A chartbook will not open, or opens empty in Sierra Chart

What is causing it

The chartbook file is missing or has been moved, it references a data service or symbols you are no longer connected to, or it uses studies that your current service package does not enable.

Why this happens

A chartbook stores references to symbols, studies and settings, not the data itself. When it opens, the platform resolves those references against your current connection and entitlements, and anything it cannot resolve is simply absent.

That is why the same chartbook can work perfectly on one machine or one service and look broken on another.

The fix, step by step

1. Confirm the chartbook file is still in the platform's data folder, since chartbooks are files and can be moved or deleted like any other.
2. Open the message log after loading, as it will report studies or symbols it could not resolve.
3. If charts load but symbols show no data, check that you are connected to the data service the chartbook was built against, because symbol naming differs between services.
4. If studies are missing, check whether they require a higher service package than your account currently has.
5. Keep backups of chartbooks you rely on, so a corrupted or lost file is an inconvenience rather than a rebuild.
6. If a chartbook consistently fails, rebuild it from a working one rather than repeatedly reopening the broken file.

How to confirm it is fixed

The chartbook opens with every chart present, every study drawn, and live data on each symbol.

Stopping it happening again

Back up your chartbooks regularly and note which data service each one was built for.