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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MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 53): Market Facilitation Index

MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 53): Market Facilitation Index

The Market Facilitation Index is another Bill Williams Indicator that is intended to measure the efficiency of price movement in tandem with volume. As always, we look at the various patterns of this indicator within the confines of a wizard assembly signal class, and present a variety of test reports and analyses for the various patterns.
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Data label for time series mining (Part 5):Apply and Test in EA Using Socket

Data label for time series mining (Part 5):Apply and Test in EA Using Socket

This series of articles introduces several time series labeling methods, which can create data that meets most artificial intelligence models, and targeted data labeling according to needs can make the trained artificial intelligence model more in line with the expected design, improve the accuracy of our model, and even help the model make a qualitative leap!
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Artificial Bee Hive Algorithm (ABHA): Tests and results

Artificial Bee Hive Algorithm (ABHA): Tests and results

In this article, we will continue exploring the Artificial Bee Hive Algorithm (ABHA) by diving into the code and considering the remaining methods. As you might remember, each bee in the model is represented as an individual agent whose behavior depends on internal and external information, as well as motivational state. We will test the algorithm on various functions and summarize the results by presenting them in the rating table.
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From Novice to Expert: Developing a Geographic Market Awareness with MQL5 Visualization

From Novice to Expert: Developing a Geographic Market Awareness with MQL5 Visualization

Trading without session awareness is like navigating without a compass—you're moving, but not with purpose. Today, we're revolutionizing how traders perceive market timing by transforming ordinary charts into dynamic geographical displays. Using MQL5's powerful visualization capabilities, we'll build a live world map that illuminates active trading sessions in real-time, turning abstract market hours into intuitive visual intelligence. This journey sharpens your trading psychology and reveals professional-grade programming techniques that bridge the gap between complex market structure and practical, actionable insight.
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Markov Chain Monte Carlo Sampling Methods: The HMC Algorithm

Markov Chain Monte Carlo Sampling Methods: The HMC Algorithm

The article examines the Hamiltonian Monte Carlo (HMC) algorithm — the gold standard for sampling from complex multivariate distributions. A full-featured implementation of HMC in MQL5 is presented, including adaptive mass matrix tuning, MAP estimation using the L-BFGS optimization method, and comprehensive diagnostics.
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Creating a Trading Administrator Panel in MQL5 (Part III): Extending Built-in Classes for Theme Management (II)

Creating a Trading Administrator Panel in MQL5 (Part III): Extending Built-in Classes for Theme Management (II)

In this discussion, we will carefully extend the existing Dialog library to incorporate theme management logic. Furthermore, we will integrate methods for theme switching into the CDialog, CEdit, and CButton classes utilized in our Admin Panel project. Continue reading for more insightful perspectives.
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Neural Networks in Trading: Contrastive Pattern Transformer (Final Part)

Neural Networks in Trading: Contrastive Pattern Transformer (Final Part)

In the previous last article within this series, we looked at the Atom-Motif Contrastive Transformer (AMCT) framework, which uses contrastive learning to discover key patterns at all levels, from basic elements to complex structures. In this article, we continue implementing AMCT approaches using MQL5.
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Singular Spectrum Analysis in MQL5

Singular Spectrum Analysis in MQL5

This article is meant as a guide for those unfamiliar with the concept of Singular Spectrum Analysis and who wish to gain enough understanding to be able to apply the built-in tools available in MQL5.
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MetaTrader 5 Machine Learning Blueprint (Part 7): From Scattered Experiments to Reproducible Results

MetaTrader 5 Machine Learning Blueprint (Part 7): From Scattered Experiments to Reproducible Results

In the latest installment of this series, we move beyond individual machine learning techniques to address the "Research Chaos" that plagues many quantitative traders. This article focuses on the transition from ad-hoc notebook experiments to a principled, production-grade pipeline that ensures reproducibility, traceability, and efficiency.
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Leak-Free Multi-Timeframe Engine with Closed-Bar Reads in MQL5

Leak-Free Multi-Timeframe Engine with Closed-Bar Reads in MQL5

The article presents two systematic pitfalls in MQL5 multi‑timeframe work: indicator handle leaks that exhausted resources and repainting from reading the forming bar (index 0). It introduces MTFEngine.mqh, a unified include that creates and tracks handles in one place and defaults all reads to closed bars (index 1). A D1–H4–H1 example shows how this approach keeps signals technically correct and consistent with charts.
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Population optimization algorithms: Intelligent Water Drops (IWD) algorithm

Population optimization algorithms: Intelligent Water Drops (IWD) algorithm

The article considers an interesting algorithm derived from inanimate nature - intelligent water drops (IWD) simulating the process of river bed formation. The ideas of this algorithm made it possible to significantly improve the previous leader of the rating - SDS. As usual, the new leader (modified SDSm) can be found in the attachment.
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Balancing risk when trading multiple instruments simultaneously

Balancing risk when trading multiple instruments simultaneously

This article will allow a beginner to write an implementation of a script from scratch for balancing risks when trading multiple instruments simultaneously. Besides, it may give experienced users new ideas for implementing their solutions in relation to the options proposed in this article.
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Category Theory in MQL5 (Part 10): Monoid Groups

Category Theory in MQL5 (Part 10): Monoid Groups

This article continues the series on category theory implementation in MQL5. Here we look at monoid-groups as a means normalising monoid sets making them more comparable across a wider span of monoid sets and data types..
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Visual assessment and adjustment of trading in MetaTrader 5

Visual assessment and adjustment of trading in MetaTrader 5

The strategy tester allows you to do more than just optimize your trading robot's parameters. I will show how to evaluate your account's trading history post-factum and make adjustments to your trading in the tester by changing the stop-losses of your open positions.
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MQL5 Trading Tools (Part 26): Integrating Frequency Binning, Entropy, and Chi-Square in Visual Analyzer

MQL5 Trading Tools (Part 26): Integrating Frequency Binning, Entropy, and Chi-Square in Visual Analyzer

In this article, we develop a frequency analysis tool in MQL5 that bins price data into histograms, computes entropy for information content, and applies chi-square tests for distribution goodness-of-fit, with interactive logs and statistical panels for market insights. We integrate per-bar or per-tick computation modes, supersampled rendering for smooth visuals, and draggable/resizable canvases with auto-scrolling logs to enhance usability in trading analysis.
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Developing a Replay System — Market simulation (Part 12): Birth of the SIMULATOR (II)

Developing a Replay System — Market simulation (Part 12): Birth of the SIMULATOR (II)

Developing a simulator can be much more interesting than it seems. Today we'll take a few more steps in this direction because things are getting more interesting.
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Neural Network in Practice: Straight Line Function

Neural Network in Practice: Straight Line Function

In this article, we will take a quick look at some methods to get a function that can represent our data in the database. I will not go into detail about how to use statistics and probability studies to interpret the results. Let's leave that for those who really want to delve into the mathematical side of the matter. Exploring these questions will be critical to understanding what is involved in studying neural networks. Here we will consider this issue quite calmly.
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Data Science and ML (Part 34): Time series decomposition, Breaking the stock market down to the core

Data Science and ML (Part 34): Time series decomposition, Breaking the stock market down to the core

In a world overflowing with noisy and unpredictable data, identifying meaningful patterns can be challenging. In this article, we'll explore seasonal decomposition, a powerful analytical technique that helps separate data into its key components: trend, seasonal patterns, and noise. By breaking data down this way, we can uncover hidden insights and work with cleaner, more interpretable information.
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Price Action Analysis Toolkit Development (Part 72): Building a Gap Fill Indicator in MQL5

Price Action Analysis Toolkit Development (Part 72): Building a Gap Fill Indicator in MQL5

An EA-ready weekend gap-fill tool for MetaTrader 5 that detects gaps, confirms complete fills, and posts deterministic buy/sell values to indicator buffers. It reconstructs historical events, monitors live markets without repainting, and visualizes gap structure directly on the chart. Configurable alerts and clear object graphics support both manual review and automated execution.
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Neural Networks in Trading: Time Series Forecasting Using Adaptive Modal Decomposition (ACEFormer)

Neural Networks in Trading: Time Series Forecasting Using Adaptive Modal Decomposition (ACEFormer)

We invite you to explore the ACEFormer architecture — a modern solution that combines the effectiveness of probabilistic attention with adaptive time series decomposition. This article will be useful for those seeking a balance between computational performance and forecast accuracy in financial markets.
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Neural networks made easy (Part 52): Research with optimism and distribution correction

Neural networks made easy (Part 52): Research with optimism and distribution correction

As the model is trained based on the experience reproduction buffer, the current Actor policy moves further and further away from the stored examples, which reduces the efficiency of training the model as a whole. In this article, we will look at the algorithm of improving the efficiency of using samples in reinforcement learning algorithms.
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Dynamic mode decomposition applied to univariate time series in MQL5

Dynamic mode decomposition applied to univariate time series in MQL5

Dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) is a technique usually applied to high-dimensional datasets. In this article, we demonstrate the application of DMD on univariate time series, showing its ability to characterize a series as well as make forecasts. In doing so, we will investigate MQL5's built-in implementation of dynamic mode decomposition, paying particular attention to the new matrix method, DynamicModeDecomposition().
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Neural Networks in Trading: Hierarchical Feature Learning for Point Clouds

Neural Networks in Trading: Hierarchical Feature Learning for Point Clouds

We continue to study algorithms for extracting features from a point cloud. In this article, we will get acquainted with the mechanisms for increasing the efficiency of the PointNet method.
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From Basic to Intermediate: FOR Statement

From Basic to Intermediate: FOR Statement

In this article, we will look at the most basic concepts of the FOR statement. It is very important to understand everything that will be shown here. Unlike the other statements we've talked about so far, the FOR statement has some quirks that quickly make it very complex. So don't let stuff like this accumulate. Start studying and practicing as soon as possible.
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From Basic to Intermediate: WHILE and DO WHILE Statements

From Basic to Intermediate: WHILE and DO WHILE Statements

In this article, we will take a practical and very visual look at the first loop statement. Although many beginners feel intimidated when faced with the task of creating loops, knowing how to do it correctly and safely can only come with experience and practice. But who knows, maybe I can reduce your troubles and suffering by showing you the main issues and precautions to take when using loops in your code.
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Trend Criteria. Conclusion

Trend Criteria. Conclusion

In this article, we will consider the specifics of applying some trend criteria in practice. We will also try to develop several new criteria. The focus will be on the efficiency of applying these criteria to market data analysis and trading.
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MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 22): Conditional GANs

MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 22): Conditional GANs

Generative Adversarial Networks are a pairing of Neural Networks that train off of each other for more accurate results. We adopt the conditional type of these networks as we look to possible application in forecasting Financial time series within an Expert Signal Class.
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MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 65): Using Patterns of FrAMA and the Force Index

MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 65): Using Patterns of FrAMA and the Force Index

The Fractal Adaptive Moving Average (FrAMA) and the Force Index Oscillator are another pair of indicators that could be used in conjunction within an MQL5 Expert Advisor. These two indicators complement each other a little bit because FrAMA is a trend following indicator while the Force Index is a volume based oscillator. As always, we use the MQL5 wizard to rapidly explore any potential these two may have.
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Neural Networks in Trading: An End-to-End Multivariate Time Series Forecasting Model (GinAR)

Neural Networks in Trading: An End-to-End Multivariate Time Series Forecasting Model (GinAR)

We invite you to explore an innovative approach to forecasting time series with missing data using the GinAR framework. The article demonstrates the implementation of key components using OpenCL, which ensures high performance. In our next publication, we will take a detailed look at how to integrate these solutions into MQL5. This will help understand how to apply the method in practice in trading.
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Price Driven CGI Model: Theoretical Foundation

Price Driven CGI Model: Theoretical Foundation

Let's discuss the data manipulation algorithm, as we dive deeper into conceptualizing the idea of using price data to drive CGI objects. Think about transferring the effects of events, human emotions and actions on financial asset prices to a real-life model. This study delves into leveraging price data to influence the scale of a CGI object, controlling growth and emotions. These visible effects can establish a fresh analytical foundation for traders. Further insights are shared in the article.
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MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 74):  Using Patterns of Ichimoku and the ADX-Wilder with Supervised Learning

MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 74): Using Patterns of Ichimoku and the ADX-Wilder with Supervised Learning

We follow up on our last article, where we introduced the indicator pair of the Ichimoku and the ADX, by looking at how this duo could be improved with Supervised Learning. Ichimoku and ADX are a support/resistance plus trend complimentary pairing. Our supervised learning approach uses a neural network that engages the Deep Spectral Mixture Kernel to fine tune the forecasts of this indicator pairing. As per usual, this is done in a custom signal class file that works with the MQL5 wizard to assemble an Expert Advisor.
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From Basic to Intermediate: Inheritance

From Basic to Intermediate: Inheritance

No doubt, this article will require a significant amount of your time to understand how and why the materials described here work. This is because everything that will be shown here is initially oriented toward object-oriented programming, but in fact it is based on the principles of structured programming.
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Forex Arbitrage Trading: Relationship Assessment Panel

Forex Arbitrage Trading: Relationship Assessment Panel

This article presents the development of an arbitrage analysis panel in MQL5. How to get fair exchange rates on Forex in different ways? Create an indicator to obtain deviations of market prices from fair exchange rates, as well as to assess the benefits of arbitrage ways of exchanging one currency for another (as in triangular arbitrage).
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Price Action Analysis Toolkit Development (Part 18): Introducing Quarters Theory (III) — Quarters Board

Price Action Analysis Toolkit Development (Part 18): Introducing Quarters Theory (III) — Quarters Board

In this article, we enhance the original Quarters Script by introducing the Quarters Board, a tool that lets you toggle quarter levels directly on the chart without needing to revisit the code. You can easily activate or deactivate specific levels, and the EA also provides trend direction commentary to help you better understand market movements.
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From Basic to Intermediate: Indicator (II)

From Basic to Intermediate: Indicator (II)

In this article, we will examine how to implement a moving average calculation and what precautions should be taken when performing this calculation. We will also discuss overloading the OnCalculate function to know when and how to work with one model or another.
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DoEasy. Controls (Part 14): New algorithm for naming graphical elements. Continuing work on the TabControl WinForms object

DoEasy. Controls (Part 14): New algorithm for naming graphical elements. Continuing work on the TabControl WinForms object

In this article, I will create a new algorithm for naming all graphical elements meant for building custom graphics, as well as continue developing the TabControl WinForms object.
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Automatic Session Volume Profile Builder in MQL5: Rendering POC and Value Area Without Third-Party Tools

Automatic Session Volume Profile Builder in MQL5: Rendering POC and Value Area Without Third-Party Tools

Implement a session-focused volume profile in MQL5: acquire ticks with CopyTicksRange(), bin prices, and compute POC, VAH, and VAL by the 70% approach. The indicator renders directly on the chart as native objects, supports fixed-width scaling for consistent geometry across timeframes, and refreshes on each new session. This provides objective reference levels without external dependencies.
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Reimagining Classic Strategies: Crude Oil

Reimagining Classic Strategies: Crude Oil

In this article, we revisit a classic crude oil trading strategy with the aim of enhancing it by leveraging supervised machine learning algorithms. We will construct a least-squares model to predict future Brent crude oil prices based on the spread between Brent and WTI crude oil prices. Our goal is to identify a leading indicator of future changes in Brent prices.
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Mastering Log Records (Part 4): Saving logs to files

Mastering Log Records (Part 4): Saving logs to files

In this article, I will teach you basic file operations and how to configure a flexible handler for customization. We will update the CLogifyHandlerFile class to write logs directly to the file. We will conduct a performance test by simulating a strategy on EURUSD for a week, generating logs at each tick, with a total time of 5 minutes and 11 seconds. The result will be compared in a future article, where we will implement a caching system to improve performance.
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MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 31): Selecting the Loss Function

MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 31): Selecting the Loss Function

Loss Function is the key metric of machine learning algorithms that provides feedback to the training process by quantifying how well a given set of parameters are performing when compared to their intended target. We explore the various formats of this function in an MQL5 custom wizard class.