Getting Started Overview
This Getting Started guide briefly introduces Stock Rover, focusing on the layout of the Stock Rover screen and the main features of the program. For more in-depth descriptions of Stock Rover's functions, please go to the How To section on the website, or watch the help videos.
The Screen Layout
The Stock Rover screen has five main panels. Starting on the top left and proceeding clockwise, they are the Task Wizard, the Navigation Panel, the Table, the Insight Panel, and the Chart.
The Task Wizard
The Task Wizard contains quick links for common tasks in Stock Rover, such as researching and screening for stocks, creating and updating portfolios and watchlists, editing the Table columns, and filtering the Table rows.
All actions available in the Task Wizard can be accomplished via other avenues in Stock Rover, but the Task Wizard takes you directly to the necessary parts of the program and so expedites the process. You can minimize the Task Wizard by clicking the double-arrow icon in its header bar.
The Navigation Panel
The Navigation Panel allows you to choose items from a variety of groups of tickers to display as rows in the Table. Click on an item under one of the groups of tickers to load its tickers in the Table. For example, clicking ‘DJIA’ under ‘Indices’ will load the Dow 30 stocks into the Table. You can operate on a set of tickers by right-clicking on it in the Navigation Panel and choosing from its drop-down menu. So below you can see that right-clicking on a portfolio allows you modify, chart, and perform other operations on that portfolio.
The Table
The Table provides a flexible format for viewing tickers and their data, or comparing different portfolios. The rows in the Table reflect the item that is selected in the Navigation panel, while the columns depend on the selected View, which are represented by tabs at the top of the Table. Typing a ticker into the Research Box at the top will add the ticker to the Table so you can compare it against other investments. Right-clicking a ticker in the Table allows you to operate on that ticker (shown below).
In many ways, the Table operates like an Excel spreadsheet: you can sort any of the displayed columns by ascending or descending values by clicking on the column header; you may color-code stocks by right-clicking on them and selecting from the drop-down menu; and you may group stocks based on sector, industry, or color by right-clicking on any column header. By adding a column filter you can choose to limit the stocks shown to only those that match the specified criteria. If you accidentally change the Table in a way you did not intend, you can always click the blue back-arrow at the top left of the Table to restore the previous setup.
The Insight Panel
The Insight panel displays in-depth information about the stock that is selected in the Table. Jump to the Research section of this guide to read more about the information available in each tab.
The Chart
The Chart can graph any combination of tickers, ETFs, portfolios, watchlists, screeners, industries, sectors, and indices—up to twelve lines at once. When the Chart is linked to the Table, which is the default setting, it will chart whatever is selected in the Table. The Chart can be unlinked from the Table in order to operate independently. This is done by clicking the right of the two “linking” icons in the Chart toolbar. Jump straight to the Charting section of this Getting Started Guide to learn more, or head over to the video library to see the Charting and Advanced Charting tutorials.
Toolbar
At the top of the Stock Rover screen is a toolbar that welcomes you by your username, and has seven functions:
- Stock Rover Tour
- Go to the video page on the website to watch a brief video tour of Stock Rover.
- Invite a Friend
- Send an email message to one or more email addresses to introduce the recipient(s) to Stock Rover.
- Options
- Change your preferences regarding tooltips, layout, prompts, and email notifications; change account settings such as email and password.
- Help
- Navigate to the Help pages of the website.
- Feedback
- Submit suggestions, praise, problems or bugs regarding the Stock Rover web application; submit business inquiries or other sorts of communication to the Stock Rover team.
- Logout
- End your current Stock Rover session.