This page outlines the steps that you need to follow in order to set up and run a MarketLink session.

If you have not registered on EconPort, you need to do that in the box labelled "Experimenter Login" in sidebar to the left. If you have registered but are not logged in, log in in order to proceed with setting up and running a MarketLink session.

One of the main steps in setting up and running a MarketLink session is to include a configuration for the experiment on your account. You can do this in one of two ways. We have prepared several configurations for commodity markets and one for an asset market. You can use any of these configuration files, which we recommend when you begin using MarketLink, or you can modify one of these configurations according to your own needs.

Install a Prepared Configuration

This link provides instructions on how to include a prepared configuration in your EconPort account.

Customize a Configuration

This link provides instructions on how to customize a MarletLink configuration.

Start the MarketLink Server

If you have created your configuration and your experiment, then you are ready to run an experiment session. To verify that your experiment is ready to run, and to start the MarketLink Server, click on "Experiments" in the "User Menu" box on the left side of this page. When the experiment is set up, you'll see that in the "Actions" column for your experiment session, there is a button labelled "Run" on the right side of the "Experiments" page. Click on the 'Run' button to start the MarketLink Server for your session. (If you see a File Download dialog box after you click 'Run', click Open to open the Server.) As soon as you enter a 'Session Name' and a 'Session Log' the MarketLink Server will start and is then available to accept connections from MarketLink Client applications.

Start the MarketLink Session

As Client connections are made they appear in the "MarketLink - Server Control" window on the Server tab. Once all of the students have logged into the experiment session, you can start the MarketLink Server by clicking "Start Session."