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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Graphics in DoEasy library (Part 93): Preparing functionality for creating composite graphical objects
Graphics in DoEasy library (Part 93): Preparing functionality for creating composite graphical objects

Graphics in DoEasy library (Part 93): Preparing functionality for creating composite graphical objects

In this article, I will start developing the functionality for creating composite graphical objects. The library will support creating composite graphical objects allowing those objects have any hierarchy of connections. I will prepare all the necessary classes for subsequent implementation of such objects.
How we developed the MetaTrader Signals service and Social Trading
How we developed the MetaTrader Signals service and Social Trading

How we developed the MetaTrader Signals service and Social Trading

We continue to enhance the Signals service, improve the mechanisms, add new functions and fix flaws. The MetaTrader Signals Service of 2012 and the current MetaTrader Signals Service are like two completely different services. Currently, we are implementing A Virtual Hosting Cloud service which consists of a network of servers to support specific versions of the MetaTrader client terminal.
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Introduction to MQL5 (Part 25): Building an EA that Trades with Chart Objects (II)

Introduction to MQL5 (Part 25): Building an EA that Trades with Chart Objects (II)

This article explains how to build an Expert Advisor (EA) that interacts with chart objects, particularly trend lines, to identify and trade breakout and reversal opportunities. You will learn how the EA confirms valid signals, manages trade frequency, and maintains consistency with user-selected strategies.
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Timeseries in DoEasy library (part 54): Descendant classes of abstract base indicator

Timeseries in DoEasy library (part 54): Descendant classes of abstract base indicator

The article considers creation of classes of descendant objects of base abstract indicator. Such objects will provide access to features of creating indicator EAs, collecting and getting data value statistics of various indicators and prices. Also, create indicator object collection from which getting access to properties and data of each indicator created in the program will be possible.
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Category Theory in MQL5 (Part 14): Functors with Linear-Orders

Category Theory in MQL5 (Part 14): Functors with Linear-Orders

This article which is part of a broader series on Category Theory implementation in MQL5, delves into Functors. We examine how a Linear Order can be mapped to a set, thanks to Functors; by considering two sets of data that one would typically dismiss as having any connection.
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Population optimization algorithms: Harmony Search (HS)

Population optimization algorithms: Harmony Search (HS)

In the current article, I will study and test the most powerful optimization algorithm - harmonic search (HS) inspired by the process of finding the perfect sound harmony. So what algorithm is now the leader in our rating?
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Neural Networks in Trading: Parameter-Efficient Transformer with Segmented Attention (Final Part)

Neural Networks in Trading: Parameter-Efficient Transformer with Segmented Attention (Final Part)

In the previous work, we discussed the theoretical aspects of the PSformer framework, which includes two major innovations in the classical Transformer architecture: the Parameter Shared (PS) mechanism and attention to spatio-temporal segments (SegAtt). In this article, we continue the work we started on implementing the proposed approaches using MQL5.
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Price Action Analysis Toolkit Development (Part 41): Building a Statistical Price-Level EA in MQL5

Price Action Analysis Toolkit Development (Part 41): Building a Statistical Price-Level EA in MQL5

Statistics has always been at the heart of financial analysis. By definition, statistics is the discipline that collects, analyzes, interprets, and presents data in meaningful ways. Now imagine applying that same framework to candlesticks—compressing raw price action into measurable insights. How helpful would it be to know, for a specific period of time, the central tendency, spread, and distribution of market behavior? In this article, we introduce exactly that approach, showing how statistical methods can transform candlestick data into clear, actionable signals.
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Trading with the MQL5 Economic Calendar (Part 2): Creating a News Dashboard Panel

Trading with the MQL5 Economic Calendar (Part 2): Creating a News Dashboard Panel

In this article, we create a practical news dashboard panel using the MQL5 Economic Calendar to enhance our trading strategy. We begin by designing the layout, focusing on key elements like event names, importance, and timing, before moving into the setup within MQL5. Finally, we implement a filtering system to display only the most relevant news, giving traders quick access to impactful economic events.
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Neural networks made easy (Part 76): Exploring diverse interaction patterns with Multi-future Transformer

Neural networks made easy (Part 76): Exploring diverse interaction patterns with Multi-future Transformer

This article continues the topic of predicting the upcoming price movement. I invite you to get acquainted with the Multi-future Transformer architecture. Its main idea is to decompose the multimodal distribution of the future into several unimodal distributions, which allows you to effectively simulate various models of interaction between agents on the scene.
Nikolay Ivanov (Techno): "What is important for programs is the accuracy of their algorithms"
Nikolay Ivanov (Techno): "What is important for programs is the accuracy of their algorithms"

Nikolay Ivanov (Techno): "What is important for programs is the accuracy of their algorithms"

A programmer from Krasnoyarsk Nikolay Ivanov (Techno) is a leader among the developers in terms of the number of completed orders - he has implemented already more than 200 applications in the Jobs service. In this interview, he is talking about the Jobs service, its specific features and challengers faced by programmers.
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DoEasy. Controls (Part 6): Panel control, auto resizing the container to fit inner content

DoEasy. Controls (Part 6): Panel control, auto resizing the container to fit inner content

In the article, I will continue my work on the Panel WinForms object and implement its auto resizing to fit the general size of Dock objects located inside the panel. Besides, I will add the new properties to the Symbol library object.
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Introduction to MQL5 (Part 8): Beginner's Guide to Building Expert Advisors (II)

Introduction to MQL5 (Part 8): Beginner's Guide to Building Expert Advisors (II)

This article addresses common beginner questions from MQL5 forums and demonstrates practical solutions. Learn to perform essential tasks like buying and selling, obtaining candlestick prices, and managing automated trading aspects such as trade limits, trading periods, and profit/loss thresholds. Get step-by-step guidance to enhance your understanding and implementation of these concepts in MQL5.
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Developing a trading Expert Advisor from scratch (Part 9): A conceptual leap (II)

Developing a trading Expert Advisor from scratch (Part 9): A conceptual leap (II)

In this article, we will place Chart Trade in a floating window. In the previous part, we created a basic system which enables the use of templates within a floating window.
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Data Science and ML (Part 37): Using Candlestick patterns and AI to beat the market

Data Science and ML (Part 37): Using Candlestick patterns and AI to beat the market

Candlestick patterns help traders understand market psychology and identify trends in financial markets, they enable more informed trading decisions that can lead to better outcomes. In this article, we will explore how to use candlestick patterns with AI models to achieve optimal trading performance.
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MQL5 Trading Tools (Part 19): Building an Interactive Tools Palette for Chart Drawing

MQL5 Trading Tools (Part 19): Building an Interactive Tools Palette for Chart Drawing

In this article, we build an interactive tools palette in MQL5 for chart drawing, with draggable, resizable panels and theme switching. We add buttons for tools like crosshair, trendlines, lines, rectangles, Fibonacci, text, and arrows, handling mouse events for activation and instructions. This system improves trading analysis through a customizable UI, supporting real-time interactions on charts
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Introduction to MQL5 (Part 6): A Beginner's Guide to Array Functions in MQL5 (II)

Introduction to MQL5 (Part 6): A Beginner's Guide to Array Functions in MQL5 (II)

Embark on the next phase of our MQL5 journey. In this insightful and beginner-friendly article, we'll look into the remaining array functions, demystifying complex concepts to empower you to craft efficient trading strategies. We’ll be discussing ArrayPrint, ArrayInsert, ArraySize, ArrayRange, ArrarRemove, ArraySwap, ArrayReverse, and ArraySort. Elevate your algorithmic trading expertise with these essential array functions. Join us on the path to MQL5 mastery!
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Sentiment Analysis and Deep Learning for Trading with EA and Backtesting with Python

Sentiment Analysis and Deep Learning for Trading with EA and Backtesting with Python

In this article, we will introduce Sentiment Analysis and ONNX Models with Python to be used in an EA. One script runs a trained ONNX model from TensorFlow for deep learning predictions, while another fetches news headlines and quantifies sentiment using AI.
Population optimization algorithms
Population optimization algorithms

Population optimization algorithms

This is an introductory article on optimization algorithm (OA) classification. The article attempts to create a test stand (a set of functions), which is to be used for comparing OAs and, perhaps, identifying the most universal algorithm out of all widely known ones.
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Developing a trading Expert Advisor from scratch (Part 13): Time and Trade (II)

Developing a trading Expert Advisor from scratch (Part 13): Time and Trade (II)

Today we will construct the second part of the Times & Trade system for market analysis. In the previous article "Times & Trade (I)" we discussed an alternative chart organization system, which would allow having an indicator for the quickest possible interpretation of deals executed in the market.
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Python, ONNX and MetaTrader 5: Creating a RandomForest model with RobustScaler and PolynomialFeatures data preprocessing

Python, ONNX and MetaTrader 5: Creating a RandomForest model with RobustScaler and PolynomialFeatures data preprocessing

In this article, we will create a random forest model in Python, train the model, and save it as an ONNX pipeline with data preprocessing. After that we will use the model in the MetaTrader 5 terminal.
MT4TerminalSync - System for the Synchronization of MetaTrader 4 Terminals
MT4TerminalSync - System for the Synchronization of MetaTrader 4 Terminals

MT4TerminalSync - System for the Synchronization of MetaTrader 4 Terminals

This article is devoted to the topic "Widening possibilities of MQL4 programs by using functions of operating systems and other means of program development". The article describes an example of a program system that implements the task of the synchronization of several terminal copies based on a single source template.
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Creating an MQL5-Telegram Integrated Expert Advisor (Part 3): Sending Chart Screenshots with Captions from MQL5 to Telegram

Creating an MQL5-Telegram Integrated Expert Advisor (Part 3): Sending Chart Screenshots with Captions from MQL5 to Telegram

In this article, we create an MQL5 Expert Advisor that encodes chart screenshots as image data and sends them to a Telegram chat via HTTP requests. By integrating photo encoding and transmission, we enhance the existing MQL5-Telegram system with visual trading insights directly within Telegram.
MQL4  as a Trader's Tool, or The Advanced Technical Analysis
MQL4  as a Trader's Tool, or The Advanced Technical Analysis

MQL4 as a Trader's Tool, or The Advanced Technical Analysis

Trading is, first of all, a calculus of probabilities. The proverb about idleness being an engine for progress reveals us the reason why all those indicators and trading systems have been developed. It comes that the major of newcomers in trading study "ready-made" trading theories. But, as luck would have it, there are some more undiscovered market secrets, and tools used in analyzing of price movements exist, basically, as those unrealized technical indicators or math and stat packages. Thanks awfully to Bill Williams for his contribution to the market movements theory. Though, perhaps, it's too early to rest on oars.
Timeseries in DoEasy library (part 48): Multi-period multi-symbol indicators on one buffer in a subwindow
Timeseries in DoEasy library (part 48): Multi-period multi-symbol indicators on one buffer in a subwindow

Timeseries in DoEasy library (part 48): Multi-period multi-symbol indicators on one buffer in a subwindow

The article considers an example of creating multi-symbol multi-period standard indicators using a single indicator buffer for construction and working in the indicator subwindow. I am going to prepare the library classes for working with standard indicators working in the program main window and having more than one buffer for displaying their data.
The Random Sandbox
The Random Sandbox

The Random Sandbox

The article includes an interactive "sandbox" as an Excel file which simulates randomized Expert Advisor backtest data. Readers can use this to help explore and more deeply understand the EA performance metrics offered by default with MetaTrader. The text of the article is designed to guide the user through this experience.
Beginners' Mistakes when Working with MetaTrader 4 Client Terminal
Beginners' Mistakes when Working with MetaTrader 4 Client Terminal

Beginners' Mistakes when Working with MetaTrader 4 Client Terminal

Err is human. Everybody makes mistakes: more or less frequently, through ignorance or inadvertently. You ask and we answer your questions about: terminal time, test results, Print in journal, symbols, history for Tester, history import, leverage, traffic, hints, scaling, wrong calculations, Invalid account, Empty News, Price changed, Not Enough Money, Market Is Closed.
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Reimagining Classic Strategies (Part XI): Moving Average Cross Over (II)

Reimagining Classic Strategies (Part XI): Moving Average Cross Over (II)

The moving averages and the stochastic oscillator could be used to generate trend following trading signals. However, these signals will only be observed after the price action has occurred. We can effectively overcome this inherent lag in technical indicators using AI. This article will teach you how to create a fully autonomous AI-powered Expert Advisor in a manner that can improve any of your existing trading strategies. Even the oldest trading strategy possible can be improved.
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News Trading Made Easy (Part 2): Risk Management

News Trading Made Easy (Part 2): Risk Management

In this article, inheritance will be introduced into our previous and new code. A new database design will be implemented to provide efficiency. Additionally, a risk management class will be created to tackle volume calculations.
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Risk manager for algorithmic trading

Risk manager for algorithmic trading

The objectives of this article are to prove the necessity of using a risk manager and to implement the principles of controlled risk in algorithmic trading in a separate class, so that everyone can verify the effectiveness of the risk standardization approach in intraday trading and investing in financial markets. In this article, we will create a risk manager class for algorithmic trading. This is a logical continuation of the previous article in which we discussed the creation of a risk manager for manual trading.
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Building a Trading System (Part 3): Determining Minimum Risk Levels for Realistic Profit Targets

Building a Trading System (Part 3): Determining Minimum Risk Levels for Realistic Profit Targets

Every trader's ultimate goal is profitability, which is why many set specific profit targets to achieve within a defined trading period. In this article, we will use Monte Carlo simulations to determine the optimal risk percentage per trade needed to meet trading objectives. The results will help traders assess whether their profit targets are realistic or overly ambitious. Finally, we will discuss which parameters can be adjusted to establish a practical risk percentage per trade that aligns with trading goals.
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Building Your First Glass-box Model Using Python And MQL5

Building Your First Glass-box Model Using Python And MQL5

Machine learning models are difficult to interpret and understanding why our models deviate from our expectations is critical if we want to gain any value from using such advanced techniques. Without comprehensive insight into the inner workings of our model, we might fail to spot bugs that are corrupting our model's performance, we may waste time over engineering features that aren't predictive and in the long run we risk underutilizing the power of these models. Fortunately, there is a sophisticated and well maintained all in one solution that allows us to see exactly what our model is doing underneath the hood.
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Cycles and trading

Cycles and trading

This article is about using cycles in trading. We will consider building a trading strategy based on cyclical models.
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Introduction to MQL5 (Part 24): Building an EA that Trades with Chart Objects

Introduction to MQL5 (Part 24): Building an EA that Trades with Chart Objects

This article teaches you how to create an Expert Advisor that detects support and resistance zones drawn on the chart and executes trades automatically based on them.
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DoEasy. Controls (Part 7): Text label control

DoEasy. Controls (Part 7): Text label control

In the current article, I will create the class of the WinForms text label control object. Such an object will have the ability to position its container anywhere, while its own functionality will repeat the functionality of the MS Visual Studio text label. We will be able to set font parameters for a displayed text.
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Statistical Arbitrage Through Mean Reversion in Pairs Trading: Beating the Market by Math

Statistical Arbitrage Through Mean Reversion in Pairs Trading: Beating the Market by Math

This article describes the fundamentals of portfolio-level statistical arbitrage. Its goal is to facilitate the understanding of the principles of statistical arbitrage to readers without deep math knowledge and propose a starting point conceptual framework. The article includes a working Expert Advisor, some notes about its one-year backtest, and the respective backtest configuration settings (.ini file) for the reproduction of the experiment.
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Price Action Analysis Toolkit Development (Part 10): External Flow (II) VWAP

Price Action Analysis Toolkit Development (Part 10): External Flow (II) VWAP

Master the power of VWAP with our comprehensive guide! Learn how to integrate VWAP analysis into your trading strategy using MQL5 and Python. Maximize your market insights and improve your trading decisions today.
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Price Action Analysis Toolkit Development (Part 7): Signal Pulse EA

Price Action Analysis Toolkit Development (Part 7): Signal Pulse EA

Unlock the potential of multi-timeframe analysis with 'Signal Pulse,' an MQL5 Expert Advisor that integrates Bollinger Bands and the Stochastic Oscillator to deliver accurate, high-probability trading signals. Discover how to implement this strategy and effectively visualize buy and sell opportunities using custom arrows. Ideal for traders seeking to enhance their judgment through automated analysis across multiple timeframes.
Graphics in DoEasy library (Part 85): Graphical object collection - adding newly created objects
Graphics in DoEasy library (Part 85): Graphical object collection - adding newly created objects

Graphics in DoEasy library (Part 85): Graphical object collection - adding newly created objects

In this article, I will complete the development of the descendant classes of the abstract graphical object class and start implementing the ability to store these objects in the collection class. In particular, I will create the functionality for adding newly created standard graphical objects to the collection class.
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Neural networks made easy (Part 31): Evolutionary algorithms

Neural networks made easy (Part 31): Evolutionary algorithms

In the previous article, we started exploring non-gradient optimization methods. We got acquainted with the genetic algorithm. Today, we will continue this topic and will consider another class of evolutionary algorithms.