Articles with MQL5 programming examples

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Access a huge collection of articles with code examples showing how to create indicators and trading robots for the MetaTrader platform in the MQL5 language. Source codes are attached to the articles, so you can open them in MetaEditor and run them to see how the applications work.

These articles will be useful both for those who have just started exploring automated trading and for professional traders with programming experience. They feature not only examples, but also contain new ideas.

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Population optimization algorithms: Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA)

Population optimization algorithms: Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA)

Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) is a metaheuristic algorithm inspired by the behavior and hunting strategies of humpback whales. The main idea of WOA is to mimic the so-called "bubble-net" feeding method, in which whales create bubbles around prey and then attack it in a spiral motion.
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Brain Storm Optimization algorithm (Part I): Clustering

Brain Storm Optimization algorithm (Part I): Clustering

In this article, we will look at an innovative optimization method called BSO (Brain Storm Optimization) inspired by a natural phenomenon called "brainstorming". We will also discuss a new approach to solving multimodal optimization problems the BSO method applies. It allows finding multiple optimal solutions without the need to pre-determine the number of subpopulations. We will also consider the K-Means and K-Means++ clustering methods.
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From Basic to Intermediate: Variables (II)

From Basic to Intermediate: Variables (II)

Today we will look at how to work with static variables. This question often confuses many programmers, both beginners and those with some experience, because there are several recommendations that must be followed when using this mechanism. The materials presented here are intended for didactic purposes only. Under no circumstances should the application be viewed for any purpose other than to learn and master the concepts presented.
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Applying Localized Feature Selection in Python and MQL5

Applying Localized Feature Selection in Python and MQL5

This article explores a feature selection algorithm introduced in the paper 'Local Feature Selection for Data Classification' by Narges Armanfard et al. The algorithm is implemented in Python to build binary classifier models that can be integrated with MetaTrader 5 applications for inference.
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From Basic to Intermediate: Arrays and Strings (III)

From Basic to Intermediate: Arrays and Strings (III)

This article considers two aspects. First, how the standard library can convert binary values to other representations such as octal, decimal, and hexadecimal. Second, we will talk about how we can determine the width of our password based on the secret phrase, using the knowledge we have already acquired.
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From Basic to Intermediate: Operator Precedence

From Basic to Intermediate: Operator Precedence

This is definitely the most difficult question to be explained purely theoretically. That is why you need to practice everything that we're going to discuss here. While this may seem simple at first, the topic of operators can only be understood in practice combined with constant education.
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From Basic to Intermediate: Overload

From Basic to Intermediate: Overload

Perhaps this article will be the most confusing for novice programmers. As a matter of fact, here I will show that it is not always that all functions and procedures have unique names in the same code. Yes, we can easily use functions and procedures with the same name — and this is called overload.
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Building Volatility models in MQL5 (Part I): The Initial Implementation

Building Volatility models in MQL5 (Part I): The Initial Implementation

In this article, we present an MQL5 library for modeling volatility, designed to function similarly to Python's arch package. The library currently supports the specification of common conditional mean (HAR, AR, Constant Mean, Zero Mean) and conditional volatility (Constant Variance, ARCH, GARCH) models.
All about Automated Trading Championship: Interviews with the Participants'06
All about Automated Trading Championship: Interviews with the Participants'06

All about Automated Trading Championship: Interviews with the Participants'06

Interviews with the Participants of Automated Trading Championship 2006 demonstrated a great variety of views of automated trading and trading as a whole. You can see yourselves which ideas turned out to work better during the Championship and which of them could not pass the critical verification through a three-month long "test-drive" on a contest account.
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Account Audit System in MQL5 (Part 1): Designing the User Interface

Account Audit System in MQL5 (Part 1): Designing the User Interface

This article builds the user interface layer of an Account Audit System in MQL5 using CChartObject classes. We construct an on-chart dashboard that displays key metrics such as start/end balance, net profit, total trades, wins/losses, win rate, withdrawals, and a star-based performance rating. A menu button lets you show or hide the panel and restores one-click trading, delivering a clean, usable foundation for the broader audit pipeline.
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Artificial Tribe Algorithm (ATA)

Artificial Tribe Algorithm (ATA)

The article provides a detailed discussion of the key components and innovations of the ATA optimization algorithm, which is an evolutionary method with a unique dual behavior system that adapts depending on the situation. ATA combines individual and social learning while using crossover for explorations and migration to find solutions when stuck in local optima.
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Market Simulation (Part 09): Sockets (III)

Market Simulation (Part 09): Sockets (III)

Today's article is a continuation of the previous one. We will look at the implementation of an Expert Advisor, focusing mainly on how the server code is executed. The code given in the previous article is not enough to make everything work as expected, so we need to dig a little deeper into it. Therefore, it is necessary to read both articles to better understand what will happen.
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Market Simulation (Part 08): Sockets (II)

Market Simulation (Part 08): Sockets (II)

How about creating something practical using sockets? In today's article, we'll start creating a mini-chat. Let's look together at how this is done - it will be very interesting. Please note that the code provided here is for educational purposes only. It should not be used for commercial purposes or in ready-made applications, as it does not provide data transfer security and the content transmitted over the socket can be accessed.
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DoEasy. Controls (Part 33): Vertical ScrollBar

DoEasy. Controls (Part 33): Vertical ScrollBar

In this article, we will continue the development of graphical elements of the DoEasy library and add vertical scrolling of form object controls, as well as some useful functions and methods that will be required in the future.
Method of Determining Errors in Code by Commenting
Method of Determining Errors in Code by Commenting

Method of Determining Errors in Code by Commenting

The article describes a method of searching the errors in the MQL4 code that is based on commenting. This method is found to be a useful one in case of problems occuring during the compilation caused by the errors in a reasonably large code.
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Population optimization algorithms: Evolution of Social Groups (ESG)

Population optimization algorithms: Evolution of Social Groups (ESG)

We will consider the principle of constructing multi-population algorithms. As an example of this type of algorithm, we will have a look at the new custom algorithm - Evolution of Social Groups (ESG). We will analyze the basic concepts, population interaction mechanisms and advantages of this algorithm, as well as examine its performance in optimization problems.
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Developing a Multi-Currency Advisor (Part 27): Component for Displaying Multi-Line Text

Developing a Multi-Currency Advisor (Part 27): Component for Displaying Multi-Line Text

If there is a need to display text on a chart, we can use the Comment() function. But its capabilities are quite limited. Therefore, in this article, we will create our own component - a full-screen dialog window capable of displaying multi-line text with flexible font settings and scrolling support.
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Bivariate Copulae in MQL5 (Part 1): Implementing Gaussian and Student's t-Copulae for Dependency Modeling

Bivariate Copulae in MQL5 (Part 1): Implementing Gaussian and Student's t-Copulae for Dependency Modeling

This is the first part of an article series presenting the implementation of bivariate copulae in MQL5. This article presents code implementing Gaussian and Student's t-copulae. It also delves into the fundamentals of statistical copulae and related topics. The code is based on the Arbitragelab Python package by Hudson and Thames.
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Market Simulation (Part 07): Sockets (I)

Market Simulation (Part 07): Sockets (I)

Sockets. Do you know what they are for or how to use them in MetaTrader 5? If the answer is no, let's start by studying them. In today's article, we'll cover the basics. Since there are several ways to do the same thing, and we are always interested in the result, I want to show that there is indeed a simple way to transfer data from MetaTrader 5 to other programs, such as Excel. However, the main idea is not to transfer data from MetaTrader 5 to Excel, but the opposite, that is, to transfer data from Excel or any other program to MetaTrader 5.
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From Basic to Intermediate: Arrays and Strings (I)

From Basic to Intermediate: Arrays and Strings (I)

In today's article, we'll start exploring some special data types. To begin, we'll define what a string is and explain how to use some basic procedures. This will allow us to work with this type of data, which can be interesting, although sometimes a little confusing for beginners. The content presented here is intended solely for educational purposes. Under no circumstances should the application be viewed for any purpose other than to learn and master the concepts presented.
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The MQL5 Standard Library Explorer (Part 8) : The Hybrid Trades Journal Logging with CFile

The MQL5 Standard Library Explorer (Part 8) : The Hybrid Trades Journal Logging with CFile

In this article, we explore the File Operations classes of the MQL5 Standard Library to build a robust reporting module that automatically generates Excel-ready CSV files. Along the way, we clearly distinguish between manually executed trades and algorithmically executed orders, laying the groundwork for reliable, auditable trade reporting.
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Multiple Symbol Analysis With Python And MQL5 (Part II): Principal Components Analysis For Portfolio Optimization

Multiple Symbol Analysis With Python And MQL5 (Part II): Principal Components Analysis For Portfolio Optimization

Managing trading account risk is a challenge for all traders. How can we develop trading applications that dynamically learn high, medium, and low-risk modes for various symbols in MetaTrader 5? By using PCA, we gain better control over portfolio variance. I’ll demonstrate how to create applications that learn these three risk modes from market data fetched from MetaTrader 5.
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Overcoming The Limitation of Machine Learning (Part 4): Overcoming Irreducible Error Using Multiple Forecast Horizons

Overcoming The Limitation of Machine Learning (Part 4): Overcoming Irreducible Error Using Multiple Forecast Horizons

Machine learning is often viewed through statistical or linear algebraic lenses, but this article emphasizes a geometric perspective of model predictions. It demonstrates that models do not truly approximate the target but rather map it onto a new coordinate system, creating an inherent misalignment that results in irreducible error. The article proposes that multi-step predictions, comparing the model’s forecasts across different horizons, offer a more effective approach than direct comparisons with the target. By applying this method to a trading model, the article demonstrates significant improvements in profitability and accuracy without changing the underlying model.
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Building Volatility Models in MQL5 (Part II): Implementing GJR-GARCH and TARCH in MQL5

Building Volatility Models in MQL5 (Part II): Implementing GJR-GARCH and TARCH in MQL5

The article implements GJR-GARCH and TARCH in an MQL5 volatility library and explains why asymmetry improves on standard ARCH/GARCH. It covers model formulation, parameterization, and usage through derived classes and scripts. Readers get code examples for calibration and one-step-ahead forecasting on real data to support risk and diagnostics.
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Developing a Replay System (Part 65): Playing the service (VI)

Developing a Replay System (Part 65): Playing the service (VI)

In this article, we will look at how to implement and solve the mouse pointer issue when using it in conjunction with a replay/simulation application. The content presented here is intended solely for educational purposes. Under no circumstances should the application be viewed for any purpose other than to learn and master the concepts presented.
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Developing a Replay System (Part 52): Things Get Complicated (IV)

Developing a Replay System (Part 52): Things Get Complicated (IV)

In this article, we will change the mouse pointer to enable the interaction with the control indicator to ensure reliable and stable operation.
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Integrating External Applications with MQL5 Community OAuth

Integrating External Applications with MQL5 Community OAuth

Learn how to add “Sign in with MQL5” to your Android app using the OAuth 2.0 authorization code flow. The guide covers app registration, endpoints, redirect URI, Custom Tabs, deep-link handling, and a PHP backend that exchanges the code for an access token over HTTPS. You will authenticate real MQL5 users and access profile data such as rank and reputation.
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Formulating Dynamic Multi-Pair EA (Part 8): Time-of-Day Capital Rotation Approach

Formulating Dynamic Multi-Pair EA (Part 8): Time-of-Day Capital Rotation Approach

This article presents a Time-of-Day capital rotation engine for MQL5 that allocates risk by trading session instead of using uniform exposure. We detail session budgets within a daily risk cap, dynamic lot sizing from remaining session risk, and automatic daily resets. Execution uses session-specific breakout and fade logic with ATR-based volatility confirmation. Readers gain a practical template to deploy capital where session conditions are statistically strongest while keeping exposure controlled throughout the day.
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Bacterial Chemotaxis Optimization (BCO)

Bacterial Chemotaxis Optimization (BCO)

The article presents the original version of the Bacterial Chemotaxis Optimization (BCO) algorithm and its modified version. We will take a closer look at all the differences, with a special focus on the new version of BCOm, which simplifies the bacterial movement mechanism, reduces the dependence on positional history, and uses simpler math than the computationally heavy original version. We will also conduct the tests and summarize the results.
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Category Theory in MQL5 (Part 11): Graphs

Category Theory in MQL5 (Part 11): Graphs

This article is a continuation in a series that look at Category Theory implementation in MQL5. In here we examine how Graph-Theory could be integrated with monoids and other data structures when developing a close-out strategy to a trading system.
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Market Simulation (Part 03): A Matter of Performance

Market Simulation (Part 03): A Matter of Performance

Often we have to take a step back and then move forward. In this article, we will show all the changes necessary to ensure that the Mouse and Chart Trade indicators do not break. As a bonus, we'll also cover other changes that have occurred in other header files that will be widely used in the future.
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MQL5 Trading Toolkit (Part 5): Expanding the History Management EX5 Library with Position Functions

MQL5 Trading Toolkit (Part 5): Expanding the History Management EX5 Library with Position Functions

Discover how to create exportable EX5 functions to efficiently query and save historical position data. In this step-by-step guide, we will expand the History Management EX5 library by developing modules that retrieve key properties of the most recently closed position. These include net profit, trade duration, pip-based stop loss, take profit, profit values, and various other important details.
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Population optimization algorithms: Binary Genetic Algorithm (BGA). Part I

Population optimization algorithms: Binary Genetic Algorithm (BGA). Part I

In this article, we will explore various methods used in binary genetic and other population algorithms. We will look at the main components of the algorithm, such as selection, crossover and mutation, and their impact on the optimization. In addition, we will study data presentation methods and their impact on optimization results.
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Developing an MQL5 RL agent with RestAPI integration (Part 4): Organizing functions in classes in MQL5

Developing an MQL5 RL agent with RestAPI integration (Part 4): Organizing functions in classes in MQL5

This article discusses the transition from procedural coding to object-oriented programming (OOP) in MQL5 with an emphasis on integration with the REST API. Today we will discuss how to organize HTTP request functions (GET and POST) into classes. We will take a closer look at code refactoring and show how to replace isolated functions with class methods. The article contains practical examples and tests.
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Integrating MQL5 with Data Processing Packages (Part 8): Using Graph Neural Networks for Liquidity Zone Recognition

Integrating MQL5 with Data Processing Packages (Part 8): Using Graph Neural Networks for Liquidity Zone Recognition

This article shows how to represent market structure as a graph in MQL5, turning swing highs/lows into nodes with features and linking them by edges. It trains a Graph Neural Network to score potential liquidity zones, exports the model to ONNX, and runs real-time inference in an Expert Advisor. Readers learn how to build the data pipeline, integrate the model, visualize zones on the chart, and use the signals for rule-based execution.
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Adaptive Malaysian Engulfing Indicator (Part 2): Optimized Retest Bar Range

Adaptive Malaysian Engulfing Indicator (Part 2): Optimized Retest Bar Range

The article adds a self-adaptive layer to the Malaysian Engulfing indicator by optimizing the retest bar range with a constrained brute-force search scored by MFE and MAE. It details the data model, helper routines, and an MQL5 implementation that gathers historical setups, computes excursions, and selects the best parameter. Readers learn how to remove manual tuning and run the indicator with context-appropriate settings across symbols and timeframes.
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The MQL5 Standard Library Explorer (Part 10): Polynomial Regression Channel

The MQL5 Standard Library Explorer (Part 10): Polynomial Regression Channel

Today, we explore another component of ALGLIB, leveraging its mathematical capabilities to develop a Polynomial Regression Channel indicator. By the end of this discussion, you will gain practical insights into indicator development using the MQL5 Standard Library, along with a fully functional, mathematically driven indicator source code.
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From Basic to Intermediate: Events (I)

From Basic to Intermediate: Events (I)

Given everything that has been shown so far, I think we can now start implementing some kind of application to run some symbol directly on the chart. However, first we need to talk about a concept that can be rather confusing for beginners. Namely, it's the fact that applications developed in MQL5 and intended for display on a chart are not created in the same way as we have seen so far. In this article, we'll begin to understand this a little better.
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From Basic to Intermediate: Definitions (I)

From Basic to Intermediate: Definitions (I)

In this article we will do things that many will find strange and completely out of context, but which, if used correctly, will make your learning much more fun and interesting: we will be able to build quite interesting things based on what is shown here. This will allow you to better understand the syntax of the MQL5 language. The materials provided here are for educational purposes only. It should not be considered in any way as a final application. Its purpose is not to explore the concepts presented.
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From Basic to Intermediate: Template and Typename (IV)

From Basic to Intermediate: Template and Typename (IV)

In this article, we will take a very close look at how to solve the problem posed at the end of the previous article. There was an attempt to create a template of such type so that to be able to create a template for data union.