NinjaTrader shows them.

Node lists

The local network node grid and the remote node grid have their own Import... and Export... items in their right-click menus (default file names Nodes.txt and RemoteNodes.txt). They work the same way and hold only the node list.