Developing copy trading software with VIM

Having the right software is crucial to implementing a long-term successful copy trading strategy.

If you are unable to find an out-of-the-box copy trading software program that suits your needs and preferences, you can elect to create your own proprietary software.

Nowadays, nifty code editing tools have made it much easier to create your own software and learning a bit of coding to get the copy trading software solution that is 100% right for you can be well worth the investment. You should also take into account that freelancers with coding skills are available online, and hiring a professional for a small software project doesn’t have to cost big bucks.

Key points to remember

• Creating or ordering bespoke copy trading software will require an investment (time, energy and money) but it is an investment that can pay off big time if you get it right.
• In addition to making sure you get exactly the features needed for your specific trading strategy or strategies, you will also be able to forge the software in accordance with your interface preferences. This will make it easier for you to use the program, which in turn enhances the overall trading experience.
• A bespoke copy trading software application can work faster than one-size-fits-all software since it will not be weighed down by features you have no need for.
• For some copy traders, bespoke software is necessary to allow them to use highly complex algorithms.

Warnings

• You wouldn’t just hire a random carpenter for your house, hand them a blank check and hope for the best. You would ask for references, investigate them a bit, and negotiate the terms of the contract in advance. If you wish to hire a programmer to create software for you, you need to do the same.
• Untested software is prone to contain bugs (malfunctions). Popular commercial software has gone through hundreds or even thousands of hours of bug testing, troubleshooting and tweaking to get things right. Well-established commercial software has also been used by thousands of traders before you, who have stumbled upon issues here and there and reported them. With bespoke copy trading software made just for you, you get none of this. Get ready to do your own testing, and make sure you don´t risk big money during the trial and error period.

DIY: Programming your own copy trading software

You do not have to be an expert programmer to do this, but you do need at least some basic programming skills and know-how to code a trading algorithm.

Fortunately, there are software packages available nowadays that make the coding process easier than it used to be. With that said, they are intended for people with at least basic programming skills – they won’t do the job for you.

One example of a popular choice is for building copy trading bots (copy trading software) is Vim.

Using VIM to create your software

One of the best tools you can use to make it easier and more efficient to create your software is WIM. WIM is a universal text editor specifically designed to make it easy to develop your own software. It is used by a huge number of skilled programmers and coders from around the world.

Vin was first created in 1991 by Bram Moolenaar (Vim’s founder). It was based on Bill Joy’s vi text editor.

Bram Moolenaars goal was to create a universal text editor that was designed with coding in mind. Many other texts editors inject extra information in the files when you save them. This can create problems and corrupt code. VIM will therefore never add anything extra to your code. It will also automatically identify and colour code different elements in your code which makes it a lot easier to read and edit the code. You can quickly find the line that you want to find and edit. VIM is turning 40 years old this year but remains one of the best text editors for coding and one of the best tools to use if you want to create your own trading software.

One large benefit of using VIM is that vim is “charityware”. Any income that the software generates is used to help children. It will help you create your software and help make the world a better place at the same time. You can read more about their charity work on ICCF.

VIM helps build clinics and schools in Uganda through his charity foundation ICCF. They also help provide playgrounds and clean water.

An almost finished clinic built by VIM and ICCF.

Vim is not just a basic text editor. It can also help you create code by easily inserting different functions into your code. It is a command-based editor where you use text commands to activate and insert different functions. There are no menus for you to use. It is all text-based.

This might make it sound like the software is hard to use but nothing could be further from the truth. The command-based interface provides a very uncluttered clean interface that put the focus on the code above everything else. This makes it very easy to see and edit the code without having parts of the screen occupied by menus and other interfaces. This allows VIM to offer a very large selection of features while still keeping a very clean interface.

Vim will be suitable for your needs regardless of whether you are a novice or expert coder. Experts can use advanced functions while the novice can limit themselves to the functions they understand. The command-based interface means that you will never be overwhelmed by menus filled with functions you do not understand. You can find a very detailed guide on all the functions that VIM offers and how they function on VIMs official website VIM.org. You can find tips and tricks on a number of other websites.

VIM is very popular among freelance coders since it is easy to use and makes it easy to find bugs and errors. VIM is a very good choice if you want to try to create your own software but know that you might need to hire a freelance coder to perform part of the work. This is due to the fact that VIM makes it very easy for the freelancer to quickly familiarize himself with the work you have already done. It is possible to use VIM to edit software that has been created in another code editor but it is always good to use a popular editor like VIM right from the start since it makes it easier to cooperate with other workers since you know that the screen will look identical for both of you if you use the same editor. This makes it easier to communicate. Small differences between how different editors display things can increase the risk of miscommunications.

VIM supports hundreds of different programming languages and is a good code editor almost regardless of which programming language you want to use. There is a large selection of different plugins available that you can use to add extra functionality to VIM:

Hiring a programmer to create the software

Creating your own copy trading software can be a fun and rewarding process, but it does require an investment in both time and energy – especially if you need to start at the bottom rung by learning basic programming and algorithm coding skills.

An option to DIY is to hire a professional to create the copy trading software for you, in accordance with your specifications. Still, we advise you to at least learn the basics about copy trading software before you hire anyone since that will make it easier for you to understand (and communicate) what you actually want – and what you do not want.

There is an abundance of freelancing programmers available online that are willing and able to take on small projects, such as programming a bespoke copy trading software that will only include the specific features required by your trading strategy. Ideally, select a programmer that has programmed this type of software in the past and can provide you with some examples of previous work.

Since you will be risking your own hard-earned cash using the software for copy trading, simply going with the lowest bidder is not recommended since a poorly designed copy trading robot can cause enormous losses. On the other hand, paying for a high-priced programmer does not automatically mean that you will get a high-quality product, so you need to do your own research before picking a programmer instead of relying on price to guide you.

Important: Communication is essential. If you can´t explain what it is that you want, how will the programmer be able to know? You are asking for a bespoke product here, so you can´t simply order ”the usual stuff” from the menu. If you are having trouble communicating with your programmer, it might be because:

A.) You know too little about the subject to provide valuable and detailed input.

B.) Your ideas are still half-baked and you need some serious handholding to reach a conclusion about what kind of product you actually want to have built for you.

C.) There are communication issues between you and the programmer, and you would be better off selecting another programmer that finds it easier to connect with you.

Take the trading platform’s API into account

API is short for Application Programming Interface. When creating a copy trading robot, the API provided by the trading platform must be taken into account. Otherwise, the trading robot will not work on the trading platform.

This also means that the API will restrict your freedom a bit when it comes to programming a copy trading robot. If your robot can not communicate properly with the trading platform, automatic trades can not be carried out.

Also, remember that your copy trading robot can only make trades and other actions that are supported by the trading platform.

If a particular copy trading feature is essential to you, make sure you use a trading platform that will support that feature.