The Signals feature allows Betting Toolkit to connect to a third-party service that provides signals or tips.

Signals sources and Signals file format

To be processed by Betting Toolkit, Signals can be read from a website by providing the appropriate URL that returns a CSV file, or from a local CSV file. It is possible to specify multiple signal sources, and for each of them set a different method for recognizing selections and, if needed, enable automatic updates at a defined interval.

To be compatible with Betting Toolkit, the Signals file may contain the following columns:

• Provider: name of the Signals provider
• SelectionId: ID of the selection in the Betfair market catalogue, usually a numeric string
• marketid: ID of the market in the Betfair market catalogue
• SelectionName: name of the selection in the Betfair market catalogue
• MarketName: name of the market in the Betfair market catalogue
• MarketType: type of market in Betfair terminology (e.g., MATCH_ODDS, OVER_UNDER_25, CORRECT_SCORE, etc.)
• BetType: can be either BACK or LAY
• EventName: name of the event in the Betfair market catalogue
• EventId: ID of the event in the Betfair market catalogue
• Handicap: optional value used to identify selections in Asian handicap markets. Default is 0 (zero).
• Price: odds to be used for the bet (optional). If specified, it can be used to place the bet, with the understanding that it may remain unmatched depending on market conditions.
• MinPrice: optional condition for the minimum odds required for the tip to be valid
• MaxPrice: optional condition for the maximum odds required for the tip to be valid
• Points: this value represents a possible stake multiplier that can be used in Betting Toolkit Automation

The fields in bold can be used for signal recognition and validation.

Field names must be specified in the first row of the CSV file, while field values must be enclosed in double quotes, as shown in the following example:

Provider,SelectionId,MarketId,SelectionName,MarketName,EventName,MarketType,BetType,Price
"Nome del Provider","","","The Draw","Match Odds","Sporting Lisbon v Braga","MATCH_ODDS","LAY","1.23"

Signals Validation 

Signals recognition or validation involves identifying the event, the market, and the specific selection of the bet. To ensure this identification is accurate and the signal is therefore valid, two types of matching can be used, which must be selected in the source options:

• marketid, selectionid : this method uniquely identifies the selection using the two IDs provided, which must match the IDs in the Betfair market catalogue. When identifying selections by ID, it is important to ensure that the IDs provided by the source are compatible with the version of the Betfair catalogue corresponding to your account’s jurisdiction. 
• eventname, markettype, selectioname: this method uses the event name, selection name, and market type to uniquely identify the selection. When identifying by name, the names provided must be compatible with the language set in the source properties.

Depending on the method used, the fields indicated in bold must be present and populated.

When a signal is valid, it is displayed with a green icon; when it is not valid, it is displayed with a red icon.

A signal may be invalid because the event has already finished, or because it was not possible to uniquely identify the selection due to missing data from the source or inconsistencies with the Betfair market catalogue.

Using Signals

Signals can be used in Betting Toolkit Automation through the Place Bets by Signals action.

Signals Window

The Signals window is organized into two sections. In the upper section, the sources (URL or file) that generate the signals are listed, while in the lower section the signals are displayed.

Sources List

The commands for the sources list allow you to add a new source, edit it, delete it, or refresh the signals from the selected sources.

The sources table lists all available sources with:

• Name
• URL or file path
• Whether automatic updates are enabled
• The interval at which updates are performed
• Whether invalid signals are automatically excluded
• The selected algorithm for precise selection identification
• Last update date

Signals List

The commands for the signals list allow you to:

• Delete all signals
• Delete invalid signals
• Delete selected signals
• Edit the selected signal: to use this feature, select only one signal
• Add all markets with a valid signal to the market monitor

Signals are listed row by row, and the columns display their properties. Properties with names enclosed in square brackets are those read directly from the signal, while the others are properties derived by the program during validation and management. These include:

• Source: name of the source that generated the signal. If this field is empty, the signal was entered manually.
• Date: the date when the signal was read and added
• Sport: the type of event associated with the signal
• Start: the scheduled start time of the signal’s market
• Bet ID, Bet Date, Strategy Name: these fields are populated when a strategy has used the signal to place a bet

By double-clicking on a row corresponding to a valid signal, the related Market window will open. Regarding signal deletion functions, note that deleting a signal may be ineffective if a subsequent automatic update from a source reintroduces previously deleted signals.

Manual Signal Creation

A signal can be created manually starting from a market. The signal creation feature is available in both the Market Window and the Markets Monitor window.

In the Market window, click on the Options menu and select “Create Signal…”

The “New Signal” window opens, where you need to click on the selections list to choose the signal’s selection.

In the Markets Monitor window, select the market for which you want to create the signal, right-click, and choose “Create Signal…” from the context menu.

Signals in the Market Window

When one or more signals are available for a market, the Market window displays an icon in the top-right corner indicating their presence. By clicking it, you can open the Signals window and highlight the relevant signals.