Automating metatrader for traders?

[oiltanker]

trying to track down one source for how to automate metatrader for traders isn't easy. there are no books on metatrader at amazon for instance

so is this right?

most expert advisors lose money in the end.free ones tend to be free cause they don't work.

if you have a system you want to automate don't bother learning the programming language if you are not a programmer but pay to have someone write it- any recommendations?

there is no drag and drop programming software to do it yourself.

back testing EAs is problematic. better to test on a demo in current market conditions.[in my case alpari]

i really hate the extra price digit on meta trader



thanks.

if i find out how to do this i might a book myself. there is a gap in the market.

 

[Hotch]

It's not that hard to learn it. UKTG posted up a tutorial recently (by someone....I forget who). Rumpled one (i think) thought of making a dummies guide to it. I've programmed a few things, generally found the best systems are simple, and thus easy to program.

If it's simple someone here (bit busy personally, but maybe come xmas) might be able to do it, maybe for free (my case).

Deffo look at the tutorial UKTG posted up, it's good.

 

[oiltanker]

is there a way to change the default time frame in meta trader? can one specify the time frame? say 10min chart.

 

[tornhill]

the best way to learn it is to analyze free eas and to start to fuse their logic with your own ideas.
also the mql4 forum is quite useful. there are a few good templates for eas, you don´t have to reinvent the wheel all the time. these templates only need a buy and sell logic, thats just 2 lines of code.

if you really need a drag and drop approach maybe try ninja trader.

 

[oiltanker]

oh i've spent enough of my life looking for semi colons.

i did computing languages at uni back in 1982 and been playing catch up ever since from basic to pascal to c to c++ and then html [when you had to code it in notepad back in mid 90s etc] then i looked at pearl, then at php and now i've just reached the point i never want to learn another computer language again and spend my life trying to work out why its doesn't run. At some point like every other program language i've spent learning out will come a ''drag and drop a 9 year old can do it editor'' [like it did for html]. If there are people who like coding then great and respect. i can understand the buzz of creating a piece of code that works as designed. Its like devising something that has the power to land a rocket on the moon. but nowadays i don't mind paying a few pips to someone who has invested their time in learning it for a small chunk of code that will get me out of some screen time.

if push comes to shove i might spend some time learning it but i'm in trading mode not programming mode. i'll be able to change the variables if its documented.

does ninja have drag and drop? Is it reliable?

the advantage to ninja for me is that a spread betting company uses it.

thanks

 

[ZEPPO]

oh i've spent enough of my life looking for semi colons.

i did computing languages at uni back in 1982 and been playing catch up ever since from basic to pascal to c to c++ and then html [when you had to code it in notepad back in mid 90s etc] then i looked at pearl, then at php and now i've just reached the point i never want to learn another computer language again and spend my life trying to work out why its doesn't run. At some point like every other program language i've spent learning out will come a ''drag and drop a 9 year old can do it editor'' [like it did for html]. If there are people who like coding then great and respect. i can understand the buzz of creating a piece of code that works as designed. Its like devising something that has the power to land a rocket on the moon. but nowadays i don't mind paying a few pips to someone who has invested their time in learning it for a small chunk of code that will get me out of some screen time.

if push comes to shove i might spend some time learning it but i'm in trading mode not programming mode. i'll be able to change the variables if its documented.

does ninja have drag and drop? Is it reliable?

the advantage to ninja for me is that a spread betting company uses it.

thanks

Which spread betting company would that be?

Eduardo

 

[oiltanker]

futuresbetting

actually thinking about it last night it might be worth learning the language.

 

[ZEPPO]

futuresbetting

actually thinking about it last night it might be worth learning the language.

Thanks.

Eduardo

 

[oiltanker]

i am rapidly coming to the conclusion that its quite rare for EA programmers to be a traders and vica versa.

there is just so much hype and frankly bs out there on automation and EA's.

and some of the ideas EA's i've seen are based on are frankly barmy.- some seem about using the most obscure [set of] indicators in the most perverse way. clearly done by people who have never risked a coin of their own money on it in live trades. the ea's have the feel of demo kings?

i know if i had an ea that worked no way would is sell it until i had made enough out of it.

most people have a strat that works its just humans get tired, bored, distracted, impatient, greedy etc. we have all done it. which is why its worth using an ea imo.

 

[da-net]

oiltanker,

i agree completely. i have tried to find TRO's book that he said he was going to write, but haven't found it yet. those that sell "hopes & dreams" EAs are just snake oil salesmen, most will never make a profit and have such huge drawdowns that most retail traders would blow an account before becoming profitable if their EAs actually worked as advertised.

i have contacted lots of programmers but they understand programming not trading and they want to make it complicated. the closest thing to someone writing a guide to understanding programming so that us traders can learn to do it is a gent on FF forums that has a work in progress...

Rookie Programming: Taking Apart A System With Code

i have picked up some ideas from him, but not enough to write the EA properly. i am one of those traders that gets bored and sometimes misses an entry or exit because of being distracted (my fault)