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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Quantization in machine learning (Part 1): Theory, sample code, analysis of implementation in CatBoost

Quantization in machine learning (Part 1): Theory, sample code, analysis of implementation in CatBoost

The article considers the theoretical application of quantization in the construction of tree models and showcases the implemented quantization methods in CatBoost. No complex mathematical equations are used.
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Neural Networks Made Easy (Part 92): Adaptive Forecasting in Frequency and Time Domains

Neural Networks Made Easy (Part 92): Adaptive Forecasting in Frequency and Time Domains

The authors of the FreDF method experimentally confirmed the advantage of combined forecasting in the frequency and time domains. However, the use of the weight hyperparameter is not optimal for non-stationary time series. In this article, we will get acquainted with the method of adaptive combination of forecasts in frequency and time domains.
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Neural Networks in Trading: Dual Clustering of Multivariate Time Series (Final Part)

Neural Networks in Trading: Dual Clustering of Multivariate Time Series (Final Part)

We continue to implement approaches proposed vy the authors of the DUET framework, which offers an innovative approach to time series analysis, combining temporal and channel clustering to uncover hidden patterns in the analyzed data.
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How to publish code to CodeBase: A practical guide

How to publish code to CodeBase: A practical guide

In this article, we will use real-life examples to illustrate posting various types of terminal programs in the MQL5 source code base.
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MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 27): Moving Averages and the Angle of Attack

MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 27): Moving Averages and the Angle of Attack

The Angle of Attack is an often-quoted metric whose steepness is understood to strongly correlate with the strength of a prevailing trend. We look at how it is commonly used and understood and examine if there are changes that could be introduced in how it's measured for the benefit of a trade system that puts it in use.
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Risk Management (Part 5): Integrating the Risk Management System into an Expert Advisor

Risk Management (Part 5): Integrating the Risk Management System into an Expert Advisor

In this article, we will implement the risk management system developed in previous publications and add the Order Blocks indicator described in other articles. In addition, we will run a backtest so we can compare results with the risk management system enabled and evaluate the impact of dynamic risk.
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Build a Remote Forex Risk Management System in Python

Build a Remote Forex Risk Management System in Python

We are making a remote professional risk manager for Forex in Python, deploying it on the server step by step. In the course of the article, we will understand how to programmatically manage Forex risks, and how not to waste a Forex deposit any more.
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DoEasy. Controls (Part 24): Hint auxiliary WinForms object

DoEasy. Controls (Part 24): Hint auxiliary WinForms object

In this article, I will revise the logic of specifying the base and main objects for all WinForms library objects, develop a new Hint base object and several of its derived classes to indicate the possible direction of moving the separator.
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Self Optimizing Expert Advisor With MQL5 And Python (Part IV): Stacking Models

Self Optimizing Expert Advisor With MQL5 And Python (Part IV): Stacking Models

Today, we will demonstrate how you can build AI-powered trading applications capable of learning from their own mistakes. We will demonstrate a technique known as stacking, whereby we use 2 models to make 1 prediction. The first model is typically a weaker learner, and the second model is typically a more powerful model that learns the residuals of our weaker learner. Our goal is to create an ensemble of models, to hopefully attain higher accuracy.
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From Novice to Expert: Implementation of Fibonacci Strategies in Post-NFP Market Trading

From Novice to Expert: Implementation of Fibonacci Strategies in Post-NFP Market Trading

In financial markets, the laws of retracement remain among the most undeniable forces. It is a rule of thumb that price will always retrace—whether in large moves or even within the smallest tick patterns, which often appear as a zigzag. However, the retracement pattern itself is never fixed; it remains uncertain and subject to anticipation. This uncertainty explains why traders rely on multiple Fibonacci levels, each carrying a certain probability of influence. In this discussion, we introduce a refined strategy that applies Fibonacci techniques to address the challenges of trading shortly after major economic event announcements. By combining retracement principles with event-driven market behavior, we aim to uncover more reliable entry and exit opportunities. Join to explore the full discussion and see how Fibonacci can be adapted to post-event trading.
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MQL5 Trading Tools (Part 13): Creating a Canvas-Based Price Dashboard with Graph and Stats Panels

MQL5 Trading Tools (Part 13): Creating a Canvas-Based Price Dashboard with Graph and Stats Panels

In this article, we develop a canvas-based price dashboard in MQL5 using the CCanvas class to create interactive panels for visualizing recent price graphs and account statistics, with support for background images, fog effects, and gradient fills. The system includes draggable and resizable features via mouse event handling, theme toggling between dark and light modes with dynamic color adjustments, and minimize/maximize controls for efficient chart space management.
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Developing an MQTT client for MetaTrader 5: a TDD approach — Part 3

Developing an MQTT client for MetaTrader 5: a TDD approach — Part 3

This article is the third part of a series describing our development steps of a native MQL5 client for the MQTT protocol. In this part, we describe in detail how we are using Test-Driven Development to implement the Operational Behavior part of the CONNECT/CONNACK packet exchange. At the end of this step, our client MUST be able to behave appropriately when dealing with any of the possible server outcomes from a connection attempt.
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MQL5 Trading Tools (Part 13): Creating a Canvas-Based Price Dashboard with Graph and Stats Panels

MQL5 Trading Tools (Part 13): Creating a Canvas-Based Price Dashboard with Graph and Stats Panels

In this article, we develop a canvas-based price dashboard in MQL5 using the CCanvas class to create interactive panels for visualizing recent price graphs and account statistics, with support for background images, fog effects, and gradient fills. The system includes draggable and resizable features via mouse event handling, theme toggling between dark and light modes with dynamic color adjustments, and minimize/maximize controls for efficient chart space management.
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MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 77): Using Gator Oscillator and the Accumulation/Distribution Oscillator

MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 77): Using Gator Oscillator and the Accumulation/Distribution Oscillator

The Gator Oscillator by Bill Williams and the Accumulation/Distribution Oscillator are another indicator pairing that could be used harmoniously within an MQL5 Expert Advisor. We use the Gator Oscillator for its ability to affirm trends, while the A/D is used to provide confirmation of the trends via checks on volume. In exploring this indicator pairing, as always, we use the MQL5 wizard to build and test out their potential.
Interview with Alexander Topchylo (ATC 2010)
Interview with Alexander Topchylo (ATC 2010)

Interview with Alexander Topchylo (ATC 2010)

Alexander Topchylo (Better) is the winner of the Automated Trading Championship 2007. Alexander is an expert in neural networks - his Expert Advisor based on a neural network was on top of best EAs of year 2007. In this interview Alexander tells us about his life after the Championships, his own business and new algorithms for trading systems.
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Neural Networks in Trading: Two-Dimensional Connection Space Models (Final Part)

Neural Networks in Trading: Two-Dimensional Connection Space Models (Final Part)

We continue to explore the innovative Chimera framework – a two-dimensional state-space model that uses neural network technologies to analyze multidimensional time series. This method provides high forecasting accuracy with low computational cost.
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From Novice to Expert: Detecting Liquidity Zone Flips Using MQL5

From Novice to Expert: Detecting Liquidity Zone Flips Using MQL5

This article presents an MQL5 indicator that detects and manages liquidity zone flips. It identifies supply and demand zones from higher timeframes using a base–impulse pattern, applies objective breakout and impulse thresholds, and flips zones automatically when structure changes. The result is a dynamic support‑resistance map that reduces manual redraws and gives you clear, actionable context for signals and retests.
Interview with Andrea Zani (ATC 2011)
Interview with Andrea Zani (ATC 2011)

Interview with Andrea Zani (ATC 2011)

On the eleventh week of the Automated Trading Championship, Andrea Zani (sbraer) got featured very close to the top five of the competition. It is on the sixth place with about 47,000 USD now. Andrea's Expert Advisor AZXY has made only one losing deal, which was at the very beginning of the Championship. Since then, its equity curve has been steadily growing.
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Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 3): Architecture revision

Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 3): Architecture revision

We have already made some progress in developing a multi-currency EA with several strategies working in parallel. Considering the accumulated experience, let's review the architecture of our solution and try to improve it before we go too far ahead.
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Population optimization algorithms: Bat algorithm (BA)

Population optimization algorithms: Bat algorithm (BA)

In this article, I will consider the Bat Algorithm (BA), which shows good convergence on smooth functions.
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Neural Networks in Trading: Multi-Task Learning Based on the ResNeXt Model

Neural Networks in Trading: Multi-Task Learning Based on the ResNeXt Model

A multi-task learning framework based on ResNeXt optimizes the analysis of financial data, taking into account its high dimensionality, nonlinearity, and time dependencies. The use of group convolution and specialized heads allows the model to effectively extract key features from the input data.
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Neural networks made easy (Part 34): Fully Parameterized Quantile Function

Neural networks made easy (Part 34): Fully Parameterized Quantile Function

We continue studying distributed Q-learning algorithms. In previous articles, we have considered distributed and quantile Q-learning algorithms. In the first algorithm, we trained the probabilities of given ranges of values. In the second algorithm, we trained ranges with a given probability. In both of them, we used a priori knowledge of one distribution and trained another one. In this article, we will consider an algorithm which allows the model to train for both distributions.
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Building a Liquidity Spectrum Volume Profile Indicator in MQL5

Building a Liquidity Spectrum Volume Profile Indicator in MQL5

Build a Liquidity Spectrum Volume Profile in MQL5 that allocates volume to equal price bins over a chosen lookback using candle close prices. The guide covers data retrieval with copy functions, binning and normalization, and drawing rectangles and POC lines with chart objects and time offsets to reveal high-activity liquidity zones on the chart.
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DoEasy. Controls (Part 27): Working on ProgressBar WinForms object

DoEasy. Controls (Part 27): Working on ProgressBar WinForms object

In this article, I will continue the development of the ProgressBar control. In particular, I will create the functionality for managing the progress bar and visual effects.
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Neural networks made easy (Part 80): Graph Transformer Generative Adversarial Model (GTGAN)

Neural networks made easy (Part 80): Graph Transformer Generative Adversarial Model (GTGAN)

In this article, I will get acquainted with the GTGAN algorithm, which was introduced in January 2024 to solve complex problems of generation architectural layouts with graph constraints.
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Atomic Orbital Search (AOS) algorithm: Modification

Atomic Orbital Search (AOS) algorithm: Modification

In the second part of the article, we will continue developing a modified version of the AOS (Atomic Orbital Search) algorithm focusing on specific operators to improve its efficiency and adaptability. After analyzing the fundamentals and mechanics of the algorithm, we will discuss ideas for improving its performance and the ability to analyze complex solution spaces, proposing new approaches to extend its functionality as an optimization tool.
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Neural Networks in Trading: State Space Models

Neural Networks in Trading: State Space Models

A large number of the models we have reviewed so far are based on the Transformer architecture. However, they may be inefficient when dealing with long sequences. And in this article, we will get acquainted with an alternative direction of time series forecasting based on state space models.
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Implementation of the Augmented Dickey Fuller test in MQL5

Implementation of the Augmented Dickey Fuller test in MQL5

In this article we demonstrate the implementation of the Augmented Dickey-Fuller test, and apply it to conduct cointegration tests using the Engle-Granger method.
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From Basic to Intermediate: Array (I)

From Basic to Intermediate: Array (I)

This article is a transition between what has been discussed so far and a new stage of research. To understand this article, you need to read the previous ones. 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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Visualizing deals on a chart (Part 2): Data graphical display

Visualizing deals on a chart (Part 2): Data graphical display

Here we are going to develop a script from scratch that simplifies unloading print screens of deals for analyzing trading entries. All the necessary information on a single deal is to be conveniently displayed on one chart with the ability to draw different timeframes.
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Integrate Your Own LLM into EA (Part 3): Training Your Own LLM with CPU

Integrate Your Own LLM into EA (Part 3): Training Your Own LLM with CPU

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence today, language models (LLMs) are an important part of artificial intelligence, so we should think about how to integrate powerful LLMs into our algorithmic trading. For most people, it is difficult to fine-tune these powerful models according to their needs, deploy them locally, and then apply them to algorithmic trading. This series of articles will take a step-by-step approach to achieve this goal.
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MQL5 Trading Toolkit (Part 4): Developing a History Management EX5 Library

MQL5 Trading Toolkit (Part 4): Developing a History Management EX5 Library

Learn how to retrieve, process, classify, sort, analyze, and manage closed positions, orders, and deal histories using MQL5 by creating an expansive History Management EX5 Library in a detailed step-by-step approach.
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Algorithmic Trading Strategies: AI and Its Road to Golden Pinnacles

Algorithmic Trading Strategies: AI and Its Road to Golden Pinnacles

This article demonstrates an approach to creating trading strategies for gold using machine learning. Considering the proposed approach to the analysis and forecasting of time series from different angles, it is possible to determine its advantages and disadvantages in comparison with other ways of creating trading systems which are based solely on the analysis and forecasting of financial time series.
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Forex Arbitrage Trading: A Matrix Trading System for Return to Fair Value with Risk Control

Forex Arbitrage Trading: A Matrix Trading System for Return to Fair Value with Risk Control

The article contains a detailed description of the cross-rate calculation algorithm, a visualization of the imbalance matrix, and recommendations for optimally setting the MinDiscrepancy and MaxRisk parameters for efficient trading. The system automatically calculates the "fair value" of each currency pair using cross rates, generating buy signals in case of negative deviations and sell signals in case of positive ones.
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Neural Networks Made Easy (Part 84): Reversible Normalization (RevIN)

Neural Networks Made Easy (Part 84): Reversible Normalization (RevIN)

We already know that pre-processing of the input data plays a major role in the stability of model training. To process "raw" input data online, we often use a batch normalization layer. But sometimes we need a reverse procedure. In this article, we discuss one of the possible approaches to solving this problem.
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MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 61): Using Patterns of ADX and CCI with Supervised Learning

MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 61): Using Patterns of ADX and CCI with Supervised Learning

The ADX Oscillator and CCI oscillator are trend following and momentum indicators that can be paired when developing an Expert Advisor. We look at how this can be systemized by using all the 3 main training modes of Machine Learning. Wizard Assembled Expert Advisors allow us to evaluate the patterns presented by these two indicators, and we start by looking at how Supervised-Learning can be applied with these Patterns.
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Trading with the MQL5 Economic Calendar (Part 5): Enhancing the Dashboard with Responsive Controls and Filter Buttons

Trading with the MQL5 Economic Calendar (Part 5): Enhancing the Dashboard with Responsive Controls and Filter Buttons

In this article, we create buttons for currency pair filters, importance levels, time filters, and a cancel option to improve dashboard control. These buttons are programmed to respond dynamically to user actions, allowing seamless interaction. We also automate their behavior to reflect real-time changes on the dashboard. This enhances the overall functionality, mobility, and responsiveness of the panel.
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Building AI-Powered Trading Systems in MQL5 (Part 5): Adding a Collapsible Sidebar with Chat Popups

Building AI-Powered Trading Systems in MQL5 (Part 5): Adding a Collapsible Sidebar with Chat Popups

In Part 5 of our MQL5 AI trading system series, we enhance the ChatGPT-integrated Expert Advisor by introducing a collapsible sidebar, improving navigation with small and large history popups for seamless chat selection, while maintaining multiline input handling, persistent encrypted chat storage, and AI-driven trade signal generation from chart data.
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MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 64): Using Patterns of DeMarker and Envelope Channels with the White-Noise Kernel

MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 64): Using Patterns of DeMarker and Envelope Channels with the White-Noise Kernel

The DeMarker Oscillator and the Envelopes' indicator are momentum and support/ resistance tools that can be paired when developing an Expert Advisor. We continue from our last article that introduced these pair of indicators by adding machine learning to the mix. We are using a recurrent neural network that uses the white-noise kernel to process vectorized signals from these two indicators. This is done in a custom signal class file that works with the MQL5 wizard to assemble an Expert Advisor.
Alexander Anufrenko: "A danger foreseen is half avoided" (ATC 2010)
Alexander Anufrenko: "A danger foreseen is half avoided" (ATC 2010)

Alexander Anufrenko: "A danger foreseen is half avoided" (ATC 2010)

The risky development of Alexander Anufrenko (Anufrenko321) had been featured among the top three of the Championship for three weeks. Having suffered a catastrophic Stop Loss last week, his Expert Advisor lost about $60,000, but now once again he is approaching the leaders. In this interview the author of this interesting EA is describing the operating principles and characteristics of his application.