Help me fix an alert

[paul.doberan]

I am trying to include an alert into an inside bar indicator but I can't get it to work.

I do get an alert, (which is what I am focusing on right now). There are also no errors in the compiler. 

However, what I want to achieve:

• Get an alert for every new (closed) inside bar.

What I get:

• An alert for every new bar that is starting. (5M - every 5min an alert for an inside bar)

What I assume is that since a new bar always starts as an inside bar this prompts the alert. What I don't get is that I am using HighBuffer[1] so it should focus only on the second candle not the current.

Also it could be that the Buffer is drawn to a candle while it is in the current state. However, since I am using HighBuffer[1] not HighBuffer[0] I don't see why this should matter. 

It could be another problem I don't see, because I'm not so familiar with programming.

As I understand the code, a candle that is not an inside bar gets a value of EMPTY_VALUE and the test HighBuffer[1] > 0 should not execute the if statement (alert). Somehow it does.

input int TriggerCandle = 1; input bool EnableNativeAlerts = true; input bool EnableSoundAlerts = true; input bool EnableEmailAlerts = true; input string AlertEmailSubject = ""; input string AlertText = ""; input string SoundFileName = "alert.wav";   datetime LastAlertTime = D'01.01.1970';

//At the end of the onCalculate function

if ((TriggerCandle > 0) && (Time[0] > LastAlertTime))
{
	string Text;
	
	if (HighBuff[TriggerCandle] > 0)
	{
		Text = AlertText + "Inside Bar: " + Symbol() + " - " + EnumToString((ENUM_TIMEFRAMES)Period());
		if (EnableNativeAlerts) Alert(Text);
		if (EnableEmailAlerts) SendMail(AlertEmailSubject + "Inside Bar", Text);
		if (EnableSoundAlerts) PlaySound(SoundFileName);
		LastAlertTime = Time[0];
	}
}

This is the code I was using.

The indicator I am using is from Tecciztecatl's inside bar indicator.

https://www.mql5.com/en/code/16533

I hope someone can help

Best,

Paul

[Jose Francisco Casado Fernandez]

paul.doberan:

As I understand the code, a candle that is not an inside bar gets a value of EMPTY_VALUE and the test HighBuffer[1] > 0 should not execute the if statement (alert).  <---------  No, this is wrong.

if (HighBuff[TriggerCandle] > 0)
        {
          //==========

        }

In mql4, EMPTY_VALUE = 2147483647  ( =  INT_MAX,  that is, the maximal value, which can be represented by an int type variable).  Obviously this value is greater than zero.

EMPTY_VALUE

Empty value in an indicator buffer. Default custom indicator empty value

2147483647 (0x7FFFFFFF)

Source Link:  https://docs.mql4.com/constants/namedconstants/otherconstants

Therefore, your condition will always be true (HighBuff[1]  is always > 0, since, if it takes some other value, normally this value will be greater than 0, and if it takes the EMPTY_VALUE, it is also greater than 0) ,  that is why it always produces the alert. 

You could change your condition to something like this:

if (HighBuff[TriggerCandle] < EMPTY_VALUE)
        {
          //==========

        }

Regards.

[paul.doberan]

Thank you I have written it again and it seems to work.

[Jose Francisco Casado Fernandez]

paul.doberan:

Thank you I have written it again and it seems to work.

You are welcome. Regards.