To open the strategy dialog window, which allows you to apply self-programmed or 3rd party strategies to the chart:
- Left click on the
icon within the chart toolbar.
- Right click in the charting area to bring up the chart context menu, then select Settings followed by the Strategies menu item.
Then the Strategies dialog window will be opened:
The dialog window consists of 3 sections:
- List of available strategies
- List of selected strategies
- Strategies: Parameters box
The buttons inside the popup window have the following functions:
- ОК: accepts all defined settings and closes the dialog window.
- Apply: accepts all settings but does not close the dialog window.
- Cancel: closes the dialog window without saving the changes.
Strategies can be started manually:
- from the chart,
- from the watch list (scanner),
- from the list chart group and
- within the StrategyEscort.
List of available strategies
The list of available strategies can be found within the three sections of the Strategies window.
For better performance user may use Strategies Search function.
Indicator Search
Double-clicking or clicking the New button will add the selected strategy to the strategy list.
Please note that only one strategy can be run on a chart.
List of selected strategies
This section displays all strategies currently running on the chart or just added from the list of available strategies.
Click the Remove button to delete a strategy from this list.
Left clicking on a strategy will make it "active" in the parameters section and will allow you to modify parameters.
Click the OK or Apply button to save new settings for a strategy and apply it to the chart.
Parameters box
The parameter box on the right hand side of the Parameters window displays the strategy-specific settings available for editing.
In this section we will see which parameters can be changed within the parameter box.
General settings
You can change the following parameters:
- Bars required: defines the number of periods after which the strategy will be calculated (adjusted). For example, SMA(20) requires at least 20 periods (bars) to correctly calculate the moving average and consequently formulate accurate conclusions for the strategy calculation. It is especially important for the backtesting.
- Calculate on bar close: if set to "false", the strategy will be calculated each time a tick occurs. If set to "true", AgenaTrader will calculate the strategy each time a bar has been closed and the next tick is sent.
ATTENTION! The adjustment of a strategy can be quite complex. If your workspace contains too many strategies running at the same time with Calculate on bar close set to "false", AgenaTrader's performance may be affected negatively.
- Caption: displays a strategy's technical description. You can change these settings if required. For example, to display a shorter name for the strategy (MMR instead of MakeMeRichStrategy) input the following information: MakeMeRichStrategy -> MMR.
- Input Price Type: allows you to select data series for strategy calculation. The standard setting is "close", which means that the strategy will be calculated based on the closing prices of a specific period. Other available options are displayed below:
Parameters settings
These settings allow you to enter strategy-specific parameters. If you change these values, the strategy's behavior will also change.
Strategy settings
You can change the following parameters:
- DefaultQuantity: If there is no possibility of overruling the order size for a strategy, the default quantity will be retrieved from the instrument-specific settings in the Instrument Escort. The default quantity cannot be entered here.
- TraceOrders: If set to "true", information about all executed orders will appear in the messages window. This functionality serves informational purposes only. You can also view this information within the Trading Information: Order Manager.