MQL4 Programming Articles

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. Traders will need to complete only 5 steps in order to rent the virtual copy of their terminal with minimal network latency to their broker's trade server directly from the MetaTrader client terminal.

Apple products have become very popular. MetaQuotes Software Corp. attentively follows the progress of the IT industry and has already released the special mobile applications for iOS-based devices - MetaTrader 4 for iPhone and MetaTrader 5 for iPhone.There are many topics on the MQL4.community forum, where people are seeking a solution for running MetaTrader 4 under the Mac OS operating system. In this article, you will find out how to work in MetaTrader 4 via the Apple's popular operating system.

In this article, we demonstrate an easy way to install MetaTrader 4 on popular Linux versions — Ubuntu and Debian. These systems are widely used on server hardware as well as on traders’ personal computers.

The article deals with evaluating the performance of Signals Providers. We offer several additional parameters highlighting signal trading results from a slightly different angle than in traditional approaches. The concepts of the proper management and perfect deal are described. We also dwell on the optimal selection using the obtained results and compiling the portfolio of multiple signal sources.

Tutorial to build a Binary Options strategy an test it in Strategy-Tester of MetaTrader 4 with Binary-Options-Strategy-Tester utility from marketplace.

This article describes a process of creating an Expert Advisor for MetaTrader 4 based on the Engulfing pattern, as well as the pattern recognition principle, rules of setting pending orders and stop orders. The results of testing and optimization are provided for your information.

We all are aware of that "No profit obtained in the past will guarantee any success in future". However, it is still very actual to be able to estimate trading systems. This article deals with some simple and convenient methods that will help to estimate trade results.

In this article, we discuss the method of trading analysis by measuring angles in the MetaTrader 4 terminal. The article provides a general plan of using angles for trend movement analysis, as well as non-standard ways to the practical application of angle analysis in trading. The article also provides conclusions that can be useful for trading.

The article describes the development of a MetaTrader 4 Expert Advisor based on the Inside Bar strategy, including Inside Bar detection principles, as well as pending and stop order setting rules. Test and optimization results are provided as well.

To avoid critical completion of programs, the previous version compiler handled many errors in the runtime environment. For example, division by zero or array out of range are critical errors and usually lead to program crash. The new compiler can detect actual or potential sources of errors and improve code quality. In this article, we discuss possible errors that can be detected during compilation of old programs and see how to fix them.

This article shows how price action and the monitoring of support and resistance levels can be used for well-timed market entry. It discusses a trading system that effectively combines the two for the determination of trade setups. Corresponding MQL4 code is explained that can be utilized in the EAs based on these trading concepts.

The article describes how currency pairs can be divided into groups (baskets), as well as how to obtain data about their status (for example, overbought and oversold) using certain indicators and how to apply this data in trading.

The article provides a review of an idea based on the analysis of prices' movement direction and their speed. We have performed its formalization in the MQL4 language presented as an expert advisor to explore viability of the strategy being under consideration. We also determine the best parameters via check, examination and optimization of an example given in the article.

Over the ten years since the release of the first version of the ZUP platform, it has undergone through multiple changes and improvements. As a result, now we have a unique graphical add-on for MetaTrader 4 allowing you to quickly and conveniently analyze market data. The article describes how to work with the graphical interface of the ZUP indicator platform.

The article reveals the portfolio trading principles and their application to Forex market. A few simple mathematical portfolio arrangement models are considered. The article contains examples of practical implementation of the portfolio trading in MetaTrader 4: portfolio indicator and Expert Advisor for semi-automated trading. The elements of trading strategies, as well as their advantages and pitfalls are described.

This article provides an answer to the question: "Is it possible to formulate an automated trading strategy based on history data with neural networks?".

The principles of MQL4-programs development are shown on sample of creating a simple Expert Advisor system based on the standard MACD indicator.

Cluster indicators are sets of indicators that divide currency pairs into separate currencies. Indicators allow to trace the relative currency fluctuation, determine the potential of formating new currency trends, receive trade signals and follow medium-term and long-term positons.

Article explains how to read testing reports and to interpret the obtained results properly.

Cluster indicators are sets of indicators that divide currency pairs into separate currencies. Indicators allow to trace the relative currency fluctuation, determine the potential of forming new currency trends, receive trade signals and follow medium-term and long-term positions.

How to create "voice" indicators for daily usage.

The article provides a detailed description of the process of testing and optimizing Expert Advisors in the MetaTrader 4 Strategy Tester. The importance of such information and the need for this publication cannot be underestimated. A lot of users who only get started with the MetaTrader 4 trading platform have a very vague idea of what and how needs to be done when working with Expert Advisors. The proposed article gives simple and clear answers to all of these questions and provides a slightly more professional approach to handling these issues using a specific example.

Updated MQL4 has the new format for storing historical data and provides the appropriate MqlRates structure for convenient storage of Time, Open, Low, High, Close and Volume values. For many years, traders have developed their MQL4 applications that collect and store their data in HST files for generating offline charts. We can assure you that all previously compiled EX4 files will work in the new MetaTrader 4 terminal the same way as before.

This article shows you how to easily use Neural Networks in your MQL4 code taking advantage of best freely available artificial neural network library (FANN) employing multiple neural networks in your code.

The article deals with the problem of conflict-free trading of several experts on the same МТ 4 Client Terminal. It "teaches" the expert to manage only "its own" orders without modifying or closing "someone else's" positions (opened manually or by other experts). The article was written for users who have basic skills of working with the terminal and programming in MQL 4.

This is the fourth article from the series "MQL4 Languages for Newbies". Today we will learn to write custom indicators. We will get acquainted with the classification of indicator features, will see how these features influence the indicator, will learn about new functions and optimization, and, finally, we will write our own indicators. Moreover, at the end of the article you will find advice on the programming style. If this is the first article "for newbies" that you are reading, perhaps it would be better for you to read the previous ones. Besides, make sure that you have understood properly the previous material, because the given article does not explain the basics.

The article is about the use of CFTC report data (Open Interest) in MetaTrader. The article describes the proposed META COT project in details, shows how to load and process the necessary information. The Expert Advisor included into the project will help us analyze the effectiveness of the concept presented in the article. Finally, we'll draw some conclusions and offer useful suggestions.

Protection of intellectual property is still a big problem. This article describes the basic principles of MQL4-programs protection. Using these principles you can ensure that results of your developments are not stolen by a thief, or at least to complicate his "work" so much that he will just refuse to do it.

This article dwells on the ways of transferring an indicator code into an Expert Advisor Code and on writing Expert Advisors with no calling to custom indicators, and with the whole program code for the calculation of necessary indicator values inside the Expert Advisor. This article gives a general scheme of an indicator structure, emulation of indicator buffers in an Expert Advisor and substitution of the function IndicatorCounted(). The article is intended for readers, already having experience of programming in MQL4 language.

In order to make profits based on high expectations, we must understand three basic principles of good trading: 1) know your risk when entering the market; 2) cut your losses early and allow your profit to run; 3) know the expectation of your system – test and adjust it regularly. This article provides a program code trailing open positions and actualizing the second golden principle, as it allows profit to run for the highest possible level.

The articles describes and provides a library of functions that allows a trader to optimize his or her Expert Advisor's inputs by launching optimization directly from the EA.

This is the third article from the series "MQL4 Language for Newbies". Now we will learn to use built-in functions and functions for working with technical indicators. The latter ones will be essential in the future development of your own Expert Advisors and indicators. Besides we will see on a simple example, how we can trace trading signals for entering the market, for you to understand, how to use indicators correctly. And at the end of the article you will learn something new and interesting about the language itself.

This article is a continuation of previous articles on deep neural network and predictor selection. Here we will cover features of a neural network initiated by Stacked RBM, and its implementation in the "darch" package.

The article gives a short description of ideas underlying indicator ZUP - Universal ZigZag with Pesavento Patterns. The article also describes indicators of ZigZag embedded in ZUP.

Through offline charts, programming in MQL4, and reasonable willingness, you can get a variety of chart types: "Point & Figure", "Renko", "Kagi", "Range bars", equivolume charts, etc. In this article, we will show how this can be achieved without using DLL, and therefore such "two-for-one" indicators can be published and purchased from the Market.

This is the fifth article from the series "MQL4 Languages for Newbies". Today we will learn to use graphical objects - a very powerful development tool that allows to widen substantially possibilities of using indicators. Besides, they can be used in scripts and Expert Advisors. We will learn to create objects, change their parameters, check errors. Of course, I cannot describe in details all objects - there are a lot of them. But you will get all necessary knowledge to be able to study them yourself. This article also contains a step-by-step guide-example of creating a complex signal indicator. At that, many parameters will be adjustable which will make it possible to change easily the appearance of the indicator.

Forecasting financial time-series is a required element of any investing activity. The concept of investing itself - put up money now to gain profits in future - is based on the concept of predicting the future. Therefore, forecasting financial time-series underlies the activities of the whole investing industry - all organized exchanges and other securities trading systems.

This article draws your attention to the brief review of the method and program code of the mechanical trading system based on the technique proposed by Stanislav Chuvashov. The market analysis considered in the article has something in common with Thomas DeMark's approach to drawing trend lines for the last closest time interval, fractals being the reference points in the construction of trend lines.

Profitability of trading systems is defined not only by logic and precision of analyzing the financial instrument dynamics, but also by the quality of the performance algorithm of this logic. False trigger is typical for low quality performance of the main logic of a trading robot. Ways of solving the specified problem are considered in this article.

In this article, we test the statistical properties of the Labouchere money management system. It is considered to be a less aggressive kind of Martingale, since bets are not doubled, but are raised by a certain amount instead.