The Tradebox Data Service Application

Note – we recommend running Tradebox One as administrator, and it is set to launch this way by default. When troubleshooting any issues, always make sure you’re logged in as a Windows user with Administrator privileges; if you’re unsure, check with your local IT support.

One of the most integral parts of Tradebox One is a secondary application which runs from your Windows System Tray: the Tradebox Data Service. 

The data service controls a core loop of functions within Tradebox One: downloading orders from marketplace; checking query orders; posting to your accounts package; uploading stock levels. This keeps the main UI (user interface) free for you to use Tradebox One to manage your orders. And the fact that this core loop can run as often as every minute means the passing of information to and from the marketplace is as close to real-time as possible.

Enabling the Service

The first time Tradebox opens, you will see the above message, asking if you want the Tradebox Data Service to run on this machine. If you're only installing Tradebox on a single machine, say yes to this. If you're running Tradebox across a network, you will need to designate one of your PCs to be the main service PC. Ideally this would be the same PC on which you're storing your Tradebox data, or the PC belonging to the person who will be using Tradebox most often.

If you need to check which of your machines has been designated as the service PC, you can check this on any PC by going to Configuration > Data Service. The Run on this Machine setting will show the PC name that the service has been designated to run on. 

To change this setting, you would need to untick the Run on this Machine setting on the current service PC, before re-ticking it on the new service PC. If you plan to move Tradebox from one PC to another, you should also untick this setting prior to taking the backup that you plan to restore on the new machine. 

The data service will always launch hidden to the your Windows System Tray. (normally next to your PC's clock in the lower right of your screen. Often you'll click a small arrow pointing up to see the system tray, it may have a description of 'show hidden icons'.) If you ever need to open the data service window to check it's running, right-click the system tray icon  and choose Open Tradebox Data Service. This will display the service window which shows a mirror of the Logs screen from within the main UI. To hide the data service back to the system tray again, click the Hide button.

Click Close only if you wish to exit the service for maintenance or troubleshooting. To relaunch the service, close and reopen the main Tradebox One UI.

When Tradebox is open, the service indicator is visible in the upper right of the program.  indicates that the service is running.  indicates that the service is stopped, and you'll also see (Service Offline) in the top border of the main UI. 

In normal circumstances, the service will start automatically on the PC where it is configured to run and not require any user input. If the service is stopped, no new orders will be downloaded so checking the service indicator should be the first port of call if you’re having trouble downloading orders. It's perfectly normal to see the service flicking between online and offline throughout the day, as the service will reboot itself after every cycle, as well as closing itself to allow certain routines such as backups to run.

It’s important to be aware that antivirus software or Windows User Account Control/Smartscreen may prevent the service from running. If you see any notifications around either Tradebox One (Tradebox.exe) or the Data Service (Tradebox_Service.exe), ensure you’re marking these as safe and allowing the processes to continue running. See our anti-virus article for more details.

In A Single User Environment

After Tradebox has been launched for the first time and the service enabled, the Tradebox Data Service should start running on your PC. The service is set to automatic startup, meaning it should always run following a reboot of the PC, even if the main Tradebox UI is not currently open.

To check the status of either application, launch Windows Task Manager or view the list of running processes. Tradebox.exe is the main Tradebox One UI and Tradebox_Service.exe is the Tradebox Data Service.

In A Multi User Environment

If Tradebox is installed on multiple PCs with several users accessing the data over a network, you'll need to decide which PC you want the Tradebox Data Service to run on. We recommend that this should be the same PC where the data is held. Once enabled on a specified PC, the service will run only on that PC. To enable it on another machine, the Run on this Machine box in Configuration > Data Service must be deselected on the original machine first.

The service is set to automatic startup, meaning it should always run automatically on the specified PC following a reboot, even if the main Tradebox UI is not currently open.

Note: The Tradebox One installer will attempt to add the Data Service to the startup group both for the current Windows user and the general startup group for the PC if the installing user account has sufficient permissions. If your Service PC is regularly left running without a Windows user logged in while you're using Tradebox (or if you want constant download/upload), your local IT support should be able to help ensure that both the Tradebox Data Service and the Tradebox Application Service are running following reboot/user logout. The appropriate .exes for these applications can be found by going to Support within the main Tradebox UI and clicking the Program Folder, which contains Tradebox_Service.exe and Tradebox_Application_Service.exe 

Performing certain processes on a PC where the service is not currently running can still stop the service on another PC. For example, taking a backup on PC A will temporarily stop the service on PC B so that a backup can be taken. A third application, the Tradebox Application Service is responsible for sending commands to the data service; this will then tell the data service on PC B to relaunch once the backup process has completed.

The Tradebox Application Service  will launch following install and then immediately hide itself.

Once running, the Tradebox Application Service can only be shut down through Task Manager on your PC. In normal circumstances it should always be running; only exit this application if you're updating your version of Tradebox One or if you're instructed to by Tradebox Support.

Constant Download

Because the Tradebox Data Service runs on a constant loop checking for and downloading orders, you may wish for this to continue running overnight so Tradebox is always up to date, rather than waiting for the first batch of orders to be downloaded each morning. This can be achieved by:

• Leaving one Tradebox PC powered on with the Tradebox Data Service running. Normally this means a user should remain logged in to Windows on that machine

and

• Leaving the PC or server that holds the Tradebox data powered on and connected to your network

Note - you can check your data location from any machine via Support > Data Folder

In most cases we’d expect the same machine to fulfil both requirements. If your data is held on a local server that is always on, it makes sense to install Tradebox on that machine even if users will not normally be running the program from there. So long as the data service is running, you’ll have constant unattended download.