MQL5 Algo Trading

Risk-management module update: new enums, structures, and constants added to support daily limits, position accounting, and dynamic per-trade risk. Dynamic risk now adjusts assigned_percentage based on balance drawdown from an initial balance. Initial balance can be fixed (prop firm) or captured at startup (personal account). Thresholds must be sorted; a loop-free counter-based method requires ordered activation levels. A CHashMap approach is recommended to preserve key-value mapping during sorting. Balance-check timing is configurable via enum: per-tick checks (accurate but noisy) or checks on trade close (lighter but less granular). Dynamic-risk modes include full custom strings, fixed numeric parameters (up to four steps, optimizer-friendly), or disabled. Daily limit exceedance criteria are selectable: equity only, closed P/L only, or combined. Trade ac... 👉 Read | Calendar | @mql5dev #MQL5 #MT5 #Strategy

Structured vs organized code remains a frequent source of confusion. A practical boundary appears when structures start carrying context through internal procedures, before transitioning to classes and OOP. A struct with public data can compute average/median, but it also allows external writes. After a reset, memory may be reused incorrectly, producing wrong medians and hard-to-trace faults. This is a typical encapsulation error. Marking internal arrays as private blocks direct access and even prevents blanket memory wipes, forcing explicit API methods for set/reset/print. The result is tighter invariants, clearer intent, and fewer hidden state bugs, at the cost of more deliberate design. 👉 Read | VPS | @mql5dev #MQL5 #MT5 #algorithm

Utility script for removing chart annotations and drawing objects on the active chart. Intended to clear items such as comments, horizontal and vertical lines, arrows, and other objects created by indicators or manual markup. No user input is required. When executed, it deletes all objects on the current chart, so it should be validated on a clean, newly opened chart before running on an active workspace. Operational notes: assign a keyboard hotkey via the platform’s script list (context menu: Set hotkey) or run it by dragging the script onto the chart. The code can be adjusted to keep specific object types if needed. 👉 Read | Signals | @mql5dev #MQL4 #MT4 #script

ARIMA forecasts prices by combining three ideas: autoregression (recent prices influence the next one), integration via differencing (model daily changes to handle non-stationary series), and moving average (use past forecast errors to correct bias). In MetaTrader 5, a practical ARIMA indicator needs more than formulas: separate buffers for prices, residuals, and forecasts; dynamic arrays; and an OnCalculate pipeline that updates efficiently on new ticks and restores forecasts back from differenced space. Parameters (lookback, forecast horizon, p/d/q, learning rate) are fit by maximizing log-likelihood, optimizing AR/MA coefficients with gradient descent. Reliability depends on validation: MAE/RMSE, residual diagnostics (Ljung-Box, Jarque-Bera), and sliding-window tests. ARIMA is strongest in stable regimes and degrades around news, policy shifts, and s... 👉 Read | NeuroBook | @mql5dev #MQL5 #MT5 #ARIMA

Quantitative trend analysis in FX replaces subjective chart reading with measurable statistics: trend duration, magnitude in points, and frequency distributions by pair and timeframe. This enables hypothesis testing and parameter selection based on observed data. A common implementation uses Python with MetaTrader 5 data, pandas for time series handling, and a sliding-window algorithm to detect local highs/lows and form uptrend/downtrend segments. Window size controls sensitivity and noise filtering. Example EURUSD H1 (Feb 2018–May 2025, ~45k bars, 100-bar window): 471 trends, split 236 up and 235 down. Average duration 5.11 days (~120 hours), average magnitude 167 points. 51.6% of trends fall in 100–200 points; 85.6% end within 10 days; moves >500 points are ~1.3%, creating a heavy tail that is a key risk factor for grid averaging systems. 👉 Read | NeuroBook | @mql5dev #MQL5 #MT5 #AlgoTrading

Candle Close Timer is an MT5 indicator that displays the remaining time until the active bar closes. The countdown is rendered in real time above the current candle and stays aligned with the latest price action. Settings allow customization of text color and font size without affecting chart readability. The indicator is lightweight and designed to remain accurate across symbols and all timeframes. Deployment is straightforward: attach it to any chart, then adjust visual parameters in the inputs. It supports timing-sensitive workflows such as scalping and intraday execution where decisions depend on the exact close of the current candle. 👉 Read | NeuroBook | @mql5dev #MQL5 #MT5 #Indicator

A utility script is available to export all locally available tick data from the terminal into files stored under the Common directory. Existing files are appended with new ticks since the last recorded timestamp, enabling incremental updates and later reuse for building custom symbols. Setup requires creating a destination folder in Common (default: “MW Download History”) or adjusting the MW_DH_DEST_FOLDER compiler define. After compiling, add the desired instruments to Market Watch, open any chart, and attach the script. Inputs support exporting a single symbol or all Market Watch symbols, plus selecting a timeframe (M1 recommended). Separate files are created per symbol and timeframe. Execution progress is reported in the Experts log, and periodic reruns keep datasets current. 👉 Read | CodeBase | @mql5dev #MQL5 #MT5 #script

SNR Sentinel is an adaptive support and resistance engine for MT5 that maintains only the nearest active levels to current price. It uses strict left/right bar confirmation to validate swing highs and lows, filtering out low-quality structure and reducing chart noise. Breakouts are recognized only on candle close beyond a level. Once breached, the prior level is marked and queued for replacement, and the engine selects the next historically relevant level likely to receive a reaction. Active levels are projected forward and updated per bar using controlled line extensions rather than rays. Output is limited to one support and one resistance at any time, with no repainting and no redundant objects. Typical applications include breakout and retest workflows, reaction-zone mapping for scalping or swing trading, market structure validation, and clean S/... 👉 Read | AppStore | @mql5dev #MQL5 #MT5 #Indicator

This article breaks down a common execution error in price-action trading: treating liquidity grabs and market structure shifts as the same event. Liquidity grabs typically sweep equal highs/lows or prior session levels, then reverse quickly, often leaving an imbalance; structure shifts are decisive breaks that flip the sequence of highs/lows, usually after major liquidity is cleared. A key emphasis is multi-timeframe context: use D1/W1 plus MA stacking to define trend and narrative, then drop to M15/M5/M1 to time intraday entries after a purge, avoiding counter-trend trades. An MQL5 Expert Advisor operationalizes this with configurable inputs (lookback, volume spike, engulfing confirmation window), 1% risk per trade, and trailing stops. Practical benefit: consistent rule-based filtering to reduce false breakouts and late entries on pairs like GBPJPY, GBPUS... 👉 Read | Quotes | @mql5dev #MQL5 #MT5 #EA

Part 17 extends the MQL5 canvas dashboard with vector rendering for rounded rectangles and rounded triangles, keeping edges clean through supersampling and controlled downsampling. The implementation builds reusable primitives: ARGB color packing with opacity, angle normalization and arc-range tests, and a scanline polygon filler used to paint interiors and border strips deterministically. Rounded rectangles are composed from a central fill, side strips, and quadrant circle fills, then bordered using thickened straight-edge quads plus precise corner arc rings. Rounded triangles rely on precomputed geometry (arc centers, tangency points, and arc angles) so scanline filling can combine straight edges and circular arcs without gaps. This supports configurable radii, border thickness, and transparency for modern MT5 UI elements and overlays in backtests. 👉 Read | Quotes | @mql5dev #MQL5 #MT5 #EA

Utility script for chart cleanup: removes all graphical objects from the active chart, including comments, horizontal and vertical lines, arrows, and other drawing elements. No user input is required. Execution is immediate and will clear every object on the current chart. Operational notes: assign a keyboard hotkey via the script context menu (“Set hotkey”) or run it by drag-and-drop onto the chart. Risk notice: use on a new or non-critical chart first. Running on a working chart will permanently remove existing annotations and objects from that chart. 👉 Read | NeuroBook | @mql5dev #MQL5 #MT5 #script

Better programming outcomes come from improving learning habits and applying fundamentals, not from constant coding. Avoid blind copy/paste. Treat forum snippets as references, then validate assumptions against documentation and write the fix intentionally. Stop “hacking” errors. Identify root cause, reduce the case, and use official references and peer review to ask precise questions. Drop perfectionism and ship incremental improvements. Prefer clean, consistent, commented, DRY code over “smart” tricks. Optimize for readability, maintenance, and user-facing diagnostics rather than shortest code. 👉 Read | AppStore | @mql5dev #MQL5 #MT5 #Programming

A chart watermark indicator is available for displaying the active symbol and current timeframe directly on the chart background using a large, configurable font. This reduces ambiguity when switching rapidly between multiple instruments and timeframes across several windows. Operation is straightforward: open a chart for the required symbol and set the desired timeframe, then attach the Watermark indicator. Visual parameters can be adjusted as needed, including font family, font size, color, and on-chart positioning to match existing templates and keep other overlays readable. 👉 Read | NeuroBook | @mql5dev #MQL5 #MT5 #Indicator

Work continues on structural templates and type overloading, moving from basic structs toward data-aware containers used in search and lookup tasks. The example models a key/value association using two arrays (K as keys, H as values). A direct index access fails when K is unordered, so the relationship must be preserved while enabling efficient search via sorting or binary search. A refined approach embeds the lookup inside a struct: search K for a key, then return H at the same position. This keeps the mapping intact and prepares the code for reuse. Generalization then starts by templating one base type to trigger compiler overloading. This introduces warnings when return types and stored types diverge, highlighting a common library-design risk: hidden conversions and mismatched expectations. 👉 Read | Calendar | @mql5dev #MQL5 #MT5 #algorithm

This article shows how to generalize an MQL5 struct that computes average and median so it works across numeric types without duplicating code. The core technique is templating the structure, enabling “overload-like” reuse while keeping data encapsulation via a Set method. A key pitfall appears with return types: a templated median/average can silently promote integers to double, producing unexpected results for integer-based structs. The fix is a cleaner API: expose Sum() and Count() inside the struct, then compute averages with explicit casting where needed. For EA/indicator code, this encourages reusable, type-safe utilities and pushes precision/rounding decisions to the caller instead of hiding them in one monolithic function. 👉 Read | Signals | @mql5dev #MQL5 #MT5 #EA

A chart watermark indicator is available to show the active symbol and current timeframe in a large font on the chart background. This reduces mistakes when switching between multiple instruments and timeframes during analysis or execution monitoring. Setup is straightforward. Open the desired symbol on a chart and select the required timeframe. Attach the Watermark indicator, then adjust visual parameters such as font family, font size, color, and on-chart position to match the workspace layout and avoid overlap with other objects. 👉 Read | AppStore | @mql5dev #MQL4 #MT4 #Indicator

This article explains why socket-based Python servers (threads or select) can degrade Excel responsiveness: the script and Excel compete for CPU, making a spreadsheet-driven trading workflow impractical. The proposed fix is to switch inter-process communication to Microsoft COM. Using Python’s built-in COM support, Excel can be automated directly without extra packages, with code that mirrors VBA-style object access (create or attach to an Excel instance, add/activate/rename sheets, write values and formulas). It then extends the approach to event-driven integration: Python can subscribe to Excel Application/Workbook events, but handler methods must use exact event names from the Excel COM documentation. This enables real-time Excel-to-MetaTrader 5 control flows where Excel acts as the UI and an MT5 EA interprets commands. 👉 Read | VPS | @mql5dev #MQL5 #MT5 #EA

Follow-up work on MQL5 scripting shows why “organized” code is not the same as structured code. A script that hides and restores chart scales can be written with free functions plus a plain struct, but SAVE/RESTORE quickly lose context as features grow. Reuse then pushes toward overloads and duplicated names. Moving SAVE/RESTORE into the struct binds behavior to the stored state, removes redundant declarations, and makes intent local to the data. The next failure case appears when adding another chart property: public fields allow unintended writes, causing state restore to break via data leakage. This is the practical motivation for stronger encapsulation and the move toward classes. 👉 Read | Freelance | @mql5dev #MQL5 #MT5 #Indicator

Smash-day reversals are high-signal events, but trading every instance without context tends to amplify noise and reduce consistency. Larry Williams frames these as emotional excess: a breakout that attracts late entries, then fails quickly and forces a reversal. A custom MQL5 indicator can handle objective detection without auto-execution. It flags confirmed patterns only: bullish when the next bar breaks above the smash bar high, bearish when the next bar breaks below the smash bar low. Outside bars are filtered, and lookback depth is adjustable. Implementation centers on buffer binding, history mapping, and lightweight real-time updates. OnInit validates sufficient bars and configures plots; OnCalculate converts arrays to forward indexing, scans once on load, then updates the most recent indices on new bars and ticks. 👉 Read | Calendar | @mql5dev #MQL5 #MT5 #Indicator

Mixed copulas extend elliptical and Archimedean models by blending multiple families into a single dependence model, with weights that sum to one. This makes it practical to represent center dependence plus asymmetric or symmetric tail behavior in one fit, which is common in financial pairs. The article implements two mixtures used in copula-based pairs trading research: Clayton-Frank-Gumbel (separates lower tail, middle, upper tail) and Clayton-Student-t-Gumbel (adds two-sided tail dependence for volatility clustering/regime shifts). Parameter estimation is handled with an EM algorithm and a penalized likelihood using the SCAD penalty, which can shrink unhelpful mixture weights to zero while avoiding Lasso-style bias on strong components. Hyperparameters are tuned via cross-validated grid search. In MQL5, mixed.mqh defines a modular CMixedCopula ... 👉 Read | VPS | @mql5dev #MQL5 #MT5 #AlgoTrading