How to import a Sierra Chart chartbook: open, verify symbols, data and studies
Learn how to import a Sierra Chart chartbook file, open it safely, and check its symbol, historical data and study dependencies before you rely on it in live sessions.
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How to import a Sierra Chart chartbook in short
To import a Sierra Chart chartbook, save the downloaded .Cht file into your Sierra Chart Data folder, then use File > Open Chartbook to load it. After it opens, confirm that each chart has the right symbol, that data loads, and that every study is recognized. Do these checks before you trust anything on screen.
This guide covers the opening and verification steps only. For what a chartbook preserves compared with other files, see Sierra Chart study collection vs chartbook. For judging a premade layout, see the order flow chartbook template guide.
What a chartbook file contains
A chartbook file is a saved set of charts, usually with a .Cht extension. It stores the chart windows, the study list and settings, the symbol assigned to each chart, and the layout. It does not carry your market data subscription or the historical data files. Those come from your own data feed and local data folder.
The Sierra Chart workspace is built around chartbooks. Each chartbook holds numbered charts, and the Chartbook window lists them. When you open a chartbook, Sierra Chart rebuilds that arrangement on your machine.
Before you open it
Check the file source and type
Confirm the download is a chartbook and not a study DLL or a zipped archive. If it is a .zip, extract it first. Scan the files with your normal security software. A chartbook itself should not run code, but a bundled custom study DLL can, so only use files from sources you trust.
Back up your current setup
Copy your existing chartbooks and your Data folder before experimenting. Opening a new chartbook can change saved chart states if you later save over it, so work on a copy.
Place the file
A simple approach is to put the .Cht file in your Sierra Chart Data folder. Any folder works, but keeping it with your other files makes it easier to find later.
Steps to open a chartbook
- Start Sierra Chart and connect to your data feed first, so symbols can resolve.
- Choose File > Open Chartbook.
- Browse to the downloaded .Cht file and select it.
- Wait for the charts to load. Large chartbooks with many studies can take a while.
- Open the Chartbook window from the Window menu if you want to see the list of charts and switch between them.
If a chartbook is already open, Sierra Chart may ask whether to close it. Save your current work first if you need it. The official Sierra Chart documentation describes chartbook handling in more detail.
Verify the symbol on each chart
Chartbooks often ship with the author's symbol, such as a specific ES contract month. Futures contracts expire, so an old symbol may show stale or empty data.
- Open Chart > Chart Settings and check the Symbol field.
- For ES, NQ or CL, switch to the current front contract. Quarterly contracts like ESH or ESM codes roll on a schedule set by CME Group.
- For EURUSD, confirm your data feed uses the same symbol naming as the author did.
- If you want continuous contracts, check whether your feed supports them and set that deliberately.
A wrong symbol is the most common reason a freshly opened chartbook looks broken.
Verify data and chart settings
Confirm the data actually loads
Watch the chart for a bar loading message or a blank screen. Confirm that bars appear and that the last bar updates during market hours.
Check the bar type and session
Order flow charts often use specific settings, such as 1-tick or range bars, a given Days to Load, and a chosen session time. Open Chart Settings and review the Intraday Data Storage Time Unit and Days to Load. A footprint needs tick-level or sufficiently granular data, so confirm your feed provides it. See footprint chart setup for readable settings.
Check historical depth
Depth of market and volume at price studies may need recorded data. Historical market depth is not available from every feed, so some panels may stay empty until you record live data.
Check study dependencies
Spot missing or unrecognized studies
Open Chart > Studies Settings. Look for studies marked as not found or showing an error. Chartbooks that use custom studies need the matching DLL installed in your Sierra Chart Data folder, built for the same version and architecture.
Review study inputs
Built-in studies such as Volume by Price, Numbers Bars or Market Depth Historical Graph keep their own inputs. Open each one and read the settings rather than assuming they suit your instrument. A tick size or price multiplier suited to ES may be wrong for CL or EURUSD.
Check subgraph dependencies
Some studies reference other studies by chart and study ID. If the author removed or reordered a study, the reference can break. Look for flat or zero-valued lines as a warning sign.
Check the workspace and linking
Sierra Chart can link charts through Link Number settings and sync scrolling. After opening, confirm your charts move together if that was intended. Also check which charts are set to open on startup, and whether the window sizes fit your monitors.
A quick verification checklist
- The file opened without errors.
- Each chart uses a current, valid symbol.
- Bars load and update in real time.
- Session times and Days to Load make sense.
- No study shows as missing.
- Inputs match the instrument tick size.
- Test in a simulated environment before any live use.
A chartbook is a visual tool for reading market activity. It does not predict price, and no layout guarantees any result.
Conclusion
Importing a chartbook is easy, but trusting it takes a few minutes of checks. Open the file, correct the symbol, confirm data loads, and review every study. Then use a simulated account to see whether it reads sensibly on ES, NQ, CL or EURUSD. If you want ready-made Sierra Chart tools for order flow, SierraOnShop offers chartbooks and related resources.
FAQ
Why does my chartbook open but show empty charts?
Usually the symbol is expired or not available from your data feed, or Days to Load is too low. Update the symbol and confirm your connection.
Can I open a chartbook made on a different Sierra Chart version?
Often yes, but studies may behave differently. Update to a current version and recheck study settings.
Will opening a chartbook overwrite my existing charts?
Not unless you save over the same file name. Back up first and use Save Chartbook As for a new copy.
Do I need extra files for custom studies?
Yes, if the chartbook uses custom studies you need the matching DLL files in your Data folder, from a trusted source.
Does a chartbook include historical data?
No. It stores layout and settings. Data comes from your feed and local data files.
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