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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Drawing Horizontal Break-Through Levels Using Fractals
Drawing Horizontal Break-Through Levels Using Fractals

Drawing Horizontal Break-Through Levels Using Fractals

The article describes creation of an indicator that would display the support/resistance levels using up/down fractals.
Prices in DoEasy library (part 62): Updating tick series in real time, preparation for working with Depth of Market
Prices in DoEasy library (part 62): Updating tick series in real time, preparation for working with Depth of Market

Prices in DoEasy library (part 62): Updating tick series in real time, preparation for working with Depth of Market

In this article, I will implement updating tick data in real time and prepare the symbol object class for working with Depth of Market (DOM itself is to be implemented in the next article).
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An example of how to ensemble ONNX models in MQL5

An example of how to ensemble ONNX models in MQL5

ONNX (Open Neural Network eXchange) is an open format built to represent neural networks. In this article, we will show how to use two ONNX models in one Expert Advisor simultaneously.
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Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 2): The Kumo Breakout System with Ichimoku and Awesome Oscillator

Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 2): The Kumo Breakout System with Ichimoku and Awesome Oscillator

In this article, we create an Expert Advisor (EA) that automates the Kumo Breakout strategy using the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo indicator and the Awesome Oscillator. We walk through the process of initializing indicator handles, detecting breakout conditions, and coding automated trade entries and exits. Additionally, we implement trailing stops and position management logic to enhance the EA's performance and adaptability to market conditions.
Automated Trading Championship: The Reverse of the Medal
Automated Trading Championship: The Reverse of the Medal

Automated Trading Championship: The Reverse of the Medal

Automated Trading Championship based on online trading platform MetaTrader 4 is being conducted for the third time and accepted by many people as a matter-of-course yearly event being waited for with impatience. However, this competition specifies strict requirements to the Participants. This is precisely the topic we're going to discuss in this article.
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Building AI-Powered Trading Systems in MQL5 (Part 2): Developing a ChatGPT-Integrated Program with User Interface

Building AI-Powered Trading Systems in MQL5 (Part 2): Developing a ChatGPT-Integrated Program with User Interface

In this article, we develop a ChatGPT-integrated program in MQL5 with a user interface, leveraging the JSON parsing framework from Part 1 to send prompts to OpenAI’s API and display responses on a MetaTrader 5 chart. We implement a dashboard with an input field, submit button, and response display, handling API communication and text wrapping for user interaction.
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Moving Average in MQL5 from scratch: Plain and simple

Moving Average in MQL5 from scratch: Plain and simple

Using simple examples, we will examine the principles of calculating moving averages, as well as learn about the ways to optimize indicator calculations, including moving averages.
Jeremy Scott - Successful MQL5 Market Seller
Jeremy Scott - Successful MQL5 Market Seller

Jeremy Scott - Successful MQL5 Market Seller

Jeremy Scott who is better known under Johnnypasado nickname at MQL5.community became famous offering products in our MQL5 Market service. Jeremy has already made several thousands of dollars in the Market and that is not the limit. We decided to take a closer look at the future millionaire and receive some pieces of advice for MQL5 Market sellers.
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Exploring Advanced Machine Learning Techniques on the Darvas Box Breakout Strategy

Exploring Advanced Machine Learning Techniques on the Darvas Box Breakout Strategy

The Darvas Box Breakout Strategy, created by Nicolas Darvas, is a technical trading approach that spots potential buy signals when a stock’s price rises above a set "box" range, suggesting strong upward momentum. In this article, we will apply this strategy concept as an example to explore three advanced machine learning techniques. These include using a machine learning model to generate signals rather than to filter trades, employing continuous signals rather than discrete ones, and using models trained on different timeframes to confirm trades.
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Structures in MQL5 and methods for printing their data

Structures in MQL5 and methods for printing their data

In this article we will look at the MqlDateTime, MqlTick, MqlRates and MqlBookInfo strutures, as well as methods for printing data from them. In order to print all the fields of a structure, there is a standard ArrayPrint() function, which displays the data contained in the array with the type of the handled structure in a convenient tabular format.
MQL4 Language for Newbies. Difficult Questions in Simple Phrases.
MQL4 Language for Newbies. Difficult Questions in Simple Phrases.

MQL4 Language for Newbies. Difficult Questions in Simple Phrases.

This is the second article from the series "MQL4 Language for Newbies". Now we will examine more complex and advanced constructions of the language, learn new options and see, how they can be applied in everyday practice. You will get acquainted with a new cycle type 'while', new condition type 'switch', operators 'break' and 'continue'. Besides you will learn to write your own functions and work with multidimensional arrays. And for a dessert I have prepared an explanation about a preprocessor.
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Creating a Trading Administrator Panel in MQL5 (Part XII): Integration of a Forex Values Calculator

Creating a Trading Administrator Panel in MQL5 (Part XII): Integration of a Forex Values Calculator

Accurate calculation of key trading values is an indispensable part of every trader’s workflow. In this article, we will discuss, the integration of a powerful utility—the Forex Calculator—into the Trade Management Panel, further extending the functionality of our multi-panel Trading Administrator system. Efficiently determining risk, position size, and potential profit is essential when placing trades, and this new feature is designed to make that process faster and more intuitive within the panel. Join us as we explore the practical application of MQL5 in building advanced, trading panels.
Other classes in DoEasy library (Part 67): Chart object class
Other classes in DoEasy library (Part 67): Chart object class

Other classes in DoEasy library (Part 67): Chart object class

In this article, I will create the chart object class (of a single trading instrument chart) and improve the collection class of MQL5 signal objects so that each signal object stored in the collection updates all its parameters when updating the list.
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Using optimization algorithms to configure EA parameters on the fly

Using optimization algorithms to configure EA parameters on the fly

The article discusses the practical aspects of using optimization algorithms to find the best EA parameters on the fly, as well as virtualization of trading operations and EA logic. The article can be used as an instruction for implementing optimization algorithms into an EA.
Graphical interfaces X: New features for the Rendered table (build 9)
Graphical interfaces X: New features for the Rendered table (build 9)

Graphical interfaces X: New features for the Rendered table (build 9)

Until today, the CTable was the most advanced type of tables among all presented in the library. This table is assembled from edit boxes of the OBJ_EDIT type, and its further development becomes problematic. Therefore, in terms of maximum capabilities, it is better to develop rendered tables of the CCanvasTable type even at the current development stage of the library. Its current version is completely lifeless, but starting from this article, we will try to fix the situation.
The Most Active MQL5.community Members Have Been Awarded iPhones!
The Most Active MQL5.community Members Have Been Awarded iPhones!

The Most Active MQL5.community Members Have Been Awarded iPhones!

After we decided to reward the most outstanding MQL5.com participants, we have selected the key criteria to determine each participant's contribution to the Community development. As a result, we have the following champions who published the greatest amount of articles on the website - investeo (11 articles) and victorg (10 articles), and who submitted their programs to Code Base – GODZILLA (340 programs), Integer (61 programs) and abolk (21 programs).
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Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 29): Creating a price action Gartley Harmonic Pattern system

Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 29): Creating a price action Gartley Harmonic Pattern system

In this article, we develop a Gartley Pattern system in MQL5 that identifies bullish and bearish Gartley harmonic patterns using pivot points and Fibonacci ratios, executing trades with precise entry, stop loss, and take-profit levels. We enhance trader insight with visual feedback through chart objects like triangles, trendlines, and labels to clearly display the XABCD pattern structure.
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How to create a simple Multi-Currency Expert Advisor using MQL5 (Part 5):  Bollinger Bands On Keltner Channel — Indicators Signal

How to create a simple Multi-Currency Expert Advisor using MQL5 (Part 5): Bollinger Bands On Keltner Channel — Indicators Signal

The Multi-Currency Expert Advisor in this article is an Expert Advisor or Trading Robot that can trade (open orders, close orders and manage orders for example: Trailing Stop Loss and Trailing Profit) for more than one symbol pair from only one symbol chart. In this article we will use signals from two indicators, in this case Bollinger Bands® on Keltner Channel.
A Library for Constructing a Chart via Google Chart API
A Library for Constructing a Chart via Google Chart API

A Library for Constructing a Chart via Google Chart API

The construction of various types of diagrams is an essential part of the analyses of the market situation and the testing of a trading system. Frequently, in order to construct a nice looking diagram, it is necessary to organize the data output into a file, after which it is used in applications such as MS Excel. This is not very convenient and deprives us of the ability to dynamically update the data. Google Charts API provided the means for creating charts in online modes, by sending a special request to the server. In this article we attempt to automate the process of creating such a request and obtaining a chart from the Google server.
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Larry Williams Market Secrets (Part 5): Automating the Volatility Breakout Strategy in MQL5

Larry Williams Market Secrets (Part 5): Automating the Volatility Breakout Strategy in MQL5

This article demonstrates how to automate Larry Williams’ volatility breakout strategy in MQL5 using a practical, step-by-step approach. You will learn how to calculate daily range expansions, derive buy and sell levels, manage risk with range-based stops and reward-based targets, and structure a professional Expert Advisor for MetaTrader 5. Designed for traders and developers looking to transform Larry Williams’ market concepts into a fully testable and deployable automated trading system.
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Backpropagation Neural Networks using MQL5 Matrices

Backpropagation Neural Networks using MQL5 Matrices

The article describes the theory and practice of applying the backpropagation algorithm in MQL5 using matrices. It provides ready-made classes along with script, indicator and Expert Advisor examples.
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Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 21): Enhancing Neural Network Trading with Adaptive Learning Rates

Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 21): Enhancing Neural Network Trading with Adaptive Learning Rates

In this article, we enhance a neural network trading strategy in MQL5 with an adaptive learning rate to boost accuracy. We design and implement this mechanism, then test its performance. The article concludes with optimization insights for algorithmic trading.
How to create and test custom MOEX symbols in MetaTrader 5
How to create and test custom MOEX symbols in MetaTrader 5

How to create and test custom MOEX symbols in MetaTrader 5

The article describes the creation of a custom exchange symbol using the MQL5 language. In particular, it considers the use of exchange quotes from the popular Finam website. Another option considered in this article is the possibility to work with an arbitrary format of text files used in the creation of the custom symbol. This allows working with any financial symbols and data sources. After creating a custom symbol, we can use all the capabilities of the MetaTrader 5 Strategy Tester to test trading algorithms for exchange instruments.
Graphics in DoEasy library (Part 87): Graphical object collection - managing object property modification on all open charts
Graphics in DoEasy library (Part 87): Graphical object collection - managing object property modification on all open charts

Graphics in DoEasy library (Part 87): Graphical object collection - managing object property modification on all open charts

In this article, I will continue my work on tracking standard graphical object events and create the functionality allowing users to control changes in the properties of graphical objects placed on any charts opened in the terminal.
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Neural networks made easy (Part 36): Relational Reinforcement Learning

Neural networks made easy (Part 36): Relational Reinforcement Learning

In the reinforcement learning models we discussed in previous article, we used various variants of convolutional networks that are able to identify various objects in the original data. The main advantage of convolutional networks is the ability to identify objects regardless of their location. At the same time, convolutional networks do not always perform well when there are various deformations of objects and noise. These are the issues which the relational model can solve.
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Gain An Edge Over Any Market

Gain An Edge Over Any Market

Learn how you can get ahead of any market you wish to trade, regardless of your current level of skill.
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Tables in the MVC Paradigm in MQL5: Customizable and sortable table columns

Tables in the MVC Paradigm in MQL5: Customizable and sortable table columns

In the article, we will make the table column widths adjustable using the mouse cursor, sort the table by column data, and add a new class to simplify the creation of tables based on any data sets.
Running MetaTrader 4 Client Terminal on Linux-Desktop
Running MetaTrader 4 Client Terminal on Linux-Desktop

Running MetaTrader 4 Client Terminal on Linux-Desktop

Description of a step-by-step Linux-desktop setup using a non-emulator wine for running MetaTrader 4 Client Terminal on it.
Calculation of Integral Characteristics of Indicator Emissions
Calculation of Integral Characteristics of Indicator Emissions

Calculation of Integral Characteristics of Indicator Emissions

Indicator emissions are a little-studied area of market research. Primarily, this is due to the difficulty of analysis that is caused by the processing of very large arrays of time-varying data. Existing graphical analysis is too resource intensive and has therefore triggered the development of a parsimonious algorithm that uses time series of emissions. This article demonstrates how visual (intuitive image) analysis can be replaced with the study of integral characteristics of emissions. It can be of interest to both traders and developers of automated trading systems.
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DoEasy. Controls (Part 2): Working on the CPanel class

DoEasy. Controls (Part 2): Working on the CPanel class

In the current article, I will get rid of some errors related to handling graphical elements and continue the development of the CPanel control. In particular, I will implement the methods for setting the parameters of the font used by default for all panel text objects.
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Ready-made templates for including indicators to Expert Advisors (Part 1): Oscillators

Ready-made templates for including indicators to Expert Advisors (Part 1): Oscillators

The article considers standard indicators from the oscillator category. We will create ready-to-use templates for their use in EAs - declaring and setting parameters, indicator initialization and deinitialization, as well as receiving data and signals from indicator buffers in EAs.
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From Novice to Expert: Creating an MTF CRT Overlay Indicator in MQL5

From Novice to Expert: Creating an MTF CRT Overlay Indicator in MQL5

Higher-timeframe CRT ranges are informative, yet traders often execute on lower timeframes without that context. We implement an MQL5 indicator that reads higher-timeframe OHLC, projects the full candle range, body, and wicks onto the active lower-timeframe chart, and marks entries, stops, and targets. This improves situational awareness and removes the need to switch windows.
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Implementing the Deus EA: Automated Trading with RSI and Moving Averages in MQL5

Implementing the Deus EA: Automated Trading with RSI and Moving Averages in MQL5

This article outlines the steps to implement the Deus EA based on the RSI and Moving Average indicators for guiding automated trading.
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Rebuy algorithm: Math model for increasing efficiency

Rebuy algorithm: Math model for increasing efficiency

In this article, we will use the rebuy algorithm for a deeper understanding of the efficiency of trading systems and start working on the general principles of improving trading efficiency using mathematics and logic, as well as apply the most non-standard methods of increasing efficiency in terms of using absolutely any trading system.
Lite_EXPERT2.mqh: Functional Kit for Developers of Expert Advisors
Lite_EXPERT2.mqh: Functional Kit for Developers of Expert Advisors

Lite_EXPERT2.mqh: Functional Kit for Developers of Expert Advisors

This article continues the series of articles "Expert Advisors Based on Popular Trading Systems and Alchemy of Trading Robot Optimization". It familiarizes the readers with a more universal function library of the Lite_EXPERT2.mqh file.
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Creating an EA that works automatically (Part 15): Automation (VII)

Creating an EA that works automatically (Part 15): Automation (VII)

To complete this series of articles on automation, we will continue discussing the topic of the previous article. We will see how everything will fit together, making the EA run like clockwork.
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ALGLIB numerical analysis library in MQL5

ALGLIB numerical analysis library in MQL5

The article takes a quick look at the ALGLIB 3.19 numerical analysis library, its applications and new algorithms that can improve the efficiency of financial data analysis.
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Getting Started with MQL5 Algo Forge

Getting Started with MQL5 Algo Forge

We are introducing MQL5 Algo Forge — a dedicated portal for algorithmic trading developers. It combines the power of Git with an intuitive interface for managing and organizing projects within the MQL5 ecosystem. Here, you can follow interesting authors, form teams, and collaborate on algorithmic trading projects.
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Master MQL5 from beginner to pro (Part II): Basic data types and use of variable

Master MQL5 from beginner to pro (Part II): Basic data types and use of variable

This is a continuation of the series for beginners. In this article, we'll look at how to create constants and variables, write dates, colors, and other useful data. We will learn how to create enumerations like days of the week or line styles (solid, dotted, etc.). Variables and expressions are the basis of programming. They are definitely present in 99% of programs, so understanding them is critical. Therefore, if you are new to programming, this article can be very useful for you. Required programming knowledge level: very basic, within the limits of my previous article (see the link at the beginning).
Graphics in DoEasy library (Part 79): "Animation frame" object class and its descendant objects
Graphics in DoEasy library (Part 79): "Animation frame" object class and its descendant objects

Graphics in DoEasy library (Part 79): "Animation frame" object class and its descendant objects

In this article, I will develop the class of a single animation frame and its descendants. The class is to allow drawing shapes while maintaining and then restoring the background under them.