# How to Get Text Alerts From Any ThinkOrSwim Scan thinkScript tutorial Free Beginner 13 min video Jul 2, 2023 Set up ThinkOrSwim text alerts from any scan: load it as a watchlist, turn on Alert when scan results change, and get the list by text at a set time. ## Overview In this tutorial I show you how to set up ThinkOrSwim text alerts for any of your favorite scans. Instead of running a scan by hand every Sunday or every day, you load it as a watchlist and ThinkOrSwim texts you the stocks that meet it, at the time you choose. In the video I use our free bullish stacked moving average scan, add a price filter and a volume filter, and set the alert to send a daily list at 12:30 PM Pacific, 30 minutes before the close. It's for traders who already have a scan they like and want ThinkOrSwim to do the searching for them. ## Key Takeaways - A ThinkOrSwim scan alert needs a saved scan loaded as a watchlist. Only then does the watchlist menu show Alert when scan results change, and a static watchlist never shows it. - The process takes 4 steps: define your setup, turn it into a scan, load the scan as a watchlist, and configure the alert. - In the video, our bullish stacked moving average scan on all optionable stocks, with an ask price of at least $10 and a 50-day average volume above 1,000,000 shares, returned 20 stocks. - I set the alert to text a list of changes daily at 12:30 PM Pacific, 30 minutes before the market closes, with no expiration. - Daily and weekly scans are the most reliable for alerts. On 1-, 3- and 5-minute scans, alerts are often delayed, and on a 1-minute scan most of them arrive late. ## What Scan-Based Text Alerts Do A scan-based text alert is a ThinkOrSwim alert that sends you the results of a saved scan by text message, so you don't have to open the Scan tab and run it yourself. In the video I give the example of a weekly scan you run every Sunday as homework, going through the tickers for the week ahead. With a text alert, that list can come to you at noon on Sunday instead. It works the same for a daily scan you want to see every day. I like these alerts most on larger timeframes. It's like hiring someone to do one job for you: search for your favorite setup, apply your basic filters such as price and volume, and send you the list. ### The Example at the Start of the Video The texts I show at the start of the video come from a bullish slingshot squeeze scan, one of my favorite setups to trade. The scan runs on daily bars, applies basic price and volume filters, and texts me every stock that meets it. ServiceNow, a fairly liquid stock, was on that list. Every text in that thread arrived at the same time: 12:30 PM Pacific, 30 minutes before the market closes. That's the alert time I set on the daily scan. ## The 4 Steps Behind Every Scan Alert Every scan alert in ThinkOrSwim takes 4 steps. It's more than a right-click and send text, and the first 2 steps are most of the hard work. Step What you do Where in ThinkOrSwim 1. Define the setup Pick the indicators or price action you trade, with one set of conditions for a bullish trigger and one for a bearish trigger Your chart studies 2. Turn it into a scan Build the bullish and bearish triggers as 2 separate scans, adjusting the indicator code so it works as a scan filter Scan tab 3. Load it as a watchlist Load the saved scan in the watchlist panel as an extra watchlist Left-hand panel 4. Configure the alert Turn on Alert when scan results change and set the event, the delivery, the time and the expiration Watchlist menu Splitting the bullish and bearish triggers into 2 scans keeps things cleaner. When a text arrives, you know every stock on it came from one scan, such as the bullish slingshot squeeze, so the 2 sides never mix. ## Two Limits to Plan Around ThinkOrSwim scan alerts have 2 limits worth knowing before you build one: alerts on small timeframes can be late, and the Scan tab accepts less code than a chart study. ### Alert Reliability by Timeframe The smaller the timeframe, the greater the chance an alert is delayed, and sometimes it isn't sent at all. The reason I found is that the quotes sometimes miss the conditions you're scanning for on the smaller timeframes. Scan timeframe What I found Daily or weekly A pretty decent likelihood the alert sends at the time you set, such as 12:30 PM 3-minute or 5-minute A pretty high chance the alert is delayed 1-minute Expect most of the alerts to be delayed ### Scan Tab Limits The Scan tab has greater limits than a chart study. You'll usually need to adjust your indicator code to work as a scan. If you see errors saying your code is too complicated, or that it uses expressions that are too complicated for the Scan tab, trim the study down to the elements the trigger needs. Our [stacked moving average scans tutorial](https://tosindicators.com/scans/stacked-ma) shows that kind of editing on a real indicator. ## Step 1: Pick a Scan The scan behind a text alert can be your own or one you download. If you already have one, load it into your Scan tab. If you don't, our [free ThinkOrSwim scans page](https://tosindicators.com/scans) has a list to pick from, including the [anchored VWAP scans](https://tosindicators.com/scans/anchored-vwap-scan) and the [unusual volume scans](https://tosindicators.com/scans/unusual-volume). For [Volatility Box](https://tosindicators.com/products) members, the scans marked Pro, like the [Simple Breakout Tool scans](https://tosindicators.com/scans/simple-breakout-tool-scans), are included with the membership. So are the scans in our [Squeeze Course](https://tosindicators.com/squeeze-course), such as the slingshot squeeze and squeeze signal scans. The course also has backtesters, a dashboard script and indicators. In the video I use our stacked moving average scan, which was our latest tutorial when I recorded. I import it into ThinkOrSwim from a shared link, a tos.mx link. The scan has a bullish version and a bearish version, and I use the bullish one. ## Step 2: Import the Scan and Add Filters Importing a shared scan and adding filters takes a few minutes in the Scan tab. Here are the steps I followed: - Copy the shared link for the scan (a tos.mx link). - In ThinkOrSwim, open the Setup menu and choose Open shared item. When I recorded the video, Setup sat to the right of Chat Rooms at the top of the platform. - Paste in the link, click Preview to load the scan, then click Import. - In the Scan tab, change the list the scan searches from all stocks to All optionable. That brings the list down to something more manageable. - Click Add filter, choose Stock, and set a minimum ask price. I used $10. - Click Add filter again and choose Study. Under Volume, I set average volume (the 50-day simple moving average of volume) to greater than 1,000,000. - Click Scan. With the stacked MA script and the 2 filters, my scan returned 20 stocks. - Click Save scan query and name it. I called mine Bullish Stacked MA Scan TOS Indicators. If you're new to adding studies and scans to the platform, see our guide on [how to import a study into ThinkOrSwim](https://tosindicators.com/thinkscript/how-to-import-thinkorswim). ## Step 3: Load the Scan as a Watchlist Loading the saved scan as a watchlist is the step that makes text alerts possible. Close the Scan tab and open the left-hand panel of ThinkOrSwim. - If the panel has no watchlist, click the plus icon at the bottom of the panel and choose Watchlist from the drop-down. - Click the watchlist's drop-down menu, go to wherever you saved the scan, and load it. In the video, all 20 stocks from the scan showed up in the watchlist. - Open the watchlist's menu again. A new option is there: Alert when scan results change. A static watchlist, where you add the symbols by hand, doesn't have that option. In the video I open one to show it's missing. Load your scan as the watchlist and the option appears. ## Step 4: Configure the Text Alert The Alert when scan results change window has 4 groups of settings: the event, the scan name, how ThinkOrSwim notifies you, and the options. The table shows what I chose in the video. Setting What I chose Why Event A symbol is added You hear about stocks that newly meet the scan Scan name Left as saved The name shows up in the text, so change it only if you want a different cue Notify with Send text messages, both during and after market hours I turn both boxes on for texts Options A list of changes, daily, at 12:30 PM One list a day, 30 minutes before the close (Pacific time) Expires Not specified The alert never expires ### Notify With: Sound, Email, Text or Push ThinkOrSwim can deliver an alert 4 ways, and you can pick more than one: play a sound, send an email, send a text message, and send a push notification if you have the ThinkOrSwim mobile app. The text message option has 2 boxes, one for during market hours and one for after. For texts, select Send text messages and make sure both boxes are on. Texts go to the phone number in your ThinkOrSwim settings. When I recorded our [TICK alerts tutorial](https://tosindicators.com/thinkscript/tick-alerts), where I show this screen, the path was Setup , then Application Settings , then the Notifications tab. Put your email address under Send email to and your number under Send text to , where you'll need to confirm it. ### Options: Every Change or a Daily List Under Options, you can have ThinkOrSwim send a message for every change. That can get a little overwhelming. I select a list of changes instead, set it to daily, and pick the time: 12:30 PM Pacific, 30 minutes before the market closes. I've found that's enough time to go through the text and see if anything looks appealing. For Expires, I select not specified, since I don't want this alert to expire ever. Click Create , and the alert is connected to the scan. At 12:30 PM Pacific, ThinkOrSwim sends a text, a notification in the platform, and an email if you set one up, with all the stocks that currently meet the scan. ## How I Narrow the List A scan text alert sends every stock that meets the scan, and you may not want 20 stocks in every text. The fix is to pinpoint the scan down to a specific trigger you care about. For Volatility Box members, I do that with our squeeze triggers: the slingshot squeeze and squeeze signal scans. I've found they usually give a relatively small list of stocks to work from. I take that list into the backtesters to see the win-to-loss rate, whether the tickers look interesting, and whether it's even a ticker I like to trade. The [Slingshot Squeeze scans](https://tosindicators.com/squeeze-course/module-11) and the [Slingshot Squeeze Backtester](https://tosindicators.com/squeeze-course/module-12) are both in the [Squeeze Course](https://tosindicators.com/squeeze-course). Treat the text as a shortlist and open each chart before you decide anything. Before you trade a name from the list, decide where your stop goes and size the position so a stop-out costs a small, fixed share of your account. ## Scan Alerts vs Price Alerts ThinkOrSwim scan alerts and price alerts are 2 different ways to get a text, and they're set up in different places. A scan alert watches a list of stocks for your setup. A price alert is tied to one symbol and one level, which is how I set up text alerts for extreme readings of the NYSE TICK. Scan alert (this page) Price alert Watches Every stock that meets a saved scan One symbol, such as $TICK Where you create it Watchlist menu: Alert when scan results change Right-click the chart: Create alert Fires on The event you pick, such as a symbol being added The price at or above, or at or below, a level Example A daily list of bullish stacked MA stocks at 12:30 PM A text each time $TICK reaches +1,000 Both kinds offer the same 4 ways to notify you (a sound, an email, a text or a push notification), and both send texts to the phone number in your settings. For the price alert steps, see [how to create text alerts for extreme $TICK readings](https://tosindicators.com/thinkscript/tick-alerts). If you'd rather count those extreme readings than read the texts, our [Extreme TICK Counter](https://tosindicators.com/indicators/tick-counter) tallies them in 2 chart labels. ## Common Problems and Fixes Most scan alert problems come from one of the settings above. For a text with too many stocks or a scan that throws a complexity error, see the sections on narrowing the list and Scan tab limits. Check these first: - No Alert when scan results change option. The watchlist is static. Save the scan, then load it as the watchlist. - The alert is late or never arrives. Check the scan's timeframe. In my experience, daily and weekly scans send on time far more often than 1-, 3- or 5-minute scans. - No text at all. Check that both text message boxes are on, and that your number is confirmed under Send text to in Application Settings, Notifications. - A text for every change. The Options tab is set to send a message for every change. Switch it to a list of changes, daily, at one time. ## Download Build Your Own Automated Text Message Alert System Download Build Your Own Automated Text Message Alert System for ThinkOrSwim. [Download free](https://tosindicators.com/thinkscript/text-alerts) ## Video: Build Your Own Automated Text Message Alert System, built line by line 13 minutes on YouTube. [Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvLiuEz60f4) ## Questions How do I get text alerts from a ThinkOrSwim scan? Save the scan, then load it as a watchlist in the left-hand panel. Open the watchlist menu and choose Alert when scan results change. Pick the event, such as a symbol being added, turn on Send text messages, set Options to a list of changes at a daily time, set Expires to not specified, and click Create. Why don't I see Alert when scan results change in ThinkOrSwim? The option only appears on a watchlist that is loaded from a saved scan. A static watchlist, where you add the symbols by hand, doesn't have it. Click Save scan query in the Scan tab first, then load that saved scan from the watchlist drop-down menu in the left-hand panel and open the menu again. Can ThinkOrSwim text me scan results at the same time every day? Yes. In the alert's Options tab, choose a list of changes instead of a message for every change, set it to daily, and pick a time. I use 12:30 PM Pacific, 30 minutes before the market closes, which I've found leaves enough time to go through the list and see if anything looks appealing. Are ThinkOrSwim scan alerts reliable on a 1-minute chart? In my experience, they're the least reliable. The smaller the timeframe, the greater the chance an alert is delayed or not sent, because quotes sometimes miss the conditions you're scanning for. On a 1-minute scan, expect most alerts to arrive late. Daily and weekly scans have a pretty decent likelihood of sending on time. Where do I set the phone number for ThinkOrSwim text alerts? When I recorded, the path was Setup, Application Settings, then the Notifications tab. Enter your number under Send text to and confirm it. The address under Send email to is where email alerts go. Every alert that has Send text messages turned on sends its texts to that number. Should I pick send me a message for every change or a list of changes? A message for every change can get overwhelming, since you get a text each time the scan results change. I pick a list of changes instead, set to daily at 12:30 PM Pacific. That way one text arrives with all the stocks that meet the scan at that time. Do I need separate scans for bullish and bearish alerts? I recommend it. Define one set of conditions for the bullish trigger and one for the bearish trigger, then build them as 2 separate scans, each loaded as its own watchlist with its own alert. That keeps things cleaner, and you know which side every stock in a text came from. Can I use my own indicator as the scan behind a text alert? Yes, once you turn it into a scan. The Scan tab has more limits than a chart study, so you'll usually need to adjust the indicator code. If ThinkOrSwim says the code or its expressions are too complicated, trim the study down to the conditions the trigger needs, save the scan, and load it as a watchlist. ## Related tools [How to Create Text Alerts for Extreme $TICK Readings: thinkScript tutorial · Free](https://tosindicators.com/thinkscript/tick-alerts)[Custom Toolbars - Instantly 10x Your Productivity: thinkScript tutorial · Free](https://tosindicators.com/thinkscript/custom-toolbars)[Maximize Your Chart Space With This Simple Trick: thinkScript tutorial · Free](https://tosindicators.com/thinkscript/maximize-chart-space)[Utility Labels Indicator - Quickly Track Sector Performance and Internals: thinkScript tutorial · Free](https://tosindicators.com/thinkscript/sector-performance)[Custom Candlestick Patterns: thinkScript tutorial · Free](https://tosindicators.com/thinkscript/custom-candlestick-patterns)[How to Import a thinkScript Study into ThinkOrSwim: thinkScript tutorial · Free](https://tosindicators.com/thinkscript/how-to-import-thinkorswim) ## Get each new indicator by email One email on Sundays with the week's new tool and its code. 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