Bookmap is an interface that visualizes real-time market data and helps you analyze this data by giving you a set of analytical tools. These tools include a heatmap-style visualization of the market depth, configurable columns filled with liquidity data for various price levels, Cumulative Volume Delta indicators, and others.
You can use several instances of Bookmap in a grid or detach the Bookmap window. To activate the grid, click on the Grid button in the top right corner and select the desirable grid configuration. To detach Bookmap, click on the Show Actions Menu button in the top right corner and select Detach.
Components and layout
The layout of Bookmap is divided into six components. You can find brief descriptions of these components below.
1. Header. Akin to many other interfaces available in thinkorswim, the header in Bookmap contains a symbol selector, the full name of the symbol, the current market price of the selected symbol, and its percentage and absolute change since midnight.
Note: If you are using the demo version, only certain symbols are available. To make most of Bookmap functionality, consider subscribing to the full version. In the full version, most stock and futures symbols are available.
2. Toolbar. The buttons on the toolbar enable you to change the display parameters of Bookmap and control the visibility of its elements. Note that these actions are also available from the Bookmap chart’s right-click menu.
3. Bookmap chart. By default, Bookmap chart displays the following components:
- Heatmap: A color-coded display of the activity of pending orders. For each price level that has pending orders, Heatmap displays a horizontal bar colored according to the color-gradient scheme selected on the toolbar. Colors on the right-hand end of the gradient correspond to price slices with the highest liquidity, and those on the left-hand end, to the lowest.
- Current best Bid/Ask prices: Current best bid and ask prices are plotted in real time across the chart. To change the color of either plot, right-click it and go to Colors > Best bid/ask line. Choose a color from the color palette by clicking on the sample color box or eyedropper-select a color from your screen.
- Volume bars: Volume bars are a representation of the transactions that have taken place on the best bid and ask. They are shown at the bottom of the chart. The color of each bar corresponds to the aggressor side: red is for sell side, and green is for buy side. The location and height of each bar are defined by settings you can apply using the Volume bars configuration window.
- Volume dots: Volume dots, or spheres, are a representation of the transactions that have taken place on the best bid and ask. They are shown across the chart. The color of each dot corresponds to the aggressor side: red is for sell side, and green is for buy side. The location and size of each dot are defined by settings you can apply using the Volume dots configuration window.
You can hide any of the above components by right-clicking on the chart, going to Configure visible components, and de-activating the components you would like to hide. This menu also allows you to view additional components on the chart:
- Candlestick chart: Activating this component will overlay the Heatmap with real-time OHLC candles.
- Last price: Activating this component will plot the current last price in real time across the chart. By default, it is displayed in white. To change the color of the plot, right-click it and go to Colors > Last Price. Choose a color from the color palette by clicking on the sample color box or eyedropper-select a color from your screen.
- VWAP: Activating this component will plot the volume-weighted average price in real time across the chart. By default, it is displayed in white. To change the color of the plot, right-click it and go to Colors > VWAP Line. Choose a color from the color palette by clicking on the sample color box or eyedropper-select a color from your screen.
The symbol actions menu is available by right-clicking on the Bookmap chart. Using this menu, you can send orders, create alerts, add the current symbol to a watchlist, or use this symbol in other thinkorswim interfaces.
4. Ladder and columns. This component displays a price scale broken into price levels and configurable columns. Each column can be configured to display a certain type of data for each of the price levels. The following column types are available: Current Order Book, Volume, Trades Counter, Quotes Counter, and Quotes Delta.
5. Imbalance indicators. Imbalance indicators are two bars above the chart that display the following data in real time:
- Order Book Imbalance: The ratio of the difference between the numbers of buy and sell orders to their sum.
- Volume Imbalance: The ratio of the difference between buy and sell volumes to their sum.
6. CVD pane. CVD pane is a designated area for the cumulative volume delta (CVD) indicator. By default, this pane is hidden. To make it visible, click on the v-shaped arrow below the ladder.