MQL4 and MQL5 Programming Articles

In this article, we will learn how to create Expert Advisors (EAs) working both in MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. To do this, we are going to develop an EA constructing order grids. Griders are EAs that place several limit orders above the current price and the same number of limit orders below it simultaneously.

The original basic article has not lost its relevance and thus if you are interested in this topic, be sure to read the first article. However much time has passed since then, so the current Visual Studio 2017 features an updated interface. The MetaTrader 5 platform has also acquired new features. The article provides a description of dll project development stages, as well as DLL setup and interaction with MetaTrader 5 tools.

After the upgrade of the MATLAB package in 2015, it is necessary to consider a modern way of creating DLL libraries. The article uses a sample predictive indicator to illustrate the peculiarities of linking MetaTrader 5 and MATLAB using modern 64-bit versions of the platforms, which are utilized nowadays. With the entire sequence of connecting MATLAB considered, MQL5 developers will be able to create applications with advanced computational capabilities much faster, avoiding «pitfalls».

Most of traders agree that the current market state analysis starts with the evaluation of higher chart timeframes. The analysis is performed downwards to lower timeframes until the one, at which deals are performed. This analysis method seems to be a mandatory part of professional approach for successful trading. In this article, we will discuss multi-timeframe indicators and their creation ways, as well as we will provide MQL5 code examples. In addition to the general evaluation of advantages and disadvantages, we will propose a new indicator approach using the MTF mode.

In the first part, we started creating a large cross-platform library simplifying the development of programs for MetaTrader 5 and MetaTrader 4 platforms. Further on, we implemented the collection of history orders and deals. Our next step is creating a class for a convenient selection and sorting of orders, deals and positions in collection lists. We are going to implement the base library object called Engine and add collection of market orders and positions to the library.

The article provides a description of a universal method for analyzing and converting data from HTML documents based on CSS selectors. Trading reports, tester reports, your favorite economic calendars, public signals, account monitoring and additional online quote sources will become available straight from MQL.

In the first part, we started creating a large cross-platform library simplifying the development of programs for MetaTrader 5 and MetaTrader 4 platforms. We created the COrder abstract object which is a base object for storing data on history orders and deals, as well as on market orders and positions. Now we will develop all the necessary objects for storing account history data in collections.

The purpose of this article is to create a custom tool, which would enable users to receive and use the entire array of information about patterns discussed earlier. We will create a library of pattern related functions which you will be able to use in your own indicators, trading panels, Expert Advisors, etc.

While analyzing a huge number of trading strategies, orders for development of applications for MetaTrader 5 and MetaTrader 4 terminals and various MetaTrader websites, I came to the conclusion that all this diversity is based mostly on the same elementary functions, actions and values appearing regularly in different programs. This resulted in DoEasy cross-platform library for easy and quick development of МetaТrader 5 and МetaТrader 4 applications.

Automate the collection of interest rate data to improve the performance of an Expert Advisor.

The article presents a simple and fast method of creating graphical windows using Visual Studio with subsequent integration into the Expert Advisor's MQL code. The article is meant for non-specialist audiences and does not require any knowledge of C# and .Net technology.

In this article we will perform an experiment: we will color optimization results. The color is determined by three parameters: the levels of red, green and blue (RGB). There are other color coding methods, which also use three parameters. Thus, three testing parameters can be converted to one color, which visually represents the values. Read this article to find out if such a representation can be useful.

Comprehensive data processing requires extensive tools and is often beyond the sandbox of one single application. Specialized programming languages are used for processing and analyzing data, statistics and machine learning. One of the leading programming languages for data processing is Python. The article provides a description of how to connect MetaTrader 5 and Python using sockets, as well as how to receive quotes via the terminal API.

In the previous article, we analyzed 14 patterns selected from a large variety of existing candlestick formations. It is impossible to analyze all the patterns one by one, therefore another solution was found. The new system searches and tests new candlestick patterns based on known candlestick types.

The article describes a preprocessor, a scanner, and a parser to be used in parsing the MQL-based source codes. MQL implementation is attached.

In the first part of the article, I have described a modified ZigZag indicator and a class for receiving data of that type of indicators. Here, I will show how to develop indicators based on these tools and write an EA for tests that features making deals according to signals formed by ZigZag indicator. As an addition, the article will introduce a new version of the EasyAndFast library for developing graphical user interfaces.

In this article, we will consider popular candlestick patterns and will try to find out if they are still relevant and effective in today's markets. Candlestick analysis appeared more than 20 years ago and has since become quite popular. Many traders consider Japanese candlesticks the most convenient and easily understandable asset price visualization form.

Many researchers do not pay enough attention to determining the price behavior. At the same time, complex methods are used, which very often are simply “black boxes”, such as machine learning or neural networks. The most important question arising in that case is what data to submit for training a particular model.

In this article, we will analyze the concept of correlation between variables, as well as methods for the calculation of correlation coefficients and their practical use in trading. Correlation is a statistical relationship between two or more random variables (or quantities which can be considered random with some acceptable degree of accuracy). Changes in one ore more variables lead to systematic changes of other related variables.

In the article, we will apply Reinforcement learning to develop self-learning Expert Advisors. In the previous article, we considered the Random Decision Forest algorithm and wrote a simple self-learning EA based on Reinforcement learning. The main advantages of such an approach (trading algorithm development simplicity and high "training" speed) were outlined. Reinforcement learning (RL) is easily incorporated into any trading EA and speeds up its optimization.

Based on universal tools designed for working with Kohonen networks, we construct the system of analyzing and selecting the optimal EA parameters and consider forecasting time series. In Part I, we corrected and improved the publicly available neural network classes, having added necessary algorithms. Now, it is time to apply them to practice.

In this article we will consider in detail the martingale system. We will review whether this system can be applied in trading and how to use it in order to minimize risks. The main disadvantage of this simple system is the probability of losing the entire deposit. This fact must be taken into account, if you decide to trade using the martingale technique.

Horizontal diagrams are not a common occurrence on the terminal charts but they can still be of use in a number of tasks, for example when developing indicators displaying volume or price distribution for a certain period, when creating various market depth versions, etc. The article considers constructing and managing horizontal diagrams as arrays of graphical primitives.

The MetaTrader 5 platform features functionality for saving trading reports, as well as Expert Advisor testing and optimization reports. Trading and testing reports can be saved in two formats: XLSX and HTML, while the optimization report can be saved in XML. In this article we consider the HTML testing report, the XML optimization report and the HTML trading history report.

In this article, we continue expanding the features of the utility for collecting and navigating through symbols. This time, we will create new tabs displaying only the symbols that satisfy some of the necessary parameters and find out how to easily add custom tabs with the necessary sorting rules.

The present article develops the idea of using Kohonen Maps in MetaTrader 5, covered in some previous publications. The improved and enhanced classes provide tools to solve application tasks.

The article considers applying the separate optimization method during various market conditions. Separate optimization means defining trading system's optimal parameters by optimizing for an uptrend and downtrend separately. To reduce the effect of false signals and improve profitability, the systems are made flexible, meaning they have some specific set of settings or input data, which is justified because the market behavior is constantly changing.

In this article, we are going to expand the capabilities of the previously created utility by adding tabs for selecting the symbols we need. We will also learn how to save graphical objects we have created on the specific symbol chart, so that we do not have to constantly create them again. Besides, we will find out how to work only with symbols that have been preliminarily selected using a specific website.

The article describes the creation of a custom exchange symbol using the MQL5 language. In particular, it considers the use of exchange quotes from the popular Finam website. Another option considered in this article is the possibility to work with an arbitrary format of text files used in the creation of the custom symbol. This allows working with any financial symbols and data sources. After creating a custom symbol, we can use all the capabilities of the MetaTrader 5 Strategy Tester to test trading algorithms for exchange instruments.

In this article, we will apply the probability theory and mathematical statistics methods to creating and testing trading strategies. We will also look for optimal trading risk using the differences between the price and the random walk. It is proved that if prices behave like a zero-drift random walk (with no directional trend), then profitable trading is impossible.

Experienced traders are well aware of the fact that most time-consuming things in trading are not opening and tracking positions but selecting symbols and looking for entry points. In this article, we will develop an EA simplifying the search for entry points on trading instruments provided by your broker.

The article describes the algorithm for implementing the OpenCL candlestick patterns tester in the "1 minute OHLC" mode. We will also compare its speed with the built-in strategy tester launched in the fast and slow optimization modes.

The article describes the library allowing you to increase the efficiency of working with HTTP requests in MQL5. Execution of WebRequest in non-blocking mode is implemented in additional threads that use auxiliary charts and Expert Advisors, exchanging custom events and reading shared resources. The source codes are applied as well.

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.

In this article, we continue to dwell on reversing techniques. We will try to reduce the maximum balance drawdown till an acceptable level for the instruments considered earlier. We will see if the measures will reduce the profit. We will also check how the reversing method performs on other markets, including stock, commodity, index, ETF and agricultural markets. Attention, the article contains a lot of images!

This article is a follow-up to the previous one called "Reversal patterns: Testing the Double top/bottom pattern". Now we will have a look at another well-known reversal pattern called Head and Shoulders, compare the trading efficiency of the two patterns and make an attempt to combine them into a single trading system.

Traders often look for trend reversal points since the price has the greatest potential for movement at the very beginning of a newly formed trend. Consequently, various reversal patterns are considered in the technical analysis. The Double top/bottom is one of the most well-known and frequently used ones. The article proposes the method of the pattern programmatic detection. It also tests the pattern's profitability on history data.

The article dwells on gaps — significant differences between a close price of a previous timeframe and an open price of the next one, as well as on forecasting a daily bar direction. Applying the GetOpenFileName function by the system DLL is considered as well.

Using limit orders instead of conventional take profits has long been a topic of discussions on the forum. What is the advantage of this approach and how can it be implemented in your trading? In this article, I want to offer you my vision of this topic.

This article provides programmatic definition of one of the movement continuation models. The main idea is defining two waves — the main and the correction one. For extreme points, I apply fractals as well as "potential" fractals - extreme points that have not yet formed as fractals.