ThinkOrSwim petition to implement some changes or functions we want to see?

[madburg]

1) +1 on MerryDay and Mr_Wheelers call outs on improvements for ToS

2) Complete the entire hook into coloring; access to "HSV" & "HSL", allowing setting transparency, lightness, saturation, hue.

3) Participate in pre-market starting at 4am not 7am

4) Alerts needs additional flexibility/customization; e.g fields in alert (colors), trigger for once per day (not just bar or tick), etc...

 

[Bob007]

1) I would like the ability to turn off an indicator on the chart. maybe a small line of buttons that represent the indicators on the chart that you can click to turn on or off the indicator. Kind of like the eye in trading view.
2) I would like to have custom preset drawing tools that may be used on the toolbar. Such as a supply zone that is wider than just a line. I draw zones using the rectangle tool and then color it either red or green. This takes too much time.
3) I would like the ability to have a count down timer on the chart for when candle will be finished.

 

[SpockLogic]

Countdown timer to when next bar will appear would be great.

 

[Max911]

A way to know the 'price' at the moment an study alert is triggered.

E.g. If I set this ---> Alert(volume>volume[1], "VOLUME", Alert.BAR, Sound.Ring);

A way to get an script of the real price when the 'Ring' is triggered That's key for backtesting.

 

[Seb_Astian]

Hopefully they will redo or improve Level II and Time and sales panels.
Although they look very sleek, the L II blue shaded stacking is hard to read and T&S lack information or do not highlight it on a readable manner (basically it does not show white, blue and orange prints).
From what I have seen on some videos, these two panels in Street Smart, are a little better.

 

[Snorg]

Countdown timer to when next bar will appear would be great.

Windows 10 app ( free-timer.com ). Not ideal, but works. Used to use it - stopped because I found charts easier to follow without it.

 

[Ramisegal]

Thermal colored candles
Indicator tooltip on mouseover
Bubble shapes
Plots stacking order
Plot opacity
Assign line thicknesses as assignvaluecolor
Plot slopes
Plot animation
I can only imagine the performance on tos.

 

[METAL]

Better drawing tools.
Customizable color pallets
horizontal cloud tool with color options. Red for resistance/Green for support.

 

[METAL]

The Option to add and see percentage of a trade.

 

[Glefdar]

1) I would like if the function takevaluecolor() worked with more situations such as for the AddChart function, and for source plots using AssignNormGradientColor.
2) AddCloud function should be able to paint a cloud from only one bar of data, instead of needing at least two consecutive bars to fulfill the requisite plot condition. This is a big one.
3) I would like it the AddCloud function could accept dynamic color conditions, so that the cloud colors could be varied in dependence on conditional statements used within a single cloud plot.
4) It would be great if the options Greeks could accept an underlying symbol, strike, and expiration as parameters so that they could be easily referenced on a chart of the underlying.

 

[apdusp]

having followed for some time the incredible evolution of tradingview, even though I am not in TI, it is now my belief that Schwab should consider seriously getting out of java and follow the leader, not just in charting but also in other features, in a way to make it easier to make changes to the platform in fast mode. Most of the requests I have seen here could be easily implemented in a tradingview alike platform.

 

[Ricky_005]

Unfortunately, these scripts require the use of arrays.
The ToS app doesn't support the array() function.

In answer to your questions:
No, sorry. These scripts cannot be converted for use on the ToS platform.

Well, Tell charles schwab to get there act together....

 

[rad14733]

Well, Tell charles schwab to get there act together....

Don't hold your breath on any major changes anytime soon... There are a plethora of changes I'd like to see in the TOS platform but it's been taking a long time for some well own bugs to be resolved over the years... And we should consider ourselves lucky that the TOS platform wasn't scrapped back when Schwab bought out TD Ameritrade... TOS is a double-edged sword... It is the best at some things and sorely lacking at doing other things... I've tested other platforms, even in recent months, and won't be switching anytime soon...

I'm sure your comment was tongue-in-cheek but for now, unfortunately, it is what it is...

 

[wtf_dude]

Don't hold your breath on any major changes anytime soon... There are a plethora of changes I'd like to see in the TOS platform but it's been taking a long time for some well own bugs to be resolved over the years... And we should consider ourselves lucky that the TOS platform wasn't scrapped back when Schwab bought out TD Ameritrade... TOS is a double-edged sword... It is the best at some things and sorely lacking at doing other things... I've tested other platforms, even in recent months, and won't be switching anytime soon...

I'm sure your comment was tongue-in-cheek but for now, unfortunately, it is what it is...

which ones ahve you tested out lately? It seems every single one out there has major holes somewhere. Been curious about some of the newer ones like trendspider, deepvue, etc I

 

[rad14733]

which ones ahve you tested out lately? It seems every single one out there has major holes somewhere. Been curious about some of the newer ones like trendspider, deepvue, etc I

I have only tested existing and newer Desktop platforms... I have no desire to ever consider trading using a mobile device, aside from monitoring the markets via the TOS mobile app...

I have found that many of the preexisting platforms to be either too clunky, illogical in design, and too difficult to learn to be proficient with, or a combination of those traits...

I've installed and played with the desktop versions of NinjaTrader, TastyTrade, MetaTrader 5, Tradier, Webull, TradingView, and a few others that don't come to mind at the moment, and even though TOS may seem to be long in the tooth, it still shines above the rest in my opinion...

In an effort to try to teach Google AI to code in Thinkscript better the other evening it asked me what improvements I would like to see for the platform... My first thought was to make it more modular, allowing components to only be optionally loaded and used... Many traders don't trade options and therefore don't use the spread analysis... I envision the ability to pick and choose which tabs at the top of the main panel to load at startup... I'd skip Analyze, Education, and perhaps Tools... Basic traders might even skip Scan and Trade which handles Options, Forex, Futures, and Pairs Trader... Reducing memory overhead and data updating within unused components could vastly improve performance...

I've gone through every tab on the platform to remove any and all unused symbols, and even created an empty Watchlist that I load when trading as I have no use for monitoring multiple symbols there... I keep any watchlists I want to monitor in the left panel and they have minimal columns, symbols, and as few custom watchlist columns as possible...

In closing, TOS may not be perfect, and there is room for improvement, but it's still the best platform I've experienced...

 

[useThinkScript]

Reading Between the Lines:

Schwab's Guidance & The Reality of ThinkorSwim (ToS)​

What was learned from digging through Schwab's latest forward guidance and conference call.

By acquiring TD Ameritrade, Schwab inherited the single largest pool of active retail traders in the industry. Did you know that?

It took three long years to integrate ToS into Schwab’s infrastructure. While core execution and charting are solid, back-office portfolio management functions are still undergoing refinement.
Yes, we all painfully know this.

The Reality of the Numbers:​

1 in 3 retail trades in the US flow through Schwab.​

Schwab holds the largest compilation of active retail traders, and despite integration fatigue and lingering back-office bugs, they are committed to continuing to upgrade the app.​

Opinion:
Here is what power users need to understand about what will and will not happen with future ToS updates:

What Won't Happen (Platform Realities)​

• No Gamified or Simplified Desktop UI
  Newer users routinely ask for lightweight, modern, or "game-like" interface overhauls.
• Desktop ToS was built as a data-dense, desktop-class engine for technical analysis and options risk—it will never be stripped down into a simplified web app. (For lighter needs, Schwab built thinkorswim Web).
• Auto-Trading Will Never Be Supported
  ToS was engineered as a manual technical analysis workspace and fast options execution engine, not an automated trading bot framework.
• Automated trading introduces execution degradation, queue order routing changes, and regulatory rules (such as the 390 Rule) that destroy priority and fill quality. Schwab prioritizes manual execution quality over automated bot loops.
• The Learning Curve Will Stay Steep
  ThinkOrSwim is the gold standard in technical chart analysis. Its core DNA is customization.
• The vast depth of study setups, active trader ladders, and multi-leg option chains is precisely why the learning curve is steep.
• You cannot simplify the interface without stripping away the features that make it the gold standard.
• No Custom Script Order Flow or Dynamic Historical Buckets
  • Data Categorization: thinkScript will always lack dynamic array() functions. This is because the language processes data as a fixed time-series stream rather than supporting dynamic array structures.
  • Order Flow Data: thinkScript cannot parse tick-level buy vs. sell aggressors or dynamically aggregate market-maker gamma exposure across entire option matrices.

The Bottom Line​

Schwab is committed to remaining the king of retail trading. So one can expect updates to the look and feel, workspace management, and server-side data feeds where the base engine supports it.

 

[merryDay]

By acquiring TD Ameritrade, Schwab inherited the single largest pool of active retail traders in the industry. Did you know that?

1 in 3 retail trades in the US flow through Schwab.​

Schwab holds the largest compilation of active retail traders.​

When you read that Charles Schwab is home to 38% of all retail traders. It doesn't sound like much. But when you look at the numbers, you will see what a massive hold Schwab has on the retail trade market.

• 38% Charles Schwab (Thinkorswim) The undisputed leader in retail assets. This platform retains the single largest concentration of manual, heavily funded options and equity day traders in the United States​

1. Active & Trading-Focused Platforms (31% to 35% of total market)

• 11 - 13% Robinhood The largest single source of remaining active retail trade volume, concentrated in options, crypto, and mobile-first single-stock trading.
• 7 - 8% E*TRADE (Morgan Stanley) Continues to hold a significant chunk of active trading flow, through its legacy derivatives and options-heavy retail user base.
• 6 - 7% Fidelity Investments (Self-Directed Brokerage accounts only) While its retirement side is passive, its self-directed retail brokerage accounts still generate a steady baseline of individual stock trade originations.
• 4 - 5% Interactive Brokers Captures a highly concentrated slice of total retail originations from advanced, international & high-frequency day traders. This is Schwab's only significant direct peer.
• 3 - 4% Public.com, Webull, and niche apps A fragmented mix of smaller, mobile-first apps that primarily attract Gen Z and fractional-share stock investors.

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2. Traditional & Bank-Owned Brokerages (20% to 23% of total market)

• 8 - 10% Vanguard Even though its users are predominantly passive "buy-and-hold" index investors, its sheer scale means manual trades, fund reallocations, and lump-sum ETF injections still claim a sizeable percentage of overall market trade originations.
• 7 - 8% Wells Fargo & Chase Everyday bank customers making occasional, long-term stock trades through their bank's investment apps.
• 5 - 6% Merrill Edge / Bank of America capturing a massive chunk of the trading market by letting its regular banking app users easily open self-directed trading accounts.

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But where does the Tradingview app and python API users show up?

Bot sites and TradingView send orders to brokers like those listed above.​

But Tradingview has 100 million users and Schwab only has 40 million. How can Schwab be biggest?

The majority of Tradingview users are non-US, crypto, and forex traders. The Tradingview US equity/commodity/futures/options trades are a small slice of the brokerage accounts listed above.​