Writing an article on "How to write a TOR for a trading robot"

 

Following the example of the branch Let's write an article "How to draw up Terms of Reference when ordering an indicator" we should also write an article for customers with tips on how to draw up the TOR for a robot.

Indicators are much easier in logic, so we have started with them in the first article. Now we have to make the same one for robots. Please inform us about your own experience. Please let us know what to include in the article. What types of robots are ordered, what to pay attention to, what are the difficulties in the process of fulfillment of the order, etc.

ARTICLE PLAN

Что нужно для заказа торгового робота

... need a set of formal rules

Why it is important to have a good ToR

... he who thinks clearly, writes clearly.

What should be in the ToR

... an idea (in general), a description of the terms and signals, the entry/exit algorithm

good screenshots of the description of the Signals, where there is nothing superfluous

block diagrams

Where do you get the ToR if you can't write it yourself?

----Rarely it happens that there is a strict trading system, but you can't describe it. Most likely, there is no system, in this case.

But if the question is only in terminology (ignorance of the language spoken by expert writers) - then you can first create a work on preparing the TOR

Draw inputs on charts, describe them in words, read articles/books.

What terms to use

... it is better to describe terms that you are not sure of in order to understand each other

In the TOR, terms should be marked in bold - the implementer may pay attention to them and ask questions if anything is unclear

No references to other sources (websites/books, etc.) Everything must be described here and now, no "I'll explain later on Skype

What to write in the job description in Freelance

... I just need a general formulation - trend, counter-trend, level breakdown (how levels are determined in brief), are there indicators/Price Action/the use of ticks

General idea of trading strategy

... We trade following the trend, trend is defined as such, we buy on a pullback, we define pullback as such, we do not trade in the evening or in the morning

Description of the set on waiting for the Signal

... it is necessary to form the flat, followed by the breakthrough or we wait till the end of the European session and accept the signals only in the direction of its movement

Description of the Signal

... Technical parameters of the description - trend/rebound/break-down - all formalized strictly

Signal lifetime

... how long the signal lasts - in bars / hours / until the end of the session / day

Entering orders and opening positions

... are there any special features, e.g. do not place SL/TP ,

or how many times we try to enter the market ..,

or setting different oredermagic/ordercomment depending on time/setup/pattern

something else

Trade position/order maintenance

... if there is a trailing stop or not

when we put TS

moves pending orders behind/against price

Track current profit/loss on open position

something else

Cancel order and close position

... delete orders by time/number of bars/period end/opposition change/setup loss

... close position by time/number of bars/period end/period end/received profit/opening of opposite signal/setup

something else

Calculating the lot for placing an order

.... on balance

fixed

from accumulated profit

by results of last N trades

from risk (SL distance)

something else

Processing of trading errors and environment conditions

... detailed logging when sending trade orders

terminal/connect/server restart processing

feedback via messengers/email

Difference between trading on bar opening and inside the bar

... signals can disappear and appear during the lifetime of the bar

Tick/scalper strategies

...you should have a good idea of what it is, the smaller the pips of TakeProfit/StopLoss, the more critical the strategy is of the spreads/commissions/network delays/quality of history available/the speed of the robot itself.

Any worsening of conditions can kill the strategy

Grids, martingales, averages and the flipside of these improvements

... What they are, why they are popular and how much they can help to temporarily pull a strategy. The risk is increased, although it can lengthen the life of a bad strategy

What to look out for when choosing a performer

... Substantive questions

Is not being clever in order to impress

Clearly states a realistic timeframe and cost (no "we'll see how it goes"). The deadline and price can be increased, if it turns out that moments that really could not be foreseen in advance, or it was decided to make additional work

Points out unclear areas in the TOR right away, not after 2 months of discussion

A good programmer appreciates his and your time - so he likes a well-constructed, consistent terms of reference

What a programmer cannot do for you

Turn a losing strategy into a profitable robot

Carry out the optimization and identify all the shortcomings

It is your job to find them and describe them in a way that is understandable.
 
Apparently, you need to sketch out the backbone first so that you can start criticising/suggesting.
 
Rashid Umarov:
Apparently, you have to sketch out the backbone first to start criticising/suggesting.

First of all, be sure to agree on terminology, the same concepts within terminology, etc.

For example, many customers stubbornly count bars from left to right. And, accordingly, they do not say the current bar or the first bar, but the third or the fourth one after the signal. But the signal is on the first bar (but in fact they do not mean first from zero, but from one, and secondly - actually it is either the fourth or fifth bar).

There's an obligatory excursion into the correct direction of bar numbering.

Something else of the same simplicity, but completely new to many customers - can not remember at once - most often at the initial stage just from terminology and difference of concepts is the first misunderstanding, which takes a lot of time to sort out.

 

Here's the last thing I didn't understand. I don't even know how we can agree on the terminology here. Judging by the feedback - the work was not understood by many people.

Freelance order

----

P.S. The bar tab is still a minor issue))

 
Galina Bobro:

Here's the last thing I didn't understand. I don't even know how we can agree on the terminology here. Judging by the feedback - the work was misunderstood by many.

Ordering from Freelance

It's not an order, it's just a stream of consciousness. The man didn't even bother to insert pictures - he just referred to a link somewhere.

Instead of describing an EA, he again refers us to some website. Next, you want to enable some functionality (I don't know which one) - again, a link to the product.

The text itself - again, it's nonsense.

Панель http://-------------------

a) simplify to the form https:/-------------------

b) that after pressing the button on the keyboard, "alt A" is displayed instead of "A"

c) to fix that sometimes when putting a new character, some old one disappears.

EA http://dropmefiles.com/KTK5s

a) Cut out the method of calculation by a complex formula from the EA.

b) Change the notification method to sound.

c) Add a signal line (N+C). The price has crossed - a beep.

d) include this code in the Expert Advisor https://www.mql5.com/en-----------------

Barsheift http://--------------

The main thing is that it hides the price chart and opens when you press f12.

a) It happens that when you change timeframe, the price chart disappears.

b) when deleting an indicator, the price disappears.

c) it would be desirable that actions with the indicator do not affect the chart shift.

d) when the indicator has worked, I set a new hiding date, but the price is not hiding.

e) when the barshift is attached, the chart bounces sideways.

cpsb


And yet willing to pay 30-50 USD for all of this. Has anyone even considered this order seriously?

 

While I want to understand what types of EAs are ordered, which ones can be categorised

  • Martingale
  • Anti-Martingale
  • Grid
  • Multicurrency
  • Scalper
  • etc.

What are the options in Freelancing?

 
Probably often just the category - etc. Type: stream of consciousness, as you put it above.
 

That's the thing: "stream of consciousness" is present in almost every TOR, but in different doses.

If we are talking about categories of Expert Advisors, then you have an example of a trader's classification:

* signal ones - a bunch of indicators with an even bigger bunch of settings and more on different TFs. How they use it (sometimes there are almost hundreds of settings), I have no idea. They often ask questions like "Why did I open here and close there, and why didn't I open there at all? Often, in complex cases, I make a test version that displays indicator values in comments to the chart. For instance, the question "What if this indicator has been showing a signal for three bars already, and this one has just turned around - will this be considered as a signal? - can be confusing for the customer. But, as a rule, everything is very simple with orders of this kind - we open according to the signal and close according to the reverse one, or SL, TP, Trall.

* Orders - from simple averaging to grid to grid, etc. Sometimes, I have orders in the "grids are built from orders and each of them is independent of others" style, and then the lot of the next initial order depends on a total profit of several grids before. Or a light version - we open a buy sell on the channel, for example, etc. Various variations of opens depending on the previous ones. Here the main problem is that a person should think in categories, as the ToR is often full of distortions. For example, he/she has defined what a grid is (with such a step as constant/variable, such-and-such orders are placed, they will have the same TP from the breakeven line, a traill similar to it, etc.) and further he/she has listed operations with the grid (each next one will require more lots or something else). Something similar to OOP categories. Often, customers in such a TOR are trying to prescribe an algorithm for calculating, which is even more confusing.

*In this case, the client often does not think what the EA should do if there is not one line on the chart, but two, for example, which one to take? I.e., the interaction of the Expert Advisor is not thought through. The customers are often so busy writing out this sequence that it is hard to guess what the main purpose of development is, what they want to do with it.

*For those who love to use it contrary to its intended purpose - "let the EA draw something on the chart and it doesn't matter what buffers it has", "let's programmatically enable auto-trading", "draw the indicator from the EA (mt4)", sending SMS (Push, e-mail), "to open-close charts", "save quotes, etc." and so on...

* news agencies, etc., that need to download something from some site. Often, sites are not designed for this purpose.

* Multicurrency order takers - this is a rare category, there were mainly those who opened 2 orders at different symbols and led as one (by total profit/loss closing).

* copiers and other terminal interactions

And all this should be added with time limits, days of operation, calculation of TP/SL by points, some indicators, money, autolot and lot calculation depending on SL (or conversely)

 
Thank you, Galina, not a bad experience. I can imagine how much fun it can be.)
 

From today, there just aren't enough words... Here's a flat-out redo or a negative review to come.

Text from the task:

ВЫСТАВЛЕНИЯ ОРДЕРОВ:

1. If a buy order (BUYMARKET, BUYLIMIT, BUYSTOP) is triggered or opened, the

the robot immediately places 3 orders SELL STOP:

1st order: STOPLOSS; ........

2nd order: TakeProfit; ........

3rd order: TakeProfit; ........


I understood that they meant netting on Mt5, moreover then 2 "TPs" are possible. And here is a screenshot today with "dependent orders"

Where do they get this terminology? "Dependent orders"...

 
Galina Bobro:

Where do they get this terminology? "Dependent orders"...

Well, you have to clarify such questions right away. I didn't like the beginning

THE PLACING OF ORDERS:


The man is clearly having trouble expressing himself