RTD DB Symbol Helper

Symbol Helper provides tools to extract stock and option symbols from RTD formulas and web pages.

Symbols can be pasted into symbol tables using the RTD DB Database Configuration Editor.

Exporting Formulas from thinkorswim desktop

To export formulas from the thinkorswim desktop:

Select the Trade tab.
Open the top-right menu and click Export, then select To Microsoft Excel:

Example of exporting thinkorswim desktop formulas to Microsoft Excel

Click Paste Formulas in the Symbol Helper:

Example of extracting option symbols in the thinkorswim desktop format

Adjusting Output Symbol Format

The output symbol format can be adjusted to either thinkorswim or OCC:

Example of extracting option symbols in the OCC format

Copying Symbols

You can copy all symbols, stock symbols, or option symbols:

Example of copying stock and option symbols

To insert symbols into the target table:

Open the RTD DB Database Configuration Editor.
Select the target table and click Paste:

Example of pasting option symbols using Configuration Editor

Only unique symbols are inserted automatically.

Extracting Symbols from Websites

Option symbols can be extracted from websites such as Yahoo Finance or MSN Money. Select and copy the page content, then paste it into the Symbol Helper.

Formulas can also be copied and pasted from Microsoft Excel. Ensure Formulas > Show Formulas is enabled before copying; otherwise, only values will be copied, not formulas.

Example of thinkorswim desktop Data in Excel

Here is a typical sheet created using thinkorswim desktop export:

Example of real-time thinkorswim desktop data in Microsoft Excel