Looking for some friendly advice. I want to start coding my own indicators and EA's but I'm not sure which language I should learn. I believe MQL5 is meant to replace MQL4? I would prefer to code in 4 but I think it's pointless if it's only going to be around for another year or so. What do you guys think? Is MQL4 going to stick around for a while to come and if so, do you think I'm better off with this one? Please leave a comment
MQL4 (the language) is almost the same as MQL5. What has changed between Empty4 and MT5 is the API: particularly the trading functions and the (custom) indicators. Generally it requires more lines of code to do the same thing. So, in a way, it is easier to get things done on the Empty4 platform.
The choice between Empty4 and MT5 should also take into account the availability of the platform at your favourite broker.
I would start with MQL4/Empty4 and if (in the distant future) everybody moves to MQL5/MT5, move along.
There are so many tricky code snippets, libraries and reusable source codes in MQL4. It will take years to port them to MQL5 and that is key.
Crapperquote cant afford to simply switch off MQL4 for a very long time. They will not provide updates to MQL4? Damn, those updates used to mix things up. So thank you for this. But they wont stick to that declaration anyway.
Both languages are a subset of C++ with special API function calls. Learn to proper code in MQL4 and later the transition to MQL5 will be easy for you. There are many projects intended to solve those problems. For example, all the changed trading functions can be handled by a library named mql4.mqh, I think. And if I were Crapperquotes, I would work day and night on a solution that enables old MQL4 programs to run under MQL5. Like Microsoft once did with XP (and older) programs under W7.
Short version: Just start. Use MQL4 as we all do and use the concentrated knowledge and help in this forum. Then see what the future offers.
Have fun.
Happy pippin, Thomas
It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble.
It's what you know for sure that just ain't so. (Mark Twain)
