1. In the Trading System group, on the Test System tab of the Dashboard, please click on the Create button below the Specification drop-down list:

2. In the dialog that appears enter a name for your new trading system e.g. Trend Trader v1.00 (adding a version number is always a good idea, as the process of evolving an investment system usually involves trialling different ideas and variants)

3. The Trading Specification Definition dialog will now open. This is where you’ll create all the components  of the Trend Trader v1.00 Trading Specification. There are two levels to this dialog:
   • The dialog opens in the Shared level (shown below), where you can define the Trading Universe (if you’re using it) and any terms, trading rules or list selectors that are shared between trading strategies
   • The Strategy level, where you define the terms, trading rules and list selectors that are specific to a particular strategy. We’ll be exploring this shortly.

4. Like the Dashboard, the buttons on the left act as tab selectors that change the contents of the dialog. Each tab is responsible for listing and defining a particular part of the trading specification. Click a few of them now to see what happens.
5. When you’re done, click on the Trading Strategies button in the top left of the dialog, which displays the strategies tab where individual strategies are created and displayed. At the bottom of each tab (except the Trading Universe) you’ll have noticed an Operation drop-down list and a Do It! button, which together are used to manage the Specification’s definitions.
6. Every Trading Specification must contain at least one Trading Strategy. So we’ll create a strategy now, for the Trend Trader system. In the Trading Strategies tab, ensure Create is selected in the Operation list then click the Do It! button.

Clicking the Do It! button takes us down to the Strategy level in the dialog, where the components of a particular trading strategy are created. Notice that the title at the top of the dialog and the buttons down the left have changed to indicate we’re now in the Strategy level.

7. On the right you’ll see a Back To Shared button, which will take you back to the Shared level. Click it now (and click Cancel when the warning dialog appears saying we haven’t defined the strategy’s activation condition) and you’ll be returned to the Shared level. Again, notice how the dialog changes. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until you’re able to identify the two levels of the dialog, then repeat step 6 to move back to the Strategy level. We’ll now define Trend Trader’s one and only trading strategy