MQL4 and MQL5 Programming Articles

The article regards spindle chart plotting and its usage in trading strategies and experts. First let's discuss the chart's appearance, plotting and connection with japanese candlestick chart. Next we analyze the indicator's implementation in the source code in the MQL5 language. Let's test the expert based on indicator and formulate the trading strategy.

This is the final article, devoted to transferring an indicator code into an Expert Advisor code. Here the author transforms on a certain example a code of an Expert Advisor so, that this EA is presented in a single file without calling custom indicators.

This article is a continuation and completion of the topic discussed in the previous article: the MVC pattern in MQL programs. In this article, we will consider a diagram of possible interaction between the three components of the pattern.

In the article "Dr. Tradelove..." we created an Expert Advisor, which independently optimizes parameters of a pre-selected trading system. Moreover, we decided to create an Expert Advisor that can not only optimize parameters of one trading system underlying the EA, but also select the best one of several trading systems. Let's see what can come of it...

This article considers creation of documentation for MQL5 code starting with the automated markup of required tags. It also provides the description of how to use the Doxygen software, how to properly configure it and how to receive results in different formats, including html, HtmlHelp and PDF.

We have earlier discussed some types of neural network implementations. In the considered networks, the same operations are repeated for each neuron. A logical further step is to utilize multithreaded computing capabilities provided by modern technology in an effort to speed up the neural network learning process. One of the possible implementations is described in this article.

We usually analyze the market using candlesticks or bars that slice the price series into regular intervals. Doesn't such discretization method distort the real structure of market movements? Discretization of an audio signal at regular intervals is an acceptable solution because an audio signal is a function that changes over time. The signal itself is an amplitude which depends on time. This signal property is fundamental.

If you think automated systems are simple, then you probably don't fully understand what it takes to create them. In this article, we will talk about the problem that kills a lot of Expert Advisors. The indiscriminate triggering of orders is a possible solution to this problem.

This article is intended to get its readers acquainted with a possible variant of using graphical objects of the MQL5 language. It analyses an indicator, which implements a panel of managing a simple spectrum analyzer using the graphical objects. The article is meant for readers acquianted with basics of MQL5.

It is time to start the integration of the already created objects into the previously created library objects. This will ultimately endow each library object with its own graphical object allowing users to interact with the program.

In the previous chapters of the eighth part of the series, our library has been reinforced by several classes for developing mouse pointers, calendars and tree views. The current article deals with the file navigator control that can also be used as part of an MQL application graphical interface.

The MQL5 language keeps evolving, and its new features for working with data are constantly being added. Due to innovation it has recently become possible to operate with ZIP archives using regular MQL5 tools without getting third party DLL libraries involved. This article focuses on how this is done and provides the CZip class, which is a universal tool for reading, creating and modifying ZIP archives, as an example.

The article shows an example of how to develop an MQL5-program implementing the adaptive algorithm of clustering called Growing neural gas (GNG). The article is intended for the users who have studied the language documentation and have certain programming skills and basic knowledge in the area of neuroinformatics.

A rather universal approach to writing indicators of the ZigZag type is proposed. The method includes a significant part of ZigZags already described and allows you to create new ones relatively easily.

As the library grows, its code must be optimized again in order to reduce its size. The version of the library described in this article has become even more object-oriented. This made the code easier to learn. A detailed description of the latest changes will allow the readers to develop the library independently based on their own needs.

This article starts an extensive topic of creating controls in Windows Forms style using MQL5. My first object of interest is creating the panel class. It is already becoming difficult to manage things without controls. Therefore, I will create all possible controls in Windows Forms style.

Estimation of statistical parameters of a sequence is very important, since most of mathematical models and methods are based on different assumptions. For example, normality of distribution law or dispersion value, or other parameters. Thus, when analyzing and forecasting of time series we need a simple and convenient tool that allows quickly and clearly estimating the main statistical parameters. The article shortly describes the simplest statistical parameters of a random sequence and several methods of its visual analysis. It offers the implementation of these methods in MQL5 and the methods of visualization of the result of calculations using the Gnuplot application.

When developing a trading system, there usually arises a problem of selecting the best combination of indicators and their signals. Discriminant analysis is one of the methods to find such combinations. The article gives an example of developing an EA for market data collection and illustrates the use of the discriminant analysis for building prognostic models for the FOREX market in Statistica software.

In Export Advisors development, the questions of code errors detection and recovery are very important. The peculiarity is that a not detected in time error may ruin a precious idea of a trading system already on the stage of its first testings. That is why any sensible EA developer takes into account such problems from the very beginning. This article dwells on some approaches, helping in this difficult matter.

The most of traders use special programs to protect their PCs. Unfortunately, these programs don't only protect computers against intrusions, viruses and Trojans, but also consume a significant amount of resources. This relates to network traffic, first of all, which is wholly controlled by various intelligent antiviruses and firewalls. The reason for writing this article was that traders complained of slowed MetaTrader 4 Client Terminal when working with Outpost Firewall. We decided to make our own research using Kaspersky Antivirus 6.0 and Outpost Firewall Pro 4.0.

About an obvious but still substandard method of ZigZag composition, and what it results in: the Multiframe Fractal ZigZag indicator that represents ZigZags built on three larger ons, on a single working timeframe (TF). In their turn, those larger TFs may be non-standard, too, and range from M5 to MN1.

The previous chapter of part VIII on graphical interfaces has focused on the elements of static and drop-down calendar. The second chapter will be dedicated to an equally complex element — a tree view, that is included in every complete library used for creating graphical interfaces. A tree view implemented in this article contains multiple flexible settings and modes, thus allowing to adjust this element of control to your needs.

The author familiarizes the readers with a simple library of matrix algebra and provides descriptions and peculiarities of the main functions.

The entire complex of problems of creating a structure of an executed code and its tracing can be solved without serious difficulties. This possibility has appeared in MetaTrader 5 due to the new feature of the MQL5 language - automatic creation of variables of complex type of data (structures and classes) and their elimination when going out of local scope. The article contains the description of the methodology and the ready-made tool.

Today we'll see how to create an Expert Advisor that simply and safely works in automatic mode. Our EA in its current state can work in any situation but it is not yet ready for automation. We still have to work on a few points.

"Everyone who is struggling with programming and who were not able to participate in this year's competition, know that it becomes a lot easier in time", said Juan Pablo Alonso Escobar (JPAlonso), the hero of today's interview.

In this article, I will start the development of various composite graphical object events. We will also partially consider moving and deleting a composite graphical object. In fact, here I am going to fine-tune the things I implemented in the previous article.