Trading System Brukergrensesnitt

Jeg har opprettet et handelsprogram i WPF. for som jeg skammer meg over sin lurvede look siden det er langt fra å være imponerende. Jeg vil nå omforme brukergrensesnittet for søknaden min, og gjøre det likt et eksempel skjermbilde av en handelsapplikasjon. Kan noen gi råd om tips om hvilken vei jeg bør følge for å lage et brukergrensesnitt av lignende art, f. eks. hvis det er en åpen kildekode-C WPF-applikasjon som har en lignende utseende, ville det være bra. eller hvis det er et bibliotek som har kult listevisning, rullefelt og fremdriftsfelt. PS: Jeg har ikke microsoft-blanding spurt Feb 15 11 kl 3:15 Du kan kalle det som et forslag, ikke et svar akkurat. Men legger ut for de som er nye til WPF og lærer skjermdesign eller mønstre. I følge min erfaring med WPF kan jeg si først få deg hendene skitne lære hvordan bindende fungerer, fordi det er grunnlaget for WPF. Simpler måte å lære hvordan bindende arbeid er å lære å binde kontroller med andre kontroller. Bruk deretter enkle klasser og lær MVVM. Deretter går kommandolinjen innenfor MVVM-omkretsen. Hold prismen til sist, fordi du trenger god forståelse av bindende mekanismer, kommandoer, MVVM og mer for å forstå PRISM. Etter dette får du en ide om hvordan disse tingene fungerer sammen og vil hjelpe deg med å finne ut hvordan du spiller med data og skjerm sammen og utformer fine skjermer. Igjen, Ikke et svar på det ovennevnte spørsmålet. Bare forslag til de som lærer WPF og landet her på jakt etter WPF UI-design. besvart des 19 12 kl 17:20 Ditt svar 2017 Stack Exchange, IncPatent søknadstitel: BRUKERFLUTTE FOR COMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED TRADING SYSTEM Registrer deg for å motta gratis e-postvarsler når patentansøkninger med valgte søkeord blir publisert. Meld på Et system og en metode er beskrevet. En GUI er gitt som inneholder minst en interaktiv plassering for en handelsskjerm. Plasseringen tilsvarer et handlerobjekt. En grafisk gjenstand er befolket med data knyttet til en nåværende markedsforhold, og objektet er befolket på grunnlag av et respektive sted i handelsskjermbildet. GUI-objektet er presentert i det grafiske brukergrensesnittet, på det respektive stedet i handelsskjermbildet slik at GUI-objektet presenterer en del av den befolket data sentrert rundt den respektive plasseringen. En taktil inngangsaktivitet knyttet til objektet mottas i GUI, og handelsinstruksjonen skal konstrueres som er knyttet til GUI-objektet og den mottatte enkeltklikk-handlingen. Videre overføres handelsinstruksjonen til minst en databehandlingsanordning som er konfigurert til å utføre handelsinstruksjonen. 1. En datamaskinimplementert fremgangsmåte for å forårsake en handelsinstruksjon skal konstrueres, idet fremgangsmåten omfatter: å tilveiebringe et grafisk brukergrensesnitt som innbefatter minst en interaktiv plassering av et handelsskjerm, hvor den interaktive plasseringen tilsvarer et omsettelig objekt av interesse for en brukeren befolder et grafisk brukergrensesnittobjekt med data relatert til en nåværende markedsbetingelse for det handelbare objektet, hvor det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet befolkes dynamisk i det minste på grunnlag av et respektive sted i handelsskjermbildet som presenteres i det grafiske brukergrensesnittet, det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet på det respektive sted i handelsskjermbildet slik at det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet presenterer minst en del av de befolket data som er lokalisert i nærheten av den respektive posisjon som mottar i det grafiske brukergrensesnittet en taktil inngangsaksjon assosiert med det grafiske brukergrensesnittet objekt som forårsaker at handelsinstruksjonen skal bygges som er tilknyttet tilpasset det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet og den mottatte taktile inngangsvirkningen og sender handelsinstruksjonen til minst en databehandlingsenhet som er konfigurert til å utføre handelsinstruksjonen. 2. Fremgangsmåte ifølge krav 1, karakterisert ved at handelstruksjonen inkluderer en pris og en Buy-side eller en Sell-side som er valgt i forhold til den respektive plasseringen på displayet. 3. Fremgangsmåte ifølge krav 1, hvor enkeltklikk-handlingen har en målbar størrelse, og handelsinstruksjonen er videre konstruert i forhold til målbar størrelse. 4. Fremgangsmåte ifølge krav 1, karakterisert v e d at den videre omfatter å motta i det grafiske brukergrensesnittet en interaksjon med det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet og hvor handlingsinstruksjonen videre er konstruert i lys av det mottatte samspillet med det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet. 5. Fremgangsmåte ifølge krav 1, karakterisert v e d at det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet er konfigurert til å motta et antall symmetriske arrangementer av enkeltklikk-handlinger, hvor hver av de symmetriske arrangementer av enkeltklikk-handlinger bidrar til en respektive handelsinstruksjon. 6. Fremgangsmåte ifølge krav 1, karakterisert v e d at det grafiske brukergrensesnittet innbefatter et antall petalformede noder. 7. Fremgangsmåte ifølge krav 6, karakterisert ved at antall petalformede noder er variable. 8. Fremgangsmåte ifølge krav 1, hvor minst noe av det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet er fremhevet for å representere en respektive handling som vil bli tatt etter å ha mottatt en interaksjon med det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet. 9. Fremgangsmåte ifølge krav 1, som videre omfatter å de-selektere minst en del av det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet som svar på et klikk-valg. 10. Fremgangsmåte ifølge krav 1, karakterisert ved at det grafiske brukergrensesnittet videre innbefatter et tastatur for mottak av minst en av numerisk og alfabetisk informasjon. 11. Fremgangsmåte ifølge krav 1, karakterisert v e d at den minste del av de befolket data er sentrert rundt det respektive sted. 12. Fremgangsmåte ifølge krav 1, karakterisert v e d at den taktile inngangsvirkningen innbefatter minst en valgt fra en gruppe bestående av: et enkeltklikk et dobbeltklikk et enkelt klikk, dra og slipp en svinger og en bevegelse. 13. Fremgangsmåte ifølge krav 1, karakterisert v e d at det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet er konfigurert til å motta inngang fra en fysisk inngangsenhet. 14. Fremgangsmåte ifølge krav 13, karakterisert v e d at den fysiske inngangsenheten innbefatter minst en fra en gruppe bestående av et tastatur, en mus, en trackball, en berøringsskjerm, en berøringsplate og en interaktiv skjerm. 15. Fremgangsmåte ifølge krav 1, karakterisert v e d at den taktile inngangsoperasjonen innbefatter minst en valgt fra en gruppe bestående av: et enkelt klikk et dobbeltklikk og et enkelt klikk og slipp ut. 16. Et system for å forårsake en handelsinstruksjon skal konstrueres, idet systemet omfatter: et grafisk brukergrensesnitt som innbefatter minst en interaktiv plassering av et handelsskjerm, hvor den interaktive plasseringen tilsvarer et handlingsobjekt som er av interesse for en bruker en grafisk bruker grensesnittobjekt befolket med data relatert til en nåværende markedsbetingelse for det handlerbare objektet, hvor det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet befolkes dynamisk i det minste på grunnlag av et respektive sted i handelsskjermbildet, hvor det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet presenteres i grafisk brukergrensesnitt på det respektive sted i handelsskjermbildet slik at det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet presenterer minst en del av de befolket data som er lokalisert i nærheten av den respektive plasseringen, hvor det grafiske brukergrensesnittet er konfigurert til å motta en taktil inngangsaktivitet tilknyttet den grafiske brukeren grensesnittobjekt og en handelsinstruksjon som er konstruert og tilknyttet hvitt h det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet og den mottatte taktile inngangsaksjonen, hvor handelsinstruksjonen sendes til minst en databehandlingsanordning som er konfigurert til å utføre handelsinstruksjonen. 17. System ifølge krav 16, hvor handelsinstruksjonen inkluderer en pris og en kjøpsside eller en selgeside som er valgt i forhold til den respektive plasseringen på displayet. 18. System ifølge krav 16, hvor enkeltklikk-handlingen har en målbar størrelse, og handelsinstruksjonen er videre konstruert i forhold til målbar størrelse. 19. System ifølge krav 16, hvor det grafiske brukergrensesnittet er videre konfigurert til å motta en interaksjon med det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet og hvor handlingsinstruksjonen er videre konstruert i lys av det mottatte samspillet med det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet. 20. System ifølge krav 16, karakterisert v e d at det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet er ytterligere konfigurert til å motta et antall symmetriske arrangementer av enkeltklikk-handlinger, hvor hver av de symmetriske arrangementene av enkeltklikk-handlinger bidrar til en respektive handelsinstruksjon. 21. System ifølge krav 16, karakterisert v e d at det grafiske brukergrensesnittet innbefatter et antall petalformede noder. 22. System ifølge krav 21, hvor antallet petalformede noder er variabel. 23. System ifølge krav 16, hvor minst noe av grafisk brukergrensesnitt er uthevet for å representere en respektive handling som vil bli tatt etter å ha mottatt en interaksjon med det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet. 24. System ifølge krav 16, hvor minst noe av det grafiske brukergrensesnittet er avvalgt som svar på et klikk-valg. 25. System ifølge krav 16, hvor det grafiske brukergrensesnittet videre innbefatter et tastatur for mottak av minst en av numerisk og alfabetisk informasjon. 26. System ifølge krav 16, hvor minst delen av de befolket data er sentrert rundt det respektive sted. 27. System ifølge krav 16, karakterisert v e d at den taktile inngangsoperasjonen innbefatter minst en valgt fra en gruppe bestående av: et enkelt-klikk, dobbeltklikk et enkelt klikk, dra og slipp en svinger og bevegelse. 28. System ifølge krav 16, hvor det grafiske brukergrensesnittet er konfigurert til å motta inngang fra en fysisk inngangsenhet. 29. System ifølge krav 28, karakterisert v e d at den fysiske inngangsenheten innbefatter minst en fra en gruppe bestående av et tastatur, en mus, en trackball, en berøringsskjerm, en berøringsplate og en interaktiv skjerm. 30. System ifølge krav 16, karakterisert v e d at den taktile inngangs-handlingen innbefatter minst en valgt fra en gruppe bestående av: et enkelt-klikk et dobbeltklikk og et enkelt klikk og slipp ut. Beskrivelse: 0001 Foreliggende oppfinnelse angår datamaskinimplementerte handelssystemer. Spesielt angår foreliggende oppfinnelse brukergrensesnittkomponenter som dynamisk gir et sett med alternativer innrettet for å lette rask transaksjonsoppføring og - behandling. 0002 Elektroniske utvekslinger benytter etablerte regler og forskrifter for å fremme handel mellom kjøpere og selgere. Elektroniske utvekslinger drives av et elektronisk eller telekommunikasjonsnett for å lette handel på en effektiv, allsidig og funksjonell måte. Volumet på elektroniske børser har vokst gjennom årene og for tiden dverger volumet handlet på historiske åpningstider, hvor kjøpere og selgere fysisk møtes på gulvet for handel. 0003 En elektronisk utveksling sender vanligvis meldinger til forhandlere over en kommunikasjonsforbindelse. Dataene, i en rå form, inkluderer noen ganger ting som en åpningspris, prisen på den siste handelen, mengden av den siste handelen, mengden som er tilgjengelig til salgspris, mengde tilgjengelig til beste kjøpesum, mengde tilgjengelig ved tilleggspris kjøp og selg priser, og sluttkurs. Selvfølgelig kan en elektronisk utveksling inneholde flere eller færre gjenstander, ofte avhengig av typen av handlerobjekt eller type utveksling. Vanligvis varierer meldingene i størrelse avhengig av innholdet som de bæres av, men i mottaksenden er programvaren programmert for å forstå meldingene og utføre bestemte operasjoner. 0004 En bestemt, men viktig, operasjon er å forberede informasjonen til visning til handelsmannen. Handelsskjermbildet kan være den eneste direkte tilkoblingen en handelsmann har med den interne driften av en bytte. Mange systemer som har blitt brukt i finanssektoren, har hatt data på en handelsskjerm som generelt er i samsvar med måten den ble mottatt fra utvekslingen uten mye tilpasning eller formatering. På grunn av enkelheten til slike skjermprogrammer kan skjermene oppdateres veldig raskt for et stort antall handelbare objekter. Dette har imidlertid vært på bekostning av en ikke-intuitiv design. 0005 Mer nylig har det vært oppmerksom på å tilpasse handelsskjermer til den tilsiktede bruken. For eksempel har mer oppmerksomhet blitt gitt til å analysere hva som gjør en effektiv handelsskjerm, noe som resulterer i utforming av mer intuitive skjermer og raskere ordreinngangssystemer. Avhengig av selve formatering og layout, har imidlertid noen handelsskjermer hatt en bedre mottak blant handelsmenn enn andre i å formidle markedsinformasjon. 0006 For å utvikle en effektiv og intuitiv skjerm, bør utvikleren ha forståelse og forståelse for de som handler. Flere ganger enn ikke, spotting en mulighet i et marked og kapitalisering på det før konkurransen kan skille de handelsmennene som er vellykkede fra de handelsmennene som ikke er. En viktig komponent ved å utnytte en mulighet innebærer effektiv tilpasning og behandling av markedsinformasjon av næringsdrivende, i tillegg til å reagere raskere enn andre konkurrerende markedsdeltakere. 0007 Det er med hensyn til disse og andre hensyn at opplysningen gjort heri er presentert. 0008 Et aspekt av emnet som er beskrevet i denne spesifikasjonen, kan innbefattes i fremgangsmåter som inkluderer interaksjon med en del av en handelsskjerm på et gitt sted som tilsvarer et handlerbart objekt av interesse for brukeren, dynamisk befolgning av et GUI-objekt med data relatert til en nåværende markedsbetingelse for det handelbare objektet på grunnlag av plasseringen, som presenterer GUI-objektet på skjermen på stedet, gir GUI-objektet som presenteres på handelsskjermbildet minst en del av dynamisk befolkede data sentrert rundt stedet, hvilket tillater brukeren å samhandle med det så presenterte GUI-objektet med en enkelt-klikk-handling eller dens ekvivalent for å føre til at en handelsinstruksjon skal bygges der handelsinstruksjonen inkluderer en pris og en Kjøps - eller selg-side valgt med tanke på plasseringen på displayet av interessepunktet og en størrelse (mengde) ved samspillet med GUI-objektet. 0009 I ytterligere aspekter kan GUI-objektet ha et symmetrisk arrangement av enkeltklikk-handlinger. For eksempel kan handlingene være bud eller spørre valg med 1, 5, 10 og 25 størrelsesintervaller. Antall petal noder kan variere, og en petal node kan utheves for å indikere hvilken handling som vil bli tatt når brukeren fullfører samspillet med GUI objektet. GUI-objektet kan også være klarbart fra handelsskjermbildet ved å klikke på et sted der det ikke er et handlerobjekt under markørens nåværende posisjon eller om brukeren interagerte med skjermen. 0010 I en eller flere implementeringer er et system og en fremgangsmåte beskrevet for å forårsake at en handelsinstruksjon skal konstrueres. Et grafisk brukergrensesnitt er tilveiebrakt som inkluderer minst en interaktiv plassering av et handelsskjermbilde. Den interaktive plasseringen tilsvarer et handlingsobjekt som er av interesse for en bruker. Et grafisk brukergrensesnittobjekt befolkes med data knyttet til en nåværende markedsbetingelse for det handelbare objektet, og det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet befolkes dynamisk i det minste på grunnlag av et respektive sted i handelsskjermbildet. Det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet presenteres i det grafiske brukergrensesnittet på det respektive sted i handelsskjermbildet slik at det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet presenterer minst en del av det befolket data sentrert rundt det respektive sted. En taktil inngangsaksjon assosiert med det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet mottas i det grafiske brukergrensesnittet, og handelsinstruksjonen er konstruert som er knyttet til det grafiske brukergrensesnittobjektet og den mottatte enkeltklikk-handlingen. Videre overføres handelsinstruksjonen til minst en databehandlingsanordning som er konfigurert til å utføre handelsinstruksjonen. 0011 Detaljer om en eller flere implementeringer er angitt i de medfølgende tegninger og beskrivelsen nedenfor. Andre funksjoner og fordeler vil fremgå av beskrivelsen og tegningene og fra kravene. KORT BESKRIVELSE AV TEGNINGSSKRIFTER 0012 FIG. 1 illustrerer en oversikt over en eksempelvis systemkonfigurasjon, i samsvar med en utførelsesform, som brukes til å videreformidle markedsinformasjon til en rekke handelsterminaler. 0013 Fig. 2 er et eksempel på skjermbilde som viser en pris som ville bli handlet ved å klikke med en mus eller på annen måte samhandle med skjermen. 0014 Fig. 3 er et eksempel på et skjermbilde som viser et GUI-objekt som har petalformede noder og videre viser et fremhevet petal som et resultat av bevegelse av musen eller på annen måte interagerer med skjermen etter å ha klikket, men ikke frigjort, musen etc. 0015 Fig. 4A og 4B er et eksempel på skjermbilder som viser en sekvens av valg i samsvar med en utførelsesform av søknaden. 0016 fig. 5A og 5B er et eksempel på skjermbilder som viser en dobbeltsekvens i samsvar med en utførelsesform av søknaden. 0017 Fig. 6 er et eksempel på et skjermbilde som viser et GUI-objekt i samsvar med en alternativ utførelsesform og videre viser konsentriske valg av valgbare nodene. 0018 fig. 7A og 7B illustrerer et eksempel GUI-objekt i samsvar med en alternativ utførelse og videre viser flere nivåalternativer for valgbare nodene. 0019 Fig. 8 illustrerer et GUI objekt i samsvar med enda en annen utførelsesform og videre viser X - og Y-akser av selekterbare noder. 0020 Fig. 8A illustrerer et eksempel GUI objekt assosiert i samsvar med en alternativ utførelsesform og gir alternative datainngangskontroller. 0021 Fig. 9 illustrerer et eksempel GUI objekt i samsvar med en utførelsesform av den foreliggende søknad der instruksjonen vises. 0022 fig. 10 viser et eksempel på en databehandlingsanordning og en mobil databehandlingsanordning som kan brukes i forbindelse med datamaskinimplementerte metoder og systemer beskrevet i foreliggende beskrivelse. 0023 Like referansesymboler i de ulike tegningene angir like elementer. 0024 Som oversikt og innføring beskrives metoder, systemer og dataprogramprodukter som kan brukes til fordelaktig bruk i et elektronisk handelsmiljø. Spesielt gir utførelsene beskrevet her en funksjon som tillater en bruker å velge et område av interesse på en handelsskjerm, nemlig et område hvor en pris og Kjøps - eller Selg-side er indikert. Handelssystemer bruker informasjon, for eksempel Kjøps - eller Selg-sideverdier, for å påvirke handelen. Nåværende søknad kan gjøres kompatibel med dem. Ved en indikasjon fra brukeren om at et ønsket område av interesse er valgt, for eksempel ved å klikke med museknappen, er et grafisk brukergrensesnitt (GUI) objekt plassert på stedet av interesseområdet og kan befolkes med markedet data, fortrinnsvis nåværende og sanntidsdata, som kan velges for å konstruere en handelsinstruksjon som deretter kommuniseres for utførelse. Som det vil forstås fra tegningsfigurer og denne beskrivelse, omfatter GUI-objektet i en eller flere utførelsesformer en radialt anordnet meny med valgbare handlinger som en næringsdrivende kan gjøre. Nærmere bestemt er de valgbare handlingene kalibrert til de nåværende markedsforholdene for et handlingsobjekt som vises på skjermen på stedet av interesseområdet (f. eks. Radial kontekstmeny presenterer prispoeng som kan velges av brukeren som er sentrert ved dagens marked for det handelbare objektet). GUI-objektet i denne utførelsen kan konfigureres til å presentere relevante alternativer til en næringsdrivende for meget rask og nøyaktig bygging av en handelsinstruksjon. Plasseringen av interessepunktet informerer GUI-objektet om hvordan og hvilke dataelementer som skal fylles, for eksempel om handelsinstruksjonen skal ha en bud - eller en spørringsinnstilling. På samme måte kan plasseringen av interessepunktet informere GUI-objektet om prisen som skal brukes. 0025 Andre systemer, metoder, trekk og fordeler ved utførelsene vil være eller bli åpenbare for en med fagkunnskap ved undersøkelse av de følgende tegninger og beskrivelse. Det er ment at alle slike tilleggssystemer, metoder, egenskaper og fordeler ligger innenfor rammen av foreliggende oppfinnelse og beskyttes av de vedlagte krav. 0026 Med henvisning til fig. 1, er et eksempel på et handelssystemarrangement presentert. Systemet og fremgangsmåten ifølge foreliggende oppfinnelse er egnet for bruk i ethvert elektronisk handelsmiljø. Eksempelet elektronisk handelssystem, bestående av forskjellige elementer, er beskrevet med forståelse for at det er mange likeverdige elementer og systemer, som alle vil være åpenbare for en fagmann på området. Blokkdiagrammet i fig. Illustrerer et elektronisk handelssystem 100 som innbefatter en eller flere elektroniske utvekslinger 102, 104, 106 og en eller flere klientanordninger 108, 110, 112. I noen tilfeller kan hver av de elektroniske utvekslingene 102, 104, 106 bruk et annet sett med meldingsspesifikasjoner. Derfor kan mellomliggende enheter som gatewayene 114, 116, 118, rutere (ikke vist) og andre slike typer nettverksinnretninger bli anvendt slik at klientanordninger 108, 110, 112 kan gjenkjenne meldinger fra og overføre meldinger til mer enn en elektronisk utveksling, som hver kan bruke en annen meldingsspesifikasjon. 0027 Som angitt ovenfor er utførelsesformene ikke begrenset til noen bestemt handelssystemkonfigurasjon. For eksempel kan nettverk 122, 124, 126 representere det samme nettverket, nettverket 120 kan representere det samme nettverket som nettverk 122, 124, 126 eller klientanordninger 108, 110, 112 kan koble direkte til gateways 114, 116, 118. Det kan også forstås slik at utførelsene kan implementeres med systemer som kun har en elektronisk utveksling. 0028 I en eller flere utførelser representerer elektroniske utvekslinger 102, 104, 106 elektroniske handelsplattformer som støtter elektroniske transaksjoner av forskjellige typer handelbare gjenstander. Eksempler på mer sofistikerte elektroniske handelsplattformer inkluderer London International Financial Futures og Options Exchange (LIFFE), Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), Exchange Electronic Trading (Xetra, en tysk børs), og European Exchange (Eurex). I en annen utførelsesform kan elektroniske utvekslinger 102, 104, 106 også referere til andre anlegg, som inkluderer flere grunnleggende systemer som automatisk matcher innkommende ordrer. I henhold til denne utførelsesformen kan for eksempel en elektronisk utveksling 102, 104, 106 ganske enkelt henvise til et elektronisk handelssted hvor idrettshengere går til å kjøpe eller selge plasser for en begivenhet. Hver av de elektroniske utvekslingene 102, 104, 106 kan være vert for ett eller flere datamaskinbaserte elektroniske markeder. Traders kan koble til det ene eller flere elektroniske markedene for å handle med handelsvarer. Som anvendt her, refererer begrepet handlerobjekter, bare til alt som kan handles med en mengde og pris. Det inkluderer, men er ikke begrenset til, alle typer handelsvarer som for eksempel hendelser, varer og finansielle produkter, som kan inkludere for eksempel aksjer, opsjoner, obligasjoner, futures, valuta og warrants, samt midler, derivater og samlinger av det foregående og alle typer varer, som korn, energi og metaller. Det handelbare objektet kan være ekte, for eksempel produkter som er listet opp av en børs for handel eller syntetisk, for eksempel en kombinasjon av virkelige produkter som er opprettet av brukeren. Et handlingsobjekt kunne faktisk være en kombinasjon av andre handlerobjekter, for eksempel en klasse av handelbare gjenstander. 0029 Et elektronisk marked kan implementere noen av de mange typer ordreutførelsesalgoritmer, av og til, hvilken type algoritme avhenger av det omsettelige objektet som handles. Enkelte eksempler på eksekveringsalgoritmer inkluderer eksempler på prioritet (også referert til som først-i-første-ut eller FIFO) og pro rata-stilalgoritmer. FIFO-algoritmen forsøker for eksempel å prioritere den første personen som bestiller. Den pro rata algoritmen deler for eksempel alle (eller mest) ordrer til samme pris på et bestemt tidspunkt. Systemet og fremgangsmåten ifølge foreliggende oppfinnelse er ikke begrenset til noen bestemt type ordreutførelsesalgoritme. 0030 Det er videre forstått at et elektronisk marked kan inkludere andre programvare og / eller maskinvarekomponenter for å utføre andre oppgaver enn matchende ordrer eller deler av ordrer. Disse programvare og maskinvarekomponentene kan være lokale eller eksterne til den fysiske plasseringen av en elektronisk utveksling. Med andre ord kan komponentene betjenes ved elektronisk utveksling eller på steder utenfor den elektroniske utvekslingen, for eksempel tilgangspunkter. Tilgangspunkter kan inkludere gateways eller andre raske datamaskiner som ligger i nærheten av elektronisk utveksling og har tilgang til andre tilgangspunkter i nærheten av andre elektroniske utvekslinger. 0031 I en eller flere utførelsesformer fungerer gateways 114, 116, 118 som portaler til en bestemt elektronisk utveksling. Gatewayene 114, 116, 118 kan innbefatte en hvilken som helst databehandlingsanordning som en hovedramme, superminicomputer, minicomputer, arbeidsstasjon eller personlig datamaskin som forbinder nettverket 120 med nettverk 122, 124, 126 slik at markedsinformasjonen med suksess kan passere mellom klientinnretningene 108, 110, 112 og utveksling 102, 104, 106, 0032 Gateways 114, 116, 118 kan motta markedsdata fra utveksling 102, 104, 106 og konvertere den til en form som er kompatibel med protokollene som brukes av klientinnretningene 108, 110, 112 ved bruk av konvertering teknikker kjent innen teknikken. Også som kjent av fagfolk på området kan gateways 114, 116, 118 ha en eller flere servere for å støtte datainnmatningene, slik som en prisserver for behandling av prisinformasjon, en ordreserver for behandling av ordreinformasjon og en fylling server for behandling av fyllingsinformasjon. En forhandler ved en av klientanordninger 108, 110, 112 kan abonnere på prisinformasjon, ordreinformasjon og fyllingsinformasjon for et bestemt elektronisk marked som er vert for utveksling 102, 104, 106. Ifølge et annet aspekt mottar portene 114, 116, 118 transaksjonsinformasjon, for eksempel bestillinger, ordreendringer, spørringer etc. fra klientanordninger 108, 110, 112 og videresende denne informasjonen til tilsvarende utvekslinger 102, 104, 106. Også klientanordninger 108, 110, 112 kan kobles til elektroniske utvekslinger 102 , 104, 106 uten behov for protokolloversettelse (ikke vist i figur 1). For eksempel kan en klientenhet ha dataprogramvare som gjenkjenner en bestemt utvekslingsprotokoll, og kan derfor ha direkte forbindelse til den elektroniske utvekslingen. 0033 Det skal forstås at gateways eller lignende typer datamaskinbaserte enheter kan brukes som tilgangspunkter. Følgelig kan klientanordninger 108, 110, 112 få tilgang til en elektronisk utveksling gjennom en gateway, spesielt hvis gatewayen (e) blir brukt som et tilgangspunkt i et nettverk og eller ved en elektronisk utveksling. 0034 Klientinnretninger 108, 110, 112 kan fungere som et grensesnitt for handel med en eller flere elektroniske utvekslinger 102, 104, 106. Eksempler på klientanordninger inkluderer en arbeidsstasjon, personlig datamaskin, bærbar datamaskin, håndholdt datamaskin eller annen databehandling Enhet, stor eller liten, som inkluderer minst en skjerm, prosessor og minne. Prosessoren og minnet, som er begge kjente datakomponenter, er ikke vist i figuren for klarhets skyld. En skjerm inkluderer enhver visuell utgangsenhet av en klientenhet som kan ha sin presentasjon oppdatert ved bruk av kode som utføres i prosessoren. For å illustrere kun leseren, inkluderer eksempler en CRT-basert skjerm, LCD-skjerm, en gassplasmabasert skjerm og så videre. For eksempel kan skjerminnretningen settes fysisk på en bordplade for at en bruker kan se på, projisert på en vegg av en projektor, være en del av en tavle-databehandlingsenhet (f. eks. En iPad fra Apple Corporation) eller en smart telefon, eller kan monteres på hodet i spesielle briller. 0035 Det er videre forstått at en prosessor inkluderer en hvilken som helst enhet som blant annet tolker og utfører instruksjoner. Med andre ord fungerer prosessoren som hjernen til klientenheten. Prosessoren kan også omfatte alle komponenter som utgjør hovedkonsollen til klientens enheter for å utføre funksjonene beskrevet her. 0036 I en eller flere utførelsesformer mottar hver av klientanordningene 108, 110, 112, markedsinformasjon fra et eller flere elektroniske markeder som er vert for noen av de elektroniske utvekslingene 102, 104, 106, i henhold til hvilke handelsrelaterte objekter som handles. vises til handelsmannen i en handelsskjerm, i samsvar med utførelsene, på en visuell utgangsenhet eller displayenhet. En næringsdrivende kan også motta nyheter som hjelper til med å analysere informasjon mottatt fra utvekslingen. 0037 Ved å se markedsinformasjonen eller en del derav, kan en næringsdrivende ønske å sende ordre til en bytte, avbestille ordrer i et marked, endre ordrer i et marked, spørre om utveksling og så videre. For å gjøre dette kan næringsdrivende innføre forskjellige kommandoer eller signaler inn i klientenheten 104 gjennom handelsskjermbildet, for eksempel ved å bruke ett eller flere konvensjonelle midler for innmatning av informasjon som å skrive inn i et tastatur, innføre kommandoer gjennom en mus eller innputting kommandoer eller signaler gjennom en annen inngangsenhet. I den fremtredende delen kan GUI-objektet, slik som det radiale kontekstmenyobjektet beskrevet her, brukes av en bruker til å velge kommandoer og legge dem inn i klienten. 0038 Ved mottak av en eller flere kommandoer eller signaler genererer klientanordninger 108, 110, 112 transaksjonsinformasjon. I tillegg til eller i stedet for manuell oppføring, kan en forhandler bruke automatisert handelsprogramvare som automatisk eller halvautomatisk genererer transaksjonsinformasjon. Selvfølgelig er det mange forskjellige typer meldinger og ordelte typer som kan sendes til en elektronisk utveksling, som alle kan betraktes som ulike typer transaksjonsinformasjon. 0039 Når en gang er generert, blir transaksjonsinformasjon sendt fra klientinnretningen 108 til vertsutveksling 102 over nettverk (er) 120 og 122. 0040 Med henvisning til fig. 2-9, er et GUI-objekt konfigurert i samsvar med foreliggende søknad beskrevet. 0041 I en eller flere utførelser er det gitt en radial kontekstmeny for klikk-for-handel som gjør det mulig for brukere å raskt angi en handling som skal tas, som kan inkludere pris, størrelse og om å kjøpe eller selge. I stedet for å spesifisere hvert attribut av en ordre individuelt, kan brukeren ganske enkelt velge et prisnivå og velge en størrelse og om å kjøpe eller selge alt ved å flytte musen til en node i menyen. I en eller flere implementeringer klikker brukeren, holder, drar og slipper deretter knappen for å spesifisere og instruere en handel som skal skje. 0042 Fig. 2 illustrerer et eksempelvisning 200 som gir valgbar informasjon i forbindelse med handel. Ticker-kolonne 202 og markedskolonne 204 inkluderer valgbare alternativer for å identifisere symboler knyttet til omsettelige verdipapirer, samt muligheter knyttet til kjøp, salg og størrelse. In connection with the example display 200 shown in FIG. 2, to submit an order, the user moves his or her selection device, such as a mouse, to a respective price the user would like to trade. The GUI in display 200 provides visual feedback to indicate the price that the corresponding security would be traded when clicking the mouse. Additionally, the user can click on a respective size value that corresponds to the price in the market display. As noted herein, the GUI may be configured to use different defaults or settings than may otherwise be used when clicking on the price. 0043 In one or more implementations, a petal-shaped graphical screen control is provided that changes in appearance and functionality, dynamically and in response to user actions taken, for example, via a keyboard or selection device (e. g. mouse, trackball, touchscreen, tablet or other suitable pointing device). As the users cursor moves from the center of the graphical screen control outwardly, new graphical regions may appear visible substantially automatically that provide functionality beyond that provided in the initial petal-shaped graphic. Thus, one or more petals may appear dynamically in response to user-based activity (e. g. pointer movement), as opposed to a fixed number of discrete petals. Thus, different contexts and different functionality may be provided as the user moves from the center of the petal-shaped graphic. For example, different values, different ranges of values, or scales may be provided pursuant to the distance the users selection device is from the center of the petal-shaped graphical object. 0044 FIG. 3 illustrates an example screen display 300 that includes the radial context menu 302 formatted as petal-shaped graphical object, and usable for defining and executing a trade instruction. Upon a users initiating a selection, such as an initial click of the users mouse button, the radial context menu may be displayed, substantially as illustrated in FIG. 3. In the example shown, radial context menu 302 includes a center node 304 surrounded by a variable number of petal nodes 306. Each petal node 306 may represent a different action the user can take. The center node 304 may display the action that will be taken in response to the user releasing the mouse button. In one or more implementations, a default action is specified when the mouse is placed over the center node 304. The example display screen 300 shown in FIG. 3 shows the menu in this state, where the user has clicked, but has not moved the mouse. In the example shown, a default action (Buy 10 -2.634) is selected, and the petal node for that default action is highlighted. 0045 Each petal node 306 may specify a varying level of detail for the action to be taken, allowing redundant information to be skipped and increasing efficiency to reduce valuable time associated with rapid trading activity. For example and as shown in the example display screen 300, the top two nodes 306 show the action being taken for the nodes on that side of the menu, in this case Offer and Buy, while the remaining nodes 306 omit this redundant detail. Although illustrated in the drawings in grayscale, each node 306 may also specify a color, thereby providing additional visual feedback associated with and available action a user may take. For example, nodes 306 that are selectable for instructing a Sell command are colored red and nodes 306 that are selectable for instructing a Buy command are colored green. Furthermore, the center node 304 may also display the price of the respective node 306 that the user selected (e. g. clicked on). In one or more implementations, information displayed in the menu (e. g. petal-shaped graphical object 302) is contextual. For example, if buying at the selected price would cross the market, the menu indicates Buy or Sell which represents an aggressive order. Alternatively, the menu may other terms, such as Bid or Offer, which represent a more passive order. Information displayed in the menu may be color-coded to represent varying degrees of aggressiveness, as well. 0046 As noted herein, one side of the radial context menu 302 (e. g. petal-shaped object) represents one type of action and the other side of the object represents another. For example, all petal nodes 306 appearing on the left side of the object provide values associated with a Sell, while all the nodes 306 on the right side of the object provide values associated with a Buy. In an alternative, all petal nodes 306 on the left side of the object may provide values associated with size, while all petal nodes 306 on the right side of the object may represent price. Other variations are provided herein including, for example, providing contextual options in various quadrants of the radial context menu 306. For example, the left top quarter may represent Sell Size options, the left bottom quarter may represents Buy Size options, the right top quarter may represent Sell Price options, and the right bottom may represents Buy Price options. The values may be provided in various suitable ways, such as shown and described herein. 0047 In one or more implementations, various graphical representations of radial context menu 302, other than a petal-shaped graphic, may be provided. For example, a linear scale may be provided with reference to values associated with a range. The range may depend on the distance that the users selection device is from the center of the petal-shaped graphical object. Alternatively, a roulette wheel-shaped graphic is provided with a range of values. As the user moves his or her selection device within the wheel, values may be displayed that correspond with the position of the selection device in the wheel. The wheel may be partitioned or otherwise segmented to represent different orders (e. g. BuySellbidoffer). Various embodiments illustrating different graphical representations are shown and described in greater detail below. 0048 Actions for the radial context menu 306 can be configured. In one or more implementations, actions are added for buying and selling at various sizes. One of the sizes is the normal order size, which is the default for placing orders. The other three sizes are preset sizes that the user can override. For usability, these sizes are sorted when displayed in the menu. The configuration is context-sensitive, so they can be configured differently for different securities. 0049 Another feature of user-customization provided in accordance with the present application includes automatically setting one or more values associated with a trade based on the respective security, stock or other thing of value being bought or sold. Values may be set, for example, in accordance with a user profile or other accessible data source. For example, a user may identify (simply by clicking or by other selection activity) the name of a security and data entry options for all information associated with the trade (e. g. type, size and price) are automatically populated. Thereafter, the user simply indicates a confirmation (e. g. by releasing the mouse button, or by clicking again) and the trade is effected. This feature significantly reduces the amount of time to issue a trade instruction that would otherwise be required of the user. 0050 In one or more embodiments, a level of user customization is provided as a function of profile information that may be used for future reference. Various kinds of information associated with a particular user may be stored locally in a particular computing device operated by a user, or may be obtained remotely, such as over a communication network. Kinds of information may include a users current position (i. e. the amount of shares a user has), default values that a user would like to appear automatically (e. g. in connection with side, size and price), and particular functionality a user wants provided, such as in connection with selection device movements, display-screen locking, feedback information, etc. Further, functionality may be provided in connection with information associated with a particular user. For example, a user may be long in one particular stock (e. g. IBM), which may result in the system defaulting to a Sell position and the user may be short in another (e. g. Microsoft) which may result in the system defaulting to a Buy position. The user is then relieved from having to determine a current position and from making a side-related selection, which saves valuable seconds in the course of making a transaction. Other default functionality, such as a default price, may be selected in view of a users position or other relevant information. Moreover, graphical objects, such as dynamically appearing, disappearing or changing petal shapes, may be provided in context as a function of default information andor selections made by a user in connection with a trade. 0051 In one or more implementations, when a user moves the mouse over a petal node 306, that node becomes the currently selected action. The currently selected node 306 may be displayed in an easily distinguishable way from the other nodes 306. For example, the size, color and transparency of the petal selected node 306 may be used to set it apart from the other nodes 306. FIG. 4A illustrates an example display screen 400 that shows a radial context menu 302 having a selected node 306 that is displayed apart from the other nodes 306 included in the menu 302. As shown in example display screen 400, the center node 304 displays a color and text that matches the display (and corresponding action) associated with the selected node 306. When, for example, the user releases the mouse button, an instruction associated with the selected action is executed. FIG. 4B shows the example display screen 400 provided after the user moved the mouse (without releasing) to a different node 306. Thus, as can be seen in the combined views of FIGS. 4A and 4B, the user moves from a Sell size of 1 to a Sell size of 10 simply by moving hisher selection device to a different petal node 306, with the price remaining the same (as indicated in center node 304). 0052 In one or more implementations, when the user moves the mouse back to the center node, the default action is re-selected. 0053 In one or more implementations, the present application supports click-to-trade functionality and can be configured to operate in various modes, including disabled, prime-only, double-click and single-click. In the prime-only mode, for example, an order entry form is populated substantially automatically with the price, size, and side the user chose from the radial context menu 302, with a restriction that the user cannot submit the order via click-to-trade. In single-click mode, options for an order are made via radial context menu 302, and an instruction for a transaction may be submitted immediately upon the user releasing the mouse button. In double-click mode, the user must perform two clicks in order to submit an order. The first click brings up the radial context menu, allowing the user to specify the side and size of the order. For usability and to make the order entry process as fast as possible, after the first click is released, the mouse cursor may be returned to the location of the initial click. The price or size the user clicked on in the market grid is shown highlighted, and the order entry form is populated with the details of the order. Clicking the highlighted region again will submit the order. If the user clicks anywhere outside of the highlighted region, if a timeout elapses, or if the user explicitly cancels the order, the order will be canceled. 0054 FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate an example implementation that demonstrates a sequence, in accordance with double-click mode, described above. 0055 Although the example radial context menu 302 shown in FIGS. 3-5A illustrates a single ring of petals, the application is not so limited. In addition to a first collection (such as a ring) of petals, one or more concentric collections of petals may be provided for efficient and fast entry of values, such as associated with a trade. FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the radial context menu 302 that includes an inner ring of petal nodes 306 that includes selectable values associated with price, while an outer ring of petal nodes 308 that includes selectable values associated with one or more trading platforms, each of which may provide varying price ranges as a function of the size, and the respective platform itself. By providing multiple and concentric objects associated with values, the present application improves data entry speed and efficiency. The outer ring of petal nodes 308 may be statically presented, in which radial context menu 302 displays both rings of petal nodes 306, 308 simultaneously. Alternatively, just one ring, e. g. outer ring of petal nodes 308, may be dynamically presented, in which radial context menu 302 includes one ring of petal nodes 306, and upon an indication of a selection of one of the nodes 306, such as by a user hovering over one of the nodes 306, the second ring of petal nodes 308 appears and the user moves hisher mouse to select one. 0056 Thus, as shown in FIG. 6 and described above, the present application supports concentric collections of nodes in a GUI, such as associated with radial context menu 302. 0057 FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate an implementation of radial context menu 302 that is an alternative to the menu 302 that is illustrated in FIG. 6. In the examples shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, two collections of petal nodes are displayed (nodes 306 and 308). Unlike the implementation shown in FIG. 6. however, the second collection of nodes 308 appears to hover above and at least partially adjacent to the collection of nodes 306 for selection. In the example shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, nodes 306 includes selectable values associated with size. The user has made an initial mouse selection by clicking in the center node 304 and proceeded to drag the mouse down while holding down the mouse button over the value 25 associated with a Buy action. As the user drags the mouse down past the petal node 306, a second collection of petal nodes 308 appears for selecting price. Once the user selects a respective petal node 308, the center node 304 displays the value selected there-from (shown as 100-44) along with the previously selected size-related value (25). The example shown in FIG. 7B illustrates a fixed income convention, where the - denotes the handle. For example, a price like 100-042 represents 100 plus 432 plus 2256. When the handle (the 100) is the same, it is omitted, so -042 represents the same as 100-042 or 100.2578125. Moreover, the numbers counter-clockwise from 12 oclock to 6 oclock are smaller, and the numbers clockwise from 12 oclock to 6 oclock are larger. 0058 Various other customization options are provided by the present application. For example, and without limiting the present disclosure, a user may initiate a selection (e. g. down click without release using a mouse) on a petal of radial context menu 302. While holding down the mouse, the user drags outwardly and away from the initially selected petal to reveal and, thereafter, select a respective value, such as relating to size or price. As the user is dragging outwardly, incremental and selectable values appear. The increments may be fixed, such as by multiples of 10 (e. g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5), or the increments may be variants relative to the distance from the initial selection (e. g. 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50). In another variation, the users cursor may move to a default value, which may be set in a profile or other data source. The default value may be set for size andor price, and further may be vary depending upon one or more conditions, such as the users current or foreseen position. Other options are supported, including a type of snap-to functionality, wherein the users cursor moves to respective values and requires little movement by the users selection device (e. g. mouse) to navigate from one value to another. By providing snap-to functionality, the amount of time otherwise required to select values (e. g. size, price or the like) is greatly reduced. 0059 FIG. 8 illustrates an alternative example radial context menu 302 in which values associated with nodes 306 and 308 are presented on X - and Y-axes on a graph. In the example shown in FIG. 8, nodes 306 are associated with size, and nodes 308 are associated with price, with each further bisected as a function of Buy - and Sell-side commands. Moreover, display section 310 is illustrated in FIG. 8 that identifies the selections made to that point. Display section 310 may be incorporated in center node 304, as shown and described above in connection with FIGS. 3-7, or may hover above the axes as shown in FIG. 8. 0060 In the example illustrated in FIG. 8, the user has made an initial mouse selection by clicking in the center of the intersecting lines and, while holding down the mouse button, proceeded to drag the mouse up to a Buy value of 1 and to the right to a market price value above 3 associated with a Buy action. 0061 The present application provides tremendous time savings in connection with performing complex transactions (such as trades) and for sending instructions in connection with one or more such transactions. As shown and described herein, the present application operates beyond simple drag-and-drop functionality, for example by tracking a relative position where a selection is initiated (i. e. a click is started but not released) and a subsequent relative position where the selection is completed (i. e. the click is released). At the point of release, a transaction instruction may be determined, assembled and sent to one or more devices configured to carry out the transaction. For example, a user clicks his mouse in a center of a petal-shaped graphical screen object, but does not release the mouse until the user has slid to a respective petal located at a particular place that represents the side, size and price of the offer. In another example, a user moves a mouse in a particular position (e. g. up or down), which results in value options that correspond with the directionposition of the mouse. Moving the cursor in an upward position, for example, may result in price options that are above market price. Moving the cursor in a downward position may result in price options that are below market price. In case, for example, the user releases the selection click at least a minimum distance away from a respective position, such as the perimeter of the radial context menu 302, a cancel instruction may be determined. 0062 Moreover, following an initial selection click and prior to the release, options and graphical controls may dynamically appear, disappear andor change in accordance with the location of the cursor, values that are displayed, user preference information or other contextual feature. Thus, new choices and new options made dynamically appear substantially in real time as users define trade instructions. 0063 Accordingly, the radial context menu 302 may be extended in various ways that could be configurably enabled. For example, sounds may play when a menu is opened, when the mouse moves to new nodes, or when the mouse moves to change the action. Moreover, various visual representations may be provided and in different formats, such as a vertical or horizontal ladder of prices and sizes to the left and right (or top and bottom) of the center node, instead of radial nodes. Alternatively, there might be no center node displayed and the user selects the specific action, price and size only from a petal node. Other visual representations are also possible (i. e. a circle, square, or other shapes and arrangements of petal nodes). Further, several layers, or rings, of petal nodes could be supported allowing the user to select more actions, prices, and sizes by selecting petal nodes further away from the center node. 0064 Additionally, various kinds of order parameters may be selectable within the nodes (such as account, order type, or any other parameter controllable on an order). For example, as a user moves the mouse further from the center node, the size or price could increase or decrease, allowing distance to be a factor in controlling one of the parameters (in addition to selecting a node). Different clicking styles are also supported, such as clicking and releasing to open the radial menu, then clicking on a node instead of releasing the mouse on a node to select that node. Moreover, the display of market data that the user initiates the first click on may be any different kind of market data display including, for example, a grid display of prices and sizes as shown, a ladder display, or any other visual representation of orders in the marketplace that a user can mouse over and click on. 0065 In addition to graphical representations for effecting behavior, hardware apparatus controls may be used for controlling the interface in accordance with the present application. For example, a mouse selector wheel may be pressed or scrolled that causes a price or size to change Scrolling in one direction may result in a change to a size of an order, while scrolling in the opposite direction may result in a change to a price. It is recognized by the inventors that safeguards may be included to prevent a user from inadvertently placing an order by simply rolling a mouse wheel too quickly, such as the double-click sequence described above with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B. 0066 In one or more implementations, parameter values associated with a trade, such as relating to size and price, may be customized for a particular user. For example, a graphical screen control, such as a textbox, checkbox, radio button, dropdown list, slider control or other suitable control, is provided for receiving information from a user. For example, as a user hovers his or her mouse cursor over a graphical object, such as a graphical petal-shaped image, a slider control appears that includes a range of values from 1-100. The range of values may be determined as a function of a user profile or other information source that is particular to a user. Upon selection of a value in the control, then values associated with portions of the base object (e. g. associated with various petals of the petal-shaped graphical object), may be multiples of the selected value. For example, if the user selects a value, 30, from the slider control, then the petals may include the values: 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, etc. Thus, the present application supports training and customization of GUI. 0067 FIG. 8A illustrates an example GUI object associated with radial context menu 302 in accordance with an alternative embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 8A, two additional petal-shaped nodes 312 are illustrated that, when selected, provide additional functionality and that may be customized andor configured for particular users. Although two such nodes 312 are illustrated in FIG. 8A, any one or more nodes 312 may be included with menu 302. Upon selection of node 312, one or more contexts may be supported including, for example, additional menu selections that may appear and that correspond to a particular users preferences. For example, upon selection of node 312, data entry may be performed for editing user-preferences, such as relating to default values, ranges of values, appearancefunctional options of radial context menu 302, sources of portfolio information, and to lock the users screen. Other options may relate to how radial context menu 302 behaves in connection with mouse control movements, such as how long a user hovers at a location before a selection is made, how far a users mouse cursor must move before a cancellation instruction is received, whether single or double click actions are used, or the like. Yet other examples of options may relate to data, such as whether to round up or down, setting a relative degree of aggressiveness (e. g. whether a user is particularly bullish), contexts when a user prefers aggressive versus conservative bids, or the like. Therefore, the present application supports many suitable user interactions in addition to clicking and dragging behavior. In one or more implementations, an action taken by a user and responded to by the module is a substantially continuous movement action with a defined start and a defined end, with monitoringtracking of the movement in-between. Such user-based interactions are monitored between a defined beginning point (e. g. a click) and an ending point (e. g. un-click, second click or the like). A tactile input action received from a user, such as a single-clickdragrelease, double-click, movement, hesitation andor multiple clicks are supported for representing a defined beginning point, defined ending point andor any point(s) or portion(s) there-between. In one or more implementations, the software is configured to monitor, recognize andor validate user actions representing particular instructions in accordance with the present application. Moreover, and as noted herein, any suitable selection device andor method is supported, including by use of a mouse, trackball, touchscreen, touchpad, or other suitable touch interface. 0068 In yet another example, selection of node 312 may result in display of one or more additional graphical controls for entering data by a user. For example, when selected, node 312 causes a graphical object representing numeric keypad 314 to appear. A user may select numbers in keypad 314 to enter precise values, or values that may not be otherwise provided automatically by radial context menu 302. Moreover, selection of node 312 may result in display of a full alpha-numeric keyboard 316 that enables the user to submit additional information, thereby increasing the level of customization and functionality associated with radial context menu 302. In addition to a virtual or graphical keyboardkeypad, a user may enter values using a physical keyboardkeypad, as well. 0069 Accordingly, and as illustrated in FIG. 8A, radial context menu 302 may include one or more petal nodes that appear distinct from other nodes and that invoke one or more customizable options for the user to enhance the functionality provided by radial context menu 302. 0070 FIG. 9 illustrates an example GUI object in accordance with an embodiment of the present application in which the instruction is displayed. The example shown in FIG. 9 illustrates an alternative to a set of leaf nodes (e. g. a fixed set of nodes), that may be provided as gradient selectable options. Moreover, and as shown in FIG. 9, the farther a user pulls away from the location of an initial click, the largersmaller the value is provided for selection. Thus, and as shown in FIG. 9, alternative implementations are provided in accordance with the present application. 0071 It should be understood that in some implementations an engine as referred to herein can include one or more processors configured by code to implement the functionality of the engine that is being described. 0072 Embodiments of the subject matter and the operations described in this specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them. Embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented as one or more computer programs, i. e. one or more modules of computer program instructions, encoded on computer storage medium for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus. Alternatively or in addition, the program instructions can be encoded on an artificially-generated propagated signal, e. g. a machine-generated electrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal that is generated to encode information for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus for execution by a data processing apparatus. A computer storage medium can be, or be included in, a computer-readable storage device, a computer-readable storage substrate, a random or serial access memory array or device, or a combination of one or more of them. Moreover, while a computer storage medium is not a propagated signal, a computer storage medium can be a source or destination of computer program instructions encoded in an artificially-generated propagated signal. The computer storage medium can also be, or be included in, one or more separate physical components or media (e. g. multiple CDs, disks, or other storage devices). 0073 FIG. 10 shows an example of a computing device 1000 and a mobile computing device that can be used to implement the techniques described herein the present specification. The computing device 1000 is intended to represent various forms of digital computers, such as laptops, desktops, workstations, personal digital assistants, servers, blade servers, mainframes, and other appropriate computers. The mobile computing device is intended to represent various forms of mobile devices, such as personal digital assistants, tablet computing devices, cellular telephones, smart-phones, and other similar computing devices. The components shown here, their connections and relationships, and their functions, are meant to be exemplary only, and are not meant to limit implementations of the inventions described andor claimed in this document. 0074 The computing device 1000 includes a processor 1002, a memory 1004, a storage device 1006, a high-speed interface 1008 connecting to the memory 1004 and multiple high-speed expansion ports 1010, and a low-speed interface 1012 connecting to a low-speed expansion port 1014 and the storage device 1006. Each of the processor 1002, the memory 1004, the storage device 1006, the high-speed interface 1008, the high-speed expansion ports 1010, and the low-speed interface 1012, are interconnected using various busses, and can be mounted on a common motherboard or in other manners as appropriate. The processor 1002 can process instructions for execution within the computing device 1000, including instructions stored in the memory 1004 or on the storage device 1006 to display graphical information for a GUI on an external inputoutput device, such as a display 1016 coupled to the high-speed interface 1008. In other implementations, multiple processors andor multiple buses can be used, as appropriate, along with multiple memories and types of memory. Also, multiple computing devices can be connected, with each device providing portions of the necessary operations (e. g. as a server bank, a group of blade servers, or a multi-processor system). 0075 The memory 1004 stores information within the computing device 1000. In some implementations, the memory 1004 is a volatile memory unit or units. In some implementations, the memory 1004 is a non-volatile memory unit or units. The memory 1004 can also be another form of computer-readable medium, such as a magnetic or optical disk. 0076 The storage device 1006 is capable of providing mass storage for the computing device 1000. In some implementations, the storage device 1006 can be or contain a computer-readable medium, e. g. a computer-readable storage medium such as a floppy disk device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or a tape device, a flash memory or other similar solid state memory device, or an array of devices, including devices in a storage area network or other configurations. A computer program product can also be tangibly embodied in an information carrier. The computer program product can also contain instructions that, when executed, perform one or more methods, such as those described above. The computer program product can also be tangibly embodied in a computer - or machine-readable medium, such as the memory 1004, the storage device 1006, or memory on the processor 1002. 0077 The high-speed interface 1008 manages bandwidth-intensive operations for the computing device 1000, while the low-speed interface 1012 manages lower bandwidth-intensive operations. Such allocation of functions is exemplary only. In some implementations, the high-speed interface 1008 is coupled to the memory 1004, the display 1016 (e. g. through a graphics processor or accelerator), and to the high-speed expansion ports 1010, which can accept various expansion cards (not shown). In the implementation, the low-speed interface 1012 is coupled to the storage device 1006 and the low-speed expansion port 1014. The low-speed expansion port 1014, which can include various communication ports (e. g. USB, Bluetooth, Ethernet, wireless Ethernet) can be coupled to one or more inputoutput devices, such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a scanner, or a networking device such as a switch or router, e. g. through a network adapter. 0078 The computing device 1000 can be implemented in a number of different forms, as shown in the figure. For example, it can be implemented as a standard server 1020, or multiple times in a group of such servers. In addition, it can be implemented in a personal computer such as a laptop computer 1022. It can also be implemented as part of a rack server system 1024. Alternatively, components from the computing device 1000 can be combined with other components in a mobile device (not shown), such as a mobile computing device 1050. Each of such devices can contain one or more of the computing device 1000 and the mobile computing device 1050, and an entire system can be made up of multiple computing devices communicating with each other. 0079 The mobile computing device 1050 includes a processor 1052, a memory 1064, an inputoutput device such as a display 1054, a communication interface 1066, and a transceiver 1068, among other components. The mobile computing device 1050 can also be provided with a storage device, such as a micro-drive or other device, to provide additional storage. Each of the processor 1052, the memory 1064, the display 1054, the communication interface 1066, and the transceiver 1068, are interconnected using various buses, and several of the components can be mounted on a common motherboard or in other manners as appropriate. 0080 The processor 1052 can execute instructions within the mobile computing device 1050, including instructions stored in the memory 1064. The processor 1052 can be implemented as a chipset of chips that include separate and multiple analog and digital processors. The processor 1052 can provide, for example, for coordination of the other components of the mobile computing device 1050, such as control of user interfaces, applications run by the mobile computing device 1050, and wireless communication by the mobile computing device 1050. 0081 The processor 1052 can communicate with a user through a control interface 1058 and a display interface 1056 coupled to the display 1054. The display 1054 can be, for example, a TFT (Thin-Film-Transistor Liquid Crystal Display) display or an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display, or other appropriate display technology. The display interface 1056 can comprise appropriate circuitry for driving the display 1054 to present graphical and other information to a user. The control interface 1058 can receive commands from a user and convert them for submission to the processor 1052. In addition, an external interface 1062 can provide communication with the processor 1052, so as to enable near area communication of the mobile computing device 1050 with other devices. The external interface 1062 can provide, for example, for wired communication in some implementations, or for wireless communication in other implementations, and multiple interfaces can also be used. 0082 The memory 1064 stores information within the mobile computing device 1050. The memory 1064 can be implemented as one or more of a computer-readable medium or media, a volatile memory unit or units, or a non-volatile memory unit or units. An expansion memory 1074 can also be provided and connected to the mobile computing device 1050 through an expansion interface 1072, which can include, for example, a SIMM (Single In Line Memory Module) card interface. The expansion memory 1074 can provide extra storage space for the mobile computing device 1050, or can also store applications or other information for the mobile computing device 1050. Specifically, the expansion memory 1074 can include instructions to carry out or supplement the processes described above, and can include secure information also. Thus, for example, the expansion memory 1074 can be provide as a security module for the mobile computing device 1050, and can be programmed with instructions that permit secure use of the mobile computing device 1050. In addition, secure applications can be provided via the SIMM cards, along with additional information, such as placing identifying information on the SIMM card in a non-hackable manner. 0083 The memory can include, for example, flash memory andor NVRAM memory (non-volatile random access memory), as discussed below. In some implementations, a computer program product is tangibly embodied in an information carrier. The computer program product contains instructions that, when executed, perform one or more methods, such as those described above. The computer program product can be a computer - or machine-readable medium, such as the memory 1064, the expansion memory 1074, or memory on the processor 1052. In some implementations, the computer program product can be received in a propagated signal, for example, over the transceiver 1068 or the external interface 1062. 0084 The mobile computing device 1050 can communicate wirelessly through the communication interface 1066, which can include digital signal processing circuitry where necessary. The communication interface 1066 can provide for communications under various modes or protocols, such as GSM voice calls (Global System for Mobile communications), SMS (Short Message Service), EMS (Enhanced Messaging Service), or MMS messaging (Multimedia Messaging Service), CDMA (code division multiple access), TDMA (time division multiple access), PDC (Personal Digital Cellular), WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), CDMA2000, or GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), among others. Such communication can occur, for example, through the transceiver 1068 using a radio-frequency. In addition, short-range communication can occur, such as using a Bluetooth, WiFi, or other such transceiver (not shown). In addition, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver module 1070 can provide additional navigation - and location-related wireless data to the mobile computing device 1050, which can be used as appropriate by applications running on the mobile computing device 1050. 0085 The mobile computing device 1050 can also communicate audibly using an audio codec 1060, which can receive spoken information from a user and convert it to usable digital information. The audio codec 1060 can likewise generate audible sound for a user, such as through a speaker, e. g. in a handset of the mobile computing device 1050. Such sound can include sound from voice telephone calls, can include recorded sound (e. g. voice messages, music files, etc.) and can also include sound generated by applications operating on the mobile computing device 1050. 0086 The mobile computing device 1050 can be implemented in a number of different forms, as shown in the figure. For example, it can be implemented as a cellular telephone 1080. It can also be implemented as part of a smart-phone 1082, personal digital assistant, tablet computing device, or other similar mobile device. 0087 Various implementations of the systems and techniques described here can be realized in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuitry, specially designed ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), computer hardware, firmware, software, andor combinations thereof. These various implementations can include implementation in one or more computer programs that are executable andor interpretable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which can be special or general purpose, coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. 0088 These computer programs (also known as programs, software, software applications or code) include machine instructions for a programmable processor, and can be implemented in a high-level procedural andor object-oriented programming language, andor in assemblymachine language. As used herein, the terms machine-readable medium and computer-readable medium refer to any computer program product, apparatus andor device (e. g. magnetic discs, optical disks, memory, Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs)) used to provide machine instructions andor data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal. The term machine-readable signal refers to any signal used to provide machine instructions andor data to a programmable processor. 0089 To provide for interaction with a user, the systems and techniques described here can be implemented on a computer having a display device (e. g. a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor) for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device (e. g. a mouse or a trackball) by which the user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback (e. g. visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback) and input from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input action. 0090 The systems and techniques described here can be implemented in a computing system that includes a back end component (e. g. as a data server), or that includes a middleware component (e. g. an application server), or that includes a front end component (e. g. a client computer having a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of the systems and techniques described here), or any combination of such back end, middleware, or front end components. The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication (e. g. a communication network). Examples of communication networks include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and the Internet. 0091 The computing system can include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other. 0092 While this specification contains many specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any implementation or of what can be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features that can be specific to particular embodiments of particular implementations. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features can be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination can be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination. 0093 Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the embodiments described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. 0094 The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms a, an and the are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms comprises andor comprising, when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, andor components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, andor groups thereof. 0095 It should be noted that use of ordinal terms such as first, second, third, etc. in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements. 0096 Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of including, comprising, or having, containing, involving, and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. 0097 Particular embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification have been described. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. For example, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. As one example, the processes depicted in the accompanying figures do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In certain implementations, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. Patent application title: User Interface for an Electronic Trading System Patent application title: User Interface for an Electronic Trading System Inventors: Richard W. Friesen Peter C. Hart Agents: MBHBTRADING TECHNOLOGIES Assignees: Origin: CHICAGO, IL US IPC8 Class: AG06Q4000FI USPC Class: 705 36 R Patent application number: 20100005037 A user interface for an electronic trading exchange is provided which allows a remote trader to view in real time bid orders, offer orders, and trades for an item, and optionally one or more sources of contextual data. Individual traders place orders on remote client terminals, and this information is routed to a transaction server. The transaction server receives order information from the remote terminals, matches a bid for an item to an offer for an item responsive to the bid corresponding with the offer, and communicates outstanding bid and offer information, and additional information (such as trades and contextual data) back to the client terminals. Each client terminal displays all of the outstanding bids and offers for an item, allowing the trader to view trends in orders for an item. A priority view is provided in which orders are displayed as tokens at locations corresponding to the values of the orders. The size of the tokens reflects the quantity of the orders. An alternate view positions order icons at a location which reflects the value and quantity of the order. Additionally, contextual data for the item is also displayed to allow the trader to consider as much information as possible while making transaction decisions. A pit panel view is also provided in which traders connected to the pit are represented by icons, and are displayed corresponding to an activity level of the trader. 1. A method for facilitating trading and displaying information regarding a good, the method comprising:receiving a first price data pertaining to a first good via a client devicereceiving a second price data pertaining to a second good different from the first good via the client devicegenerating a value axis via the client device, the value axis having a value scale derived from the first price data and the second price datadisplaying the value axis via the client devicegenerating a bid indicator according to the first price data and the second price data via the client devicegenerating an ask indicator according to the first price data and the second price data via the client device anddisplaying the bid indicator and the ask indicator relative to the value axis in terms of the value scale. 2. The method of claim 1 where the bid indicator and the ask indicator are any of an icon, a graphical indicator, a numerical indicator, and any combination thereof. 3. The method of claim 1 where a size of the bid indicator represents a size of a corresponding bid and a size of the ask indicator represents a size of a corresponding ask. 4. The method of claim 1 where the value axis represents a difference between prices for the first good and prices for the second good. 5. The method of claim 1 where a location of the bid indicator relative to the value axis corresponds to a bid value for a first order for the first good and for a first order for the second good and a location of the ask indicator corresponds to an ask value for a second order for the first good and a second order for the second good. 6. The method of claim 1 where the value scale is derived from data common to the first price data and the second price data. 7. The method of claim 1 where the first good and the second good are any of a futures product, an option, a commodity, a currency product, an index-based product, an equity and any derivative thereof. 8. The method of claim 1 where the first good comprises a first tradeable object and the second good comprises a second tradeable object where the first tradeable object is a derivative product. 9. The method of claim 8 where the first tradeable object is a derivative of the second tradeable object. 10. The method of claim 8 where the second tradeable object is a derivative product. 11. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon which when executed by a computing device cause the computing device to execute the functions comprising:receiving a first price data pertaining to a first good via a client devicereceiving a second price data pertaining to a second good different from the first good via the client devicegenerating a value axis via the client device, the value axis having a value scale derived from the first price data and the second price datadisplaying the value axis via the client devicegenerating a bid indicator according to the first price data and the second price data via the client devicegenerating an ask indicator according to the first price data and the second price data via the client device anddisplaying the bid indicator and the ask indicator relative to the value axis in terms of the value scale. 12. The computer readable medium of claim 11 where the bid indicator and the ask indicator are any of an icon, a graphical indicator, a numerical indicator, and any combination thereof. 13. The computer readable medium of claim 11 where a size of the bid indicator represents a size of a corresponding bid and a size of the ask indicator represents a size of a corresponding ask. 14. The computer readable medium of claim 11 where a location of the bid indicator relative to the value axis corresponds to a value of a first order for the first good and a first order for the second good and a location of the ask indicator corresponds to value of a second order for the first good and a second order for the second good. 15. The computer readable medium of claim 11 where the value axis represents a difference between prices for the first good and prices for the second good. 16. The computer readable medium of claim 11 where the value scale is derived from data common to the first price data and the second price data. 17. The computer readable medium of claim 11 where the first good and the second good are any of a futures product, an option, a commodity, a currency product, an index-based product, an equity and any derivative thereof. 18. The computer readable medium of claim 11 where the first good comprises a first tradeable object and the second good comprises a second tradeable object where the at least the first tradeable object is a derivative product. 19. The computer readable medium of claim 18 where the first tradeable object is a derivative of the second tradeable object. 20. The computer readable medium of claim 18 where the second tradeable object is a derivative product. Description: 0001 The present invention relates generally to the field of graphical user interfaces and more particularly to the field of graphical user interfaces for electronic trading systems. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 0002 Trading pits are the lifeblood of a market economy. Quantities of goods and shares in companies are bought and sold by millions of investors through trading pits on exchanges everyday. When a particular trading product or item is more valued, the value of the item is driven up as a result of more aggressive bidding by the buyers. When an item is less valued, the value of the item is driven down as a result of more aggressive offers to sell the item. The successful trader anticipates the rise or fall of the value of an item and performs his or her own transaction before the rest of the market is aware of the items potential gain or loss in value. Thus, anticipation of the market and specifically of the future demand for an item of interest is critical to the success of a trader. 0003 The transactions for each item occur in a trading pit for that item. The trading pit is a designated area in an exchange in which the customers submit their orders, either bids or offers, for the item to a broker in the pit. The exchange records all transactions and relays or posts to the individual traders the outstanding bid having the highest value and the outstanding offer having the lowest value for the item, along with the quantity specified in the order. The exchange does not release information on all outstanding offers and bids to the traders because, in part, this information is what gives the market makers an advantage over the traders and enables the market makers to change their own trading directions quickly, step in front of customer orders, and use customer limit orders to protect the market makers from losses. However, for an individual trader, having only the latest order information for an item complicates the traders task of ascertaining trends in the orders for an item because the trader has very little information about the volume of offers and bids or the rate at which these volumes are changing. 0004 Other information is also used by the trader to anticipate the market, including current exchange performances, historical transaction data for the item, the number of traders at the pit, and the traders sense of the activity of the pit. However, it is often difficult for a trader to quickly assemble this information from diverse and often unrelated sources or even effectively process all of this information in order to make an informed transaction decision. From this information, and other external information, the trader must attempt to determine trends in the buying or selling for the item in order to anticipate the market and the demand for a particular item. 0005 Thus, a system is needed in which trend information of market demand for an individual item is provided to traders in an intuitive format which allows traders to quickly interpret how market demand is changing to an item. A system is also needed so which provides contextual information about the item or the market to the trader while the trader is trading on a specific item in a manner which allows the trader to quickly interpret the information and then act accordingly. SUMMARY OF INVENTION 0006 The present invention is a user interface for an electronic trading system that allows a remote trader to view trends in the orders for an item, and provides the trading information in an easy to see and interpret graphical format. The user interface of the present invention operates in a system in which individual traders place orders including bids and offers, on remote client terminals, and this information is routed to a transaction server. The transaction server receives order information from the remote terminals, matches a bid for an item to an offer for an item responsive to the bid corresponding with the offer, and communicates outstanding bid and offer information back to the client terminals. Thus, in accordance with the present invention, each client terminal displays all of the outstanding bids and offers for an item, in contrast to the conventional systems and methods in which only the highest bid and lowest offer were known to the individual trader. This allows the trader to view trends in orders for an item, and thus better enables the trader to anticipate demand for the item. 0007 For example, in one embodiment, a graph is formed with a value axis. Bid icons and offer icons for all outstanding bids and offers are displayed on the graph at locations corresponding to the values of the bids and offers. When an item is being bid up, i. e. the demand for the item is growing, all of the new bids are displayed to the remote trader. 0008 The trader immediately sees the increasing demand for the item as it occurs, and thus may infer that the item may rise in value, and can enter an order to buy for the item immediately while the value for the item still appears low. In contrast, in conventional systems, the trader only knew of the existence of the highest bid, and therefore would not know that demand for the item was increasing. However, by opening the book, all of the outstanding orders are displayed to all of the remote traders and each trader is able to immediately see the growing demand and maximize his or her position in the market accordingly. 0009 The user interface of the present invention presents this information in an intuitive format, allowing the trader to make informed decisions quickly. In a priority view embodiment, bid and offer icons are displayed corresponding to an axis of values. This results in the bid icons being displayed on the lower portion of the screen and the offer icons being displayed on the upper portion of the screen. The trader is able to discern immediately the number and volume of bids and offers outstanding for the item and their difference in value. The bids and offers are preferably displayed in different colors, shapes, or other visual characteristics, further enhancing the traders ability to quickly ascertain the current state of the market. The screen is updated frequently to display the most recent bids and offers. In one embodiment, the icons are formed having an edge which is angled toward the axis of values. When all outstanding offers and bids are displayed, the arrangement of icons naturally forms the edges of a triangle that points to the value differential at the axis of values. In yet another embodiment, the traders own bids and offers are displayed in a first color or other visual characteristic, and the bids and offers of other traders are displayed in a second color or visual characteristic. This allows the trader to quickly determine his or her relative position in the marketplace. Finally, in a preferred embodiment, a size of the icons represents the quantity of the bid or offer, allowing an easy visual means of determining the relative quantities each bid and offer represent. 0010 In a valuequantity view embodiment, an axis of values and an axis of quantities are used to determine the location of the bid and offer icons. The icons in this embodiment are markers or tokens and provide a different look and feel to the trader. Providing alternate views allow a trader to select a view with which the trader is most comfortable trading. 0011 A value quantifying analytic is displayed in a further embodiment with respect to the value axis at a location corresponding to the current value which the analytic represents. The analytic is preferably displayed as a marker called an action line, in a color or other visual characteristic different from the other characteristics used to represent other objects being displayed. The action line is selected by each individual trader and can reflect value-to-earning ratio, volatility, volume of sales, or any other metric the trader designs, or can be selected from a listed of predetermined metrics. The action line responds to changes in the data it measures, updating in essentially real time. The action line allows the trader to immediately determine the current valuation of the item relative to the traders own valuation of the item. As the offers or bids approach the action line, the trader is prepared to complete a transaction in accordance with the traders own valuation. 0012 In another aspect of the invention, market data and other contextual data is displayed while the trader is viewing one of the aforementioned user interfaces. A historical chart is displayed in the background of a user interface to provide additional information to the trader who is determining the state of the market and how it may affect the value of the item. For example, the historical chart may represent the various market indices, historical values of the item or others, and any other historical value, quantity, or volume trend. The historical chart can represent the average value of the item over a period of time, or may represent a value or values for any other item or group of items. The historical chart is displayed with respect to a vertical axis of values, and is displayed horizontally responsive to time. The historical chart is updated to provide the latest information to the trader while the trader is trading. Thus, in accordance with the present invention, the trader is able to make instantaneous decisions regarding an item while receiving critical information about other items or the past performance of the current item and other indices. This is a major advantage over conventional methods of trading in which this information is not provided concurrently, and if presented at all, is difficult to process quickly. 0013 An alternate embodiment provides a trading pit view that displays trader icons for each trader and positions the trader icons reflective of the activity level of the trader. Floor brokers and other bystanders are also displayed and identified to allow the trader to understand at a glance the respective positions and activity of all users currently connected to the transaction server for that trading pit. Selecting a trader icon provides information regarding the trader and can open up a window to allow the traders to communicate with each other using one or more methods including electronic mail, text chat or communication by voice over a network connection. The trading pit view allows the remote trader to immediately ascertain whom the trader is trading against, how active they are, and allows the trader to better anticipate the market. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 0014 FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the electronic trading system of the present invention. 0015 FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the transaction manager of the present invention. 0016 FIGS. 3a-3c are screen shots illustrating an embodiment of a Priority View in accordance with the present invention. 0017 FIG. 3D illustrates a buy order pop-up window. 0018 FIG. 3E illustrates a sell order pop-up window. 0019 FIG. 4 is a screen shot illustrating an embodiment of a ValueQuantity View in accordance with the present invention. 0020 FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a preferred embodiment of a method of displaying bid and offer icons in accordance with the present invention. 0021 FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a preferred embodiment of a method of generating a bid order icon in accordance with the present invention. 0022 FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a preferred embodiment of a method of generating a offer order icon in accordance with the present invention. 0023 FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an alternate embodiment of generating an order icon. 0024 FIG. 9 is a screen shot illustrating a Pit Panel view in accordance with the present invention. 0025 FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating a preferred embodiment of generating and placing a trader icon in accordance with the present invention. 0026 FIG. 11 is a screen shot illustrating a communication window in accordance with the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 0027 FIG. 1 illustrates the electronic trading system in accordance with the present invention. Client terminals 104 are coupled to a transaction manager 100. The client terminals 104 are personal computers, terminals as part of a network, or any other computing device. Traders use the client terminals 104 to interact with trading pits that are managed by the transaction manager 100. The transaction manager 100 manages transaction requests generated by the client terminals 104, routes information to, from, and between the terminals 104 and the transaction manager 100, and stores and retrieves information from a database 108 or databases 108. 0028 FIG. 2 illustrates a more specific embodiment of the transaction manager 100. The clients 104 are coupled to log-in manager 204 to provide to each client access to the transaction manager 100, and to allow each client 104 to designate one or more trading pits 220 to which to be connected. The transaction manager 100 hosts one or more transaction processors 200. Each transaction processor 200 is responsible for the trading of a specified item, essentially supporting a specific trading pit. The summary information agents 224 for each transaction processor 220 provide a current status of the activity of each pit 220 to a trader connected to the log-in manager 204. The trader can select a pit 220 to which to be connected based upon the summary information. Once the log-in process is complete, the clients 104 are coupled to a registration server 212 for the specified trading pit 220. Registration for each pit 220 requires the client 104 to provide an access key that it received from the login manager 204 during log in. 0029 After registering for a pit 220, the trader is able to add, modify or delete orders for the item being traded in the trading pit 220. One type of an order called a bid is an order to buy up to a specific quantity of an item at or below a specific value. Another type of an order called an offer is an order to sell up to a specific quantity of an item at or above a specific value. Other types of orders are possible depending on the type of item being traded in the trading pit 220. 0030 Each pit 220 includes a transaction server 200. The transaction server 200 receives orders, matches bids and offers (when a bid and offer are matched it is called a trade or execution) and routes information to both the database 208 and the client terminals 104 connected to the trading pit 220. The client terminals 104 generate icons for bid and offer orders (called bid and offer icons), historical charts and trader icons, and determine the placement of bid and offer icons and trader icons responsive to the information received from the transaction server 200. The database 208 to which the transaction server 220 is coupled stores the information corresponding to each trader, information on every order submitted over a period (such as start of trading days), information on every trade over a period (such as last 180 days) and the information corresponding to the item being traded. Each trader may have information associated with the traders account stored, including a name, e-mail account, address, phone number, personal value quantifying metric or analytic activity level history, and various other information which is unique to the individual trader and which may be used by the present invention to create a virtual trading environment. 0031 The information corresponding to every order includes whether the order was a new order, modifications to an existing order or deletion of a previously submitted order, the type of order (for example, bid or offer), the value, the quantity, the time and date the order was submitted, and any other information specific to the order. The information corresponding to every trade includes the value, quantity, buyer and seller. The information corresponding to the item being traded includes the highest outstanding bid value and the lowest outstanding offer value for the item, as well as a list of the values of all open orders for the item. The item information is stored on the database 208 in a data structure such as an order table. The server 200 updates the information in the order table responsive to receiving information from the client terminals 104. The updated information is then transmitted back to the client terminals 104. Other information, such as information used in creating historical charts, may also be stored on database 208. Information which may be global to more than one pit 220, for example, trader personal information, is also stored on the system database 108, to allow the information to be accessed by each trading pit 220. 0032 For traders registered to the same trading pit 220, all of their orders (i. e. bids or offers specifying a value and quantity) are transmitted to the transaction server 200 for that pit 220. The server 200 analyzes the orders for matches with outstanding, or open, orders. If there is a match between orders of different types, for example, between a bid and an offer, then a transaction is enacted and the client terminals 104 are notified to remove the matched icons. All outstanding orders are transmitted to each client terminal, allowing a trader to view all of the outstanding orders from all traders for an item on a trading pit at any given time. The client displays are updated continuously or at specific intervals to provide updated information regarding which orders are outstanding and the state of the market in the pit 220. As shown in FIG. 2. multiple trading pits 220 are provided in the electronic trading system, and a single trader may be connected to as many pits 220 at the same time as desired. The number of trading pits 220 which may be maintained in accordance with the present invention is scalable responsive to the number of servers which are provided in the system. The items of trade include any possible commodity, for example, minerals, futures, or shares in a corporation. Other network configurations can be used to implement the electronic trading system as is known to those of ordinary skill in the art. 0033 The client terminals 104 provide the interactive link between the traders and the trading pits 220, and display the various user interfaces of the present invention. FIG. 3A illustrates a priority view 312 which is designed to allow traders to intuitively place orders 300, 304 and view markers 336 representing value quantifying metrics, and contextual trend data 316 in accordance with the present invention. In the priority view embodiment, orders 300, 304 are displayed at a location corresponding to their value with respect to the value axis 332. Values may represent price, interest rate, or any other metric by which an item may be valued. For example, offer 304(1) has a value of 28.45, and the lowest point of the bottom edge 308 of the icon 304(1) is aligned with the value 28.45 on the value axis 332. In this embodiment, the top edges 309 of the bids and bottom edges 308 of the offer icons are angled. The rightmost bid is the bid having the highest value, and the rightmost offer is the offer having the lowest value. This allows the edges 308, 309 of the icons 300, 304 to form a triangle which points to the separation in value between the last lowest offer and the last highest bid. The quantity of each order is represented by a size of the icon such as its length or height. Icons having a larger size represent orders having a greater quantity. The specific quantity and other information of an order displayed on the screen may be known by selecting that order, which invokes a pop-up window to display the precise value and quantity of the selected order. In an alternate embodiment, the specific order information is displayed in the order task bar 328, in response to a trader selecting a bid or offer icon provided the order was submitted by the trader selecting the order. Alternatively, if space permits, the quantity and value may displayed in the icon itself. 0034 If there are several orders with equal value, the orders are stacked or placed adjacent to each other responsive to the time at which the order was placed. For example, bids 300(5), 300(6), 300(7) have equal values at 29.50. Therefore, all three bid icons 300 are vertically stacked. A preferred method of stacking places the oldest orders closest to the horizontal space which naturally occurs and separates the bids and the offers. The horizontal separation between the bids and the offers occurs naturally because all of the bids displayed are always at a lower value then the displayed offers. If a bid is placed at a value equal to or exceeding an offer value, a transaction will be made immediately and the icons removed. For example, in the stack containing orders 300(7), 300(6), and 300(5) in FIG. 3A. the first and therefore the oldest bid in time was 300(7), and is placed at the top of the stack, closest to the horizontal separation between the displayed bids and offers. The other two stacked bids 300(6), 300(5) are positioned below the oldest bid 300(7), corresponding to the time at which they were submitted, and sorted in order of oldest to newest. In the stack containing offers 304(2), 304(3), and 304(4), the oldest offer 304(2) is positioned on the bottom of the stack closest to the horizontal separation, and the newest offer 304(4) is positioned on the top of the stack. The above method of ordering bids and offers is a preferred method, however other ordering schemes could be used within the scope of the present invention. 0035 The trader using the client terminal 104 in accordance with the present invention, is shown all of the outstanding orders 300, 304 for the item being traded. This is one significant difference between the present invention and conventional systems because a trader using a system in accordance with the present invention is able to view trends in the bids and offers in addition to the buying and selling of the item being traded. For example, in FIG. 3A. a trader can quickly analyze the outstanding orders 300, 304, and determine that there are an almost equal number of bids 300 (8) as offers (9). Thus, the trader may infer that the market is stable, and the value for the item will not be dramatically driven up or down in the near future. Accordingly, the trader may decide to take no action. However, as shown in FIG. 3B. if demand builds through an increased number of bids being made, as shown by the display of an increased number of bid icons 300, or bids are being made for large quantities, as shown by the display of bid icons 300 having a greater size, and if supply recedes as indicated by the display of a reduced number of offers icons 304, the trader can anticipate that the value for the item will increase. Consequently, the trader will place bids for the currently low valued offers 304. Thus, by viewing all outstanding offer icons 304 and bid icons 300 as they are made on an item, the trader can anticipate the market and quickly adjust his or her trading plans to no take advantage of the information. In contrast, in conventional systems, the trader only knows the last highest bid and the last highest offer. In the example of FIG. 3A. the trader would only know the existence of bid 300(9) and offer 304(1). Only the market maker would know of the existence of the other bids and offers. Individual traders would therefore be unaware of trends in bidding, and experience greater difficulty in anticipating the market. 0036 The trader can also view the gap between offer icons 304 and bid icons 300 to determine at what value sales may be made and for what quantity. In the example of FIG. 3A. the trader can determine that there are several bids 300(5), 300(6), 300(7), at a value slightly less than 27.35. Therefore, if the trader has a number of items to sell, the trader can make offers at that value and be assured of a sale of all of his or her items. However, if this value is too low, the trader can choose to keep all of his items until the value of the item has risen, which would be reflected in the display of additional bid icons at a higher value position in the screen. In contrast, if a trader was using a conventional system, the trader would have to offer his items incrementally, without knowing in advance when sales are likely to be made. 0037 The value axis 332 indicates the value at which an item is being traded. This value may represent different qualitative measures for an item, such as the raw price for the item for bonds, the value could be the cost for the bond or the implied interest rate for the bond, or the value be used as a measure for an implied volatility of the item, for example, a generic measurement of the relative expense of an option. Each trader can use their own value scale. For example, one trader may use a bond cost as an axis of values and another may use the implied interest rate of the bond. Regardless of a traders choice of value, the different orders are displayed on the traders screen in terms of the value the trader is chosen. Additionally, the value scales are completely customizable. For example, a gold arbitrageur could create a scale that measures the difference between the futures price of the metal less the spot cash price of the metal. The arbitrageur could then apply the cost of carry, including insurance and storage, to the futurecash price difference to generate an implied interest rate for the gold. Thus, the value axis for the arbitrageur would be an interest rate. In another example a trader who is interested in trading soybean oil could buy and sell soybeans, but, by using a value axis which accounts for the current cost of crushing soybeans, storage of soybeans, transport, etc, can be actually trading in soybean oil. Thus different traders in the same trading pit 220 would see the same bid and offers but organized with respect to their own specific value axis. Thus, the present invention provides enormous flexibility in constructing a view of an items value which is directly representative of the traders own interest in the item. 0038 The priority view 312 offers several other advantages to a trader. The offers 304 and the bids 300 are displayed in different colors, shapes, textures or sizes, or other distinguishing visual characteristics, to allow the trader to quickly ascertain the current state of the market for this item. Additionally, orders made by the trader are displayed having a different visual characteristic than the visual characteristic used to display orders of other traders. This allows the trader to easily distinguish between their own orders and the orders of other traders. For example, in FIG. 3A. the trader is able to immediately determine that offers 304(3) and 304(7) are the traders own offers 304, and therefore should be discounted from any market analysis. In FIG. 3A. the trader can also quickly determine that the trader himself is the trader with the most bids 300 in place, which suggests to the trader that the value for the item may be driven down if the trader removes his bids 300 from the pit 270. 0039 Orders can be placed by a trader using the user interface of the present invention in variety of ways. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3a, the trader can directly submit an order by using the order task bar 328. The options to specify value and quantity of either a bid or offer, and the expiration period are provided. After the information is entered, the trader selects Place Order, and the order is submitted to the transaction server 200 for the pit 220, and an offer or bid icon 304, 300 is generated and displayed at the desired location at the desired size. The order information is communicated to the transaction server 200 and from there to the other client terminals, so that the new bidoffer appears in the displays of all other traders in this same pit. In a preferred embodiment, the trader submits an order by simply selecting either an offer token 324 or bid token 320 using a pointing device. After being selected, the trader so adjusts the size of the offer or bid token 324, 320 until the size of the token matches the desired quantity of the order. Preferably, a pop-up window or other screen indicator is displayed to show in numerical terms the quantity of the current size of the token, to ease the process of creating a properly sized order token. Next, the token is dragged to a location on the screen which corresponds to the desired value of the order. Again, a screen indicator displays the current value for the token at its current location as it is being dragged to allow precise placement of the token at the desired value. 0040 In the embodiment of FIG. 3A. a value marker 344 follows bid token 320 as it is moved to a location in the display. The value marker 344 indicates the value of the new order as the order is being placed. This allows for the trader to easily and precisely move the token 320, 324 to the desired value. After reaching the desired value, the trader releases the pointing device button and a Buy pop-up window 350, as shown in FIG. 3d, is displayed with the bid order information. The Buy pop-up window 350 allows the trader to modify the order information (value, quantity, expiration), cancel the order or submit the order with the presently displayed information. If the order is to sell an item, a Sell pop-up window 354 is displayed, as shown in FIG. 3E. After the order is submitted to the transaction server, it will be displayed on the screens of all traders in this trading pit connected to the transaction server 200. 0041 An additional feature of the user interface of the present invention is the provision of contextual data. Contextual data comprises historical trading data of the item, historical or current trading data of other items, historical or current trading data of an average of items. For example, the trader may wish to have the Dow Jones Average displayed on the screen, and updated in realtime. Viewing contextual data along with the outstanding offers and bids allows the trader to better anticipate the market. For example, if the Dow Jones average is used as the contextual data, and is falling sharply, the trader may decide to begin selling his items even though the value of the item in the pit 220 has been stable. This allows the trader to anticipate where the market is headed. Any type of data useful to the trader can be displayed as contextual data. The contextual data 316 is preferably displayed as a historical chart 316 along a vertical axis of values and against a horizontal axis of time. The historical chart 316 can be displayed against any time period, for example, hours, minutes, etc. The historical chart 316 is updated periodically as the data for the item is updated. If the historical chart 316 includes the current item, as shown in FIG. 3A. bar lines are displayed in the data to indicate the high and low values of the item for that time period. A volume graph 340 is displayed at the bottom edge of graph. The volume graph illustrates the volume of transactions in the pit 220, and gives additional information to the trader regarding the state of the market for the item. 0042 Yet another feature of the user interface of the present invention is the display of a marker 336. The marker 336 is representative of a value quantifying metric specified by the trader. The metric determines a current action value for the item which identifies the value at which the trader should act if the value of the item rises above the action value or falls beneath the action value. For example, in FIG. 3B. the value quantifying metric generates an action value of 68.57. The marker 336 is displayed at this value to indicate to the trader the location of the action value in relation to the current bids 300 and offers 304. In the example of FIG. 3B. the marker is displayed as an action line 336. As can be seen, the outstanding bids are below the action line 336 and the current offers are above the action line 336. This indicates to the trader that no action should be taken. 0043 The value quantifying metric can be an algorithm or formula based upon factors the trader believes are important in ascertaining the true worth of an item. This metric can be set to reflect value-to-earnings ratio, volatility, volume of orders, percent gain, or any simple or complex design. The trader can input a custom metric or can select a metric from a predesignated list of metrics. Metrics may also be purchased from 3rd parties and incorporated into the client terminal 104. This allows new metrics to be added at any time. The action value displayed by metrics are dynamically determined either by the client terminal 104 or the server 200, and updated whenever new data is received regarding a component of the metric. Thus, the trader is given the latest information to update the traders action line 336, allowing the trader to make current, informed decisions regarding possible orders. For example, in FIG. 3c. the metric has been updated from the time of FIG. 3b. The action line 336 has moved corresponding to the new action value of 80.21. As can be seen displaying the updated action line 336 allows the trader to immediately determine that the outstanding offers are now below his action line 336, and therefore that these offers should be purchased despite the fact that the offers themselves remained at the same value from the time of FIG. 3B to the time of FIG. 3c. 0044 As discussed above, a trader may be connected to several trading pits 220 at once. If a trader has multiple connections, the trader can view the different pits 220 simultaneously, or if the trader wishes to concentrate on a single item, the trader can have only one pit 220 displayed. Additionally, the trader can disable the different options for a view to suit the traders preferences, and maximize visibility for a traders particular terminal 104. 0045 FIG. 4 illustrates an alternate view of the user interface in accordance with the present invention. The valuequantity view 420 illustrates the market for the item using a first axis of values 408 and a second axis 412 for quantity. Thus, the location of each offer icon 400 and each bid icon 404 represents the value for the offer or bid and the quantity for which the offer or bid is made. Optionally, the action line 336 is also displayed, as well as the contextual data. The alternate view provides a different intuitive perspective on the state of the market. By providing alternate views, as shown in FIG. 3c. the electronic trading system of the present invention allows the different preferences of different traders to be met. Orders in this view are placed by selecting an offer token 416 or a bid token 412 and moving the token to a location which corresponds to the desired quantity and value. If the trader wishes to purchase immediately, the trader can simply drag a bid token 412 to the location directly over any offer token, and a window pops up displaying a bid order with value and quantity equal to that of the offer token. If the trader wishes to sell immediately, the trader can simply drag an offer token 416 to the location directly over any bid token, and a window pops up displaying an offer order with value and quantity equal to that of the bid token. The trader can then execute the transaction. 0046 FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a preferred embodiment of the user interface in accordance with the present invention. The client terminal 104, through data received from the transaction server 200, displays 500 at least one outstanding bid icon corresponding to a quantity and value of the bid. The client terminal 104 also displays 504 at least one outstanding offer icon corresponding to a quantity and value of an offer. Thus, by displaying at least one outstanding bid and offer icon, the book is opened and traders viewing the client terminal can readily spot trends in supply and demand for an item and quickly anticipate the market. 0047 FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a method of generating an order icon in accordance with the priority view 312 of the present invention. First, the client terminal 104 receives 600 the order type. The order can be either a bid or an offer. The trader specifies the type by selecting an offer or bid token to place the order, or by manually indicating the order type on the task bar. Second, the client terminal 104 receives 604 a quantity specified for the order. The quantity, as described above, is specified by the trader either by entering the number directly into the order task bar or by adjusting the size of the order token. In an embodiment where the order information is entered into the taskbar, an order icon will be generated 608 whose vertical size matches the quantity specified after the order has been processed by the server 200. The client terminal 104 then receives 612 a value for the order. Again the trader can specify the value by entering the information into the taskbar or can drag the order token to the location corresponding to the value. Finally, the client terminal 104 displays 614 an order confirmation window displaying the value, quantity, and expiration information. The trader can modify the order in this window and then must either cancel the order by closing the window or pressing the cancel button or submit it by pressing the OK button. The client terminal 104 which receives the value and quantity and order type information transmits 616 the information to the server 200. The server 200 then processes the order information, and updates the order table. 0048 Once the server 200 transmits updated order information to a client terminal 104, the client terminal 104, in the priority view, determines 618 whether a slot is open adjacent an existing order which has a lower value, if the order is a bid, or a higher value, if the order is an offer. In the priority view 312, the horizontal axis is divided into slots, each slot having a width equal to an order icon 300, 304 and each slot separated by a standard set-off unit. Incoming orders are sorted by the value of the order. For offers, the offers with the lowest values are positioned closest to the axis of values 332, and for bids, the bids with the highest values are positioned closest to the axis of values 332. When a new order is received, the client terminal 104 re-sorts the outstanding orders and places the order icons 300, 304 in the appropriate positions. If a new order is equal to an existing order of the same type, the order is stacked onto the existing order. FIG. 6 illustrates a more detailed methodology of the sorting mechanism, using the example of placing a new bid. However, the methodology is equally applicable to placing a new offer. 0049 A new bid is designated for the slot adjacent an existing bid which has the least value of the set of existing bids having values greater than the value of the new bid. The client terminal 104 determines 618 whether this determined slot has an existing bid within it. If it does not, the icon is placed 636 at the determined slot. If the slot does contain an existing bid, the client terminal 104 determines 620 whether the existing bid has a value less than the requested bid. All existing bids that have values less than the requested bid are moved 640 to the adjacent slot positioned away from the axis of values 332. In the example of FIG. 3A. the adjacent slot would be a slot positioned to the left. All other bids having values less than the requested bid are shifted 640 correspondingly. If the client terminal determines 624 that the existing bid has a value equal to the existing bid, the requested bid is stacked 632 below the existing bid or bids, away from the horizontal separation between bids and offers as described above. If the client terminal 104 determines 628 that the existing bid is greater than the requested bid, a new slot is determined 628 for the requested bid, and the process is repeated. 0050 As shown in FIG. 7. upon receiving new bid information, the transaction server 200 determines 700 whether there is an existing offer in the order table having a value less than or equal to the requested bid. If there is not, the new bid is added to the table, and the information regarding the new bid is sent 702 to the client terminals 104 for display. If there is an existing offer whose value is less than or equal to the requested bid, i. e. if the new bid is the highest value bid outstanding, the server 200 determines 704 whether the existing offer has a quantity which is less than the quantity represented by the bid. If the offer does have a quantity less than the bid, the server removes 706 the offer from the order table and adds a new bid to the order table with the quantity reduced by the quantity of the offer removed. 0051 The server 200 records 720 a trade between the trader submitting the new bid and the trader submitting the removed offer, at a value equal to the offer value and a quantity equal to the offer quantity. All of the outstanding client terminals 104 are sent the information regarding the trade. The client terminals 104 then remove the existing offer icon and add a bid icon which has a size corresponding to the difference in quantities between the existing offer icon and the requested bid icon. The transaction server 200 determines 700 again whether there is another existing offer in the order table having a value less than or equal to the requested bid to determine if another transaction can be made with the quantity remaining in the bid. 0052 The server 200 also determines 708 whether the offer has a quantity greater than the quantity of the requested bid. If it does, the quantity of the offer is reduced 716 by the quantity of the bid, and the updated offer information is sent 717 to the client terminals 104 for display. A trade is recorded 720 between the trader submitting the new bid and the trader who submitted the offer at a value equal to the offer value and a quantity equal to the bid quantity. All of the outstanding client terminals 104 are sent the information regarding the trade and update the user interface displays accordingly. 0053 If the quantities of the bid and offer are equal, the offer is removed 712 from the table and the transaction is complete. A trade is recorded 720 between the trader submitting the new bid and the trader who submitted the offer at a value equal to the offer value and a quantity equal to the bid quantity. All of the outstanding client terminals 104 are sent the information regarding the trade, and update the user interface displays accordingly. 0054 As shown in FIG. 8. in the valuequantity view, the client terminal 104 receives 800 a value, receives 804 a quantity, and receives 806 an order type for a new order. A confirmation window is displayed 807, and, upon confirmation of the order, the order information is transmitted to the server 200. Again, this may occur responsive to the trader entering in the information directly or dragging an order token to the proper location and after confirming the order. The server 200 receives the order information, updates the order table, and sends the updated information to the client terminals 104. The client terminals 104 display a new order icon at a location corresponding to the value and quantity of the order with respect to the axis of quantities and axis of values. If the new order is an offer, and there is an existing bid for a value higher than or equal to the value of the offer, a transaction is completed, and a new offer or a modified bid token is displayed responsive to the quantities that the original offer and bid icons represented. 0055 FIG. 9 illustrates a trading pit view 900 called the pit panel view 900, in accordance with the present invention. The pit panel view 900 provides a visual interface to other members of the pit 220. All users who are currently registered to the pit 220 are displayed in the pit panel 900. This is critical information to a trader regarding the activity of the pit 220. If the pit 220 is crowded, the trader can expect volatility in trading. If the pit 220 is empty, the trader can expect light trading and relatively stable values for the item. 0056 The pit panel 900 displays trader icons 912, observer icons 904, and floor broker icons 908. Observers are users who are registered to the pit 220 but who are not actively trading and floor brokers are individuals who have expertise on a pits item and traders, and who assist traders in executing unusual trades, negotiating a deal with multiple traders, or providing history and information on traders to others. As the observers do not trade for themselves, their icons 904 are placed on the outside of the pit icon 916. Floor brokers who do not trade also have their icons 908 placed on the outside of the pit icon 916. 0057 The trader icons 912 are displayed on the pit icon 916. The pit icon 916 is preferably displayed as a series of concentric polygons, where each polygon represents an activity level or levels. Traders who are more active are placed closer to the center of the pit icon 916. The most active trader, in the example of FIG. 9. trader 912(1), is placed in the center of the pit icon 916. In a preferred embodiment, each polygon represents a range of activity levels. For example, the innermost polygon contains the traders with the second through ninth highest activity levels. The next polygon contains the traders having the tenth through twenty-sixth highest activity levels, and so forth. By grouping traders into activity ranges, and thus shifting a traders icon out of a polygon only in response to the traders activity level shifting out of the range represented by the polygon, icon changes and consequent flicker in the display of the pit icon 916 are minimized. However, a trader is able to easily ascertain who the active traders in a pit 220 are and how active the traders are by noting the relative locations of the trader icons 912 in the pit icon 916. 0058 Each trader icon 912 has order indicators 913 to show the quantity of orders a trader has outstanding. Preferably, there are separate indicators 913 for bids and offers, each showing the volume of outstanding bids or offers the trader currently has placed. Other order indicators 913 may be optionally displayed, for example, indicating the sum of all quantities of orders or the volume of orders entered over a specified period of time. Selecting a traders icon 912 will also highlight the traders orders on the priority view, valuequantity view, and other views provided in the system that display orders and which can all be displayed concurrently. Double clicking on a trader icon 912 generates a communication window as shown in FIG. 11 which allows the trader to send an email message 1108, send an instant message 1104 as part of a text chat session, communicate by voice over the network connection 1112, or set up a later telephone call or other optional communication to the selected other trader. Thus, the pit panel 900 provides a sense of community in the pit 220 by visual representing useful information, and provides additional information to the trader which the trader can use in anticipating the market. 0059 FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating a preferred embodiment of generating and placing a trader icon in accordance with the present invention. First, a trading pit icon 916 is displayed 1000. Next, the client 104 determines 1004 whether a predetermined period of time has passed. The pit panel data is updated periodically, and the client 104 waits for that amount of time before re-generating the display with the new data. If the server 200 determines 1004 that the predetermined period has expired, a first trader icon is selected 1008. The client 104 determines 1010 whether the trader is still connected to the server 200 from the data provided by the server 200. If the trader is not, the trader no icon 912 for the trader is removed 1011, and the client 104 determines 1020 whether there are more traders. If the trader is still connected, an activity level is determined 1012 for the trader. Activity levels are determined as a combination of the volume of outstanding orders, the value of outstanding orders, recent activity, or other measures which determine how active a trader has been. Once the activity level has been determined, the client 104 displays 1016 the icon 912 for the trader at the location corresponding to the activity level. In an embodiment where order indicators 913 are displayed, the order indicators 913 are updated to include the latest order data. In the preferred embodiment, as discussed above, the pit icon 916 is comprised of concentric polygons or rings, the traders are ordered by activity levels, and each polygon represents a range of activity level orders. After the activity level of a trader is determined, the traders are reordered responsive to their activity levels, and the trader icon 912 for each the trader is placed in the polygon designated for the order of the trader. The client 104 determines 1020 if there are more traders. If there are not, the client 104 determines 1024 if there are bystanders and, if there are, selects 1028 the first bystander icon 904, 908 and determines 1032 whether the bystander is connected using data that is provided by the server 200. If the bystander is not connected, the bystander icon is removed 1040. If the bystander is connected, the client 104 determines 1036 whether there are more bystanders. If there are not, the client 104 returns to the step of determining 1004 whether a predetermined time period has ended, as the pit panel 900 view has been updated to reflect the current users and their current activity levels. Seer The main window is split into three sections, the tool bar at the top, the treeview to the left and the object viewer to the right. The treeview contains all opened trading accounts, Indicators, Charts, Time Frames and the Library. Each trading account is built up of logical parts called objects . Most of these objects are based upon trading concepts such as orders and positions. Each object has its own icon, and clicking on it will bring up the object viewer to the right. The Library is simply a convenient placeholder for common objects that you can cutcopypaste into and out of trading accounts. The only objects that the Library will accept are Systems, Money Management, Functions, Charts, Indicators and Portfolios. Any objects in the Library are automatically saved every time Seer exits. Clicking the backtest, optimise or debug button will backtestoptimisedebug the currently selected account from the date selected, to the date selected. The tool bar at the top generally operates on the selected trading account (or component object of a trading account) in the treeview. For example, Clicking Backtest will backtest the current selected account in the treeview. The last part of the tool bar is the date time selectors, changing these values will effect the start and end date of the trading system being backtested. The Objects 8211 an Overview The Account Object The main object is the account, a basic representation of your trading account. Each account contains the following objects, Orders, Positions and Trade History. These objects should be self-explanatory. The account object also contains two folders, Systems and Functions. The Systems folder contains system objects, and the function folder contains global functions used by objects within the account. Each Trading Account can have multiple systems each system is processed in the order in which it appears in the treeview. The System Object The System Object contains all the rules for your trading system. The system object contains the objects Variables, Money Management, Portfolio, Positions, Trade History and the event Objects Begin, Bar, and End. Clicking on System object will allow you to view and change the various settings for the system. The Variables Object The Variable object contains all the variables used in the System or Money management Object. This object allows you to edit the variable contents, and whether the optimiser should optimise the variable or not. The Money Management Object The Money Management object contains the rules for the orders placed by your system. Each System has its own money management object, which can be different. Each money management can access the trading statistics of the system and the trading statistics of the account as a whole. The money management object contains a variable object the Event objects for each order type. The Money Management object also contains a function called PositionSize, this can be used to calculate the size of the position on entry. The Portfolio Object Contains a list of symbols, which the system object is run against. When more than one symbol is in the portfolio true portfolio backtesting is performed. The Positions Object Contains the open positions for this system (or account) after a backtest. The Trade History Object Contains the trade history for this System (or Account) after a backtest. The Orders Object Contains the orders for the account that will be placed on the next bar. The Event Object Contains your rules for the system or money management. Clicking on the event object shows the rule editor and the current defined variables (from the variables object). The Function Object The function object defines a global function that can be used throughout the trading account by any system or money management object. The Chart Object The chart object allows you to build and test a chart that can be displayed in a chart window. The Indicator Object The indicator object allows you to build and test an technical analysis indicator that be be included in a chart or system. The Time Frame Object The Time Frame object allows you to create custom bars based upon time or ticks and specify the number of barsbacks. The time frames are then used to define the heartbeat for system object or in the construction of charts