How to automate stock price update?

Since Quicken Mac will not automatically update prices each day, can this be done with IFTTT? Automator? Alfred? Has anyone created one of these workarounds that you could share?
Tilting at Windmills

Best Answer

  • RickO
    RickO SuperUser, Mac Beta Beta
    Answer ✓
    In Quicken > Preferences > Connected Services, you can select "Automatically Update Investment Quotes Every 60 Minutes". Quicken will then update quotes every time it's been launched if longer than 60 minutes.

    You could certainly automate Quicken to launch, stay open for a bit and then quit using any number of tools. But why bother since you don't care what quote numbers it has unless you are looking at it.

    If the above doesn't work for you, is that because you're leaving Quicken open all the time, 24/7? It's not really recommended to do that due to the possibility of database corruption in the case of system crash. 

    The only way to manually force a quote update, other than a full online account update, is to click the circle/arrow icon at the top right of any investment account Portfolio view. Unfortunately, there isn't a menu item equivalent for this. You could use Keyboard Maestro to build a macro that would click this icon for you. I've done it -- it's a pretty complicated macro. I eventually turned it off since it just wasn't worth it.

    BTW, since you seem to be someone interested in automations, you may want to check out KM. it's a very powerful tool that's useful to automate many things in Quicken, especially making keyboard shortcuts for functions that don't have menu commands (eg. register selection).
    Quicken Mac Subscription; Quicken Mac user since the early 90s

Answers

  • Oh, any downsides? Would it work just to open and then close Quicken?
    Tilting at Windmills
  • RickO
    RickO SuperUser, Mac Beta Beta
    Answer ✓
    In Quicken > Preferences > Connected Services, you can select "Automatically Update Investment Quotes Every 60 Minutes". Quicken will then update quotes every time it's been launched if longer than 60 minutes.

    You could certainly automate Quicken to launch, stay open for a bit and then quit using any number of tools. But why bother since you don't care what quote numbers it has unless you are looking at it.

    If the above doesn't work for you, is that because you're leaving Quicken open all the time, 24/7? It's not really recommended to do that due to the possibility of database corruption in the case of system crash. 

    The only way to manually force a quote update, other than a full online account update, is to click the circle/arrow icon at the top right of any investment account Portfolio view. Unfortunately, there isn't a menu item equivalent for this. You could use Keyboard Maestro to build a macro that would click this icon for you. I've done it -- it's a pretty complicated macro. I eventually turned it off since it just wasn't worth it.

    BTW, since you seem to be someone interested in automations, you may want to check out KM. it's a very powerful tool that's useful to automate many things in Quicken, especially making keyboard shortcuts for functions that don't have menu commands (eg. register selection).
    Quicken Mac Subscription; Quicken Mac user since the early 90s
  • Thanks good information.

    Does Quicken update when it opens?

    (I want to be able to look at historic valuations, particularly on heavy trade days, so I would like it daily.)

    Does/can it link with Quicken Online to do that? Or is that a whole separate program that I'd need to pay for?

    Instead of the circle, can't I select Accounts/Update Accts?

    One last wrinkle...I prefer to keep Quicken Password protected....any issues with KM, IFTTT, or Automator?

    I used to do macros years ago in Microsoft products, but I haven't quite understood the model used in ifttt or automator. Old age has crept up.

    You didn't refer to Automator or IFTTT....not familiar with them, or don't think they'd be good?
    Tilting at Windmills
  • RickO
    RickO SuperUser, Mac Beta Beta
    Yes, if you have the alway update turned on, it will update when Quicken opens. However, in any Portfolio view, you can easily see any previous date's prices and values by changing the date in the "Price and Holdings as of" field at the top right.

    You do not need to using Quicken Web or Mobile for quotes update to work on the desktop. Those quotes will sync to Quicken Web/Mobile. Keep in mind that Quicken Web/Mobile are a supplement to QMac, not a substitute. They are included with your subscription.

    The circle/arrow icon at the top of the sidebar and the menu Accounts > Update All Online Accounts do the exact same thing.

    If your Quicken file is password protected, then any automation would have to know or have access to the password to get the file opened. Specific automations:

    IFTTT: I do use IFTTT a bit but to my knowledge IFTTT has no interaction with Quicken. The "Then" actions in IFTTT are generally interactions with internet devices or services, not local things like launching a program. Even if possible, there would be no way to have IFTTT enter the password.

    Automator similarly would not be useful. It has no Quicken actions. It could be used to launch Quicken (since it can open any file via the finder), but there'd be no way to enter a password.

    KM could be used to launch Quicken and enter the password. You would either have to store the password within KM in clear text, or you could store the password in the macOS Login Keychain encrypted and have KM extract it from there. I could provide example macros if you get stuck creating one.
    Quicken Mac Subscription; Quicken Mac user since the early 90s
  • Chris_QPW
    Chris_QPW Member ✭✭✭✭
    I'm a little baffled at what the problems is here that needs to be solved.

    If you request to download quotes it can get daily quotes for 30 days.  After that they get spaced out farther the farther back in time you go.  So basically updating at least once a month should do it.  So I don't really see the purpose of getting quotes once a day if you don't even intend to look at them until another day.
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