The Dashboard is a thinkorswim gadget that serves as a simplified alternative trading interface. Originally designed for forex traders, it has become very popular among other trading audiences, given its compact display that brings together buy and sell information components in a neat minimalistic way.
Like all other gadgets, the Dashboard can be displayed as a section of the left sidebar or a separate window (see the Left Sidebar article for details). In the gadget header, you will see the following: the symbol selector, the 'clip' icon , the current market price of the selected symbol, and its percentage and absolute change since midnight. The clip icon brings up a color-and-number selection menu; choosing a color in this menu will link the Dashboard to all thinkorswim components with similar color. Consider linking the Dashboard to a watch list so that clicking through the latter will immediately display the corresponding symbols on the Dashboard.
The working area of the gadget comprises the following:
- Best bid and ask values. You can enter a sell or buy order right away by clicking the corresponding button below.
- Quantity selector that allows you to specify the trade size.
- Associated tick values in a consolidated format.
- For futures symbols, it also displays the margin requirement.