Articles on strategy testing in MQL5

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How to develop, write and test a trading strategy, how to find the optimal system parameters and how to analyze the results? The MetaTrader platform offers developers of trading robots rich functionality for fast and accurate testing of trading ideas. Read these articles to learn how to test multi-currency robots and how to use MQL5 Cloud Network for optimization purposes.

Developers of automated trading systems are recommended to start with the testing fundamentals and tick generation algorithms in the strategy tester.

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Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 21): Preparing for an important experiment and optimizing the code

Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 21): Preparing for an important experiment and optimizing the code

For further progress it would be good to see if we can improve the results by periodically re-running the automatic optimization and generating a new EA. The stumbling block in many debates about the use of parameter optimization is the question of how long the obtained parameters can be used for trading in the future period while maintaining the profitability and drawdown at the specified levels. And is it even possible to do this?
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Developing a Replay System (Part 59): A New Future

Developing a Replay System (Part 59): A New Future

Having a proper understanding of different ideas allows us to do more with less effort. In this article, we'll look at why it's necessary to configure a template before the service can interact with the chart. Also, what if we improve the mouse pointer so we can do more things with it?
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How to Research a Trading Idea: A Range Breakout Strategy Case Study

How to Research a Trading Idea: A Range Breakout Strategy Case Study

This article demonstrates a practical approach to researching trading ideas using a range breakout strategy as an example. We will go through the entire process, from formalizing trading rules and building a baseline model to parameter optimization, forward testing, and evaluating the robustness of the results. The main goal of the article is to develop an understanding of how statistics and testing can be used to identify, validate, and evaluate trading hypotheses.
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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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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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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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Stress Testing Trade Sequences with Monte Carlo in MQL5

Stress Testing Trade Sequences with Monte Carlo in MQL5

A backtest shows only one path among many possible outcomes. This MQL5 script performs 1000 bootstrap Monte Carlo resamples of a trade P&L series, draws a percentile fan chart on the chart via CCanvas, and reports probability of ruin, value at risk, and 95th‑percentile worst drawdown. The result is a practical view of path risk and drawdown exposure beyond a single equity curve.
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Developing a Multi-Currency Expert Advisor (Part 29): Improving the Conveyor

Developing a Multi-Currency Expert Advisor (Part 29): Improving the Conveyor

We are going to improve the usability of the automated optimization conveyor: we will explore the process from creating an optimization project to testing the final EA. For clarity, let us walk through the entire process step by step creating the final EA, while stopping to make any desired corrections.
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Developing a Replay System — Market simulation (Part 17): Ticks and more ticks (I)

Developing a Replay System — Market simulation (Part 17): Ticks and more ticks (I)

Here we will see how to implement something really interesting, but at the same time very difficult due to certain points that can be very confusing. The worst thing that can happen is that some traders who consider themselves professionals do not know anything about the importance of these concepts in the capital market. Well, although we focus here on programming, understanding some of the issues involved in market trading is paramount to what we are going to implement.
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Custom Indicator: Plotting Partial Entry, Exit and Reversal Deals for Netting Accounts

Custom Indicator: Plotting Partial Entry, Exit and Reversal Deals for Netting Accounts

In this article, we will look at a non-standard way of creating an indicator in MQL5. Instead of focusing on a trend or chart pattern, our goal will be to manage our own positions, including partial entries and exits. We will make extensive use of dynamic matrices and some trading functions related to trade history and open positions to indicate on the chart where these trades were made.
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A New Approach to Custom Criteria in Optimizations (Part 1): Examples of Activation Functions

A New Approach to Custom Criteria in Optimizations (Part 1): Examples of Activation Functions

The first of a series of articles looking at the mathematics of Custom Criteria with a specific focus on non-linear functions used in Neural Networks, MQL5 code for implementation and the use of targeted and correctional offsets.
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From Novice to Expert: The Essential Journey Through MQL5 Trading

From Novice to Expert: The Essential Journey Through MQL5 Trading

Unlock your potential! You're surrounded by opportunities. Discover 3 top secrets to kickstart your MQL5 journey or take it to the next level. Let's dive into discussion of tips and tricks for beginners and pros alike.
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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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Using the MQL5 Economic Calendar for News Filter (Part 4): Accurate Backtesting with Static Data

Using the MQL5 Economic Calendar for News Filter (Part 4): Accurate Backtesting with Static Data

This article implements a static, CSV-based news source for the Strategy Tester, so historical economic news events can be preloaded and queried during backtesting. It replaces live calendar calls in tester mode with a fast in-memory search, preserves the live logic for trading, and delivers deterministic, repeatable results with explicit control over included events, enabling reliable validation of news-aware filters, stop suspension, and trade-blocking rules.
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Developing a Replay System (Part 27): Expert Advisor project — C_Mouse class (I)

Developing a Replay System (Part 27): Expert Advisor project — C_Mouse class (I)

In this article we will implement the C_Mouse class. It provides the ability to program at the highest level. However, talking about high-level or low-level programming languages is not about including obscene words or jargon in the code. It's the other way around. When we talk about high-level or low-level programming, we mean how easy or difficult the code is for other programmers to understand.
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Python-MetaTrader 5 Strategy Tester (Part 02): Dealing with Bars, Ticks, and Overloading Built-in Functions in a Simulator

Python-MetaTrader 5 Strategy Tester (Part 02): Dealing with Bars, Ticks, and Overloading Built-in Functions in a Simulator

In this article, we introduce functions similar to those provided by the Python-MetaTrader 5 module, providing a simulator with a familiar interface and a custom way of handling bars and ticks internally.
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Formulating Dynamic Multi-Pair EA (Part 9): Market Microstructure Execution Noise Filtering

Formulating Dynamic Multi-Pair EA (Part 9): Market Microstructure Execution Noise Filtering

This article presents a multi-symbol execution filter that scores real-time market quality before any trade is allowed. It measures spread behavior, tick velocity, quote gaps, micro-volatility, and a slippage estimate, then classifies the state to block degraded conditions. Once noise settles, a liquidity sweep continuation model evaluates structure shifts so entries occur only when execution is mechanically stable.
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MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 37): Gaussian Process Regression with Linear and Matérn Kernels

MQL5 Wizard Techniques you should know (Part 37): Gaussian Process Regression with Linear and Matérn Kernels

Linear Kernels are the simplest matrix of its kind used in machine learning for linear regression and support vector machines. The Matérn kernel on the other hand is a more versatile version of the Radial Basis Function we looked at in an earlier article, and it is adept at mapping functions that are not as smooth as the RBF would assume. We build a custom signal class that utilizes both kernels in forecasting long and short conditions.
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Developing a Replay System (Part 74): New Chart Trade (I)

Developing a Replay System (Part 74): New Chart Trade (I)

In this article, we will modify the last code shown in this series about Chart Trade. These changes are necessary to adapt the code to the current replay/simulation system model. 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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Category Theory in MQL5 (Part 13): Calendar Events with Database Schemas

Category Theory in MQL5 (Part 13): Calendar Events with Database Schemas

This article, that follows Category Theory implementation of Orders in MQL5, considers how database schemas can be incorporated for classification in MQL5. We take an introductory look at how database schema concepts could be married with category theory when identifying trade relevant text(string) information. Calendar events are the focus.
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Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 6): Automating the selection of an instance group

Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 6): Automating the selection of an instance group

After optimizing the trading strategy, we receive sets of parameters. We can use them to create several instances of trading strategies combined in one EA. Previously, we did this manually. Here we will try to automate this process.
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Archery Algorithm (AA)

Archery Algorithm (AA)

The article takes a detailed look at the archery-inspired optimization algorithm, with an emphasis on using the roulette method as a mechanism for selecting promising areas for "arrows". The method allows evaluating the quality of solutions and selecting the most promising positions for further study.
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Category Theory in MQL5 (Part 18): Naturality Square

Category Theory in MQL5 (Part 18): Naturality Square

This article continues our series into category theory by introducing natural transformations, a key pillar within the subject. We look at the seemingly complex definition, then delve into examples and applications with this series’ ‘bread and butter’; volatility forecasting.
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Quantitative approach to risk management: Applying VaR model to optimize multi-currency portfolio using Python and MetaTrader 5

Quantitative approach to risk management: Applying VaR model to optimize multi-currency portfolio using Python and MetaTrader 5

This article explores the potential of the Value at Risk (VaR) model for multi-currency portfolio optimization. Using the power of Python and the functionality of MetaTrader 5, we demonstrate how to implement VaR analysis for efficient capital allocation and position management. From theoretical foundations to practical implementation, the article covers all aspects of applying one of the most robust risk calculation systems – VaR – in algorithmic trading.
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Category Theory in MQL5 (Part 7): Multi, Relative and Indexed Domains

Category Theory in MQL5 (Part 7): Multi, Relative and Indexed Domains

Category Theory is a diverse and expanding branch of Mathematics which is only recently getting some coverage in the MQL5 community. These series of articles look to explore and examine some of its concepts & axioms with the overall goal of establishing an open library that provides insight while also hopefully furthering the use of this remarkable field in Traders' strategy development.
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Artificial Electric Field Algorithm (AEFA)

Artificial Electric Field Algorithm (AEFA)

The article presents an artificial electric field algorithm (AEFA) inspired by Coulomb's law of electrostatic force. The algorithm simulates electrical phenomena to solve complex optimization problems using charged particles and their interactions. AEFA exhibits unique properties in the context of other algorithms related to laws of nature.
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Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 16): Impact of different quote histories on test results

Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 16): Impact of different quote histories on test results

The EA under development is expected to show good results when trading with different brokers. But for now we have been using quotes from a MetaQuotes demo account to perform tests. Let's see if our EA is ready to work on a trading account with different quotes compared to those used during testing and optimization.
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Developing a Replay System (Part 32): Order System (I)

Developing a Replay System (Part 32): Order System (I)

Of all the things that we have developed so far, this system, as you will probably notice and eventually agree, is the most complex. Now we need to do something very simple: make our system simulate the operation of a trading server. This need to accurately implement the way the trading server operates seems like a no-brainer. At least in words. But we need to do this so that the everything is seamless and transparent for the user of the replay/simulation system.
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Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 8): Load testing and handling a new bar

Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 8): Load testing and handling a new bar

As we progressed, we used more and more simultaneously running instances of trading strategies in one EA. Let's try to figure out how many instances we can get to before we hit resource limitations.
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Developing a Replay System (Part 48): Understanding the concept of a service

Developing a Replay System (Part 48): Understanding the concept of a service

How about learning something new? In this article, you will learn how to convert scripts into services and why it is useful to do so.
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Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 15): Preparing EA for real trading

Developing a multi-currency Expert Advisor (Part 15): Preparing EA for real trading

As we gradually approach to obtaining a ready-made EA, we need to pay attention to issues that seem secondary at the stage of testing a trading strategy, but become important when moving on to real trading.
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From Novice to Expert:  Extending a Liquidity Strategy with Trend Filters

From Novice to Expert: Extending a Liquidity Strategy with Trend Filters

The article extends a liquidity-based strategy with a simple trend constraint: trade liquidity zones only in the direction of the EMA(50). It explains filtering rules, presents a reusable TrendFilter.mqh class and EA integration in MQL5, and compares baseline versus filtered tests. Readers gain a clear directional bias, reduced overtrading in countertrend phases, and ready-to-use source files.
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Market Simulation (Part 20): First steps with SQL (III)

Market Simulation (Part 20): First steps with SQL (III)

Although we can perform operations on a database containing about 10 records, the material is absorbed much better when we work with a file that contains more than 15 thousand records. That is, if we tried to create such a database manually, this task would be enormous. However, it is difficult to find such a database, even for educational purposes, that is available for download. But in reality, we don’t need to resort to that — we can use MetaTrader 5 to create a database for ourselves. In today's article, we will look at how to do this.
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Developing a Replay System — Market simulation (Part 09): Custom events

Developing a Replay System — Market simulation (Part 09): Custom events

Here we'll see how custom events are triggered and how the indicator reports the state of the replay/simulation service.
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Developing a Replay System (Part 26): Expert Advisor project — C_Terminal class

Developing a Replay System (Part 26): Expert Advisor project — C_Terminal class

We can now start creating an Expert Advisor for use in the replay/simulation system. However, we need something improved, not a random solution. Despite this, we should not be intimidated by the initial complexity. It's important to start somewhere, otherwise we end up ruminating about the difficulty of a task without even trying to overcome it. That's what programming is all about: overcoming obstacles through learning, testing, and extensive research.
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Atomic Orbital Search (AOS) algorithm

Atomic Orbital Search (AOS) algorithm

The article considers the Atomic Orbital Search (AOS) algorithm, which uses the concepts of the atomic orbital model to simulate the search for solutions. The algorithm is based on probability distributions and the dynamics of interactions in the atom. The article discusses in detail the mathematical aspects of AOS, including updating the positions of candidate solutions and the mechanisms of energy absorption and release. AOS opens new horizons for applying quantum principles to computing problems by offering an innovative approach to optimization.
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Developing a Replay System — Market simulation (Part 11): Birth of the SIMULATOR (I)

Developing a Replay System — Market simulation (Part 11): Birth of the SIMULATOR (I)

In order to use the data that forms the bars, we must abandon replay and start developing a simulator. We will use 1 minute bars because they offer the least amount of difficulty.
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Developing Market Entropy Indicator: Trading System Based on Information Theory

Developing Market Entropy Indicator: Trading System Based on Information Theory

This article explores the development of a Market Entropy Indicator based on principles from Information Theory to measure the uncertainty and information content within financial markets. By applying concepts such as Shannon Entropy to price movements, the indicator quantifies whether the market is structured (trending), transitioning, or chaotic.
Developing a Replay System — Market simulation (Part 10): Using only real data for Replay
Developing a Replay System — Market simulation (Part 10): Using only real data for Replay

Developing a Replay System — Market simulation (Part 10): Using only real data for Replay

Here we will look at how we can use more reliable data (traded ticks) in the replay system without worrying about whether it is adjusted or not.
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Category Theory in MQL5 (Part 5): Equalizers

Category Theory in MQL5 (Part 5): Equalizers

Category Theory is a diverse and expanding branch of Mathematics which is only recently getting some coverage in the MQL5 community. These series of articles look to explore and examine some of its concepts & axioms with the overall goal of establishing an open library that provides insight while also hopefully furthering the use of this remarkable field in Traders' strategy development.