OpenBB/website/content/sdk/faq.md

title, sidebar_position, keywords

title	sidebar_position	keywords
FAQ	6	faq questions openbb terminal troubleshooting errors bugs issues problems installation contributors developers github pip

Still experiencing trouble after consulting this page? Reach us on Discord or visit our contact page.

Installation and Updates

Do I have to use Miniconda?

There are certain dependencies which are sourced exclusively from the conda-forge directory. Other virtual environment managers, such a venv, may not solve the environment properly, resulting in failed package installations or incorrect builds. We highly recommend using Miniconda as the Python virtual environment manager for installing the OpenBB SDK.

How do I update my installation to the latest version?

The code is constantly being updated with new features and bug fixes. The process for updating will vary by the installation type:

• For a pip installation, when a new version is published: pip install -U openbb[all]
• Upgrade a cloned version of the GitHub repo with:

git fetch
git pull
poetry install -E all

Notes: If the cloned repository is a fork, pull from: git pull origin main, or, git pull origin develop. If there are changes locally to the files that conflict with the incoming changes from GitHub, stash them before pulling from main with git stash.

PyPi Nightly

The nightly build can be installed with:

pip install openbb-nightly[all]

Note: This version may not be stable and should not be used in a production setting.

"Microsoft Visual C++ 14.0 or greater is required"

Download and install C++ Build Tools, restart the machine, then try again.

Error: failed building wheel for bt

There may be an additional message that is printed from this error, stating: "Microsoft Visual C++ 14.0 or greater is required. Get it with "Microsoft C++ Build Tools".

Download and install it. https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/visual-cpp-build-tools/

Mac and Linux users may also encounter a similar error because a C++ compiler is not installed. Install Homebrew:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Then run:

brew install gcc
brew install cmake

Additionally, Mac users should install Rosetta:

softwareupdate --install-rosetta

Miniconda3 will not install on ARM/Linux Raspberry Pi machines.

Refer to this issue on the Conda GitHub page.

Import Errors

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named '______'

Before troubleshooting please verify that the recommended installation instructions were followed. These errors often can occur when the virtual environment has not been activated, or the poetry install command was skipped. Activate the OpenBB virtual environment created during the installation process prior to launching or importing the SDK.

Terminal:

conda activate obb
python terminal.py

SDK:

conda activate obb
ipython
from openbb_terminal.sdk import openbb

Jupyter:

Check that the kernel selected for the session is the OpenBB virtual environment created during the installation process and then re-run the cell.

from openbb_terminal.sdk import openbb

There is also a possibility that a new dependency has been added to the code and it has not yet been installed in the environment. This may happen after updating the code from GitHub, but before running the poetry install install command.

poetry install -E all

SSL certificates fail to authorize

SSL: CERTIFICATE_VERIFY_FAILED

An error message, similar to above, is usually encountered while attempting to use the OpenBB Platform from behind a firewall. A workplace environment is typically the most common occurrence. Try connecting to the internet directly through a home network to test the connection. If using a work computer and/or network, we recommend speaking with the company's IT department prior to installing or running any software.

A potential solution is to try:

pip install pip-system-certs

Cannot connect due to proxy connection.

Find the .env file (located at the root of the user account folder: (~/.openbb_terminal/.env), and add a line at the bottom of the file with:

HTTP_PROXY="<ADDRESS>" or HTTPS_PROXY="<ADDRESS>” 

General Operation

What is the correct format for entering dates to function variables?

Dates should be entered as a string variable, inside of quotation marks, formatted as %Y-%m-%d - YYYY-MM-DD.

Does the portfolio menu allow for dividends, interest, or other distributions?

Currently, this is only possible by manually updating the portfolio file.

Why does my Portfolio file fail to load?

This can be the result of a formatting error, check the file in a simple text editor to observe any abnormalities in the formatting; or, it could be a bug - check the GitHub issues page for similar errors.

• Check that all the necessary column titles are present.
• Inspect the file to see if cells left blank have been filled unintentionally with 0 or NaN values.
• A particular asset may not be able to load data. Check for valid historical data from the Stocks menu.
• Format ticker symbols according to yFinance naming convention.
• All dates must be entered as YYYY-MM-DD.
• Transactions dated for today will fail to load historical data.
• MacOS users should attempt to avoid using the Numbers application as it has a habit of changing the formatting while saving.

Files can be formatted as either .csv or .xlsx files, and the required column headers are:

[Date,Type,Ticker,Side,Price,Quantity,Fees,Investment,Currency,Sector,Industry,Country,Region]

See the guide here for more information.

How do I change the chart styles?

Place style sheets in this folder: OpenBBUserData/styles/user

To select the light themes:

from openbb_terminal.sdk import TerminalStyle
theme = TerminalStyle("light", "light", "light")

To select the dark themes:

from openbb_terminal.sdk import TerminalStyle
theme = TerminalStyle("dark", "dark", "dark")

Where are the included stock screener presets located?

The files are located in the folder with the code, under:

~/openbb_terminal/miscellaneous/stocks/screener

Alternatively, the source code on GitHub is here

Data and Sources

Please note that OpenBB does not provide any data, it is an aggregator which provides users access to data from a variety of sources. OpenBB does not maintain or have any control over the raw data supplied. If there is a specific problem with the output from a data provider, please consider contacting them first.

Data from today is missing.

By default, the load function requests end-of-day daily data and is not included until the EOD summary has been published. The current day's data is considered intraday and is loaded when the interval argument is present.

df = openbb.stocks.load(SPY, interval = 60)

Can I stream live prices and news feeds?

It is not currently possible to stream live feeds with the OpenBB SDK.

"Pair BTC/USDT not found in binance"

US-based users are currently unable to access the Binance API. Please try loading the pair from a different source, for example:

load btc --source CCXT --exchange kraken

General Troubleshooting

Both Windows and MacOS provide a "developer mode", and enabling it may help.

MacOS: Go to the System Settings, and under the "Privacy and Security" tab, scroll to the bottom and select the option to "Allow applications downloaded from App Store and identified developers". Then, scroll up to click on, "Developer Tools", and add Terminal.app and Visual Studio Code (or the preferred code editor) to the list of applications allowed to run software locally that does not meet the system's security policy.

Windows: Go to the Control Panel, and under the "Privacy & Security" tab, click on, "For developers". Under this menu, turn "Developer Mode" on.

From the Windows Security menu, click on the Firewall & Network Protection tab, then click on "Allow an app through firewall". If the applications below are not allowed to communicate through Windows Defender Firewall, change the settings to allow.

• BranchCache
• Hyper-V
• VcXsrv
• Windows Terminal

Why does a specific menu or command not exist?

It could be that you are running an outdated version in which the menu or command is not yet available. Please check the installation guide to download the most recent release.

Do note that it is also possible that the menu or command has been deprecated. If this is oversight, please reach out to us here.

Bugs, Support, and Feedback

When an error is encountered, it is always a good idea to check the open issues on GitHub. There may be a workaround solution for the specific problem until a patch is released.

How often are patches for bugs released?

The installer versions are packaged approximately every two-weeks. Those working with a cloned GitHub version can checkout the Develop branch to get the latest fixes and releases before they are pushed to the main branch.

git checkout develop

How do I report a bug?

First, search the open issues for another report. If one already exists, attach any relevant information and screenshots as a comment. If one does not exist, start one with this link

How can I get help with OpenBB Terminal?

You can get help with OpenBB Terminal by joining our Discord server or contact us in our support form here.

How can I give feedback about the OpenBB Terminal, or request specific functionality?

Being an open source platform that wishes to tailor to the needs of any type of investor, we highly encourage anyone to share with us their experience and/or how we can further improve the OpenBB Terminal. This can be anything from a very small bug, a new feature, or the implementation of a highly advanced Machine Learning model.

You are able to directly send us information about a bug or a question/suggestion from inside the terminal by using the support command which is available everywhere in the terminal. Here you can select which command you want to report a bug on, ask a question or make a suggestion. After entering support, when you press ENTER (⏎), you are taken to the Support form which is automatically filled with your input. You are only required to include the type (e.g. bug, suggestion or question) and message in the form, although this can also be set directly from inside the terminal (see support -h).

Alternatively, you can contact us via the following routes:

• If you notice that a feature is missing inside the terminal, please fill in the Request a Feature form.
• If you wish to report a bug, have a question/suggestion or anything else, please fill in the Support form.
• If you wish to speak to us directly, please contact us on Discord.

Developer Issues

Error: "git pull" fails because of a hot fix: cannot lock ref

If the error message looks something like:

cannot lock ref: 'refs/remotes/origin/hotfix' exists; cannot create

Try:

git remote prune origin
git pull

What does it mean if it says wheel is missing?

If you receive any notifications regarding wheel missing, this could be due to this dependency missing.

conda install -c conda-forge wheel or pip install wheel

Why do these .whl files not exist?

If you get errors about .whl files not existing (usually on Windows) you have to reinitialize the following folder. Just removing the 'artifacts' folder could also be enough:

Platform	Location
Linux	"~/.cache/pypoetry"
Mac	"~/Library/Caches/pypoetry"
Windows	"%localappdata%/pypoetry/cache"

When you try to add a package to Poetry it is possible that it causes a similar issue. Here you can remove the 'artifacts' folder again to reinitialize Poetry.

If you run into trouble with Poetry, and the advice above did not help, your best bet is to try

• poetry update --lock
• conda deactivate -> conda activate obb, then try again
• Track down the offensive package and purge it from your anaconda <environment_name> folder, then try again

Platform	Location
Linux/Mac	~/anaconda3/envs, or , ~/opt/anaconda3/envs
Windows	%userprofile%/anaconda3/envs

• Completely nuke your conda environment folder and make a new environment from scratch

  • conda deactivate
  • conda env remove -n obb
  • conda clean -a
  • Make a new environment and install dependencies again.

• Reboot your computer and try again

• Submit a ticket on GitHub

What does the JSONDecodeError mean during poetry install?

Sometimes poetry can throw a JSONDecodeError on random packages while running poetry install. This can be observed on macOS 10.14+ running python 3.8+. This is because of the use of an experimental installer that can be switched off to avoid the mentioned error. Run the code below as advised here and it should fix the installation process.

poetry config experimental.new-installer false

Commands that may help you in case of an error:

• python -m pip install --upgrade pip
• poetry update --lock
• poetry install

How do I deal with errors regarding CRLF?

When trying to commit code changes, pylint will prevent you from doing so if your line break settings are set to CRLF (default for Windows). This is because the entire package uses LF (default for Linux/Mac), and it is therefore important that you change this setting to LF before you make any changes to the code.

It is possible that CRLF automatically turns back on, you can correct this with:

git config --global core.autocrlf false

In case you already made coding adjustments, you have to reset your cache, and the changes you made to the code with the following:

git rm --cached -r .
git reset --hard

Why can't I run OpenBB via the VS Code integrated terminal?

This occurs when VS Code terminal python version/path is different from the terminal version.

To fix it add this to vscode JSON settings (ref):

    "terminal.integrated.inheritEnv": false,