Manually Create a Basket File

We highly recommend that you first create a TWS basket file from a trading page using several different order types and products. Then open the sample file in Excel and use this as your starting point to edit the fields and create new rows. The key to the basket file is the relationship between the header row and order rows. The header row tells TWS what values the subsequent orders must include. A header row for a market order includes the OrderType field, while the header row for a limit order requires both the OrderType and LmtPrice fields.

The basket file is formatted as follows:

Header Row (For order type x)
Order Row (order type x)
Order Row (order type x)
Order Row (order type x) etc.
Header Row (For order type y)
Order Row (order type y)
Order Row (order type y) etc.

The Header Row includes field titles for each order value. The Order Row includes order values that correspond with each field title, with a one-to-one relationship between header fields and order values.

You must use multiple Header Rows in a basket file to accommodate orders with different fields. For example, a market order needs eight fields, but a limit order needs nine, since you have to define a limit price. These two order types would require different header rows, as shown below:

Action,Quantity,Symbol,SecType,Exchange,Currency,TimeInForce,OrderType
BUY,100,IBM,STK,SMART/ARCA,USD,DAY,MKT
BUY,100,GE,STK,SMART/ARCA,USD,DAY,MKT

Action,Quantity,Symbol,SecType,Exchange,Currency,TimeInForce,OrderType,LmtPrice
BUY,100,IBM,STK,SMART/ARCA,USD,DAY,LMT,14.82
BUY,100,GE,STK,SMART/ARCA,USD,DAY,LMT,18.98

The Sample Excel Basket File topic shows how a basket file with multiple order types would look in Excel.

Notes about creating basket files:

Child values in the order row fields must match the fields in the parent Header Row in content. For example, if your Header Row field is Symbol and you enter the value STK in that field of the order row, your file will not be readable.
Basket files created in a text editor must be saved as a .csv (preferred) or .bsk file. NOTE: You CAN use the .bsk file extension with the new basket layout.
Do not leave a space between a value and its comma, or TWS will not be able to read the file.
If you create your basket file in Excel, enter one value in each cell and DO NOT use commas.
Save your Excel basket file as a .csv file.
Fields in the Header Row need not be in any specific order as long as they have a corresponding correct value in the order row field.

The major differences between the original and improved basket file formats include:

Old Basket File	New Basket File
Old version supported only limited number of pre-defined fields.	New version supports all TWS fields.
Old version required you to enter order values in a specific sequence.	New version does not require any specific order sequence for fields.
Old version required only order values (since the "header" fields were hard-coded into TWS).	New version requires a header row with order-specific field titles. Use multiple header rows in a single basket for order types that require different field values.
Old version required blank placeholders for values that were not required.	New version requires an exact one-to-one relationship between a header field and an order value; you cannot leave an order field blank if there is a header field defined.
Old version was saved as .bsk (TWS-specific) file.	New version uses .csv (generic) file extension.*

*Please note that TWS remains backward-compatible with the original .bsk basket file format.

Basket Fields

The table below list some of the fields you can specify in your basket order. We recommend creating sample file rows via the TWS basket creation process to see any fields you may have a question about.

Some Basket File Header Fields/Order Values
Contract Description Fields
Header Field	Order Values
Symbol	e.g. IBM, AMZN
SecType	The security type including stk, opt, fut, fop, war, cash, fund, efp, bag* Use the bag security type for spreads and combination orders.
Expiry	YYYYMM e.g. 200910 (for Oct. 2009 expiry)
Strike	e.g. 42.5 or 37.0
Right	P or C
Currency	e.g. USD
Exchange	Any valid destination, e.g. Smart, or NYSE or PHLX or VWAP or IBEFP. NOTE: To clarify any ambiguity for Smart routed contracts, include the primary exchange along with Smart for the destination, for example: Smart/NYSE.
Basic Order Fields
Header Field	Order Values
Action	BUY or SELL
Quantity	e.g. 100 or 1
OrderType	Order types as supported in TWS.
LmtPrice	e.g. 96.47 or 96 For EFPs, use a decimal number for the raw price, or a percent value followed by A or C to designate Annualized or Compounded rate, for example 5.200%A.**
AuxPrice	e.g. .05 or 1.25 or 2
PercentOffset	Any decimal value between 0 and 1, e.g. .05
BasketTag	Any unique string of alpha or numeric characters used to identify the basket order. This tag appears in the Order Reference field of the Trade report.
Time in Force Fields
Header Field	Order Values
TimeInForce	e.g. day, gtc, gtd, ioc, fok, opg, auc
GoodTilDate	YYYYMMDD hh:mm:ss [zzz] where zzz is an optional time zone. If you do not designate a time zone, TWS uses the time zone from which the order originated.
GoodAfter	YYYYMMDD hh:mm:ss [zzz] where zzz is an optional time zone. If you do not designate a time zone, TWS uses the time zone from which the order originated.
Advisor Fields
Header Field	Order Values
Account	Existing account number.
Group	Existing Account Group name.
Method	Allocation Method, valid if a Group is named. PctChange AvailableEquity NetLiq EqualQuantity PctOfPortfolio
Percent	Use if Method = PctChange.
Profile	Existing Allocation Profile name.
Non-Cleared Fields
Header Field	Order Values
Account	Account number.
OpenClose	e.g. open, close
ShortLocation	MPID of third party
ShortSale	-1 (cust. has shares) -2 (shares are with 3rd party)
Clearing	Identify your clearing choice.
ClearingAccount	Identity of the true beneficiary of the order.
Volatility Fields
Header Field	Order Values
ReferencePriceType	A (average of best bid/ask) or B (NBB when buying a call or selling a put; NBO when selling a call or buying a put)
HedgeOrderType	Lmt, Mkt or Rel
HedgeAuxPrice	Use to set the price if HedgeOrderType is used.
StockRangeLower	Low stock price of the range used to cancel the order if the underlying price falls below.
StockRangeUpper	High stock price of the range used to cancel the order if the underlying price goes above.
ContinuousUpdate	True. If you don't want to use continuous update do not include the field in the header row.
Miscellaneous Fields
Header Field	Order Values
Algo maxPctVol	Max percent of volume for option algo.
Algo riskAversion	Get done, Aggressive, Neutral, Passive
Algo forceCompletion	True
DiscretionaryAmt	Price off the limit price to create Discretionary order.
DisplaySize	Defines the quantity of the order to be made public, creates an Iceberg order.
OutsideRth	True to allow order to trigger or fill outside regular trading hours.
BlockOrder	True
SweepToFill	True
Hidden	True
AllOrNone	True
MinimumQuantity	Number for minimum acceptable fill quantity for order to execute.
OcaGroup	Value that IDs order as part of a group.