Discussing the article: "Custom Debugging and Profiling Tools for MQL5 Development (Part I): Advanced Logging"
You are missing trading opportunities:
- Free trading apps
- Over 8,000 signals for copying
- Economic news for exploring financial markets
Registration
Log in
You agree to website policy and terms of use
If you do not have an account, please register
Check out the new article: Custom Debugging and Profiling Tools for MQL5 Development (Part I): Advanced Logging.
Learn how to implement a powerful custom logging framework for MQL5 that goes beyond simple Print() statements by supporting severity levels, multiple output handlers, and automated file rotation—all configurable on‐the‐fly. Integrate the singleton CLogger with ConsoleLogHandler and FileLogHandler to capture contextual, timestamped logs in both the Experts tab and persistent files. Streamline debugging and performance tracing in your Expert Advisors with clear, customizable log formats and centralized control.
Anyone who has spent time writing Expert Advisors, indicators, or scripts in MQL5 knows the frustration: a live trade behaves strangely, a complex formula spits out the wrong number, or your EA grinds to a halt just when the market heats up. The usual quick fix—scattering Print() statements, firing up the Strategy Tester, and praying the problem shows itself—breaks down once your codebase grows large.
MQL5 poses debugging hurdles that ordinary programming languages don’t. Trading programs run in real time (so timing matters), handle real money (so mistakes are costly), and must stay lightning-fast even in volatile markets. MetaEditor’s built-ins—a step-through debugger, Print() and Comment() for basic output, and a high-level profiler—are helpful but generic. They simply weren’t crafted for the pinpoint diagnostics your trading algorithms need.
That’s why building your own debugging and profiling toolkit is a game-changer. Tailor-made utilities can deliver the fine-grained insight and custom workflows missing from the standard set, letting you catch bugs sooner, tune performance, and safeguard code quality.
This series will guide you through constructing just such a toolkit. We’ll start with the cornerstone—a versatile logging framework far more powerful than scattershot Print() calls—then layer on advanced debuggers, custom profilers, a unit-testing harness, and static code checkers. By the end, you’ll have a full suite that turns “fire-fighting” into proactive quality control.
Author: Sahil Bagdi