AutoTradingFox Manual

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Printed: September 2013
AutoTrading Fox Manual
2013 AutoTradingFox
Special thanks to:
All the people who contributed to this document, to mum and dad
and grandpa, to my sisters and brothers and mothers in law, to the
pizza service down the street, and ...
Last not least, we want to thank you our customers for having the
patience to read through this!
3 Contents
3
2013 AutoTradingFox
Table of Contents
Foreword 0
Part I AutoTradingFox Manual 5
Part II Version History 7
Part III Introduction 8
Part IV Installing AutoTradingFox 9
................................................................................................................................... 12 1 Activating Your Software
................................................................................................................................... 16 2 De-Activating Your Software
Part V Getting Started 18
................................................................................................................................... 19 1 Loading Races
................................................................................................................................... 20 2 Check The Settings
................................................................................................................................... 21 3 Design Your Betplan
................................................................................................................................... 23 4 Attach Your Betplan To A Race
................................................................................................................................... 25 5 Click Start Trading
................................................................................................................................... 26 6 Monitor Bets And Results
Part VI Auto Trading Fox User Interface 30
................................................................................................................................... 31 1 Races List
................................................................................................................................... 33 2 Runners List
.......................................................................................................................................................... 34 Auto-Scroll Feature
.......................................................................................................................................................... 35 Forced Updates
................................................................................................................................... 36 3 New Bet Plan Tab
.......................................................................................................................................................... 39 Bet 1
......................................................................................................................................................... 41 Early Bet 1 Placement
.......................................................................................................................................................... 43 Bet 2
......................................................................................................................................................... 44 Bet 2 Prof it Percentage
.......................................................................................................................................................... 45 Stop-Loss Bet
......................................................................................................................................................... 47 Stop Loss Percentage Option
......................................................................................................................................................... 48 Stop Loss Percentage With Of f set Ticks
......................................................................................................................................................... 49 Early Stop-Loss Bet Placement
.......................................................................................................................................................... 49 Potential P&L
.......................................................................................................................................................... 50 Saving and Loading Bet Plans
.......................................................................................................................................................... 50 Attaching A Bet Plan To race(s)
......................................................................................................................................................... 52 Multiple Bet Plans Per Race
.......................................................................................................................................................... 53 Cancelling Bet Plans
................................................................................................................................... 54 4 Trading Control Bar
.......................................................................................................................................................... 55 Trading Modes
................................................................................................................................... 56 5 Bets & Betting Plan Summary Tabs
.......................................................................................................................................................... 59 Terminating The Betting Plan
................................................................................................................................... 59 6 Results Tab
.......................................................................................................................................................... 60 Estimating The Simulated P&L Result
.......................................................................................................................................................... 61 Stop On Profit / Loss
.......................................................................................................................................................... 62 Account Balance Display
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................................................................................................................................... 63 7 Messages Tab
................................................................................................................................... 64 8 Status Info Bar
.......................................................................................................................................................... 64 Section 1 Date
.......................................................................................................................................................... 64 Section 2 Time
.......................................................................................................................................................... 65 Section 3 Betting Mode
.......................................................................................................................................................... 65 Section 4 Trading Status
.......................................................................................................................................................... 65 Section 5 API Data Calls
.......................................................................................................................................................... 66 Section 6 Currency
.......................................................................................................................................................... 66 Section 7 Message Count
.......................................................................................................................................................... 66 Section 8 General
................................................................................................................................... 66 9 Main Menu
.......................................................................................................................................................... 66 Main Menu Settings
......................................................................................................................................................... 67 Settings Trading Options
......................................................................................................................................................... 68 Settings Betf air Options
......................................................................................................................................................... 69 Settings Sounds
......................................................................................................................................................... 70 Settings Message Options
.......................................................................................................................................................... 71 Main Menu Calculator
.......................................................................................................................................................... 72 Main Menu Logout
.......................................................................................................................................................... 73 Main Menu Help
.......................................................................................................................................................... 74 Main Menu About
Part VII Auto Trading Fox Under The Hood 76
................................................................................................................................... 76 1 Application Structure
................................................................................................................................... 77 2 Loading The Race List
................................................................................................................................... 78 3 Race Update Frequency
................................................................................................................................... 79 4 Data Calls Per Update Cycle
.......................................................................................................................................................... 80 Real Betting Data Calls
.......................................................................................................................................................... 80 Simulated Betting Data Calls
................................................................................................................................... 80 5 Non-Runners
................................................................................................................................... 81 6 Matching Simulated Bets
................................................................................................................................... 81 7 Timezones
................................................................................................................................... 81 8 Context Save and Restore
Part VIII User Provisioning and Licensing 83
Part IX Betfair Vendor Certification Compliance 86
................................................................................................................................... 86 1 Part A Application Security Certification
................................................................................................................................... 87 2 Part B Product Requirements
Index 0
AutoTradingFox Manual 5
2013 AutoTradingFox
1 AutoTradingFox Manual

The AutoTradingFox
Manual

2013 AutoTradingFox
Author: AutoTradingFox
Date: 20/08/2013
Version: 1.05
Version History 7
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2 Version History
Versio
n
Date Author Changes
1.00 14/
02/2013
AutoTradingFo
x
First version.
1.01 09/03/201
3
AutoTradingFo
x
Added new section: 5. User Provisioning &
Licensing
Added new section: 6. Betfair Vendor
Certification Compliance
Added new section: 3.2.2 Forced Updates
Updated section: 4.2 Loading The Race List
1.02 24/03/201
3
AutoTradingFo
x
Added new section: 7. Vendor Certification
Request Supporting Notes
Added new section: 3.6.3 Account Balance
Display
1.03 28/06/201
3
AutoTradingFo
x
Added new section: 3.3.2.1 Bet 2 Profit
Percentage
1.04 15/07/201
3
AutoTradingFo
x
Updated sections:
3.3.1 Bet 1
3.3.2 Bet 2
3.3.2.1 Bet 2 Profit Percentage
Added new sections:
3.3.3.1 Stop Loss Percentage Option
3.3.3.2 Stop Loss Percentage With Offset
Ticks
1.05 20/08/201
3
AutoTradingFo
x
Updated section: 3.3 New Bet Plan Tab
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3 Introduction
The purpose of this document is to provide the reader with notes on how to use the
Auto Trading Fox application and some insight into how it functions.
Installing AutoTradingFox 9
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4 Installing AutoTradingFox
Installing AutoTradingFox is very easy, just the same as installing any other Windows based
software.
1. Download the installer file provided via the link on the trial download page, then save to
your desktop/PC.
The installer file name will be something like AutoTradingFox_1_43_10.msi
2. Double click the installer file to start the installation
3. Follow the on screen prompts to complete installation as follows:
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You should then see the ATF icon on your desktop as follows:
Activating Your Software
4.1 Activating Your Software
You can purchase an activation key then activate your software using the activation code sent
to you.
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Copy and paste the activation code into the box provided.
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4.2 De-Activating Your Software
You can also de-activate your software should you want to move the software to another PC
via the About Menu.
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5 Getting Started
Here's a quick getting started guide for you.
1. Start the AutoTradingFox application by clicking the desktop icon
2. Login to Betfair using your Betfair credentials, username and password.
Next Step
Getting Started 19
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5.1 Loading Races
3. Load the races you want to monitor
Choose the country for races you want to load
Click the Load Races button and the events will take a few moments to load
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Next Step
5.2 Check The Settings
4. Check the settings option by clicking the settings menu at the top
Select either Real Money or Simulation Modes.
Set any profit or loss stop settings
Getting Started 21
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You can also change any other settings you wish to suit your requirements.
Next Step
5.3 Design Your Betplan
5. Design your betting plan to implement the bets required. Choose from
Back the Lay - Place a back bet first then place a lay bet
Lay then Back - Place a Lay bet first then place a back bet
Straight Lay - Place a straight lay bet
Straight Back - Place a straight back bet
Example: Back then lay 1st and 2nd Favourites between 2.0 and 10.0 odds, take current price at
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15 sec after the race goes in play.
The Lay bet will be triggered for a 5% profit and there is a stop loss bet for a 5% loss. So we win
5% or lose 5%.
Other criteria can be set as below, like the total number of bets, in this case 2, one each for
first and second favourites.
Getting Started 23
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The potential profit and loss is also shown, although this is an estimate and will depend on
the final bets that were managed to be placed and matched.
Next Step
5.4 Attach Your Betplan To A Race
6. Attach your betplans to a race or multiple races in two ways.
Either tick the required races and click - Attach To All Ticked Races
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Or Select an individual race and click - Attach To Highlighted Race
You can also click the top check box to select all races:
Getting Started 25
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Next Step
5.5 Click Start Trading
7. Once a betplan is attached to a race, the Start Trading button will show and be red in colour.
Click to start the trading so that AutoTradingFox can monitor the races selected with betplans
and place any bets that meet your criteria.
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Once clicked the Start Trading button will turn Green:
Next Step
5.6 Monitor Bets And Results
8. Monitor the bets and results in the Bets tab window and Results tab
A summary of the bet plan is shown on the Betting Plan tab, when you click the race with the
attached bet plan.
Getting Started 27
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Bets placed 15 seconds after race turns in-play, matched very quickly due to 5% profit and stop
levels
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Race finished and final result
Getting Started 29
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Results Panel shows race outcomes and total profit/loss figures.
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6 Auto Trading Fox User Interface
The purpose of the Auto Trading Fox (ATF) is to enable the user to fully automate
some relatively simple but powerful horse race trading strategies on the Betfair
exchange. This is achieved by setting up Betting Plans which are then attached to one or
more horse racing events.
The ATF runs on a Microsoft Windows platform (XP or newer) and requires an internet
connection.
When the ATF is started the user is required to login to their Betfair account. After
successful login the user will be presented by the main trading screen which is divided into
9 functional areas:
- Races list
- Runners list
- New Bet Plan tab
- Trading Control bar
- Bets and Betting Plan summary tabs
- Results tab
- Messages tab
- Status Information bar
- Main Menu bar
Auto Trading Fox User Interface 31
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6.1 Races List
The user populates the Races list via the "Load Races" button. There are 2 filters available:
a) The countries in which the races are taking place.
b) The number of hours ahead of the current time within which the races are scheduled
to start. Races will only be loaded if they are scheduled to start within the period
ranging from the current time to the current time plus the number or hours specified
by the user.
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If there are races that satisfy the filters then the Races List will be loaded with the following
columns:
Date and Time: The scheduled start time of the race as provided by Betfair. Note that
the date and time will reflect the user's local timezone settings so he will see the
correct time for his location. The ATF obtains the local timezone information from the
user's PC settings.
Ctry: The 3 character code for the country in which the race will be taking place.
Venue: The Betfair abbreviation of the race course at which the race will be taking
place.
Market Name: The Betfair market name for the event.
No: The number of active runners in the race (excludes any non-runners).
FLPM: The last price matched (LPM) of the current favourite runner in the race (i.e. the
runner with the lowest LPM). This value wil be continuously updated during both the
pre-event and in-play periods of the race.
FBSP: The Betfair Starting Price (BSP) of the favourite runner in the race. Betfair
calculate their starting price for each runner in the race and publish this information
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just after the race is turned in-play. The value in this column will be the lowest BSP in
the market. This column will therefore be blank during the pre-event period. Note
that Betfair do not support BSP for all races in which case these will be denoted by "N/
A" in this column.
Traded: The total volume that has been traded on the market in the currency of the
user account.
Status: The current Betfair market status.
InPlay: Will display the text "In-Play" with a green background when the market has
been turned in-play. If the market will not be turned in-play then it will display "N/A".
Plan: Will display a clipboard symbol if this market has a betting plan attached to it.
This column will have a yellow background if the ATF is currently in Simulated betting
mode.
Note that when requesting horse racing markets from Betfair, the API will return ALL horse
racing markets. We only require the main win market for each race and so the ATF will
attempt to filter out all of the other non-required markets by looking for more than one
market for a race, and for particular elements in the market name etc. (eg "TO BE PLACED").
There may still be occasions, however, when another market type will get through and onto
the Races list.
6.2 Runners List
When the Races list is loaded the ATF will start a background process that will retrieve the
runners (selections) information for each race, including the jockey silks if available. The
Runners for the currently selected Race (highlighted in orange in the Races list) are displayed
in the Runners list area. A different Race can be viewed by clicking on it in the Race list. The
Runners list is loaded with the following columns:
Name: The name of the horse. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd favourites in the race are indicated
in smaller text below the horse names. The favourite is the horse that has the lowest
last price matched (LPM) during the pre-event period. Long horse names may be
abbreviated to accommodate the favourite text, but the user can hover the mouse
cursor over the horse name to display it in full along with the Betfair Starting Price for
the horse if available.
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Back: The current Betfair market Back price. Will display NR if the horse is a non-
runner.
Lay: The current Betfair market Lay price. Will display NR if the horse is a non-
runner.
LPM: The last price matched on Betfair. Will display NR if the horse is a non-runner.
P&L: The user's current profit and loss position on each Runner. In Simulated Betting
mode this is displayed with a yellow background. Note that in real betting mode this
will also include any external P&L, i.e. from bets placed outside of the ATF session
being viewed.
6.2.1 Auto-Scroll Feature
When the Races List has been loaded, the Auto Scroll tick box will be displayed in the top left
corner of the main screen. If this is ticked by the user then the race that is currently displayed
will be automatically progressed by the ATF. As each race finishes then the next one that is
due to start will be selected. Priority is given to races that have a bet plan attached and these
will be displayed in preference to races that have no bet plan. This feature is intended for
users who want to keep an eye on the ATF running on a separate screen say, but not have to
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keep clicking on the race list to select the next race to view. The feature can be deactivated by
unticking the Auto Scroll box or by manually selecting a specific race on the Races List.
6.2.2 Forced Updates
When the user left-clicks on a row in the Races list then this will also force an update of the
prices and bets displayed for that race. This is a requirement for Betfair vendor certification.
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6.3 New Bet Plan Tab
This tab is where the user sets up a betting plan that he wishes to attach to one or more races
in the race list.
The betting plan supports 4 basic trading strategies, each of which can have an optional stop
loss bet.
Back Then Lay - Bet1 will be a back bet and Bet2 a lay bet. The ATF expects that Bet1
will be at a higher price than Bet2 in order to have the potential to make a profit and
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will not allow the plan to be attached to a race if this is not the case. If a Stop-Loss bet
is included in the plan then this will be a lay bet which should be at a price that is
higher than that of Bet1.
Lay Then Back - Bet1 will be a lay bet and Bet2 a back bet. The ATF expects that Bet1
will be at a lower price than Bet2 in order to have the potential to make a profit and
will not allow the plan to be attached to a race if this is not the case. If a Stop-Loss bet
is included in the plan then this will be a back bet which should be at a price that is
lower than that of Bet1.
Straight Back - Bet1 will be a back bet. There is no Bet2. If a Stop-Loss bet is included in
the plan then this will be a lay bet which should be at a price that is higher than that of
Bet1.
Straight Lay - Bet1 will be a lay bet. There is no Bet2. If a Stop-Loss bet is included in
the plan then this will be a back bet which should be at a price that is lower than that
of Bet1.
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Having selected a strategy the user must select which horses (runners) the plan is applicable
to:
Ticked Runner(s) The bet plan applies to all horses that have been ticked in the
Runners list for the Race(s) that the plan is attached to. Note that Runners cannot be
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ticked/unticked while trading is in progress.
Any Runner The bet plan applies to any runner in the race that satisfies the required
conditions for betting.
Favourite(s) The bet plan applies to any mix (singular or multiple) of the 1st, 2nd
and/or 3rd favourite horses. The Favourite being identified by the lowest last price
matched. During the pre-event period the favourite(s) may change as the market
moves. The user should be aware that this could result with betting on more than one
1st favourite say, but he can control this via the Max Bets setting. When the race turns
in-play the last set of pre-event favourites are frozen and will not change as the race
progresses. So betting on the favourite during in-play applies to the horse that was
favourite at the end of the pre-event period according to the last prices matched.
Depending on the chosen strategy the user is required to specify values for up to 3 separate
bets:
6.3.1 Bet 1
There will always be at least one bet so this bet will always be required. The stake and price
values are specified by the user in the Bet1 section.
There is also an option to Take Available Price for Bet 1. If the user ticks this option then he
does not enter a specific price for Bet 1, but whatever price (Back or Lay as appropriate) is
available at the time when the Bet 1 trigger conditions are satisfied, this price is used for Bet
1. Note that the user can limit the range of acceptable prices on the Bet 1 trigger conditions
section.
Bet 1 will only be placed when the user-specified trigger conditions have been satisfied.
These are set on the "Bet 1 Trigger Conditions" section and consist of:
The Period in which the bet is to be placed.
o With the Pre-Event and Anytime options the user can optionally specify a time
period before the scheduled start time during which the bet can be placed. So for
example if he specifies 30 minutes then the bet can only be placed from within 30
minutes before the off. If the user has ticked Take Available Price then the price
available at 30 minutes before the off will be used.
o With the In-Play option the user can optionally specify a time period after the race
start when the bet can be placed. So for example if he specifies 20 seconds then
the ATF will wait for 20 seconds after the race is turned in-play before attempting
to place the bet. If the user has ticked Take Available Price then the price
available at 20 seconds after the race has been turned in play will be used.
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A Price Trigger condition. Here the user specifies which price type and what range of
price values will trigger the bet. The trigger price type can be:
o Back - the current market Back price for the selected Runner.
o Lay - the current market Lay price for the selected Runner.
o Last Matched - the last price matched in the market for the selected Runner.
o Available Price the price that is currently available at the time when the Period
condition is satisfied.
Having selected the price type the user then specifies the range of price values that he
wants to trigger the bet.
To specify a particular exact price (i.e. not a range) the user should set both the low
and high values to that price.
If the user does not care what the price is then he should set the low value to 1.01 and
the high to 1000.00
There is also a further set of criteria that can be specified to control when Bet1 can be placed.
These are in the bet plan section "Other Bet 1 Criteria":
Max Runners - Bet1 will only be placed if the number of active runners (i.e. excluding
non-runners) in the race is less than or equal to this value.
Min Runners - Bet1 will only be placed if the number of active runners (i.e. excluding
non-runners) in the race is greater than or equal to this value.
Max Non-Rnrs Bet1 will only be placed if the number of non-runners in the race is
less than or equal to this value. Note that the non-runners are only those that have
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been identified since the Race List was loaded.
Max Bets This specifies the maximum number of runners that Bet1 can be placed on.
So, for example, a value of 1 will limit the number of bets to 1 and if more than one
runner qualifies under the bet plan criteria only the first one identified will receive a
bet.
BSP Range of the Favourite This condition only applies if the Period setting for Bet1
is In-Play. It specifies the range of acceptable Betfair starting price values of the
favourite in the race (BSP prices are only published when the race is in-play). If the
BSP of the favourite (i.e. the lowest BSP value) falls out of this range then Bet1 will
not be placed. If the user is not concerned about the BSP of the favourite then he
should specify the price range 1.01 to 1000.00
BSP Range of Selected Runner(s) - This condition only applies if the Period setting for
Bet1 is In-Play. It specifies the range of acceptable Betfair starting price values of the
runner(s) on which we wish to place Bet1. Only those runner(s) that have a BSP that
falls within the specified range will be eligible for Bet1. If the user is not concerned
about the BSP of the runner(s) then he should specify the price range 1.01 to 1000.00
So to summarise, Bet 1 will only be placed during the specified period (or in the case of Take
Available Price, from the time when the period condition is satisfied), and when the
specified price trigger condition is satisfied and each of the other criteria are also all satisfied.
6.3.1.1 Early Bet 1 Placement
In order to place Bet1 into the market 'early', i.e. before the required price is available, the
user can set the price trigger condition appropriately. For example say he wants to lay a
runner at 2.50 but the current lay price is 3.00. He would set the Bet1 price to 2.50 and in order
to put the bet into the market immediately he could set the price trigger to the Lay price
having the range 2.50 to 3.50 say. The bet would be placed but it would not be matched until
the market Lay price reduces to 2.50.
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If on the other hand if the current lay price is 2.10 say but the user does not want to place the
bet until the price is 2.50 then it cannot be placed early as doing so would result in an
immediate match at 2.10. So in this case he would have to set the Lay price trigger to 2.50 to
2.54 say and the ATF would not place the bet until the price reached this range.
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Similar examples also apply to Back bets.
6.3.2 Bet 2
If the strategy is Back-Then-Lay or Lay-Then-Back then it will include Bet2. The values for Bet2
are specified in the Bet2 section of the plan.
Bet2 does not require a specific trigger condition because it will always be placed
immediately when, and only when, Bet1 has been fully matched.
Bet2 can be specified as either: a specific stake and price, or as a profit percentage value.
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6.3.2.1 Bet 2 Profit Percentage
If the user wants to achieve a particular profit percentage when both bets 1 and 2 are
matched, then there is a function that will automatically calculate the values for Bet 2 on-the-
fly in order to achieve a specific profit.
When the user has specified a profit percentage value for Bet 2, and Bet 1 has been fully
matched, the ATF with calculate the stake and price for Bet 2 in order to achieve the required
profit whichever horse wins the race. The calculation will be based on the matched price for
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Bet 1. Note that in many cases the precise price required to achieve the profit target will not
be an exact Betfair price, so in these cases the ATF will select the nearest Betfair price that
gets closest to the required profit. In addition the bet will only be placed if it satisfies the
minimum stake requirement.
For example if the Bet 1 stake is 10 and the user wants to guarantee a profit of 4 then he
would specify a profit of 40%.
6.3.3 Stop-Loss Bet
The stop-loss bet is optional and can be included with any of the base strategies. The values
for this bet are specified in the Stop Loss section of the plan.
In order for the Stop-Loss bet to be placed the following conditions must be satisfied:
Bet1 has been fully matched.
Bet2 (if applicable to the bet plan) has not been matched (even partially).
The Stop-Loss bet price trigger condition has been satisfied (see the section "Stop
Loss Trigger Conditions" on the New Bet Plan tab). Note that if a Stop Loss
percentage has been specified (see section below) then the Stop Loss Trigger
Conditions are not applicable since the bet will be placed when the Last Price
Matched has reached the price that would result in the specified stop loss
percentage.
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Note: If the Stop-Loss bet is triggered then Bet2 (if applicable to the bet plan) will be
cancelled.
Example
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6.3.3.1 Stop Loss Percentage Option
In a similar way to the Bet 2 profit percentage, the user may optionally specify a loss
percentage for the Stop Loss bet.
For example if the Bet 1 stake is 10 and the user wants to limit the possible loss to 8 then he
would specify a loss of 80%.
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6.3.3.2 Stop Loss Percentage With Offset Ticks
If the user has specified a stop loss percentage then he may also optionally enter a number of
offset ticks to control the price at which the bet is placed in order to improve the chances of it
being matched. For example lets say that the ATF has calculated that a Stop Loss Back bet
should be placed at a price of 1.80 and the user has entered 5 offset ticks. In this case when
the Last Price Matched has fallen to 1.80 or less the bet will be placed at 1.80 5 ticks, i.e. at a
price of 1.75. So the user is accepting the possibility that the Stop Loss bet might be matched
at a slightly worse price (1.77 for example) for the reduced risk of it not being matched at all.
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6.3.3.3 Early Stop-Loss Bet Placement
It is impossible to place the Stop-Loss bet early because by definition it will always be at a
price that is inferior to the current market price (at the time of placing Bet1 or Bet2) and will
therefore get matched immediately if placed, which would not be desirable.
6.3.4 Potential P&L
The Potential P&L section of the New Bet Plan tab calculates the resulting P&L for the values
entered on the bet plan if the bets are fully matched. It shows both cases for if the runner
wins or loses the race. It also shows the result for whether or not the stop-loss bet is
triggered. There is also an optional tick box to calculate the resulting P&L using the inferior
prices that might occur due to the Offset Tick settings.
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6.3.5 Saving and Loading Bet Plans
All of the values and settings on a Bet Plan can be saved to disk for future retrieval. Click the
Save to File button to activate the save function. This will prompt the user to enter a
filename which by default will have the extension .bp
In order to retrieve previously saved plans just click the Load from File button and open the
required plan.
6.3.6 Attaching A Bet Plan To race(s)
Having created (or loaded) a bet plan the user can then attach it to 1 or more Races in the
Races list. This is achieved via one of 2 buttons on the New Bet Plan tab (not available if
trading is in progress):
Attach To Highlighted Race The bet plan will be attached to one race which is
currently selected on the Races list (i.e. highlighted in orange). When the button is
clicked the ATF will verify the settings and values against the selected race and if valid
will attach the plan to the race. A clipboard symbol will be displayed in the Plan
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column of the Races list to show that it has a bet plan attached.
Attach To All Ticked Races The bet plan will be attached to ALL of the races that have
been ticked in the Races list. When the button is clicked the ATF will verify the
settings and values against all of the ticked races and if all are valid will attach the plan
to each race. A clipboard symbol will be displayed in the Plan column for each race to
show that it has a bet plan attached.
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A bet plan cannot be attached to race(s) whilst trading is in
progress.
When a Bet Plan has been attached to a race the Bets and Betting Plan summary tabs will be
displayed alongside the Runners list (see the section Bets and Betting Plan Summary Tabs for
more details).
6.3.6.1 Multiple Bet Plans Per Race
Only one bet plan can be attached to a race. If the user wishes to attach more than one plan to
a race then he can do so by starting another instance of the AutoTradingFox application and
attaching another plan to the race. The bet plans in each instance will be executed
independently from each other. The user should be aware of the following issues however:
Firstly be aware of the data calls per second setting as the call rate will now increase
with more than one session running (see Main Menu -> Settings).
2013 AutoTradingFox
If 2 (or more) bet plans are executed on the same race in real betting mode, the plans
will execute independently which is fine but the P&L displayed against the Runners
list will be the aggregate P&L of all plans that are in progress (which may cause some
confusion when observing one particular plan in progress).
Similarly the Net P&L that is displayed on the Results panel will again be the aggregate
P&L result of all plans executed on that race in real betting mode.
Another point to note is that the races listed on the Results panel will only be those
that have Bet Plans attached to them in that particular instance of the ATF. So if a
separate instance has placed bets on a race but the instance you are looking at does
not have a bet plan on that race, then the P&L result of the separate plan will not be
shown on the instance you are looking at, and more importantly will not be included
in the stop on profit/loss calculation.
6.3.7 Cancelling Bet Plans
Having attached bet plan(s) to race(s) the user may cancel them if required using one of the
following methods:
By clicking the Cancel button on the Betting Plan summary tab next to the Runners
list.
2013 AutoTradingFox
By right-clicking on the Races list grid and selecting one of the Cancel options on the
popup menu.
When a bet plan is cancelled, any remaining unmatched bets in the associated market will be
cancelled. Note that bets will be cancelled on a by-market basis and therefore any bets placed
from the same user-account in the same market from elsewhere will also be cancelled.
6.4 Trading Control Bar
The Trading Control Bar (TCB) is displayed at the top of the screen under the Main Menu. It
will only be visible, however, if at least 1 plan has been attached to a Race. The TCB enables
the user to start and stop trading (i.e. executing the bet plans).
When trading is in progress the TCB will be green.
When trading is not in progress the TCB will be red.
2013 AutoTradingFox
If trading has been stopped automatically by the ATF due to a stop-on-profit/loss
target having been reached then it will be orange with the reason displayed to the
right of the TCB.
6.4.1 Trading Modes
The ATF supports 2 trading modes, Real and Simulated betting. The current mode is selected
by the user on the Settings screen via the Main Menu.
In Real trading mode, bets will be placed using real money from the users account. All bets
are placed in the currency of the users account.
In Simulated trading mode the betting activity will not use real money from the users account
but instead the ATF monitors the market prices/volumes and estimates when the required
bets would have been matched and updates the P&L accordingly. Simulated trading mode
enables the user to test out strategies without risking any of his bankroll.
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6.5 Bets & Betting Plan Summary Tabs
The Bets and Betting Plan summary tabs are displayed alongside the Runners list if the
associated Race has a bet plan attached to it.
The Betting Plan tab displays a summary of the plan settings and values. This tab also includes
a Cancel button which can be used to cancel the bet plan. It also has a Modify button. If
the user clicks the Modify button then the plan values will be copied to the New Bet Plan tab.
The plan can then be changed by the user and re-attached to the race if required.
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The Bets tab displays what bets have been placed on the race and their current status
(matched, unmatched, etc.). This tab enables the user to monitor the progress of the plan. If
this tab is blank then the conditions required to place Bet1 have not yet been achieved. The
bets information is displayed in different colours depending on the status of the bet:
Green bet fully matched.
Orange bet partially matched.
Yellow bet unmatched.
Grey bet cancelled.
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2013 AutoTradingFox
6.5.1 Terminating The Betting Plan
At the bottom left of the Bets tab there is a red button icon. If the user hovers the mouse
cursor over this then the Terminate Betting Plan button will be revealed. This is not on
permanent display to prevent the user from accidently clicking it. The purpose of this button
is to enable the user to immediately stop the execution of the betting plan. No more bets will
be placed and any unmatched bets will be cancelled. If the user terminates a bet plan via this
button then it will be indicated as such on the Bets list with the time of termination displayed
in orange. The plan will remain in view but can be replaced by a new plan if the user wishes.
6.6 Results Tab
The Results tab will contain a list of races on which a bet plan has been attached. The race will
not be displayed until the expected start time has passed. If the user re-loads the Races List
then the Results list will be cleared. Two columns are populated for each race listed:
2013 AutoTradingFox
Net P&L Will display the net P&L resulting from real money bets placed on each race.
Note that this will also include any external P&L, i.e. from bets placed outside of the
ATF session being viewed
Sim P&L Will display the estimated gross P&L resulting from simulated bets placed
on each race.
6.6.1 Estimating The Simulated P&L Result
For races that are turned In-Play the winner of the event is assumed to be the last runner that
had a last price matched of 1.01. If there was no such horse then the winner is assumed to be
the horse with the lowest last price matched on the last set of sampled prices, provided it is
less than 2.00. If an estimated winner still cannot be established then Unclear will be
recorded in the Results grid.
For races that are not turned In-Play it is impossible to estimate which horse won the race and
therefore Unknown is recorded in the Results grid.
The Results P&L is updated every 5 minutes and also whenever a market closes.
2013 AutoTradingFox
6.6.2 Stop On Profit / Loss
The total P&L is calculated and displayed at the bottom of the Results tab. This value is used
by the ATF to determine whether or not a trading session should be automatically stopped.
The decision is based on the values the user has specified on the Settings screen for Stop At
Profit and Stop At Loss. If one of these limits is reached during a trading session then
trading will be stopped and the Trading Control Bar (TCB) displayed in orange. The reason for
the auto-stop will be displayed to the right of the TCB.
2013 AutoTradingFox
Trading can be resumed after an Auto-Stop if the user changes the limits on the Settings
screen.
6.6.3 Account Balance Display
At the bottom left corner of the Results section there is a slide-out panel indicated by a grey
tab. If the user hovers the mouse cursor over this tab then the Account Balance Display Panel
will appear. This contains the currently available balances in the users GB and AUS wallets. If
the values have not been loaded yet then the user can do so by clicking the Refresh button.
The values on this panel are automatically updated each time a market on the Races List is
closed.
When the user moves the cursor away from this panel, it will automatically slide back out of
2013 AutoTradingFox
view. If required, however, the user can lock the panel in view by clicking the Pin button.
6.7 Messages Tab
The Messages tab is an area where the ATF can convey general information to the user
without disturbing him with pop-up dialog boxes.
It will display the number of races loaded into the Races list. It will also display details of any
non-runners as they arise (this feature can be turned off if required via the Settings screen).
API error messages will also be reported on the Messages tab.
The number of messages currently on this tab is displayed in the 7
th
panel of the Status Info
Bar. A large number here may be an indication of a high number of API errors occurring.
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6.8 Status Info Bar
The Status Info Bar (SIB) is located at the bottom of the screen and displays various items of
useful information relating to the ATFs current status and trading activity. It consists of 8
sections:
6.8.1 Section 1 Date
Displays the current date applicable to the local timezone of the user.
6.8.2 Section 2 Time
Displays the current time applicable to the local timezone of the user.
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6.8.3 Section 3 Betting Mode
Displays the current ATF betting mode: SIMULATED or REAL MONEY.
6.8.4 Section 4 Trading Status
Displays the current ATF trading status:
Not Started
In Progress
Stopped By Profit
Stopped By Loss
Stopped By User
6.8.5 Section 5 API Data Calls
Displays the number of Betfair API data calls made per second. Betfair may charge the user if
he makes more than 20 data calls in any 1 second period. This Status panel displays the
number of data calls made in the previous second, and the highest number of data calls made
in any 1 second (peak). The user should be aware that if he has more than 1 instance of the
ATF open for the same account then the number of calls per second will be aggregated by
Betfair and he should therefore set the Max Data Calls Per Sec level for each instance
appropriately (see Settings).
2013 AutoTradingFox
6.8.6 Section 6 Currency
Displays the currency code for the users account and the minimum stake value required by
Betfair for that currency. All bets will be placed and all financial information will be displayed
in this currency.
6.8.7 Section 7 Message Count
Displays the number of messages on the Messages tab.
6.8.8 Section 8 General
Displays general status information, for example:
'Loading races..'
'FUNDS EXCEEDED'
6.9 Main Menu
The Main Menu runs horizontally across the top of the ATF trading screen. It has the following
options:
6.9.1 Main Menu Settings
Displays the ATF Settings screen. The Settings options break down into 4 sections:
2013 AutoTradingFox
6.9.1.1 Settings Trading Options
Betting Mode Select between Real and Simulated betting.
Stop At Profit The ATF will automatically stop trading if the Results tab shows a total
profit of at least the specified amount.
Stop At Loss - The ATF will automatically stop trading if the Results tab shows a total
loss of at least the specified amount.
Max Bet Liability Before attaching a bet plan to a race the ATF will check the values
of each individual bet and if the amount being risked on any of these bets exceeds the
specified amount then the bet plan will be rejected. This is a safety net to prevent the
user accidently entering large risk bets.
2013 AutoTradingFox
6.9.1.2 Settings Betfair Options
Max Data Calls Per Sec Specifies the maximum number of Betfair API data calls that
the ATF should make per second. Only applies to the current instance of the ATF, i.e.
each instance has its own setting. The default value is 8. Betfair may charge if the user
makes more than 20 calls per second.
2013 AutoTradingFox
6.9.1.3 Settings Sounds
Contains a list of options for enabling/disabling an audible notification of various events.
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6.9.1.4 Settings Message Options
Contains options for enabling/disabling specific types of information to be written to the
Messages tab.
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6.9.2 Main Menu Calculator
Displays a screen containing a bet calculator. This enables the user to experiment with price
and stake values for back-then-lay and lay-then-back trading strategies. There are buttons for
automatically calculating the required stake for a trade-out bet in order to equalise the profit
no matter which runner wins, or to breakeven if a runner wins or loses. There is also an option
to include a stop-loss bet if required. If the user produces a set of bet values that he likes then
there is a button to automatically copy these values to the New Bet Plan tab on the main
screen.
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6.9.3 Main Menu Logout
Provides the user with an option to logout from Betfair and close the ATF.
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6.9.4 Main Menu Help
Displays a basic help screen. This includes links to web pages containing further information.
2013 AutoTradingFox
6.9.5 Main Menu About
Displays a screen containing ATF version, license status and copyright information.
2013 AutoTradingFox
2013 AutoTradingFox
7 Auto Trading Fox Under The Hood
This section covers some technical details on how the application has been structured and
some insight into how it operates.
7.1 Application Structure
The ATF application has been designed as 2 main processes (Windows threads).
The main program thread deals with all user-interface aspects, i.e. responding to all user input
and keeping the information that is displayed up to date.
There is also a background process called the Event Update Thread (EUT) that runs
continuously and is started when the Races List has been loaded. The EUT is responsible for
dealing with the Betfair API. It obtains all of the required Betfair market data and is
responsible for progressing any Betting Plans that have been attached to events.
Both the main program and the EUT maintain an object oriented data structure which contains
the following information hierarchy:
Betting Exchange
User Account
Market
Betting Plan
Selection
Bet
The main program and the EUT share information updates with each other using a Windows
inter thread messaging system.
Auto Trading Fox Under The Hood 77
2013 AutoTradingFox
7.2 Loading The Race List
The raw list of horse racing markets is retrieved via the API function getAllMarkets using the
EventId for horse racing. This simply returns a list of all horse racing markets that are currently
available on the exchange. For the ATF we only require the main win markets and only those
that satisfy the search criteria specified by the user. So before displaying the races on screen,
the ATF will filter out as many of the unrequired markets as possible. The following filters
have been implemented:
Remove markets not taking place within the number of hours specified by the user.
Remove markets not taking place in the countries specified by the user.
Remove markets with a name containing TO BE PLACED.
Remove markets with a name containing REVERSE FC.
Remove markets with a name containing WITHOUT FAV.
Remove markets with a name containing FORECAST.
Remove markets with a name containing TBP.
Remove markets with a name containing FAVOURITES ACCA.
Remove markets with a name containing WIN A FESTIVAL RACE.
Remove markets with a name containing W/O.
Remove markets with a name containing TOP JOCKEY.
Remove markets with a name containing WINNING DISTANCE ODDS.
Remove markets with a name containing LONGEST SP WINNER.
Remove markets with a name containing BIGGEST WIN DIST.
Remove markets with a name containing TOP TRAINER.
2013 AutoTradingFox
Remove markets with a name containing BIG 3 V THE FIELD.
Remove markets with a name containing IRISH TRAINER.
Remove markets with a name containing TRAINER DOUBLE.
Remove markets with a name containing ODD V EVEN.
Remove markets with a name containing NO. WINNERS.
Remove markets with a name containing WINNING DIST.
Remove markets with a name containing HAPPEN AT THE FESTIVAL.
Remove markets with a name starting with HOW FAR .
Remove markets where the last menu element contains (AVB).
Remove markets where the last menu element contains DAILY .
In addition to the above filters, the ATF will also look for the situation where there is more
than one market for the same start time in the same country. Some care has to be applied
however because, for example, there are occasionally multiple races at the same time in the
USA.
In the case of GB horse racing markets that are taking place at the same time, if one is being
turned in-play but the other is not, then the latter will be filtered out.
Where there are 2 markets for the same start time and one of them just has 2 selections yes
and no, then this market will be filtered out.
7.3 Race Update Frequency
The dynamic information that is displayed on the Races and Runners lists is updated at varying
intervals depending on the time (relative to the race start) and status of each race as shown in
the table below:
2013 AutoTradingFox
In View Has Plan In Play Update
Period (s)
No No No More than 2 mins before the
start.
Less than 2 mins before the
start.
30
10
No No Yes 5
No Yes No More than 2 mins before the
start.
start.
20
5
No Yes Yes 0.3
Yes No No 2
Yes No Yes 1
Yes Yes No More than 2 mins before the
start.
start.
2
1
Yes Yes Yes 0.3
Note that these are only target frequencies and are not guaranteed. They are dependent on
various factors:
The number of races in the race list.
The number of races with a betting plan.
The number of races that are in-play simultaneously.
The data call rate setting in the ATF.
The network speed of the user.
The Betfair host server for the race (obtaining data from the Australian server is
slower than that from the GB server).
7.4 Data Calls Per Update Cycle
The number of Betfair data calls made on each market update is dependent upon the betting
mode and whether or not the market has a bet plan attached.
2013 AutoTradingFox
7.4.1 Real Betting Data Calls
In Real betting mode the ATF will make up to 3 data calls each cycle:
It will always call getMarketPrices
If a bet plan is attached it will also call getMarketProfitAndLoss
If there are unmatched bets it will also call getMUBets
7.4.2 Simulated Betting Data Calls
In Simulated betting mode the ATF will make up to 2 data calls each cycle:
It will always call getMarketPrices
If there are unmatched bets it will also call getMarketTradedVolumeCompressed
7.5 Non-Runners
When the race list is loaded, the ATF retrieves the list of selections (Runners) for each market
on that list (after filtering out the unwanted markets). The ATF identifies when any of these
selections becomes a non-runner by the fact that Betfair stops including market price
information for that selection in the data it returns. When a non-runner occurs it will have a
reduction factor calculated by Betfair. All matched bets on other runners in the market will
be reduced in price by Betfair by this reduction factor.
In the event of a non-runner the ATF will take the following actions on races that have a
betting plan attached:
No bets placed yet no action is required. The bet plan setting for max non-runners
will determine whether or not the plan progresses from here.
Bet 1(s) have been placed but none have been matched the bets are cancelled and
the plan is reset to start again. The bet plan setting for max non-runners will
2013 AutoTradingFox
determine whether or not the plan progresses from here.
At least one Bet1 has been matched (partially or fully) the reduction factor of the
non-runner is used to adjust the prices of any unplaced bets on the bet plan. Any bets
already in the market will be automatically adjusted by Betfair.
7.6 Matching Simulated Bets
In simulated betting mode the ATF has to estimate when a bet would have been matched. It is
impossible to do this 100% accurately as the ATF does not have access to the bet queue that is
managed by the Betfair server and therefore does not know which or when bets have been
placed and cancelled by other users.
At the point in time when a simulated bet is placed, the ATF will use the API to determine
how much has already been traded at the required price or better. Then on each subsequent
update cycle the ATF will check again and if the volume traded on the required price (or
better) has increased then it will assume that this amount would have been matched on our
bet.
7.7 Timezones
All dates and times are published by Betfair in GMT. The ATF has been designed to operate
anywhere in the world in any timezone. All Betfair dates and times are automatically adjusted
by the ATF to the users local timezone before being displayed. The ATF determines the
correct timezone for the user by examining his machine date/time settings.
7.8 Context Save and Restore
When the user closes the ATF the following information is saved in the Windows Registry and
restored the next time the user runs the ATF:
- The values used for loading the Races List.
2013 AutoTradingFox
- All values on the Settings screen.
- All values on the New Bet Plan tab and the last used Load/Save folder.
User Provisioning and Licensing 83
2013 AutoTradingFox
8 User Provisioning and Licensing
This section outlines the steps by which a new user is granted permission to run the ATF.
The licensing and online activation system has been integrated into the ATF application.
The user visits the Auto Trading Fox website and registers his details.
During this process the user will be directed to the Betfair webpage where he can
permission his account to run the ATF using the full API.
Having permissioned his account, the user can then download and install the latest
version of the ATF. When installed this will automatically grant him a free trial use
period (7 days at the time of writing).
During the trial period the number of days remaining is displayed at the very top of
the ATF screen. The ATF licensing status can also be viewed at any time on the About
screen.
When the trial period expires, the next time the user runs the ATF he will be notified
and given the option to either purchase a product key, or to activate the ATF using a
product key that he has already purchased. If he chooses to activate then this will start
the activation wizard. If he chooses to purchase a key then he will be directed to the
ATF website.
2013 AutoTradingFox
When a user buys a license then the ATF administrator should create a new product
key on the licensing website and associate the users email address with it. He should
then send the user an email containing a copy of his product key. The user can then
enter his personal product key via the registration wizard. The wizard is accessible at
any time via the ATF About screen.
User Provisioning and Licensing 85
2013 AutoTradingFox
Trial period extension. The users trial period can be extended if required. If the user
registers this product key with the ATF then his trial period will be extended by the
number of days specified by the ATF administrator. Note that the trial period has to
expire before it can be extended.
2013 AutoTradingFox
9 Betfair Vendor Certification Compliance
In order to receive Betfair vendor certification an application must be compliant with the
requirements set out on the webpage:
https://bdp.betfair.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=76&Itemid=68
The following lists each of the requirements and describes how the ATF is compliant in each
case.
9.1 Part A Application Security Certification
An application may not communicate with the API through a proxy of any
description. All communications must be directly with the API and must be over a
secure channel.
Compliant: The ATF communicates directly with the API over a secure (https)
connection.
A Vendor must not have visibility of a user's Betfair username, password or any other
sensitive data that may link a user of a product to a Betfair account.
Compliant: There is no communication at all between the ATF and the vendor.
An application must communicate directly with Betfair via the API to validate a
customer.
Compliant: The ATF validates a customer directly with Betfair using the API Login
function.
An application must never store or log the user's Betfair password.
Compliant: The ATF does not store the users Betfair password in any way.
An application must not store or log the username in plain text. If the user has
chosen to store their username locally (by performing an explicit action to indicate
their wish to do so) it should be encrypted (AES with minimum 128 bits key length).
Compliant: The ATF does not store or log the username at all and there is currently no
option for the user to do so.
An application must display an agree/disagree model dialog to the user when the
user indicates a desire to store their username locally. The default action of the dialog
should be to not save the username.
Compliant: Not applicable. There is currently no option to store the username.
An application may not implement automatic login as this would require the
application storing the password locally.
Compliant: There is no automatic login function supported.
An application must use the Vendor-registered user ID (not the Betfair username)
credentials to validate subscription, fetch news and update the application and all
other Vendor/application specific communication.
Compliant: Subscription validation is implemented using the LimeLM licensing and
online activation system which is achieved via a user-specific product key and is
unrelated to any Betfair credentials.
The provisioning (where applicable) of the account to use the application with the
Betfair Vendor Certification Compliance 87
2013 AutoTradingFox
Betfair API must be via the Vendor Services API or Vendor Console - see Part II
Compliant: The provisioning of the account to use the API is not carried out by the ATF
and is the responsibility of the ATF website administrator.
The vendorSoftwareId must be obfuscated from the end user
Compliant: The vendorSoftwareId is not displayed or stored locally in any way by the
ATF.
The application must provide a 'Logout' function
Compliant: A Logout function is available in the ATF main menu.
9.2 Part B Product Requirements
the application includes a data request counter that accurately counts requests that
fall under the Data Request charging scheme. The application by default should be
throttled to make no more than 10 data requests per second.
Compliant: The ATF displays the number of data requests made each second and the
peak number of data requests made in any one second on the status bar. The default
throttle setting is 8 data requests per second.
the application includes a link to the Betfair Charges page for customer reference
Compliant: The ATF displays a link to the Betfair charges page on the Help screen.
the application requests gzipped responses from the API (read more about enabling
gZipping here )
Compliant: The ATF requests gzipped API responses where this is supported by the
users machine.
the application supports forced updates to customers
Compliant: Left-clicking a market in the main list will force an update of prices and bets.
the application does not make any more than five market prices requests, per market
in any one second
Compliant: The ATF will in fact make no more than 3 market prices requests per market
in any one second.
the application does not reveal the assigned vendorSoftwareId to users
Compliant: The vendorSoftwareId is not displayed or stored locally in any way by the
ATF.
the application does not use getBetHistory to establish the market status
Compliant: The ATF does not call the API function getBetHistory at all.
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