Question - Release Roadmap, SDK features

[lefig]

Hi Community,

Apologies if this question has already raised.

But I have installed and explored the new 4.x release and am impressed.

And I see that many 3.X SDK API features are missing such as for Forex.

I was wondering whether the intention and plan is to implement refactored equivalent code in the next release?

Or will these be only accessible from the Pro version of the platform.

So my improvement proposal relates to sharing any information in this area.

Keep up the fabulous work!

Thank you Fig

[piiq]

Hey @lefig thanks for asking the question. Some minimal functionality related to forex has been migrated to the obb.currency menu. If v3 functionality relied on scraped data - there are no plans to migrate it to v4 and have it a part of the distribution. Most other functionality will be migrated over time with the help of the community. We welcome any contributions and are open to helping community members in creating their own open source extensions.

By the way, is there any specific functionality from v3 that you are missing in v4?

[lefig]

Thanks for coming back to me @piiq. I appreciate that. Yes, I have been taking a closer look at the last 3.x release and although I don't have the required Python environment to check, it would seem that various valuable features are missing in the current release. I am assuming that the CLI project is a replacement for openbb_terminal. For example - behaviour analysis, quant analysis, crypto, etf, technical analysis, forecasting using machine learning. My concern is that this functionality is too valuable to lose and many users fond of the old Terminal will be unwilling to adopt the new platform. I would be more that happy to look further into this and assist in anyway but I don't have the technical skills. So I guess that if the community is planning to migrate features it would be helpful to communicate or at least be aware of which ones and when (a roadmap). Thank you.

[piiq]

Quantitative and technical analysis extensions are available in v4. The etf extension of v4 is also pretty decent

Some crypto data is available, but certainly this is a field where improvement is required.

This leaves us with behaviour analysis and forecasting. For the forecasting there are some efforts to port it over in this PR https://github.com/OpenBB-finance/OpenBBTerminal/pull/5714

From my understanding it's trickier to handle the behaviour analysis. Stocktwits closed API registrations, Reddit now has more complex API pricing, Finbrain does not have a free tier, etc... We didn't plan porting that code because of this, but it does not mean that such extension should not exist

[lefig]

How complex is migrating the capability. I guess that there are compatibility issues related to Python versions.

Are there any simple instructions or steps to follow when implementing a new feature.

I think that this would be helpful for anyone wishing to extend the platform such as for backtesting.

[piiq]

It all depends on your needs. Specifically, for backtesting, it's good to note that OpenBB shines in data retrieval, integrating and standardizing data from multiple providers into a single interface. This makes it a powerful tool for retrieving the data you need for your backtesting.

The old backtesting menu in v3 was limited to 2 hardcoded strategies with no way to add more. If you wanted to backtest, you still needed to write your own code, which is easier to do separately from the platform's source code. There was also a "whatif" command that calculated returns on an asset as if it was bought at a given date. While this is easier to migrate, it's worth considering if it adds significant value to your workflow.

When we spoke with dozens of terminal users, they emphasized OpenBB's strength in data retrieval, which is why we prioritized it when porting v3 to v4. OpenBB's data retrieval capabilities can support very serious and demanding workflows, including backtesting. The data processing part, however, is usually specific to those workflows and falls into the secret sauce category for most individuals and organizations.

There are tutorials on how to build extensions for v4 in the docs at https://docs.openbb.co. You’ll find short, goal-oriented examples to help achieve specific tasks, in-depth learning-oriented tutorials, and explanatory articles to help with developing on the OpenBB Platform. We’re open to feedback on how the docs can be improved, so feel free to share your thoughts.

Sorry for the lengthy reply. Would you be open to a call on Discord or Zoom? I would like to learn more about the use cases you have in mind.

[lefig]

Thank you for your most thoughtful and helpful thoughts. I may take you up on your kind offer for a chat:)

Yes, we particularly welcome the architectural decision made to focus on data retrieval and integration rather than develop functionality that should sit outside the platform (such as concerning backtesting, forecasting etc.). I sense that the future direction for the product will be supporting this using partners.

Assuming that we have our own historic tick and chart data located in csv files or similar, and live feed what would be most helpful to get us up and running is to understand what I need to do to integrate. Using I assume a FastAPI router, display menu dialogue on the CLI for the new custom data extension, and have support for charts and technical analysis.

Apologies for a huge brain-dump as we do like the looks of the platform and steps taken to remediate the copious python package dependencies! Thank you.