Can I place orders by hand on the exchange
Yes, but Trade doesn’t count manual fills toward any combo. Know how they affect your combos before you trade by hand.
After a manual order
A combo counts only the orders it placed. After you open or close by hand on an account and contract a combo is using:
The combo’s combo position stays the same while the actual position on the exchange changes. The difference shows up in reconciliation. With the difference alert on, a position difference alert is sent once a contract leg’s difference stays at or above the Alert amount for 10 seconds in a row. Differences on spot and margin legs are shown for reference only and never alert.
If automatic alignment is on, a contract leg holds less on the exchange than its combo position (for example, you closed some by hand), and the difference stays at or above the Automatic alignment amount for 10 seconds in a row, Trade lowers the combo position, reduces at market where needed, and the combo becomes reduce-only. Automatic alignment only reduces. A difference you create by adding to a position by hand doesn’t trigger it.
Manual fills aren’t counted in combo PnL.
Let the combo take over the position
For contract legs, use Calibrate combo position to rewrite the combo record from the actual position on the exchange. No orders are placed. Calibration leaves the quantity of spot and margin legs unchanged; to change it, use Set combo position manually, which also places no orders. For other options, see What to do about a position difference alert.