Articles on trading system automation in MQL5

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Read articles on the trading systems with a wide variety of ideas at the core. Learn how to use statistical methods and patterns on candlestick charts, how to filter signals and where to use semaphore indicators.

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Self-adapting algorithm (Part III): Abandoning optimization
Self-adapting algorithm (Part III): Abandoning optimization

Self-adapting algorithm (Part III): Abandoning optimization

It is impossible to get a truly stable algorithm if we use optimization based on historical data to select parameters. A stable algorithm should be aware of what parameters are needed when working on any trading instrument at any time. It should not forecast or guess, it should know for sure.
How to Evaluate the Expert Testing Results
How to Evaluate the Expert Testing Results

How to Evaluate the Expert Testing Results

The article gives formulas and the calculation order for data shown in the Tester report.
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Learn how to design a trading system by Volumes

Learn how to design a trading system by Volumes

Here is a new article from our series about learning how to design a trading system based on the most popular technical indicators. The current article will be devoted to the Volumes indicator. Volume as a concept is one of the very important factors in financial markets trading and we have to pay attention to it. Through this article, we will learn how to design a simple trading system by Volumes indicator.
Market math: profit, loss and costs
Market math: profit, loss and costs

Market math: profit, loss and costs

In this article, I will show you how to calculate the total profit or loss of any trade, including commission and swap. I will provide the most accurate mathematical model and use it to write the code and compare it with the standard. Besides, I will also try to get on the inside of the main MQL5 function to calculate profit and get to the bottom of all the necessary values from the specification.
Learn how to design a trading system by Momentum
Learn how to design a trading system by Momentum

Learn how to design a trading system by Momentum

In my previous article, I mentioned the importance of identifying the trend which is the direction of prices. In this article I will share one of the most important concepts and indicators which is the Momentum indicator. I will share how to design a trading system based on this Momentum indicator.
Library for easy and quick development of MetaTrader programs (part XXIV): Base trading class - auto correction of invalid parameters
Library for easy and quick development of MetaTrader programs (part XXIV): Base trading class - auto correction of invalid parameters

Library for easy and quick development of MetaTrader programs (part XXIV): Base trading class - auto correction of invalid parameters

In this article, we will have a look at the handler of invalid trading order parameters and improve the trading event class. Now all trading events (both single ones and the ones occurred simultaneously within one tick) will be defined in programs correctly.
The Optimal Method for Calculation of Total Position Volume by Specified Magic Number
The Optimal Method for Calculation of Total Position Volume by Specified Magic Number

The Optimal Method for Calculation of Total Position Volume by Specified Magic Number

The problem of calculation of the total position volume of the specified symbol and magic number is considered in this article. The proposed method requests only the minimum necessary part of the history of deals, finds the closest time when the total position was equal to zero, and performs the calculations with the recent deals. Working with global variables of the client terminal is also considered.
Reversing: Formalizing the entry point and developing a manual trading algorithm
Reversing: Formalizing the entry point and developing a manual trading algorithm

Reversing: Formalizing the entry point and developing a manual trading algorithm

This is the last article within the series devoted to the Reversing trading strategy. Here we will try to solve the problem, which caused the testing results instability in previous articles. We will also develop and test our own algorithm for manual trading in any market using the reversing strategy.
On Methods of Technical Analysis and Market Forecasting
On Methods of Technical Analysis and Market Forecasting

On Methods of Technical Analysis and Market Forecasting

The article demonstrates the capabilities and potential of a well-known mathematical method coupled with visual thinking and an "out of the box" market outlook. On the one hand, it serves to attract the attention of a wide audience as it can get the creative minds to reconsider the trading paradigm as such. And on the other, it can give rise to alternative developments and program code implementations regarding a wide range of tools for analysis and forecasting.
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Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 36): Supply and Demand Trading with Retest and Impulse Model

Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 36): Supply and Demand Trading with Retest and Impulse Model

In this article, we create a supply and demand trading system in MQL5 that identifies supply and demand zones through consolidation ranges, validates them with impulsive moves, and trades retests with trend confirmation and customizable risk parameters. The system visualizes zones with dynamic labels and colors, supporting trailing stops for risk management.
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Dealing with Time (Part 2): The Functions

Dealing with Time (Part 2): The Functions

Determing the broker offset and GMT automatically. Instead of asking the support of your broker, from whom you will probably receive an insufficient answer (who would be willing to explain a missing hour), we simply look ourselves how they time their prices in the weeks of the time changes — but not cumbersome by hand, we let a program do it — why do we have a PC after all.
Evaluating the ability of Fractal index and Hurst exponent to predict financial time series
Evaluating the ability of Fractal index and Hurst exponent to predict financial time series

Evaluating the ability of Fractal index and Hurst exponent to predict financial time series

Studies related to search for the fractal behavior of financial data suggest that behind the seemingly chaotic behavior of economic time series there are hidden stable mechanisms of participants' collective behavior. These mechanisms can lead to the emergence of price dynamics on the exchange, which can define and describe specific properties of price series. When applied to trading, one could benefit from the indicators which can efficiently and reliably estimate the fractal parameters in the scale and time frame, which are relevant in practice.
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Deep Learning Forecast and ordering with Python and MetaTrader5 python package and ONNX model file

Deep Learning Forecast and ordering with Python and MetaTrader5 python package and ONNX model file

The project involves using Python for deep learning-based forecasting in financial markets. We will explore the intricacies of testing the model's performance using key metrics such as Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Squared Error (MSE), and R-squared (R2) and we will learn how to wrap everything into an executable. We will also make a ONNX model file with its EA.
Testing (Optimization) Technique and Some Criteria for Selection of the Expert Advisor Parameters
Testing (Optimization) Technique and Some Criteria for Selection of the Expert Advisor Parameters

Testing (Optimization) Technique and Some Criteria for Selection of the Expert Advisor Parameters

There is no trouble finding the Holy Grail of testing, it is however much more difficult to get rid of it. This article addresses the selection of the Expert Advisor operating parameters with automated group processing of optimisation and testing results upon maximum utilisation of the Terminal performance capabilities and minimum end user load.
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Modified Grid-Hedge EA in MQL5 (Part I): Making a Simple Hedge EA

Modified Grid-Hedge EA in MQL5 (Part I): Making a Simple Hedge EA

We will be creating a simple hedge EA as a base for our more advanced Grid-Hedge EA, which will be a mixture of classic grid and classic hedge strategies. By the end of this article, you will know how to create a simple hedge strategy, and you will also get to know what people say about whether this strategy is truly 100% profitable.
Bi-Directional Trading and Hedging of Positions in MetaTrader 5 Using the HedgeTerminal API, Part 2
Bi-Directional Trading and Hedging of Positions in MetaTrader 5 Using the HedgeTerminal API, Part 2

Bi-Directional Trading and Hedging of Positions in MetaTrader 5 Using the HedgeTerminal API, Part 2

This article describes a new approach to hedging of positions and draws the line in the debates between users of MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 about this matter. It is a continuation of the first part: "Bi-Directional Trading and Hedging of Positions in MetaTrader 5 Using the HedgeTerminal Panel, Part 1". In the second part, we discuss integration of custom Expert Advisors with HedgeTerminalAPI, which is a special visualization library designed for bi-directional trading in a comfortable software environment providing tools for convenient position management.
Library for easy and quick development of MetaTrader programs (part XXXIII): Pending trading requests - closing positions under certain conditions
Library for easy and quick development of MetaTrader programs (part XXXIII): Pending trading requests - closing positions under certain conditions

Library for easy and quick development of MetaTrader programs (part XXXIII): Pending trading requests - closing positions under certain conditions

We continue the development of the library functionality featuring trading using pending requests. We have already implemented sending conditional trading requests for opening positions and placing pending orders. In the current article, we will implement conditional position closure – full, partial and closing by an opposite position.
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Neural networks made easy (Part 7): Adaptive optimization methods

Neural networks made easy (Part 7): Adaptive optimization methods

In previous articles, we used stochastic gradient descent to train a neural network using the same learning rate for all neurons within the network. In this article, I propose to look towards adaptive learning methods which enable changing of the learning rate for each neuron. We will also consider the pros and cons of this approach.
Universal Expert Advisor Template
Universal Expert Advisor Template

Universal Expert Advisor Template

The article will help newbies in trading to create flexibly adjustable Expert Advisors.
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Learn how to deal with date and time in MQL5

Learn how to deal with date and time in MQL5

A new article about a new important topic which is dealing with date and time. As traders or programmers of trading tools, it is very crucial to understand how to deal with these two aspects date and time very well and effectively. So, I will share some important information about how we can deal with date and time to create effective trading tools smoothly and simply without any complicity as much as I can.
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MQL5 Integration: Python

MQL5 Integration: Python

Python is a well-known and popular programming language with many features, especially in the fields of finance, data science, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning. Python is a powerful tool that can be useful in trading as well. MQL5 allows us to use this powerful language as an integration to get our objectives done effectively. In this article, we will share how we can use Python as an integration in MQL5 after learning some basic information about Python.
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Neural networks made easy (Part 2): Network training and testing

Neural networks made easy (Part 2): Network training and testing

In this second article, we will continue to study neural networks and will consider an example of using our created CNet class in Expert Advisors. We will work with two neural network models, which show similar results both in terms of training time and prediction accuracy.
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Manual charting and trading toolkit (Part II). Chart graphics drawing tools

Manual charting and trading toolkit (Part II). Chart graphics drawing tools

This is the next article within the series, in which I show how I created a convenient library for manual application of chart graphics by utilizing keyboard shortcuts. The tools used include straight lines and their combinations. In this part, we will view how the drawing tools are applied using the functions described in the first part. The library can be connected to any Expert Advisor or indicator which will greatly simplify the charting tasks. This solution DOES NOT use external dlls, while all the commands are implemented using built-in MQL tools.
Library for easy and quick development of MetaTrader programs (part XXVII): Working with trading requests - placing pending orders
Library for easy and quick development of MetaTrader programs (part XXVII): Working with trading requests - placing pending orders

Library for easy and quick development of MetaTrader programs (part XXVII): Working with trading requests - placing pending orders

In this article, we will continue the development of trading requests, implement placing pending orders and eliminate detected shortcomings of the trading class operation.
Charts and diagrams in HTML
Charts and diagrams in HTML

Charts and diagrams in HTML

Today it is difficult to find a computer that does not have an installed web-browser. For a long time browsers have been evolving and improving. This article discusses the simple and safe way to create of charts and diagrams, based on the the information, obtained from MetaTrader 5 client terminal for displaying them in the browser.
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Creating an MQL5-Telegram Integrated Expert Advisor (Part 1): Sending Messages from MQL5 to Telegram

Creating an MQL5-Telegram Integrated Expert Advisor (Part 1): Sending Messages from MQL5 to Telegram

In this article, we create an Expert Advisor (EA) in MQL5 to send messages to Telegram using a bot. We set up the necessary parameters, including the bot's API token and chat ID, and then perform an HTTP POST request to deliver the messages. Later, we handle the response to ensure successful delivery and troubleshoot any issues that arise in case of failure. This ensures we send messages from MQL5 to Telegram via the created bot.
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Scalping Orderflow for MQL5

Scalping Orderflow for MQL5

This MetaTrader 5 Expert Advisor implements a Scalping OrderFlow strategy with advanced risk management. It uses multiple technical indicators to identify trading opportunities based on order flow imbalances. Backtesting shows potential profitability but highlights the need for further optimization, especially in risk management and trade outcome ratios. Suitable for experienced traders, it requires thorough testing and understanding before live deployment.
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Neural networks made easy (Part 4): Recurrent networks

Neural networks made easy (Part 4): Recurrent networks

We continue studying the world of neural networks. In this article, we will consider another type of neural networks, recurrent networks. This type is proposed for use with time series, which are represented in the MetaTrader 5 trading platform by price charts.
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Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 9): Building an Expert Advisor for the Asian Breakout Strategy

Automating Trading Strategies in MQL5 (Part 9): Building an Expert Advisor for the Asian Breakout Strategy

In this article, we build an Expert Advisor in MQL5 for the Asian Breakout Strategy by calculating the session's high and low and applying trend filtering with a moving average. We implement dynamic object styling, user-defined time inputs, and robust risk management. Finally, we demonstrate backtesting and optimization techniques to refine the program.
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Data Science and Machine Learning (Part 01): Linear Regression

Data Science and Machine Learning (Part 01): Linear Regression

It's time for us as traders to train our systems and ourselves to make decisions based on what number says. Not on our eyes, and what our guts make us believe, this is where the world is heading so, let us move perpendicular to the direction of the wave.
Developing a cross-platform grider EA (part II): Range-based grid in trend direction
Developing a cross-platform grider EA (part II): Range-based grid in trend direction

Developing a cross-platform grider EA (part II): Range-based grid in trend direction

In this article, we will develop a grider EA for trading in a trend direction within a range. Thus, the EA is to be suited mostly for Forex and commodity markets. According to the tests, our grider showed profit since 2018. Unfortunately, this is not true for the period of 2014-2018.
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Price Action Analysis Toolkit Development (Part 43): Candlestick Probability and Breakouts

Price Action Analysis Toolkit Development (Part 43): Candlestick Probability and Breakouts

Enhance your market analysis with the MQL5-native Candlestick Probability EA, a lightweight tool that transforms raw price bars into real-time, instrument-specific probability insights. It classifies Pinbars, Engulfing, and Doji patterns at bar close, uses ATR-aware filtering, and optional breakout confirmation. The EA calculates raw and volume-weighted follow-through percentages, helping you understand each pattern's typical outcome on specific symbols and timeframes. On-chart markers, a compact dashboard, and interactive toggles allow easy validation and focus. Export detailed CSV logs for offline testing. Use it to develop probability profiles, optimize strategies, and turn pattern recognition into a measurable edge.
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Creating an MQL5 Expert Advisor Based on the Daily Range Breakout Strategy

Creating an MQL5 Expert Advisor Based on the Daily Range Breakout Strategy

In this article, we create an MQL5 Expert Advisor based on the Daily Range Breakout strategy. We cover the strategy’s key concepts, design the EA blueprint, and implement the breakout logic in MQL5. In the end, we explore techniques for backtesting and optimizing the EA to maximize its effectiveness.
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Python-MetaTrader 5 Strategy Tester (Part 01): Trade Simulator

Python-MetaTrader 5 Strategy Tester (Part 01): Trade Simulator

The MetaTrader 5 module offered in Python provides a convenient way of opening trades in the MetaTrader 5 app using Python, but it has a huge problem, it doesn't have the strategy tester capability present in the MetaTrader 5 app, In this article series, we will build a framework for back testing your trading strategies in Python environments.
Evaluating the effectiveness of trading systems by analyzing their components
Evaluating the effectiveness of trading systems by analyzing their components

Evaluating the effectiveness of trading systems by analyzing their components

This article explores the effectiveness of complex trading systems by analyzing the efficiency of its individual components. Any analysis, whether it is graphic, based on indicators, or any other, is one of the key components of successful trading in financial markets. This article is to some extent a research of few simple and independent trading systems for analyzing their effectiveness and usefulness of the joint application.
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What you can do with Moving Averages

What you can do with Moving Averages

The article considers several methods of applying the Moving Average indicator. Each method involving a curve analysis is accompanied by indicators visualizing the idea. In most cases, the ideas shown here belong to their respected authors. My sole task was to bring them together to let you see the main approaches and, hopefully, make more reasonable trading decisions. MQL5 proficiency level — basic.
Timeseries in DoEasy library (part 37): Timeseries collection - database of timeseries by symbols and periods
Timeseries in DoEasy library (part 37): Timeseries collection - database of timeseries by symbols and periods

Timeseries in DoEasy library (part 37): Timeseries collection - database of timeseries by symbols and periods

The article deals with the development of the timeseries collection of specified timeframes for all symbols used in the program. We are going to develop the timeseries collection, the methods of setting collection's timeseries parameters and the initial filling of developed timeseries with historical data.
Layman's Notes: ZigZag…
Layman's Notes: ZigZag…

Layman's Notes: ZigZag…

Surely, a fey thought to trade closely to extremums visited every apprentice trader when he/she saw "enigmatic" polyline for the first time. It's so simple, indeed. Here is the maximum. And there is the minimum. A beautiful picture on the history. And what is in practice? A ray is drawn. It should seem, that is it, the peak! It is time to sell. And now we go down. But hell no! The price is treacherously moving upwards. Haw! It's a trifle, not an indicator. And you throw it out!
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Practical application of neural networks in trading (Part 2). Computer vision

Practical application of neural networks in trading (Part 2). Computer vision

The use of computer vision allows training neural networks on the visual representation of the price chart and indicators. This method enables wider operations with the whole complex of technical indicators, since there is no need to feed them digitally into the neural network.