iCreateOFX Investment User Guide

1. Program layout.
1.1 The Broker script stack.

Located to the left of the screen, this contains all the shortcuts to loading the different brokerage CSV files. In addition to this, the stack includes an iCreateOFX Generic script. The Generic script will load CSV files with a layout described later in this text.
1.2 The Top command strip.

The three buttons to left of the command strip perform the following actions (described from left to right).
a. Write OFX – Button to write OFX file. Use this AFTER loading your CSV file into the grid (via the script buttons).
b. Download Scripts – This  button starts the interface to download additional scripts. NOTE: The program ships only with the Generic script.
c. Settings – Use this button to access the (brokerage) Account settings and the Stock definitions.

The Show Advanced button. This controls the view-ability of three extra columns in the grid. The data has been set to default values, however, should you wish to change those values, you can do so. A description of the contents here these columns can be found later in the this text.
1.3 Registration and Licensing.

As the name suggests, this section of the screen handles the registration and licensing.
a. During the 30 Day trial, the program will display advertorial material, and for those running the program on a small screen, limit the size of viewable space. Should you wish to utilise the whole screen space and / or register with us, while connected to the internet please fill in the registration details and submit.
b. On purchasing a license to the program (before or after the 30 Day trial period expires), you will utilize the same screen to validate to License key. Please ensure you select the option to validate if you are still covered by the trial period.
2. Loading the Brokerage CSV file.

Select the required script from the Broker Script Stack. You are then presented with a Open file dialog box which you should utilize to browse to the file that you want to load. Choose the file and select Open.
It is important that you select the correct file for the chosen script since this will ensure no errors in writing out the investment OFX file.

The selected script name is always displayed in top left hand corner of the Open file dialog.
2.1 The Account details dialog

The account details dialog will be fired off the first time you load a brokerage file. This records and saves brokerage account details to be utilized to write a valid OFX file. The details are limited to account number and account currency.
By default the Generic Broker (thus Generic Script), ships with a dummy account set up with the system currency as its currency, and will be the default account used for the Generic script.
To add a new account to your Brokerage,select Add New Account from the Account Number drop-down, type the new account number and select the currency. Set it as the default by selecting the appropriate checkbox and select OK. This will the be the default account used to write OFX files for that particular brokerage.
You can also fire up the account details dialog by selecting the brokerage hyper-link in the bottom right corner. You can only do this, though, after loading a file into the grid.
2.2 The Action Map dialog

The first time you load a Brokerage file into the grid, you may be prompted by the Map Actions dialog. The purpose of this dialog is to map the specific transaction action descriptions of the brokerage. Brokers do choose to describe actions differently, for example, one broker may describe a transaction to buy stock as BUY whereas the next broker describes it as BUY STOCK. Both are correct, though we can not ship the multitude of these definitions since there could be hundreds of thousands of brokerages around the world (which the program aims to support). The task would be of some magnitude! Notwithstanding, some scripts (where our beta testers provided us with full details), do contain comprehensive action maps.
The mapping itself is straight forward. In the left column (headed Action Field(s))of the Map Actions Grid are listed the actions in your file that have not been shipped. In the right column (headed appropriately Select Value) are drop-down options to describe the actions supported by the program. Against each action, select the descriptive value from the corresponding drop-down list. Where no description matches an action you are mapping, select N/A Skip. This will ensure that you do not encounter errors when you attempt to write out your OFX file.
A Comprehensive list of supported actions/transaction types will be provided later in this text.
2.3 The Stock details dialog.

Similar to the Action Map dialog, the Stock Details dialog is fired up the first time you load a broker CSV file to the grid.
The purpose of this dialog is to obtain unique stock identification details that are necessary to write a valid investment OFX file. These details include the identifiers that are publicly available including the stock name and the CUSIP / SEDOL / ISIN number for each stock in your file. This data is not normally included in a CSV file, however, in the cases where it is included, then the program uses the included data and will not prompt you.
Usage is by selecting the appropriate market on which the stock is listed and (while connected to the internet) pressing the Update button. The program will then fetch data required and store it on your computer.  For each stock, this only has to be done once, such that if you traded the same stock on a future date, the program will not need to fetch the data again.
You also have the option of importing the data from a CSV file or of manually typing it into the respective cells of the grid.
For Non-stock items, e.g some brokers (and our Generic script) utilize the value $CASH on transactions such as cash withdrawals and cash deposits in the action field, select the check-box in the NOT Stock column. This will disable the remainder of the row, and you do NOT have to enter additional data.
2.4 The loaded file

The grid is laid out in a sequential manner with the minimum necessary details to write a valid investment OFX file. The first eight (8) columns of the grid are described in the table below.

Field Description
Date Date of transaction
Action Transaction action – eg Buy, Sell
Ticker Stock ticker symbol
FITID Unique transaction ID
Units Number of units involved in transaction
Price Price per unit
Fees Fees associated with transaction (includes taxes and commission)
Total The total value of the transaction
* Buy = (Units * Price) + Fees
** Sell =(Units * Price) – Fees

* and ** – This does not apply to Buys or Sells of  Bonds (Debt), Options or Mutual Funds which are factored by par values and / or shares per contract.
Its worthy a mention here about the data validation routine of the program. The grid will display an error icon in the Total column if the value does not equate to the computed correct amount. Hovering over the icon will display a suggested value. Take a while to review the data, and when you are happy
2.5 The Generic CSV file Layout.

The Generic script will load a CSV file laid out as in the figure to the left. In total, there are eight fields of data separated by comma. The details of the columns are:

Field Name Description
Date The date of the transaction
Description or Action of the transaction
Transaction ID The unique transaction ID *
Symbol or Ticker for the transacted stock
Quantity The number of units of stock(s)
Price The price per unit of stock item
Fees Fees e.g tax & commission
Amount The total

* if your file does not contain a Transaction ID, the program will generate a unique transaction ID for each of those transactions based on the date and the number of transactions without a unique ID.

April 2010 Updates

We’ve had a minor version update to fix the persistent request for a Validation Key for users who have purchased a license. You will need to install the latest version (2.0.0.3) for the fixes to have an effect.

1. Validation Key fix. (see image to the left)

  • Confirm Version number via help dialog.
  • Return to main screen and while connected to the internet, Press F9 (function button)
  • A message should appear in the bottom left corner (after approx 5 seconds) saying Done updating.
  • Return to the help dialog. Your license key SHOULD now be displayed rather than the Trial Key.

 

2. Clear Screen / Grid.

You can now refresh / clear the grid before between loading files by pressing F5 (function button).

3. Help Files.

You can access the help files / pages by pressing the F1 (function button). The pages are only available online, so you need to be connected to the internet to access them.

iCreateOFX Team

iCreateOFX Basic 2.0.0.2 -Help pages and Video Guides

 

Due to the increase in support queries, the team has published a couple of video guides on the the most frequently asked tasks. These, in addition to the Quick Start Guide, can be accessed via the links below.

 

For the video guide.

For the video guide.

For the guide.

For the new product page.

 

iCreateOFX Team.

iCreateOFX Basic 1.0.0.2

The minor version release of the Basic version went live on 17th November and has the following enhancements.

Nationwide support for all accounts.

Individual scripts to support Nationwide (UK) accounts for:

Current accounts, Savings accounts and credit cards

Select the appropriate account to load the CSV file downloaded.

Runtime Account information.

The program now displays the account details (as entered on loading) for the current file. NOTE: As per illustration, a Bank Code of XXXXXXXXX is designated for credit card files. You will notice this when you select the account type on loading the CSV.

Supported Banks.

The list of supported banks (thanks to users who send the headers) has steadily increased.

As of 17th November 2009, we have scripts specific to 17 banking institutions. Coupled with the Generic scripts that ship as standard, coverage of most banks that offer CSV downloads is wide. We encourage users to submit their CSV file headers if they would like scripts written for their banks / financial institutions.

Banks on the list are: Alliance & Leicester (UK), Lloyds TSB (UK), Hoares Bank (UK), Co-op Bank (UK), Abbey (UK), Nationwide (UK), Westpac (AUS), Erste Bank (DE), VolksBank (DE), SocGen (FR), Carrefour (FR), Discover (US), Barclaycard (UK).

Thanks to all contributors.

Help pages and support for Version 1.0.0.59

Help page links in the latter releases of Version 1.0.0.59 via the taskbar image and the installed folder links have been moved in preparation for the licenced version release by our affiliates. You can still access these pages via the links below:

For the Product Home Page

For the QuickStartGuide.

For the BankScript help / guide.

Support via e-mail (and responses to blog queries) will remain available for the free version for the immediate future.

Links to the licensed version will be posted here, on the free version product site.

 

Thank you for all your in-put and donations.

Bespoke and commercial versions licences.

Due to sustained interest in the Bespoke Versions of iCreateOFX, we have decided to have a permanent link on the downloads page of the site (and below).

For systems with an existing installation of the program, select the about button on the top right of your screen to get a dialog as below.

Select and copy the “Registration Key” (highlighted in green above) and paste it into the the box below “Version 1.0.0.59 Reg. key”  as illustrated below. If you have not installed the free version on the system you intend to install the bespoke version, then enter your contact e-mail address in this field.

 

You will then have to select the licence period option that you require before selecting “Buy Now”  and being redirected to our PayPal payment pages.

The licence fees also apply to commercial usage of iCreateOFX and the same payment interface should be utilised by individuals utilising the program for non-personal use. Remember that licences are for each machine on which you have installed the program. If you still need help, get in touch with customer support.

iCreateOFX Team

August 2009 update – Of BankScript(s) and OFX Investment Transactions

It has severally come to our attention that some installations throw an error when you try to add a new script for your bank. We have, thus far, been un-able to pinpoint the cause of this, however, we have a work-around for those who would like to try it out.

1. Locate the program initialisation file iCreateOFX.ini (search for it on your computer).

2. Each entry in the file is a BankScript relating to a bank in the format as below:

RBS(UK),9,10,11,16^17,CR
PayPal(Personal),0,4,3,7,CR
Lloyds(UK),2,4,0,5^6,CR

For those interested in a script for RBS, Lloyds or Paypal personal, you can simply copy the above into your ini file.

3. The scripts represent the Script Name (in this case the Bank Name), followed by the fields to load into the program ending with "CR" for current / savings / checking accounts or "CC" for credit card accounts. The fields are separated by commas except in the case of files with two fields for amount (i.e for Debit and Credit transactions).

4. You can either manually enter these details into the file and then restart iCreateOFX to have them loaded or to ensure that before you save the file, the cursor is on a new (empty) line.

Finally, due to overwhelming enquiries about supporting investment transactions, we shall be making available a beta module for investment transactions’ support in September 2009. If you would like to take part in the beta test, please send an e-mail to mail@kkltd.co.uk with the subject line Beta INVTRN. Future releases supporting investment transactions will only be available with a commercial licence.

iCreateOFX Team