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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Building a Volume Bubble Indicator in MQL5 Using Standard Deviation

Building a Volume Bubble Indicator in MQL5 Using Standard Deviation

The article demonstrates how to build a Volume Bubble Indicator in MQL5 that visualizes market activity using statistical normalization. It covers how to work with tick and real volume, compute the mean and standard deviation over a rolling window, and normalize volume values to identify relative strength. You will implement chart objects to display bubbles with dynamic size and color, providing a clear representation of volume intensity directly on the chart.
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Fractal-Based Algorithm (FBA)

Fractal-Based Algorithm (FBA)

The article presents a new metaheuristic method based on a fractal approach to partitioning the search space for solving optimization problems. The algorithm sequentially identifies and separates promising areas, creating a self-similar fractal structure that concentrates computing resources on the most promising areas. A unique mutation mechanism aimed at better solutions ensures an optimal balance between exploration and exploitation of the search space, significantly increasing the efficiency of the algorithm.
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From Novice to Expert: Automating Intraday Strategies

From Novice to Expert: Automating Intraday Strategies

We translate the EMA‑50 retest idea into a behavior‑driven Expert Advisor for intraday trading. The study formalizes trend bias, EMA interaction (pierce and close), reaction confirmation, and optional filters, then implements them in MQL5 with modular functions and resource‑safe handles. Visual testing in the Strategy Tester verifies signal correctness. The result is a clear template for coding discretionary bounces.
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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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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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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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Population optimization algorithms: Saplings Sowing and Growing up (SSG)

Population optimization algorithms: Saplings Sowing and Growing up (SSG)

Saplings Sowing and Growing up (SSG) algorithm is inspired by one of the most resilient organisms on the planet demonstrating outstanding capability for survival in a wide variety of conditions.
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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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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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Black Hole Algorithm (BHA)

Black Hole Algorithm (BHA)

The Black Hole Algorithm (BHA) uses the principles of black hole gravity to optimize solutions. In this article, we will look at how BHA attracts the best solutions while avoiding local extremes, and why this algorithm has become a powerful tool for solving complex problems. Learn how simple ideas can lead to impressive results in the world of optimization.
Vladimir Tsyrulnik: The Essense of my program is improvisation! (ATC 2010)
Vladimir Tsyrulnik: The Essense of my program is improvisation! (ATC 2010)

Vladimir Tsyrulnik: The Essense of my program is improvisation! (ATC 2010)

Vladimir Tsyrulnik is the holder of one of the brightest highs of the current Championship. By the end of the third trading week Vladimir's Expert Advisor was on the sixth position. The IMEX algorithm the Expert Advisor is based on was developed by Vladimir. To learn more about this algorithm, we had an interview with Vladimir.
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Category Theory in MQL5 (Part 20): A detour to Self-Attention and the Transformer

Category Theory in MQL5 (Part 20): A detour to Self-Attention and the Transformer

We digress in our series by pondering at part of the algorithm to chatGPT. Are there any similarities or concepts borrowed from natural transformations? We attempt to answer these and other questions in a fun piece, with our code in a signal class format.
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Implementing the Truncated Newton Conjugate-Gradient Algorithm in MQL5

Implementing the Truncated Newton Conjugate-Gradient Algorithm in MQL5

This article implements a box‑constrained Truncated Newton Conjugate‑Gradient (TNC) optimizer in MQL5 and details its core components: scaling, projection to bounds, line search, and Hessian‑vector products via finite differences. It provides an objective wrapper supporting analytic or numerical derivatives and validates the solver on the Rosenbrock benchmark. A logistic regression example shows how to use TNC as a drop‑in alternative to LBFGS.
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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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Population optimization algorithms: Binary Genetic Algorithm (BGA). Part II

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

In this article, we will look at the binary genetic algorithm (BGA), which models the natural processes that occur in the genetic material of living things in nature.
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Chaos theory in trading (Part 2): Diving deeper

Chaos theory in trading (Part 2): Diving deeper

We continue our dive into chaos theory in financial markets. This time I will consider its applicability to the analysis of currencies and other assets.
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Creating a Trading Administrator Panel in MQL5 (Part VIII): Analytics Panel

Creating a Trading Administrator Panel in MQL5 (Part VIII): Analytics Panel

Today, we delve into incorporating useful trading metrics within a specialized window integrated into the Admin Panel EA. This discussion focuses on the implementation of MQL5 to develop an Analytics Panel and highlights the value of the data it provides to trading administrators. The impact is largely educational, as valuable lessons are drawn from the development process, benefiting both upcoming and experienced developers. This feature demonstrates the limitless opportunities this development series offers in equipping trade managers with advanced software tools. Additionally, we'll explore the implementation of the PieChart and ChartCanvas classes as part of the continued expansion of the Trading Administrator panel’s capabilities.
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Integrating Computer Vision into Trading in MQL5 (Part 1): Creating Basic Functions

Integrating Computer Vision into Trading in MQL5 (Part 1): Creating Basic Functions

The EURUSD forecasting system with the use of computer vision and deep learning. Learn how convolutional neural networks can recognize complex price patterns in the foreign exchange market and predict exchange rate movements with up to 54% accuracy. The article shares the methodology for creating an algorithm that uses artificial intelligence technologies for visual analysis of charts instead of traditional technical indicators. The author demonstrates the process of transforming price data into "images", their processing by a neural network, and a unique opportunity to peer into the "consciousness" of AI through activation maps and attention heatmaps. Practical Python code using the MetaTrader 5 library allows readers to reproduce the system and apply it in their own trading.
Interview with Tim Fass (ATC 2011)
Interview with Tim Fass (ATC 2011)

Interview with Tim Fass (ATC 2011)

A student from Germany Tim Fass (Tim) is participating in the Automated Trading Championship for the first time. Nevertheless, his Expert Advisor The_Wild_13 already got featured at the very top of the Championship rating and seems to be holding his position in the top ten. Tim told us about his Expert Advisor, his faith in the success of simple strategies and his wildest dreams.
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Time series clustering in causal inference

Time series clustering in causal inference

Clustering algorithms in machine learning are important unsupervised learning algorithms that can divide the original data into groups with similar observations. By using these groups, you can analyze the market for a specific cluster, search for the most stable clusters using new data, and make causal inferences. The article proposes an original method for time series clustering in Python.
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DoEasy. Service functions (Part 1): Price patterns

DoEasy. Service functions (Part 1): Price patterns

In this article, we will start developing methods for searching for price patterns using timeseries data. A pattern has a certain set of parameters, common to any type of patterns. All data of this kind will be concentrated in the object class of the base abstract pattern. In the current article, we will create an abstract pattern class and a Pin Bar pattern class.
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Data Science and ML (Part 32): Keeping your AI models updated, Online Learning

Data Science and ML (Part 32): Keeping your AI models updated, Online Learning

In the ever-changing world of trading, adapting to market shifts is not just a choice—it's a necessity. New patterns and trends emerge everyday, making it harder even the most advanced machine learning models to stay effective in the face of evolving conditions. In this article, we’ll explore how to keep your models relevant and responsive to new market data by automatically retraining.
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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: 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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Developing a trading Expert Advisor from scratch (Part 26): Towards the future (I)

Developing a trading Expert Advisor from scratch (Part 26): Towards the future (I)

Today we will take our order system to the next level. But before that, we need to solve a few problems. Now we have some questions that are related to how we want to work and what things we do during the trading day.
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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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Python-MetaTrader 5 Strategy Tester (Part 03): MetaTrader 5-Like Trading Operations — Handling and Managing

Python-MetaTrader 5 Strategy Tester (Part 03): MetaTrader 5-Like Trading Operations — Handling and Managing

In this article we introduce Python-MetaTrader5-like ways of handling trading operations such as opening, closing, and modifying orders in the simulator. To ensure the simulation behaves like MetaTrader 5, a strict validation layer for trade requests is implemented, taking into account symbol trading parameters and typical brokerage restrictions.
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Neural Networks in Trading: Memory Augmented Context-Aware Learning (MacroHFT) for Cryptocurrency Markets

Neural Networks in Trading: Memory Augmented Context-Aware Learning (MacroHFT) for Cryptocurrency Markets

I invite you to explore the MacroHFT framework, which applies context-aware reinforcement learning and memory to improve high-frequency cryptocurrency trading decisions using macroeconomic data and adaptive agents.
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How to Detect and Normalize Chart Objects in MQL5 (Part 3): Alerting and Automated Trading from Manually Drawn Objects

How to Detect and Normalize Chart Objects in MQL5 (Part 3): Alerting and Automated Trading from Manually Drawn Objects

This article extends the chart‑object detector into a modular monitoring and execution layer. It defines objective interaction rules (touch, cross, breakout) for trendlines, Fibonacci levels, channels, rectangles, and pitchforks, then routes events through an interaction detector, alert manager, and optional trade executor. Orders use object geometry for stop‑loss and take‑profit. The result is a reproducible pipeline that converts static drawings into actionable alerts and, if enabled, trades.
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Data Science and ML (Part 38): AI Transfer Learning in Forex Markets

Data Science and ML (Part 38): AI Transfer Learning in Forex Markets

The AI breakthroughs dominating headlines, from ChatGPT to self-driving cars, aren’t built from isolated models but through cumulative knowledge transferred from various models or common fields. Now, this same "learn once, apply everywhere" approach can be applied to help us transform our AI models in algorithmic trading. In this article, we are going to learn how we can leverage the information gained across various instruments to help in improving predictions on others using transfer learning.
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Category Theory in MQL5 (Part 2)

Category Theory in MQL5 (Part 2)

Category Theory is a diverse and expanding branch of Mathematics which as of yet is relatively uncovered in the MQL5 community. These series of articles look to introduce and examine some of its concepts with the overall goal of establishing an open library that attracts comments and discussion while hopefully furthering the use of this remarkable field in Traders' strategy development.
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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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Neural Networks in Trading: Practical Results of the TEMPO Method

Neural Networks in Trading: Practical Results of the TEMPO Method

We continue our acquaintance with the TEMPO method. In this article we will evaluate the actual effectiveness of the proposed approaches on real historical data.
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Codex Pipelines: From Python to MQL5 for Indicator Selection — A Multi-Quarter Analysis of the FXI ETF

Codex Pipelines: From Python to MQL5 for Indicator Selection — A Multi-Quarter Analysis of the FXI ETF

We continue our look at how MetaTrader can be used outside its forex trading ‘comfort-zone’ by looking at another tradable asset in the form of the FXI ETF. Unlike in the last article where we tried to do ‘too-much’ by delving into not just indicator selection, but also considering indicator pattern combinations, for this article we will swim slightly upstream by focusing more on indicator selection. Our end product for this is intended as a form of pipeline that can help recommend indicators for various assets, provided we have a reasonable amount of their price history.
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MetaTrader 5 Machine Learning Blueprint (Part 12): Probability Calibration for Financial Machine Learning

MetaTrader 5 Machine Learning Blueprint (Part 12): Probability Calibration for Financial Machine Learning

Tree-based classifiers are typically overconfident: true win rates near 0.55 appear as 0.65–0.80 and inflate position sizes and Kelly fractions. This article presents afml.calibration and CalibratorCV, which generate out-of-fold predictions via PurgedKFold and fit isotonic regression or Platt scaling. We define Brier score, ECE, and MCE, and show diagnostics that trace miscalibration into position sizes, realized P&L, and CPCV path Sharpe distributions to support leakage-free, correctly sized trading.
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Price Action Analysis Toolkit Development (Part 22): Correlation Dashboard

Price Action Analysis Toolkit Development (Part 22): Correlation Dashboard

This tool is a Correlation Dashboard that calculates and displays real-time correlation coefficients across multiple currency pairs. By visualizing how pairs move in relation to one another, it adds valuable context to your price-action analysis and helps you anticipate inter-market dynamics. Read on to explore its features and applications.
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Multi-Threaded Trading Robot with Machine Learning: From Concept to Implementation

Multi-Threaded Trading Robot with Machine Learning: From Concept to Implementation

The article presents a step-by-step development of a multi-threaded trading robot with machine learning in Python and MetaTrader 5. The system architecture is considered – from data collection and creation of technical indicators to training XGBoost models with portfolio risk management. The implementation of data augmentation, feature clustering via Gaussian Mixture Models, and flow coordination for parallel trading of multiple currency pairs is described in detail.
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Creating a Trading Administrator Panel in MQL5 (Part VI):Trade Management Panel (II)

Creating a Trading Administrator Panel in MQL5 (Part VI):Trade Management Panel (II)

In this article, we enhance the Trade Management Panel of our multi-functional Admin Panel. We introduce a powerful helper function that simplifies the code, improving readability, maintainability, and efficiency. We will also demonstrate how to seamlessly integrate additional buttons and enhance the interface to handle a wider range of trading tasks. Whether managing positions, adjusting orders, or simplifying user interactions, this guide will help you develop a robust, user-friendly Trade Management Panel.
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Python-MetaTrader 5 Strategy Tester (Part 05): Multi-Symbols and Timeframes Strategy Tester

Python-MetaTrader 5 Strategy Tester (Part 05): Multi-Symbols and Timeframes Strategy Tester

This article presents a MetaTrader 5–compatible backtesting workflow that scales across symbols and timeframes. We use HistoryManager to parallelize data collection, synchronize bars and ticks from all timeframes, and run symbol‑isolated OnTick handlers in threads. You will learn how modelling modes affect speed/accuracy, when to rely on terminal data, how to reduce I/O with event‑driven updates, and how to assemble a complete multicurrency trading robot.
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Building a Volume-Based Liquidity Heatmap Indicator in MQL5

Building a Volume-Based Liquidity Heatmap Indicator in MQL5

This article implements an MQL5 Liquidity Heatmap that infers likely liquidation zones from price and volume. It qualifies bars with a rolling volume SMA, computes leverage-based liquidation levels from candle extremes, ranks signals across two volume modes, and manages chart objects (lines and bubbles) that extend until price crosses them, allowing you to highlight potential stop-hunt areas and strengthen structural analysis.