I use DDE to stream real-time data into Excel. The latest update to TWS Stable (v 10.30.1l) last week completely broke the DDE Excel formulas that have worked largely without issue for 5+ years. Now they generate either null values or error message popups in Excel. Anyone else experiencing something similar? (The RTD API still works, but it's not an option for me for various reasons; I need functional DDE.) (Does anyone here actually use the DDE API? Sometimes when I correspond with IB support, reps seem to express surprise that people even use it. I've reported big bugs in the past I assume they've been inundated with complaints about, and they tell me it's the first they're hearing about it.)
I do, but have not recently. Are you using the new spreadsheet? Last time I was messing with it, I couldn't get it to output the model implied volatility for stocks. Was frustrating. I use the DDE socket bridge.
I use the "new" DDE socket-bridge API as well. I was hanging on to the legacy DDE for as long as I could but about 2 years ago, they finally sunset it for good after threatening to do so for years. When you ask whether I'm using "the new spreadsheet", I assume you're talking about the 'sample' spreadsheet that gets downloaded when you install the API. Well yes, that's the Excel file I started with, but that's really just a training tool for newer users. What I actually mostly do in Excel is input formulas (using the IB-approved syntax in their IB knowledge base documentation) to pull in the values that I want. In fact, here's what you (or anyone else reading this thread) can do to test this. Here's the official formula syntax to request the USD/EUR value, which I'm pasting directly from the Knowledge Base link above: =Stwsserver|reqMktData!'id1?EUR_CASH_IDEALPRO_USD_~/' HOWEVER, when I input that into Excel, it generates the following error message: That's what just started happening with this new TWS update, which I'm now trying to diagnose / fix. Knowing that other people are experiencing this too I suppose is a useful data point to show IB that it's definitely broken, so would appreciate others testing their Excel DDE formulas.
That looks to be just a warning, not an error. When you accept the dialog, does it work? Is TWSSERVE.EXE part of the package from IB?
Yes, the TWSSERVE thing is some part of the IB process / package. No, "accepting" the error doesn't work, it just generates this error popup: FWIW, I recognize these Excel popups, because even before this latest TWS update that seems to have broken everything, I would get these exact popups when I accidentally tried to run my Excel formulas without already having opened the TWS and the Socket Bridge connection (a pre-prerequisite for using DDE formulas in Excel). So basically Excel is now acting as though it can't communicate at all with the IB API (even when TWS and Socket Bridge are running correctly.)
That looks like a typo somewhere, possibly by IB themselves (STWSSERV.EXE). You can try contacting them again, I cannot test Excel stuff myself. OT: You really need to move away from the DDE stuff...
I'd just roll-back to the old version. But, I suppose you could try making a copy/link of the file to address the typo? Ugly hack and have my doubts it's really a typo though.
Thanks for the replies. Any particular reason you say that about DDE? I've gone very far down each of the DDE and RTD rabbit holes...(very) long-story short, RTD is far less stable for me, to the point of complete unusability. Excel crashes, or cell values simply stop updating at all (I'm pulling in a lot of symbols at once). TLDR: DDE has, for 7+ years been the only option for me, which is why I'm so keen to get this fixed ASAP. But always happy to hear about others' takes on DDE, and why they don't like it.
Unfortunately, I can't -- IB doesn't make prior versions available for download. I.e. once they upload a new version to their TWS download page, that's all you can download from there; the prior versions aren't available. And unless you have one of the "Offline TWS" installation files (which I don't think I ever had), TWS will automatically update itself to the current (problematic) version when you run it. (I do have a very old offline TWS installation file, but it's SO old (2 yrs) that it gives you a 'this version no longer supported' error when you try and log in.) EDIT: yeah, I don't think it's a 'typo'...as I wrote in a previous reply, that same error message is what I used to get when I'd try to activate my DDE formulas before having run TWS + Socket Bridge...and it worked up until this version. There's something about this TWS version that completely broke the communication between Excel and the IB servers.