MQL4 and MQL5 Programming Articles

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Study the MQL5 language for programming trading strategies in numerous published articles mostly written by you - the community members. The articles are grouped into categories to help you quicker find answers to any questions related to programming: Integration, Tester, Trading Strategies, etc.

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Timeseries in DoEasy library (part 39): Library-based indicators - preparing data and timeseries events
Timeseries in DoEasy library (part 39): Library-based indicators - preparing data and timeseries events

Timeseries in DoEasy library (part 39): Library-based indicators - preparing data and timeseries events

The article deals with applying DoEasy library for creating multi-symbol multi-period indicators. We are going to prepare the library classes to work within indicators and test creating timeseries to be used as data sources in indicators. We will also implement creating and sending timeseries events.
Learn how to design a trading system by Stochastic
Learn how to design a trading system by Stochastic

Learn how to design a trading system by Stochastic

In this article, we continue our learning series — this time we will learn how to design a trading system using one of the most popular and useful indicators, which is the Stochastic Oscillator indicator, to build a new block in our knowledge of basics.
MQL5 Cookbook: Using Indicators to Set Trading Conditions in Expert Advisors
MQL5 Cookbook: Using Indicators to Set Trading Conditions in Expert Advisors

MQL5 Cookbook: Using Indicators to Set Trading Conditions in Expert Advisors

In this article, we will continue to modify the Expert Advisor we have been working on throughout the preceding articles of the MQL5 Cookbook series. This time, the Expert Advisor will be enhanced with indicators whose values will be used to check position opening conditions. To spice it up, we will create a drop-down list in the external parameters to be able to select one out of three trading indicators.
Random Forests Predict Trends
Random Forests Predict Trends

Random Forests Predict Trends

This article considers using the Rattle package for automatic search of patterns for predicting long and short positions of currency pairs on Forex. This article can be useful both for novice and experienced traders.
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Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 35): Creating a Breaker Block Trading System

Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 35): Creating a Breaker Block Trading System

In this article, we create a Breaker Block Trading System in MQL5 that identifies consolidation ranges, detects breakouts, and validates breaker blocks with swing points to trade retests with defined risk parameters. The system visualizes order and breaker blocks with dynamic labels and arrows, supporting automated trading and trailing stops.
Learn how to design a trading system by CCI
Learn how to design a trading system by CCI

Learn how to design a trading system by CCI

In this new article from our series for learning how to design trading systems, I will present the Commodities Channel Index (CCI), explain its specifics, and share with you how to create a trading system based on this indicator.
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OpenAI's ChatGPT features within the framework of MQL4 and MQL5 development

OpenAI's ChatGPT features within the framework of MQL4 and MQL5 development

In this article, we will fiddle around ChatGPT from OpenAI in order to understand its capabilities in terms of reducing the time and labor intensity of developing Expert Advisors, indicators and scripts. I will quickly navigate you through this technology and try to show you how to use it correctly for programming in MQL4 and MQL5.
Advanced Analysis of a Trading Account
Advanced Analysis of a Trading Account

Advanced Analysis of a Trading Account

The article deals with the automatic system for analyzing any trading account in MetaTrader 4 terminal. Technical aspects of a generated report and interpretation of the obtained results are considered. Conclusions on improving trading factors are drawn after the detailed review of the report. MQLab™ Graphic Report script is used for analysis.
Using OpenCL to test candlestick patterns
Using OpenCL to test candlestick patterns

Using OpenCL to test candlestick patterns

The article describes the algorithm for implementing the OpenCL candlestick patterns tester in the "1 minute OHLC" mode. We will also compare its speed with the built-in strategy tester launched in the fast and slow optimization modes.
Using WinInet in MQL5.  Part 2:  POST Requests and Files
Using WinInet in MQL5.  Part 2:  POST Requests and Files

Using WinInet in MQL5. Part 2: POST Requests and Files

In this article, we continue studying the principles of working with Internet using HTTP requests and exchange of information with server. It describes new functions of the CMqlNet class, methods of sending information from forms and sending of files using POST requests as well as authorization on websites under your login using Cookies.
MQL5 Cookbook: Indicator Subwindow Controls - Buttons
MQL5 Cookbook: Indicator Subwindow Controls - Buttons

MQL5 Cookbook: Indicator Subwindow Controls - Buttons

In this article, we will consider an example of developing a user interface with button controls. To convey the idea of interactivity to the user, buttons will change their colors when the cursor hovers over them. With the cursor being over a button, the button color will be slightly darkened, getting significantly darker when the button is clicked. Furthermore, we will add tooltips to each button, thus creating an intuitive interface.
Quick Manual Trading Toolkit: Working with open positions and pending orders
Quick Manual Trading Toolkit: Working with open positions and pending orders

Quick Manual Trading Toolkit: Working with open positions and pending orders

In this article, we will expand the capabilities of the toolkit: we will add the ability to close trade positions upon specific conditions and will create tables for controlling market and pending orders, with the ability to edit these orders.
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Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 11): Developing a Multi-Level Grid Trading System

Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 11): Developing a Multi-Level Grid Trading System

In this article, we develop a multi-level grid trading system EA using MQL5, focusing on the architecture and algorithm design behind grid trading strategies. We explore the implementation of multi-layered grid logic and risk management techniques to handle varying market conditions. Finally, we provide detailed explanations and practical tips to guide you through building, testing, and refining the automated trading system.
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Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 45): Inverse Fair Value Gap (IFVG)

Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 45): Inverse Fair Value Gap (IFVG)

In this article, we create an Inverse Fair Value Gap (IFVG) detection system in MQL5 that identifies bullish/bearish FVGs on recent bars with minimum gap size filtering, tracks their states as normal/mitigated/inverted based on price interactions (mitigation on far-side breaks, retracement on re-entry, inversion on close beyond far side from inside), and ignores overlaps while limiting tracked FVGs.
MQL5 Wizard: How to Teach an EA to Open Pending Orders at Any Price
MQL5 Wizard: How to Teach an EA to Open Pending Orders at Any Price

MQL5 Wizard: How to Teach an EA to Open Pending Orders at Any Price

The article describes a method of modifying the code of a trading signal module for the implementation of the functionality allowing you to set pending orders at any distance from the current price: it may be the Close or Open price of the previous bar or the value of the moving average. There are plenty of options. Important is that you can set any opening price for a pending order. This article will be useful to traders who trade with pending orders.
Deep Neural Networks (Part VI). Ensemble of neural network classifiers: bagging
Deep Neural Networks (Part VI). Ensemble of neural network classifiers: bagging

Deep Neural Networks (Part VI). Ensemble of neural network classifiers: bagging

The article discusses the methods for building and training ensembles of neural networks with bagging structure. It also determines the peculiarities of hyperparameter optimization for individual neural network classifiers that make up the ensemble. The quality of the optimized neural network obtained in the previous article of the series is compared with the quality of the created ensemble of neural networks. Possibilities of further improving the quality of the ensemble's classification are considered.
Practical evaluation of the adaptive market following method
Practical evaluation of the adaptive market following method

Practical evaluation of the adaptive market following method

The main difference of the trading system proposed in the article is the use of mathematical tools for analyzing stock quotes. The system applies digital filtering and spectral estimation of discrete time series. The theoretical aspects of the strategy are described and a test Expert Advisor is created.
Graphical Interfaces I: Animating the Graphical Interface (Chapter 3)
Graphical Interfaces I: Animating the Graphical Interface (Chapter 3)

Graphical Interfaces I: Animating the Graphical Interface (Chapter 3)

In the previous article, we started developing a form class for controls. In this article, we are going to continue doing that by filling this class with methods for moving a form over the chart area. We will then integrate this interface component into the core of the library. Also, we will ensure that the color of a form control changes when the mouse cursor is hovering over it.
LifeHack for trader: "Quiet" optimization or Plotting trade distributions
LifeHack for trader: "Quiet" optimization or Plotting trade distributions

LifeHack for trader: "Quiet" optimization or Plotting trade distributions

Analysis of the trade history and plotting distribution charts of trading results in HTML depending on position entry time. The charts are displayed in three sections - by hours, by days of the week and by months.
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Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 40): Fibonacci Retracement Trading with Custom Levels

Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 40): Fibonacci Retracement Trading with Custom Levels

In this article, we build an MQL5 Expert Advisor for Fibonacci retracement trading, using either daily candle ranges or lookback arrays to calculate custom levels like 50% and 61.8% for entries, determining bullish or bearish setups based on close vs. open. The system triggers buys or sells on price crossings of levels with max trades per level, optional closure on new Fib calcs, points-based trailing stops after a min profit threshold, and SL/TP buffers as percentages of the range.
Cross-Platform Expert Advisor: Order Manager
Cross-Platform Expert Advisor: Order Manager

Cross-Platform Expert Advisor: Order Manager

This article discusses the creation of an order manager for a cross-platform expert advisor. The order manager is responsible for the entry and exit of orders or positions entered by the expert, as well as for keeping an independent record of such trades that is usable for both versions.
Library for easy and quick development of MetaTrader programs (part XIX): Class of library messages
Library for easy and quick development of MetaTrader programs (part XIX): Class of library messages

Library for easy and quick development of MetaTrader programs (part XIX): Class of library messages

In this article, we will consider the class of displaying text messages. Currently, we have a sufficient number of different text messages. It is time to re-arrange the methods of their storage, display and translation of Russian or English messages to other languages. Besides, it would be good to introduce convenient ways of adding new languages to the library and quickly switching between them.
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Introduction to MQL5 (Part 7): Beginner's Guide to Building Expert Advisors and Utilizing AI-Generated Code in MQL5

Introduction to MQL5 (Part 7): Beginner's Guide to Building Expert Advisors and Utilizing AI-Generated Code in MQL5

Discover the ultimate beginner's guide to building Expert Advisors (EAs) with MQL5 in our comprehensive article. Learn step-by-step how to construct EAs using pseudocode and harness the power of AI-generated code. Whether you're new to algorithmic trading or seeking to enhance your skills, this guide provides a clear path to creating effective EAs.
Indicator for Kagi Charting
Indicator for Kagi Charting

Indicator for Kagi Charting

The article proposes Kagi chart indicator with various charting options and additional functions. Also, indicator charting principle and its MQL5 implementation features are considered. The most popular cases of its implementation in trading are displayed - Yin/Yang exchange strategy, pushing away from the trend line and consistently increasing "shoulders"/decreasing "waists".
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Practical application of neural networks in trading. It's time to practice

Practical application of neural networks in trading. It's time to practice

The article provides a description and instructions for the practical use of neural network modules on the Matlab platform. It also covers the main aspects of creation of a trading system using the neural network module. In order to be able to introduce the complex within one article, I had to modify it so as to combine several neural network module functions in one program.
Testing Visualization: Manual Trading
Testing Visualization: Manual Trading

Testing Visualization: Manual Trading

Testing manual strategies on history. Check how your trading algorithm works turning a deaf ear to programming niceties!
An Example of a Trading Strategy Based on Timezone Differences on Different Continents
An Example of a Trading Strategy Based on Timezone Differences on Different Continents

An Example of a Trading Strategy Based on Timezone Differences on Different Continents

Surfing the Internet, it is easy to find many strategies, which will give you a number of various recommendations. Let’s take an insider’s approach and look into the process of strategy creation, based on the differences in timezones on different continents.
Adaptive Trading Systems and Their Use in the MetaTrader 5 Client Terminal
Adaptive Trading Systems and Their Use in the MetaTrader 5 Client Terminal

Adaptive Trading Systems and Their Use in the MetaTrader 5 Client Terminal

This article suggests a variant of an adaptive system that consists of many strategies, each of which performs its own "virtual" trade operations. Real trading is performed in accordance with the signals of a most profitable strategy at the moment. Thanks to using of the object-oriented approach, classes for working with data and trade classes of the Standard library, the architecture of the system appeared to be simple and scalable; now you can easily create and analyze the adaptive systems that include hundreds of trade strategies.
Applying network functions, or MySQL without DLL: Part II - Program for monitoring changes in signal properties
Applying network functions, or MySQL without DLL: Part II - Program for monitoring changes in signal properties

Applying network functions, or MySQL without DLL: Part II - Program for monitoring changes in signal properties

In the previous part, we considered the implementation of the MySQL connector. In this article, we will consider its application by implementing the service for collecting signal properties and the program for viewing their changes over time. The implemented example has practical sense if users need to observe changes in properties that are not displayed on the signal's web page.
Cross-Platform Expert Advisor: Orders
Cross-Platform Expert Advisor: Orders

Cross-Platform Expert Advisor: Orders

MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 uses different conventions in processing trade requests. This article discusses the possibility of using a class object that can be used to represent the trades processed by the server, in order for a cross-platform expert advisor to further work on them, regardless of the version of the trading platform and mode being used.
MQL5 Cookbook: Implementing an Associative Array or a Dictionary for Quick Data Access
MQL5 Cookbook: Implementing an Associative Array or a Dictionary for Quick Data Access

MQL5 Cookbook: Implementing an Associative Array or a Dictionary for Quick Data Access

This article describes a special algorithm allowing to gain access to elements by their unique keys. Any base data type can be used as a key. For example it may be represented as a string or an integer variable. Such data container is commonly referred to as a dictionary or an associative array. It provides easier and more efficient way of problem solving.
A Universal Channel with the Graphical Interface
A Universal Channel with the Graphical Interface

A Universal Channel with the Graphical Interface

All channel indicators are displayed as three lines, including central, top and bottom lines. The drawing principle of the central line is similar to a moving average, while the moving average indicator is mostly used for drawing channels. The top and bottom lines are located at equal distances from the central line. This distance can be determined in points, as percent of price (the Envelopes indicator), using a standard deviation value (Bollinger Bands), or an ATR value (Keltner channel).
Studying candlestick analysis techniques (part IV): Updates and additions to Pattern Analyzer
Studying candlestick analysis techniques (part IV): Updates and additions to Pattern Analyzer

Studying candlestick analysis techniques (part IV): Updates and additions to Pattern Analyzer

The article presents a new version of the Pattern Analyzer application. This version provides bug fixes and new features, as well as the revised user interface. Comments and suggestions from previous article were taken into account when developing the new version. The resulting application is described in this article.
Library for easy and quick development of MetaTrader programs (part XXIII): Base trading class - verification of valid parameters
Library for easy and quick development of MetaTrader programs (part XXIII): Base trading class - verification of valid parameters

Library for easy and quick development of MetaTrader programs (part XXIII): Base trading class - verification of valid parameters

In the article, we continue the development of the trading class by implementing the control over incorrect trading order parameter values and voicing trading events.
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Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 12): Implementing the Mitigation Order Blocks (MOB) Strategy

Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 12): Implementing the Mitigation Order Blocks (MOB) Strategy

In this article, we build an MQL5 trading system that automates order block detection for Smart Money trading. We outline the strategy’s rules, implement the logic in MQL5, and integrate risk management for effective trade execution. Finally, we backtest the system to assess its performance and refine it for optimal results.
Reversing: Reducing maximum drawdown and testing other markets
Reversing: Reducing maximum drawdown and testing other markets

Reversing: Reducing maximum drawdown and testing other markets

In this article, we continue to dwell on reversing techniques. We will try to reduce the maximum balance drawdown till an acceptable level for the instruments considered earlier. We will see if the measures will reduce the profit. We will also check how the reversing method performs on other markets, including stock, commodity, index, ETF and agricultural markets. Attention, the article contains a lot of images!
Library for easy and quick development of MetaTrader programs (part IV): Trading events
Library for easy and quick development of MetaTrader programs (part IV): Trading events

Library for easy and quick development of MetaTrader programs (part IV): Trading events

In the previous articles, we started creating a large cross-platform library simplifying the development of programs for MetaTrader 5 and MetaTrader 4 platforms. We already have collections of historical orders and deals, market orders and positions, as well as the class for convenient selection and sorting of orders. In this part, we will continue the development of the base object and teach the Engine Library to track trading events on the account.
Time Series Forecasting Using Exponential Smoothing (continued)
Time Series Forecasting Using Exponential Smoothing (continued)

Time Series Forecasting Using Exponential Smoothing (continued)

This article seeks to upgrade the indicator created earlier on and briefly deals with a method for estimating forecast confidence intervals using bootstrapping and quantiles. As a result, we will get the forecast indicator and scripts to be used for estimation of the forecast accuracy.
The Simple Example of Creating an Indicator Using Fuzzy Logic
The Simple Example of Creating an Indicator Using Fuzzy Logic

The Simple Example of Creating an Indicator Using Fuzzy Logic

The article is devoted to the practical application of the fuzzy logic concept for financial markets analysis. We propose the example of the indicator generating signals based on two fuzzy rules based on Envelopes indicator. The developed indicator uses several indicator buffers: 7 buffers for calculations, 5 buffers for the charts display and 2 color buffers.
Genetic Algorithms: Mathematics
Genetic Algorithms: Mathematics

Genetic Algorithms: Mathematics

Genetic (evolutionary) algorithms are used for optimization purposes. An example of such purpose can be neuronet learning, i.e., selection of such weight values that allow reaching the minimum error. At this, the genetic algorithm is based on the random search method.