Settings Reference

Master Settings

This section controls the strategy's core operational parameters and risk management.

  • Enable Longs / Enable Shorts The main on/off switches for trading. If disabled, the strategy will not open any new long or short positions, respectively.

  • Leverage Mode Defines how margin and liquidation prices are calculated.

    • Isolated: Risk is confined to the specific capital allocated to a position. If a position is liquidated, it only affects the funds assigned to that trade.

    • Cross: The entire account equity is used as collateral to back all open positions, preventing liquidation until the entire account is at risk.

  • Long Leverage / Short Leverage The leverage multiplier to apply to each position (e.g., 3.0 for 3x leverage).

  • Sizing Mode Determines how the size of each trade is calculated before leverage is applied.

    • Percent: Allocates a percentage of your total account equity to a trade.

    • Absolute USD: Allocates a fixed dollar amount to a trade.

  • Allocation Value The numerical value for the chosen Sizing Mode. For example, if Sizing Mode is Percent and this value is 10.0, the strategy will allocate 10% of equity to a new trade.

Trigger Groups (Long, Short, Exit Long, Exit Short)

These groups define the specific conditions for entering and exiting trades. The settings are identical across all four groups.

Trigger Invalidation

These settings are crucial for creating robust strategies. They control when an in-progress, multi-step trigger sequence is automatically reset, ensuring the strategy only acts on fresh and relevant signals.

  • Invalidation Type Determines the rule used to reset a sequence that has started but not yet completed.

    • Time Interval: Best for time-sensitive setups. Once the first step in a sequence is met, a countdown begins. If the remaining steps aren't completed within the Reset Timeout period, the sequence is cancelled.

    • Strict Sequence: For strategies where order matters. Steps must be completed in exact numerical order (1, then 2, then 3). If a later step's condition (e.g., Step 3) becomes true before an earlier step (e.g., Step 2) is complete, the entire sequence is invalidated.

    • Invalidate on Step 1: Useful for acting on the most recent signal. If any Step 1 condition becomes true again while a sequence is already in progress, the old sequence is cancelled and a new one begins.

  • Reset Timeout (bars) Specifies the duration of the countdown timer in bars. This setting is only used when the Invalidation Type is set to Time Interval.

Conditions (1-5)

Each trigger is built from up to five conditions, which can be organized into steps to create complex sequences.

  • Condition [1-5] Enabled The checkbox to activate or deactivate that specific condition row.

  • Boolean (For conditions 2-5) Determines how this condition logically combines with the preceding conditions within the same step.

    • AND: Requires the previous result in the step AND the current condition to be true.

    • OR: Requires either the previous result in the step OR the current condition to be true.

    • AND NOT: Requires the previous result in the step to be true AND the current condition to be false.

    • OR NOT: Requires either the previous result in the step to be true OR the current condition to be false.

Special Options for Exit Triggers

  • Flip Condition In the "Condition" dropdown for Exit Long or Exit Short triggers, you can select Short Entry Trigger or Long Entry Trigger, respectively. This powerful feature allows the strategy to close an open position and immediately "flip" into the opposite direction when the opposing entry signal is confirmed.

  • TP / SL (Take-Profit / Stop-Loss)

    • TP/SL Checkbox: Enables the Take-Profit or Stop-Loss for that exit type.

    • TP/SL Source: A source input that allows you to link the TP or SL price level to a plot from another indicator on your chart (e.g., an ATR band, a pivot point).

Condition Setup

This is the heart of your strategy. Here, you define up to 12 reusable "External Signals," which are the fundamental building blocks for your triggers. Each signal is a complete logical statement composed of three parts:

  • 1. Signal Source (Left Field) The primary, dynamic data point you want to measure (e.g., price, or an indicator's plot).

    • Examples: close price, an RSI value, or a Moving Average line from another indicator on your chart.

  • 2. Operator (Middle Field) Defines the logical comparison or relationship between the Source and the Value.

    • Standard Comparisons: Greater than, Lesser than, Equal to, Not equal to.

    • State-Change Triggers: These are true only on the specific bar an event occurs.

      • crossover: Becomes true on the bar the Signal Source crosses above the Value.

      • crossunder: Becomes true on the bar the Signal Source crosses below the Value.

      • cross: Becomes true on any bar the Source and Value intersect.

    • Trend/Momentum Triggers:

      • rising: Becomes true if the Signal Source is greater than its value on the previous bar. (The Value field is ignored).

      • falling: Becomes true if the Signal Source is less than its value on the previous bar. (The Value field is ignored).

  • 3. Value (Right Field) The benchmark or threshold that the Signal Source is compared against.

    • Dynamic Value (Source): Can be linked to another plot from the chart (e.g., comparing the close price to a Moving Average plot).

    • Fixed Value (Number): A static number you type in (e.g., comparing an RSI plot to a fixed value of 70).

Important Note on Value Fields:

  • For Signal Sources 1-7, the right-hand Value field is a source input (e.g., open, close, another indicator plot).

  • For Signal Sources 8-12, the right-hand Value field is a numerical input where you type in a fixed value.

Putting It Together: A "Golden Cross" Example

  1. Add a Moving Average indicator to your chart that plots both a 50-period and 200-period EMA.

  2. In the Condition Setup section, configure External Signal 1 as follows:

    • Signal Source: Select the plot for the 50 EMA.

    • Operator: Set to crossover.

    • Value: Select the plot for the 200 EMA.

  3. Now, External Signal 1 will be true only on the exact bar the 50 EMA crosses above the 200 EMA. You can now select this signal in your Long Trigger settings to execute a trade.

Appearance

These settings control the visual elements of the backtester on your chart.

  • Bullish/Bearish Colour: Sets the color for chart bars when in a long or short position and for the TP/SL lines.

  • Show Strategy Table: Toggles the visibility of the on-chart performance and status dashboard.

  • Table Size: Adjusts the text size within the dashboard (Tiny, Small, Medium, Large).

  • Table Position: Sets the location of the dashboard on your chart (e.g., top right, bottom left).

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