Easy Does It (EDI) TDI

[spyderman]

Sorry again guys.

My original intent was not to fully describe the EA's operation but to throw the strategy out there to see if anyone would be interested. Hoped to clear up any questions upon further discussion.

I've attached a screenshot of E/U with a few trades marked. Hopefully that will make it more clear.

Steve,
Don't know if it might help but I've attached another TDI version written by Hanover that can give an alert when specified criteria is met. Might help with the EA...might not

Thanks again,

[spyderman]

Any crosses that take place without the green having "just" entered from outside the bands, would not be a trade. I define "just" as having occured since the last cross.

That makes no sense to me. How could it cross inside the pink lines **WITHOUT** having crossed from outside? You'll have to re-phrase that one.

Gary,

Here's a screen shot of what I mean. There are several crosses of red and green that would not qualify.
Let me try putting it this way.

After the green has reentered the perimeter of the pink bands, the first cross of green over red would constitute a valid entry.

Now I suppose it would be possible for green to cross red while both are still outside the bands. It should still make for a valid entry. The point is we're trying to avoid crosses that are just slogging along in the middle of the bands.

[garyfritz]

My original intent was not to fully describe the EA's operation but to throw the strategy out there to see if anyone would be interested.

Understood -- but remember other people haven't been looking at this strategy and can't read your mind. You have to describe it clearly. A (good) picture is worth 1000 words.

I've attached a screenshot of E/U with a few trades marked. Hopefully that will make it more clear.

Thanks, that's exactly what I was looking for. Makes perfect sense now. Somehow I had totally missed the "green cross red" bit and was just looking at "green crossing inside pink."

[SteveHopwood]

Sorry again guys.

My original intent was not to fully describe the EA's operation but to throw the strategy out there to see if anyone would be interested. Hoped to clear up any questions upon further discussion.

Hehe. You certainly attracted some questions.

I've attached a screenshot of E/U with a few trades marked. Hopefully that will make it more clear.

It sure did.

Steve,
Don't know if it might help but I've attached another TDI version written by Hanover that can give an alert when specified criteria is met. Might help with the EA...might not

I will have a look and see. It has a double advantage: it is coded by a coder we know as expert; it is source code.

Now, you asked me to have a look at this with the intention of coding an EA. I have already told you that TDI is a visual thingy and that mql4 does not allow coders to make software that can read a chart, so my next question requires you to think like a coder.

To set the scene: I can code spotting a return into the blue/pink/whatever-their-latest-colour band from outside by the green line; I can code a cross of the red by the green. What I cannot do is code this: "ok good little bot, gawp at the chart and enter the trade if you think that the two crosses are close enough."

I need to be able to code this: enter a trade when the cross back inside the bars by the green, and the cross of the red by the green, have occurred within no more that x candles.

x can be a user input, just to add to the chaos, but I need a workable figure to start with so: what is the max number of candles that you look back before a green/red cross becomes invalid.

[SteveHopwood]

Thanks, that's exactly what I was looking for. Makes perfect sense now. Somehow I had totally missed the "green cross red" bit and was just looking at "green crossing inside pink."

No eye for details, some people.

[spyderman]

I need to be able to code this: enter a trade when the cross back inside the bars by the green, and the cross of the red by the green, have occurred within no more that x candles.

x can be a user input, just to add to the chaos, but I need a workable figure to start with so: what is the max number of candles that you look back before a green/red cross becomes invalid.

Steve,

Good question. To be honest, I don't invalidate a cross if it's been "x" amount of candles. It just has to be the first cross after entering the bands. (perhaps that will prove to be a mistake)

Looking back at some history it typically doesn't take long for the cross to come after entering the bands. In fact, as mentioned to Gary earlier, some entries come when both green and red are outside the bands. (hope that can be coded.

Guess that would mean the actual entry criteria would be the first cross after green leaves the bands...does that make sense? :

One other thought. Contemplating volatility bands, it would seem, logically enough, that the wider the bands (higher volatility) the better the resulting move. Could we have a user defined entry for band width?

[SteveHopwood]

I need to be able to code this: enter a trade when the cross back inside the bars by the green, and the cross of the red by the green, have occurred within no more that x candles.

x can be a user input, just to add to the chaos, but I need a workable figure to start with so: what is the max number of candles that you look back before a green/red cross becomes invalid.

Steve,

Good question. To be honest, I don't invalidate a cross if it's been "x" amount of candles. It just has to be the first cross after entering the bands. (perhaps that will prove to be a mistake)

Looking back at some history it typically doesn't take long for the cross to come after entering the bands. In fact, as mentioned to Gary earlier, some entries come when both green and red are outside the bands. (hope that can be coded.

Guess that would mean the actual entry criteria would be the first cross after green leaves the bands...does that make sense? :

One other thought. Contemplating volatility bands, it would seem, logically enough, that the wider the bands (higher volatility) the better the resulting move. Could we have a user defined entry for band width?

Not until I have managed to drag something useful from this bloody custom indi you can't. The damn thing is kicking and screaming with the worst of them.

[SteveHopwood]

Ok, I give up. Given the chaotic nature of this thread and the apparent inability of the op to come up with an accurate spec without being dragged kicking and screaming towards it, and that I cannot pull a value for the green line from this blasted indi, there is nothing I can do.

The attached indi is merely Hanover's indi with most of the externs removed; the fewer externs an ea has to call, the less chance LUC has to call around. I leave the unfinished EA for other coders with more patience than I to play with. Go to void GetTdi() to see how I managed to drag the bands from the damn thing but am unable to drag the value of the blasted green line from the wretched indi. Good luck.

[spyderman]

I cannot pull a value for the green line from this blasted indi, there is nothing I can do.

Isn't the green just an RSI set to 13 periods and the red a 7 moving average. Could you call those directly? (he said sheepishly as if it were an easy thing )

[spyderman]

O
The attached indi is merely Hanover's indi with most of the externs removed; the fewer externs an ea has to call, the less chance LUC has to call around. I leave the unfinished EA for other coders with more patience than I to play with. Go to void GetTdi() to see how I managed to drag the bands from the damn thing but am unable to drag the value of the blasted green line from the wretched indi. Good luck.

Okay...I came upon the this attached EA over at FF written awhile back by Xaphod. It places trades based on the TDI green crossing red. Perhaps this could be used by any coder's to combine with Steve's 'band' work.