Automated Trading, Strategy Testing and Optimization Articles

Automated trading in MetaTrader

The main advantage of the MetaTrader trading terminal is the ability to create automated trading systems, which can perform trading operations, without the intervention of the trader, thus eliminating the influence of psychology on the results of the trade. To do this, we need to formulate a trading strategy and implement it in the form of a program in the MQL language. In addition, aside from the standard technical indicators of the market, you can create your own indicators and visualize them in the trading terminal.

Writing trading programs

However, not all traders are programmers, so on forums we often see posts such as "Programmer needed". Many programmers provide such services as writing Expert Advisors and indicators in the MQL language. Work consisting of writing trading Expert Advisors has a certain specificity, the algorithm must be clearly formalized (see article An Expert Advisor Made to Order. Manual for a Trader), otherwise the customer might receive not what expected, so there might be a misunderstandings.

An each side of the contract (the customer and the programmer who implements a solution) would wish to reduce these unpleasant factors. The programmer would like to be sure that the task will be clearly formulated, accepted, and paid for on time. The customer needs the job to be done within the required time period and in the specified volume. As we know, the best advertisement is the recommendations - a lists of qualified programmers (in Russian) is periodically discussed at the Forum. We tried to implement all of this in one place.

Jobs section at MQL5.com

The main difference between the "Jobs" service at MQL5.community and the majority of similar resources and services on other websites, is the security. The customer and the programmer are secured from each others' negligent actions throughout the whole period of joint work. In the event of a dispute, the MetaQuotes Software Corp. is ready to assume the role of the Arbitrator.

Even if as a customer, you have already found a programmer who is willing to take on this task, we recommend you to use the new service because it provides many details, which are often overlooked in the preliminary discussions. And vice versa, if you're a programmer, you receive a proposal for writing an automated trading system, indicator, etc. for a specified amount of money. In order to maximally formalize your relationship with the customer, and to conduct the project in a single, common standard, you can offer the second side to transfer their agreement into the form of a new order into the Jobs section.

In this article we will discuss how to use the "Jobs" service for placing and performing a task.

1. Creating a New Job

So, we need to place an order for the creation of an Expert Adviser, go to the "Jobs" section and select the "New" item:

Figure 1. Creating a New Job

After this you will be able to specify the details of the task:

Figure 2. Editing the task

• The Name (brief information about the task which needs to be completed)
• Estimated cost (specified in U.S. Dollars)
• Tentative time-frame (specified in days)
• Categories (specify one or two categories of the task): Indicators, Experts, Libraries, Scripts, Integration, Other)
• Description (information about the task, at this stage it is not necessary to provide a detailed requirement specification)

As in any business, you must be a realist. If you specify too small of a compensation, you risk not getting any proposals for the task implementation, or getting a proposal of a low quality. If you still cannot decide on the complexity, and hence on the cost of the task, yet can postpone specifying it.

In the "Categories" section, you need to specify one or two (no more than that) categories of the task, which need to be completed, and click "Apply":

Figure 3. Job categories

In our case, you need to write an Expert Advisor, so choose the category "Expert Advisor".

After this, in the "New" section, you will see an order for the performance of the task, and this order will be displayed in the "Jobs" section for all MQL5 users:

Figure 4. Placing a task order

The first step has been taken, now we simply have to wait for someone to take the order, and prepare for the questions related to it.

2. Processing the orders for executing this job

To inform the customer about the willingness to perform the job, Applicants need to apply for its implementation:

Figure 5. Taking part in the job

The current orders for the task implementation are seen by all users of the MQL5.community. When the orders are submitted by the Applicants, they fall into the category of "Unprocessed".

If you are ready to take on the order, then in your application you can specify additional information, which characterizes you as a developer. This could be your Articles, published scripts in Code Base, links to job portfolios, and so on. This will help the Customer to obtain a better understanding about you, and therefore, make a decision in your favor.

If there are some new messages in the Job, a bag icon will appear, that notifies updates in the jobs:

Figure 6. Updates in jobs

Click on the bag icon to see new messages.

Further actions of the Customer is the processing of applications for job implementation. This is done by moving the applications into the categories "Selected", "Candidates", or "Rejected":

Figure 7. The list of applications from Candidates for taking part in the job

The suitable Applicants for the job can be placed into the "Candidates" group, and further discussions about the job's details can be held with them.

When Applicants are placed into the "Candidates" group, they are informed about this, and the following message is placed into the respective Orders:

Once the Customer decides on the most appropriate Applicant for the execution of the job, the application needs to be moved to the "Selected" category:

Figure 8. Selecting the Contractor for the job

In this example, the Customer Alexander_Demidov placed the orders of the users Mikhail_Antonov and Greg_Maltsev into the "candidates" group. The order of the user Mikhail_Antonov will be moved to the "Selected" category. The transfer of the Order to the "Selected" category indicates that the Customer has chosen the Contractor of the task.

It is important to note once again, that the "Selected" category can contain an Order from only one Applicant. Try to clarify all questions about the proposed job by this point, it is desirable to re-read all of the messages sent to each other, before proceeding to the next step.

3. Executing the Job

The process of executing the job consists of six steps. Passing the first five steps are confirmed by the Customer and the Contractor.

The last step - paying for the completed jobs - is done automatically.

A brief description of the actions of the Customer and the Contractor on each of the steps is provided in Table 1.

Table 1. The actions of the Customer and the Contractor for each of the steps

The discussion of details and material exchange is produced in the messages of a particular task.

3.1 Step 1: Work Agreement

To confirm the start of working with a specific Contractor, the Customer needs to move the selected Order for the job implementation into the "Selected" category, and verify his agreement to the author of the Order:

Figure 9. Confirming Contractor selection

After this, in the discussion you will see a confirmation of the step, "Work agreement":

Figure 10. Confirmation of the "Work Agreement" step by the Customer

Both Customer and Contractor will be informed with such Push notifications after passing each step.

The Contractor must also confirm his agreement for the implementation of the job:

Figure 11. Confirmation of the "Work Agreement" step by the Contractor

After the agreement of the Contractor to implement the job, the working agreement is completed:

Figure 12. The "Work Agreement" step confirmed by both parties

As seen in Figure 11, step "Work agreement" is now displayed by a light green color. This indicated that the step has been completed.

The Customer and the Contractor may continue to negotiate and discuss the details of the technical specification, the final cost, and the tentative time of implementation.

3.2 Step 2. Negotiation of Requirements

The Negotiation of Requirements is an important step for further cooperation. Discuss all the nuances of the future solution, ask questions, even if the answers to them seem obvious. After all, the main problem is the lack of understanding, when one party assumed some things to be obvious and present by default, the other party may not see it that way, and therefor certain factors may not be considered equally important by both parties, and thus not handled appropriately.

Figure 13. The requirements to the Expert Advisor

When you discuss the Requirements, you can also attach it in your comments as files with allowed extensions.

Figure 14. Attaching the Requirements while discussing the job

You need to establish a clear understanding of each item in the Technical Specifications. Don't forget to indicate in what form the provided prototypes, demonstrations, and transfers of implemented jobs will be produced.

Before confirming step 2, the Customer should provide a final list of Requirements as an attachment. All the requirements must be specified. If necessary, the requirements can be presented using the images.

The Customer must provide the final version of the Technical Specification, establish the amount of the payment, and the terms and deadlines of job implementation.

Figure 15. Confirmation of technical Specifications by the Customer and approving the final cost of the job

The Contractor must agree to the terms of the technical Specifications and the final cost of the job:

Figure 16. Confirmation of agreement with the Technical Specifications by the Contractor and approving the final cost of the job

Confirmation by both parties of the Technical Specifications must contain all requirements of the Order.

The confirmation at the given step indicated that all jobs will be produced in full compliance with the final version of the Technical Specifications. No other preliminary agreements, written or oral, not described in the Technical Specifications, can be taken into account when evaluating an issue or complaint.

After confirmation by both parties of the step "Negotiation of Requirements", you will see the following message in the discussions:

Figure 17. Confirming the "Negotiation of Requirements" step

3.3 Step 3. Prototype/Model

The first step in implementing the Order is to agree on the prototype or model of the Order. At this stage, the following things can be specified: the elements of the interface, the order and the names of input parameters, the external appearance of the indicator, and the type of outbound messages, etc. Usually, this type of model allows you to gain an understanding about the required functioning and external view of the future program.

If the main purpose of the Order is to create an information system, which helps the trader to analyze the current market situation, then the model can be represented as a design of the future system, including the order of every management element in it. For an Expert Advisor, the model can be a flowchart, which demonstrates the process of decision making in the future trading robot. Basically, at this stage we need to decide upon the selected direction, and subsequently follow it.

The harmonization of the prototype/model is an important step in mutual understanding between the Customer and the Contractor in the work process. Try to find admissible solutions, which will not hinder the execution process of the Order.

The Contractor provides the Customer with the prototype/model of the future programming product. If the Customer has no comments on the materials, provided by the Contractor, then the Customer must grant his confirmation in order to move to the next step.

If some vital part in the prototype/model does not meet the requirements, described in the Technical Specifications, then the prototype can be sent for a revision, with an indicated reason of the revision, and a proposal for eliminating the comment. It is important to understand that some seemingly minor requests, changes, or refinements of the Order, can in practice lead to major changes in the code, a significant increase of the time of development, and the cost of the future solution. Therefore, always try to find a compromise, which suits both, the Customer and the Contractor.

After the Customer's confirmation of the prototype / model, the main discussions will be limited to the logic of the program, and in comments, you will see the following message:

Figure 18. Confirming the "Prototype/Model" step

3.4 Step 4. Demonstration

After agreeing on a prototype of the program, the Contractor proceeds to the final implementation of the order. During the process of the job's implementation, it is desirable that the Contractor continues to clarify the arising issues in the commentaries.

Once all of the requirements, specified in the Technical Specifications, have been implemented, it is time to demonstrate the finished job to the Customer. The job must meet the formal requirements of the Technical Specifications and the prototype/model must be approved by the Customer. Additional comments, which arise over the course of the job, may be rejected by the Contractor, if they were not discussed over the preliminary stages.

The type of format the demonstration will be produced in - depends on the nature of the Order. For Expert Advisors this can be the provision of test reports for a pre-specified period. This may also require the provision of additional logs about the work of the Expert Advisor, on a specific demo account of a specific broker, etc. This can be an attached video, or even a video conference, or a provision of a remote access to the Contractor's terminal, on which the finished program can be executed.

All of the demonstration stages should also be reflected in the commentaries to the Order, where the Customer can ask questions, with attached screenshots, and the Contractor can respond to them. The purpose of the demonstration and its discussion is to ensure the Customer that the Ordered job has been done properly, and in the volume, which has been agreed upon.

After the demonstration has been produced, the Customer must either confirm that the submitted materials satisfy the nature of the Order, or refuse it, providing a list of unimplemented requirements of the Technical Specifications. If necessary, the Executive takes a little time to correct the identified deficiencies, and produces a new demonstration.

The process of validation of the step "Demonstration" is also automatically recorded by the Jobs service:

Figure 19. Confirming the "Demonstration" step

3.5 Step 5. Work Acceptance

The Contractor finally passes to the Customer all of the materials on the implemented job, in the specified volume. Typically, the solution is transferred in its source code, since the version of the compiler may change in the future, and this will require recompiling the solution. If for some reason the source codes are not transferred, and only the compiled execution codes is available, then the issue of future updates should be addressed as early as at the stage of Technical Specifications preparation. Issues, related to solution's updates, are not handles by the administration of the Jobs resources, and can not be presented for appeal to the arbitrage.

The questions of further usage of the obtained results in other developments, by the Customer or the Contractor, as well as the authorization of passing the solutions to third parties on paid or free bases, should also be addressed in the Technical Specifications, and also can not be raised before the arbitrage after the transfer is complete. The administration of the Jobs section does not have the ability to track down the execution of such requests, and the optimum guarantee for both parties in such cases is their personal reputation.

The fact of the transfer of implemented jobs must be reflected in the commentaries, where you should describe in details the way that the transfer has been implemented. If the job is transferred via email, then the Contractor should indicate this in the commentaries and specify when and to what mailbox was the job sent to. The Customer, in turn, confirms the receivership of such letter, and indicates the time it was received. Even if the transfer is implemented right in the commentaries to the Order, it should still be mentioned in it that commentary that the Contractor is transferring the final solution, in full accordance to the Technical Specifications.

After the materials have been transferred, the Contractor waits for the confirmation of receivership by the Customer. If within three days, the Customer does not write any commentaries to the Order about any issues arising with the job, or doesn't engage in any type of communication, three days after the Contractor confirms the transfer, then the job is considered accepted automatically.

Figure 20. Confirming the "Work Agreement" step

3.6 Step 6. Payment

After the step "Work Acceptance" has been done, the job is considered completed, and the payment for it will automatically be transfered from the Customer's account to the Contractor's account. No actions from the Customer are required to implement the payment

Figure 21. Job payment

After its completion, the job is transferred to the "Completed" section

Figure 22. Job is complete

4. Feedback about the job

After the completion of the job, the Customer and the Contractor have the opportunity to write a feedback about the working cooperation and assign it a quality rank.

The list of jobs, completed by the Customer or the Contractor, can be found in the "Jobs" section of the user's profile.

An example of feedback, posted by Customer is presented at figure 20.

Figure 23. The list of jobs completed by Mikhail Antonov

The Contractor also can post his feedback about the finished job:

Figure 24. Feedback from the job Contractors hired by Alexander Demidov

Conclusion

If you are a trader with a ready-made trading strategy, but do not know how to program in MQL5/MQL4, then the "Jobs" service is perfect for you. With this service you will obtain a simple, controllable, and safe opportunity to find the right developer who will write an Expert Advisor or an indicator for you. Any registered user can accept your offer and develop the desired program for you.

With the launch of the "Jobs" service, the MQL5.community became an ideal place for placing orders and providing programming services. Thousands of traders and developers visit this resource on a daily basis, and can easily help each other. For a trader, the "Jobs" service is the opportunity to easily obtain his own Expert Advisor. For an MQL5-developer, it is an opportunity to easily find a client.