Concepts

These are the ideas the rest of the docs build on. Each one gets a few lines here and a link to its full guide. For one-line definitions of every term, see the Glossary.

Scan

A scan is a set of rules that scanr checks against every stock in its universe. It returns the stocks that pass. A scan answers for the moment it runs: run it again later and the list can change.

During market hours, daily studies read the session in progress. A signal that shows at 11:00 can be gone by the close. Run end-of-day scans after 16:00 ET if you want the settled session.

Universe

The universe is the pool of stocks a scan looks at before any filter runs. You set it by exchange, security type, country of headquarters and theme. Narrow the universe first, and your filters only have to sort through the stocks you care about. See Universe.

Filter types

A filter tests one thing about a stock. scanr groups filters by type:

A technical filter can compare a study with a number, like RSI(14)<30, or with another study, like SMA(50)crosses aboveSMA(200).

Filter groups

Filters live in groups. Each group has a mode:

• All that match: a stock must pass every filter in the group.
• Any that match: a stock must pass at least one.
• Exclude matching: stocks that pass are removed from the result.

You can put a group inside another group to write rules like "high volume, and either a big move or a volume spike". A filter you switch off is ignored, as if it weren't there. See Building scans.

Timeframe

Each technical filter reads bars of one length: from 1 minute to 1 month. A daily RSI and a 5-minute RSI on the same stock can disagree. Free plans scan daily bars only. See Chart timeframes.

Presets

A preset is a ready-made scan from the scanr team, such as Low RSI or Unusual Volume. Load one to run it as is, or use it as a starting point and change its filters. Browse them on scanr.ai/scanners. See Presets.

Saved scans

A saved scan is your own scan, stored under a name so you can rerun it without rebuilding it. Saving keeps the filters and the universe. On the web, your saved scans are under My Scans. On Super and Super Pro, scanr reruns your saved scans in the background. See Saved scans and scan history.

Scan alerts

A scan alert tells you when a saved scan finds a ticker it didn't have before. The scanner tells you what matches now; an alert tells you when something starts matching. Scan alerts need Super or Super Pro, because only paid plans rerun saved scans in the background. To turn one on, switch on Alert me when this scan finds new tickers when you save the scan.

Watchlists

A watchlist is a list of tickers you follow, with prices that update through the session. Add tickers yourself, or save a scan's results as a watchlist. Show a watchlist on your dashboard on the web or in the app. See Watchlists.

Time Machine

The Time Machine runs a filter group as of a past date: the market as it stood on that day. Use it to check what a scan would have found before a move. Each group keeps its own date, so one scan can ask for a setup that formed months ago and is still holding today. The Time Machine is on paid plans. See Time Machine.

Time horizon

A time horizon is the holding period behind a scan's performance numbers. "1 Month win rate" means: buy each stock when the scan found it, sell one month later, and count how many trades made money. See Time horizons.

Delayed and realtime data

Free plans see market data 15 minutes late, in scans, prices and charts. Super and Super Pro see it in realtime. Data from company filings, such as earnings, updates when a company files, on every plan. See Data delays and market hours.

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