MQL5 docs are terrible; how to improve them for noobs.

New comment
 

Apologies for the click-bait subject matter, but the new OO paradigm and investment of MQL5 deserves better documentation.

Let's imagine I'm a noob coming from the world of sequential MQL4 into the new and scary world of MQL5 OO. I want to create something perfunctory like a label on a chart, my first noob step is to google the following phrase: "objectcreate label mql5", great, let's click the first link.

This is my first issue, there's a description of the function and all the parameter info, but not one line of code to show me how to implement the label. The first fix should be a simple code snippet similar to "Hello World", something like this:

string lblID = "HelloWorld", txt = "This is my first label!"
int xPos = 5, yPos = 100;

ObjectCreate(0,lblID,OBJ_LABEL,0,0,0);
ObjectSetInteger(0,lblID,OBJPROP_XDISTANCE,xPos );
ObjectSetInteger(0,lblID,OBJPROP_YDISTANCE,yPos);
ObjectSetString(0,lblID,OBJPROP_TEXT,txt);

Okay, let's dig deeper...

I find my OBJ_LABEL and click the link and now I'm presented with a wall of text. The documentation should be tabbed, perhaps: ['Hello World'], ['Advanced usage'].

I appreciate the power of OO, but I feel it's the wrong people writing the documentation. It should be more user friendly to ply the masses away from MQL4 into MQL5. I shouldn't have to look at a wall of code and find the relevant section at line #385 for example.

hth, /rant

 

Yeah i certainly recognize that.

My solution was to go ahead and write so much code until i got the hang of it.

It get's easier along the way.

 

It's like they try to be "professional" or something.

But, I believe docs are not the root cause for a noob not taking off.

If you really want to do something, there are enough resources to help, so there are kind of no excuses.

 

My method was to see little scripts, copy paste from them, say, volume indicator. Then improve on that. 

New comment