Articles with MQL5 programming examples

This time we are going to create a multi-currency Expert Advisor with a trading algorithm based on work with the pending orders Buy Stop and Sell Stop. This article considers the following matters: trading in a specified time range, placing/modifying/deleting pending orders, checking if the last position was closed at Take Profit or Stop Loss and control of the deals history for each symbol.

The article describes construction of fractal lines of various types using trend lines and fractals.

In practical work a trader can face the following situation: it is necessary to get "alert" or a text message on a display (in a chart window) indicating about an appeared signal of an indicator. The article contains an example of displaying information about graphical objects created by an external indicator.

This article explains the idea of multi-mode trading robot programming in MQL5. Every mode is implemented with the object-oriented approach. Instances of both mode classes hierarchy and classes for testing are provided. Multi-mode programming of trading robots is supposed to take into account all peculiarities of every operational mode of an EA written in MQL5. Functions and enumeration are created for identifying the mode.

The first demonstration of testing results of a strategy based on 0.1 lot is becoming a standard de facto in the Forum. Having received "not so bad" from professionals, a beginner sees that "0.1" testing brings rather modest results and decides to introduce an aggressive money management thinking that positive mathematic expectation automatically provides positive results. Let's see what results can be achieved. Together with that we will try to construct several artificial balance graphs that are very instructive.

Understanding the subtle dynamics behind price movements can give you a critical edge. One such phenomenon is the liquidity sweep, a deliberate strategy that large traders, especially institutions, use to push prices through key support or resistance levels. These levels often coincide with clusters of retail stop-loss orders, creating pockets of liquidity that big players can exploit to enter or exit sizeable positions with minimal slippage.

In the article, I will start developing the functionality for working with the Depth of Market. I will also create the class of the Depth of Market abstract order object and its descendants.

An anti-aliasing algorithm of the CCanvas class is the base for all constructions where anti-aliasing is being used. The article contains information about how this algorithm operates, and provides relevant examples of visualization. It also covers drawing shades of graphic objects and has a detailed algorithm developed for drawing shades on canvas. The numerical analysis library ALGLIB is used for calculations.

In this article, I will create a separate class for the shadow object, which is a descendant of the graphical element object, as well as add the ability to fill the object background with a gradient fill.

In order to develop an expert to participate in Automated Trading Championship 2010, let's use a template of ready expert advisor. Even novice MQL5 programmer will be capable of this task, because for your strategies the basic classes, functions, templates are already developed. It's enough to write a minimal amount of code to implement your trading idea.

The article describes a way of programming without using templates but keeping the style of programming iherenet to them. It tells about implementation of templates using custom methods and has a ready-made script attached for creating a code on the basis of specified templates.

Step-by-step instructions of how to organize data transfer from Matlab to MetaTrader 4 using DDE.

In the previous chapters of the eighth part of the series, our library has been reinforced by several classes for developing mouse pointers, calendars and tree views. The current article deals with the file navigator control that can also be used as part of an MQL application graphical interface.

The MQL5 language keeps evolving, and its new features for working with data are constantly being added. Due to innovation it has recently become possible to operate with ZIP archives using regular MQL5 tools without getting third party DLL libraries involved. This article focuses on how this is done and provides the CZip class, which is a universal tool for reading, creating and modifying ZIP archives, as an example.

In this article, I am going to improve the classes of indicator buffer objects to work in the multi-symbol mode. This will pave the way for creating multi-symbol multi-period indicators in custom programs. I will add the missing functionality to the calculated buffer objects allowing us to create multi-symbol multi-period standard indicators.

Since I published the article "Alert and Comment for External Indicators", I have been receiving requests and questions regarding the possibility of developing an external informer operating based on indicator lines. Having analyzed the questions, I have decided to continue with the subject. Getting data stored in indicator buffers turned out to be another area of interest to users.

In this article, I will complete working with chart object classes and their collection. I will also implement auto tracking of changes in chart properties and their windows, as well as saving new parameters to the object properties. Such a revision allows the future implementation of an event functionality for the entire chart collection.

The article regards spindle chart plotting and its usage in trading strategies and experts. First let's discuss the chart's appearance, plotting and connection with japanese candlestick chart. Next we analyze the indicator's implementation in the source code in the MQL5 language. Let's test the expert based on indicator and formulate the trading strategy.

A rather universal approach to writing indicators of the ZigZag type is proposed. The method includes a significant part of ZigZags already described and allows you to create new ones relatively easily.

In this article, I will start the improvement of the indicator buffer objects and collection class for working in multi-period and multi-symbol modes. I am going to consider the operation of buffer objects for receiving and displaying data from any timeframe on the current symbol chart.

The entire complex of problems of creating a structure of an executed code and its tracing can be solved without serious difficulties. This possibility has appeared in MetaTrader 5 due to the new feature of the MQL5 language - automatic creation of variables of complex type of data (structures and classes) and their elimination when going out of local scope. The article contains the description of the methodology and the ready-made tool.

This article is intended to get its readers acquainted with a possible variant of using graphical objects of the MQL5 language. It analyses an indicator, which implements a panel of managing a simple spectrum analyzer using the graphical objects. The article is meant for readers acquianted with basics of MQL5.

This article highlights object-oriented capabilities of the MQL5 language for creating objects facilitating work with global variables of the terminal. As a practical example I consider a case when global variables are used as control points for implementation of program stages.

The most of traders use special programs to protect their PCs. Unfortunately, these programs don't only protect computers against intrusions, viruses and Trojans, but also consume a significant amount of resources. This relates to network traffic, first of all, which is wholly controlled by various intelligent antiviruses and firewalls. The reason for writing this article was that traders complained of slowed MetaTrader 4 Client Terminal when working with Outpost Firewall. We decided to make our own research using Kaspersky Antivirus 6.0 and Outpost Firewall Pro 4.0.

As the library grows, its code must be optimized again in order to reduce its size. The version of the library described in this article has become even more object-oriented. This made the code easier to learn. A detailed description of the latest changes will allow the readers to develop the library independently based on their own needs.

Developing a system of SMS notifications that informs you of the status of your EA so that you are always aware of any critical situation, wherever you may be.

This is the final article, devoted to transferring an indicator code into an Expert Advisor code. Here the author transforms on a certain example a code of an Expert Advisor so, that this EA is presented in a single file without calling custom indicators.

Estimation of statistical parameters of a sequence is very important, since most of mathematical models and methods are based on different assumptions. For example, normality of distribution law or dispersion value, or other parameters. Thus, when analyzing and forecasting of time series we need a simple and convenient tool that allows quickly and clearly estimating the main statistical parameters. The article shortly describes the simplest statistical parameters of a random sequence and several methods of its visual analysis. It offers the implementation of these methods in MQL5 and the methods of visualization of the result of calculations using the Gnuplot application.

The previous chapter of part VIII on graphical interfaces has focused on the elements of static and drop-down calendar. The second chapter will be dedicated to an equally complex element — a tree view, that is included in every complete library used for creating graphical interfaces. A tree view implemented in this article contains multiple flexible settings and modes, thus allowing to adjust this element of control to your needs.

Currently, the library is able to track standard graphical objects on the client terminal chart, including their removal and modification of some of their parameters. At the moment, it lacks the ability to create standard graphical objects from custom programs.

It is time to start the integration of the already created objects into the previously created library objects. This will ultimately endow each library object with its own graphical object allowing users to interact with the program.

It may be news to many our readers that all preparations for writing an EA can be performed once and then used continuously.

In this article, I will start the development of various composite graphical object events. We will also partially consider moving and deleting a composite graphical object. In fact, here I am going to fine-tune the things I implemented in the previous article.