Code:
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| MT4 Indicator: v1.8 P4L PeriodCon.mq4 |
//| Previous names: periodcon.mq4, Period_Converter_Opt.mq4|
//| Copyright ?2005, MetaQuotes Software Corp. |
//| http://www.metaquotes.net |
//| v1.5 modified by wfy05@talkforex based on Period_Converter|
//| http://www.talkforex.com |
//| v1.6 - 1.8 modified by pips4life of ForexFactory.com |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//
// Quickstart Instructions:
// Copy this file to to your MT4 indicators folder:
// On XP, usually: C:\Program Files\__your_MT4_broker__\experts\indicators\
//
// Read the extensive notes and directions below.
// Review the "extern" variable settings further below. Change as desired.
// Restart MT4 or do "Compile" in MetaEditor.
// Open a source chart and add this indicator with desired settings.
// Then File -> Open offline -> (choose the specified chart from the list; click "Open")
//v1.6, v1.7, v1.8:
#property copyright "pips4life of forexfactory.com"
#property link "http://www.forexfactory.com/showthread.php?t=206301"
//v1.5 ??
//v1.4:
//#property copyright "wfy05@talkforex.com"
//#property link "http://www.mql4.com/codebase/indicators/277/"
#property indicator_chart_window
#property show_inputs
#include
// The above include is missing some needed function(s)
#import "user32.dll"
int GetParent(int hWnd);
int RegisterWindowMessageA(string lpString);
#import
/*
Readme:
(v1.6 & v1.7 updates by pips4life, renamed to "P4L PeriodCon.mq4")
This new version adds substantial capability to the previous versions.
Offsets (timeshifts) are now fully supported for (almost) any multiple of any
chart. More than one of this indicator can be added to a single source chart
to generate multiple offline charts with different offsets, e.g. an H1 chart
can (theoretically) have 24 of this indicator added, each with different
hourly offsets, to generate 24 different Daily charts. (It would not be
recommended for performance reasons but it *should* work; at least this
indicator is now architected differently to be able to do 24+ offset charts).
As always, you must keep your source chart open at all times in order that
the generated "offline" charts get their live-updates with each tick. FYI,
in v1.7, charts with bars longer than 1 month work but are different from other
normal period charts due to limitations with MT4. If the effective period
is >1month, then EITHER the *symbol* name or the *period* will reflect the
fact the chart is > 1-Month.
If variable "Over_1MN_alters_Symbol_name=true" (default), then the symbol name
will indicate the actual period as a multiple of the apparent period. Examples:
2-month bars: EURUSD_x2,Monthly (2 x Monthly)
6-week bars: EURUSD_x6,Weekly (6 x Weekly = W6)
12-month bars: EURUSD_x12,Monthly (12 x Monthly, i.e. Yearly)
12-month +1 month timeshift:
(Not) EURUSD+1Nx12,Monthly (NO! Illegal 12-character symbol name!)
(Use) EU+1N_x12,Monthly (See ***Note)
(***Note, if a timeshift is also used, the symbol name will indicate both, BUT
due to an 11-character MT4 limit, the name may get hacked in order to shorten
it to keep within the character limit).
If variable "Over_1MN_alters_Symbol_name=false", then
IT IS CRITICAL that you note the proper name of the generated offline chart
that the program tells you (by popup alert) when you add this indicator to
a chart. You must then use the menu commands:
File -> Open offline -> (scroll down to the *same* generated name)
(e.g. "EURUSD+1H,Daily" is NOT the same chart as "EURUSD,Daily")
FYI, because of the new offline timeshifted chart name, this affects what
the command "Symbol()" will return. If you use other indicators that rely
upon the Symbol() command (or NULL default) to be, e.g. exactly "EURUSD",
then such programs may not work unless modified to be compatible with this
new chart naming standard! Please note that v1.5 had some support for hourly
offsets (on D1's), but the chart name used to be "EURUSD,1441". The "1441"
was also a problem for some indicators because it changed the "Period()" value
from the standard "1440" to the non-standard value of "1441". This broke some
indicators -- but that was an older version and this indicator now returns
the standard values with respect to "Period()".
Another big change is that the older versions could only live-update a single
offline chart with a given name. This version will live-update every offline
chart that shares the same name. (If for reasons of performance you decide
the old single-chart method works better for you, there is an external variable
you can change to use the older method, but you are advised to open only one
of each offline chart. If "false", the 2nd-Nth ones open will not live-update).
The meaning of an offset such as "+1H" is as follows:
Suppose you have opened the chart: EURUSD+1H,Daily (offline)
At the top of your MT4 Market Watch window, the current "broker" time is given.
Suppose it says "21:45:00". Your offline chart time is therefore "+1H" relative
to the "broker" time, which would be "22:45:00". A new Daily candle will form
when the broker time is "23:00:00" which is when the "+1H" chart time
is "00:00:00".
You will note that for the majority of broker feeds, there are SIX Daily candles
formed per week. Usually there is a small Daily candle with either a Sunday
date or a Saturday date depending on your broker's time offset. If your broker,
regardless of broker time, has a trading week <= 5*24 hours (such as from
Sunday 5PM ET to Friday 5PM ET), then a key advantage of this indicator is that
you can choose a timeshift value such that the offline chart time of 00:00:00
corresponds to this key time of Sunday 5PM, ET (17:00:00). By doing so, you can create
an offline chart with only 5-bars-per-week! This may be useful if you are drawing
trendlines or channels over a long period of time. The slope (and therefore
price intercepts with the lines) will be different when you have 5 vs. 6 bars
per week on your Daily charts. Example: Suppose you have a broker time which
corresponds to GMT. At 00:00:00 GMT, it is 19:00:00 ST (7PM) in NY, depending on
ST/DST dates AND depending on whether your broker follows NY ST/DST changeover
dates or some other choice of changeover dates! What we would like is for an
offline "00:00:00" to correspond to 17:00:00 (5PM NY), so, we choose an offset
of "-2H". This *MAY* give you the desired 5-bars-per-week. Many factors are
involved such as what time of year it is vs. the ST/DST changeover dates, whether
your broker follows the U.S. ST/DST dates or some other dates like England or
Australia (or Japan which doesn't have DST). It also depends on whether your
broker has only 5*24 hourly bars per week or less. If you are lucky then your
new Daily chart will have 5 daily-bars-per-week year-round. If it is inconsistent
with 5-per-week part of the year and 6-per-week a different part of the year,
then I don't recommend using that chart for critical slope/trendline intercepts.
Another useful consequence of supporting timeshifts is that you can convert the
broker time into your LOCAL time! The bars on H1 or below are otherwise the
same shape. (Bars above H1 like H4 and especially D1 may appear different
because the starting bar 00:00:00 time is now offset). Suppose your broker
time says it is 21:45:00. Your local time is 15:45:00. The difference is
"-6H" which we can generate with a TimeShiftAdd_in_HptMM value. Open a source chart
(e.g. an M15), add this indicator, and generate an M15 offline chart (mult = 1)
with an offset of "-6H" which would be entered as "-6.0" (-6hr + 0min)
The generated chart will then be "xxxxxx-6H,M15". When you look at the times
given on the X-axis of the chart, they will show you local times. Open your
native M15 chart and the offline M15 chart. The bars should look exactly the
same; only the times are different.
The external variable "TimeShiftAdd_in_HptMM" is a number entered as: H.MM
Examples: 1.0 = 1hr, 1.30 OR 0.9 = 90min, -0.05= -5min, -2.0 = -2hr
Note that "1.5" does NOT equal 90min, but rather 110min (60+50)!
(FYI: This somewhat unusual style of number entry makes it easier to enter the
most common values which would be an integer number of hours. However, you can
still enter a minute offset like 0.05 (5min) with ease. The alternative would
either be to enter in bars or in minutes. If in bars, one is constantly
calculating the shift_in_bars based on the current chart, be it M5, M15,
M30, H1, etc. If entered in minutes, then large numbers of hours are
clumsy to calculate and remember (e.g 23hr*60m/hr = 1380min). If it were in
pure hours, then how would one accurately enter 5min/60 = 0.0833333333...?!
With the H.MM syntax, one can enter any timeshift accurately and with ease).
Many people use "CandleTime.mq4" or a variation to graphically display a
countdown timer for how much time is left before the latest bar closes. As this
is very useful in conjunction with these offline charts, you MUST use a version
such as the new "P4L CandleTime.mq4" v1_6 (Nov 2009). That program uses the
chart "Symbol()" name to find the chart offset and adjusts the remaining bar
time accordingly. Download "P4L CandleTime.mq4" from:
http://www.forexfactory.com/showthread.php?t=109305
For example, at "21:45:00", a normal Daily chart bar would display "2:15:00" remaining
time for the most recent bar. However, for the +1H,Daily chart, it should display
"1:15:00" remaining bar time. The "P4L CandleTime.mq4" indicator also has an
option to display the remaining time as a chart Comment. (Change an external variable).
Final comment re v1_6: Note that MT5 is in beta and should be released in 2010.
Supposedly any timeframe chart (in minutes) can be generated with MT5 (e.g. M10,
M20, H2, H8, ... I do not know what the maximum supported value is). Therefore,
you might already be able to accomplish some of your non-standard timeframe
requirements using a demo MT5 account even today. (Search for MT5 download).
However, I am unfamiliar with the details of MT5 and I cannot say whether or not
the timeshift feature will be available in basic MT5 or whether a new indicator
or EA must be written to accomplish the same timeshift feature as this indicator
does on MT4. I guess we'll find out together...
Comments regarding the previous v1_5 update are left here for additional reference:
I. (v1.5 update) Features:
This is an improved version of period converter for MT4 based on the
MT4's default period converter by metaquotes.
The default period converter script do not support real-time refreshing,
and consume lots of CPU (50%-9x%) making the whole system slow.
Also, the default one is a script which do not save when you exit MT4,
so you have to apply every converter script again after restarting, quite
annoying.
This one fixed all above problems:
1. Real-time updating or custom interval millisecond level updating.
2. Low CPU cost, average 5%-10% or less.
3. Works as an indicator, so can be saved and reloaded during restart.
4. There is no one converter per chart limitation as it is not script
any more, you can only use one window as source to generate as many
new timeframe charts as possible.
5. Auto updating if there is new history block loaded.
II. How to use:
Copy the mq4 file to your MT4 indicators folder (experts\indicators)
to install it as an indicator, NOT script. then in the custom indicator
list, attach period_converter_opt to the chart you want.
It support 4 parameters:
PeriodMultiplier: new period multiplier factor, default is 2
UpdateInterval_in_msec: update interval in milliseconds,
zero means update real-time. default is zero.
Indicator_On: You can disable it without remove it with this option.
Other parameters are comments or for debugging, it is safe to ignore them.
Also Make sure you have Allow Dll imports option checked in common tab or
it won't work
After that, File->Open Offline to open the generated offline data. then
the offline data will be updated automatically.
As long as you keep the source chart open and the converter indicator
running, the generated chart including indicators inside will always
be updated. also you can close the generated chart and open again
later from File->Open Offline without problem.
If you want to quit MT4, you can leave those offline chart as other
normal online charts. when you start MT4 next time, those charts will
also be loaded and updated.
III. Notes:
1. Do NOT uncheck the "offline chart" option in offline chart common properties.
or after MT4 restart, it will treat that chart as online chart and request
the data from server, resulting empty chart window.
2. You can attach more than one converter to same window with different
PeriodMultiplier, e.g: you can attach 3 converter with
PeriodMultiplier = 2, 4, 10 to M1 to generate M2, M4, M10 at the same time.
It is even ok to use the M1 chart to generate Hourly chart like H2, which
only cost a few more CPU resource during initial conversion. but usually
most server don't have much data for those short period. resulting the
generated data isn't long enough for long period. so it is suggested
to use Hourly/Daily charts as source when needed.
3. The real-time updating mode updates quotes as fast as possible, but as
this is done via script, and MT will skip calling start() function when
your PC is busy and lots of quotes income. anyway, this seldom happen,
and you can at least get 10 updates each seconds which is much more
than enough.
4. The offline chart don't have a bid line showing in chart, but all data
in the chart including the indicators is still being updated,
so don't worry. you can show the bid line by unclick the "offline chart"
option in chart properties. but which don't helps much and if you forget
to check "offline chart" option before exit. it will cause errors and
become empty on next startup. you have to close the window and open
again from File->Open offline, which don't worth the trouble.
IV. History:
2009.12.10 v1.8
New external variable: Over_1MN_alters_Symbol_name = true (default; more readable). If you prefer
NOT to change the Symbol name for charts > 1-Month, then "false" will alter the Period() instead.
Indicators that care more about the Symbol() name may be compatible, so long as they
don't care about getting a correct "Period()" value (which is always wrong anyway for
any chart > 1-Month, due to MT4 limitations and the hack this program used to get around this).
2009.12.07 1.7 (By pips4life of forexfactory, enhanced based on an idea by circlesquare)
Added external variable: TimeShiftAdd_in_Bars
Note, this value ADDS to any timeshift specified by TimeShiftAdd_in_HptMM.
The "Bars" syntax is much easier for very high timeframe timeshifts whereas
the "H.MM" syntax is easier for low timeframe timeshifts.
This version supports the generation of charts with Period > Monthly.
The "Symbol()" name uses new syntax to indicate the period is higher
than 1 month (which MT4 cannot display unless tricked into thinking it
is <= 1-month). Here are chartname ("Symbol,Period") syntax examples:
EURUSD_x2,Monthly (MN2 chart)
EURUSD-1Nx2,Monthly (MN2 chart, offset by "-1N" (1 Month) (NOTE: "N" not "MN" or "M")
EURUSD-1Wx5,Weekly (W5 chart, offset by -1W timeshift)
EURUSD_x12,Monthly (MN12 (i.e. Yearly) chart)
EURUSD+1Nx12 (ILLEGAL 12-character name! NOT created!)
EU+1N_x12 (EURUSD is shortened to "EU". The "_" before "x" is used if within character limit).
SEKRUB+1Nx,M43188 ( An unusual example, but if the symbol name is not
shortened, and a timeshift is used, and there is no room left (within
the 11-characters max) to add the "x#" (# = PeriodMultiplier), then the
reported period is the source chart "Period() - PeriodMultiplier". In this
example, M43188 was from Monthly(43200) - 12 (A Monthly chart - PeriodMultiple-of-12)
There was no room for "x12" but there was room for just "x" so it was added.
Final result: This is a Yearly (1 bar is 12mo) chart, timeshifted by +1Month.
NOTE: The MT4 symbol length limit is only 11. This requires a lot more
hacking and jumping through hoops to keep below this character limit
whenever a timeshift is used for a chart TF > Monthly, or whenever a
large number timeshift is used (regardless of chart TF) that would
cause the symbol name to exceed 11 characters.
The next v1_3 "P4L CandleTime.mq4" will have the routines needed to unconvert the
strange changes to symbol and/or period to get the true effective
symbol, period, and timeshift values.
2009.11.11 1.6 (By pips4life of forexfactory, partly based on an idea by rangebound)
Users can now open same-timeframe charts with different (multiple)
timeshifts. For example, open an H1 chart and add multiple instances
of this indicator, each with multiplier=24, but use several different
timeshift values. This highly-useful feature will show what the bars look
like if the start/stop times are shifted by any number of hour(s).
Similarly, do the same thing for H4 charts. Compare your native H4 charts
with the 3 possible others charts that use timeshifts of 1,2, and 3 hours.
Added support for real-time updating of *multiple* offline windows.
In other words, you can open 2 or more M10 charts and each will update.
Because it loops and checks every window, there *may* be a cost in
CPU time. If you desire only to update the first-found offline
chart, go back to the old method by setting LiveUpdateMultipleCharts=false.
A few other updates to variable names were made for clarity. The meaning
of the old "TimeShift" was clarified (and is reversed from the previous meaning
which had previously subtracted from the broker time; now "+" means ADD).
Known problem(s):
Adding this indicator to a Monthly chart with PeriodMultipler=2 should
generate a ",MN2" chart but the "Open offline" list displays it as ",D60".
More importantly, even if you open that ",D60" chart it doesn't seem to work!
In fact, anything above a ",Monthly" chart appears not to work (MT4 v4.00 Build 225)
2006.02.16 1.5 (By ???)
Added (discontinued) TimeShift (in bars) option, can be used to shift hour
timeframe to generate daily timeframe when your timezone is different
from the server, default is zero.
2005.12.24 1.4 (By wfy05@talkforex.com)
faster to detect if data changed by removing float point
operations, added support to output CSV file in real time.
OutputCSVFile = 0 means no CSV.
OutputCSVFile = 1 means CSV + HST
OutputCSVFile = 2 CSV only, no HST .
(useful if you want to generate CSV for builtin periods)
CSV Filename will be the same as HST file except the extension.
added safe checking for PeriodMultiplier.
2005.12.04 1.3 Fixed missing data when there is large amount of data
loaded in several blocks, and support auto updating
when new history is loaded.
2005.11.29 1.2 Additional fix for missing data and server changing.
2005.11.29 1.1 Fixed missing partial data after restart.
Reinitialize after changing server or data corrupted.
2005.11.28 1.0 Initial release
*/
extern double FYI_Version = 1.7; // code version
extern string FYI_BuildInfo = "2009.12.07 by pips4life of ForexFactory";
extern int PeriodMultiplier = 2; // new period multiplier factor
extern string FYI_TimeShift_HptMM = "H.MM 1.0=1hr, 1.3 or 0.9=90min, -0.05= -5min"; //NOTE: "1.5" is NOT 90min but 110min!
extern double TimeShiftAdd_in_HptMM = 0.0; // time shift value, H.MM.
extern int TimeShiftAdd_in_Bars = 0; // time shift value in Bars (easier for higher timeframes). NOTE: The two timeshifts ADD!! (Both are in effect!)
//extern double TimeShiftAdd_in_Bars = 0; //OLD method. Time shift value. Type "double" allows fractional bars, like 0.25 = 1/4 bar.
extern int UpdateInterval_in_msec = 0; // update interval in milliseconds, zero means update real-time.
extern string FYI_OutputCSVFile = "0=HST only; 1=CSV+HST; 2=CSV only";
extern int OutputCSVFile = 0; // also output CSV file? (CSV means "comma separated values". File can be imported into various tools & programs)
extern bool LiveUpdateMultipleCharts = false; //True (recommended) is more CPU but will update all offline charts found.
extern bool LimitedAlertsEnabled = true; // Sometimes an Alert is the best way to notify you rather than the experts (Print) log.
extern bool Over_1MN_alters_Symbol_name = true; // If true, Symbol() name changes, if false, Period = (Period() - PeriodMultiplier). Chartname is "symbol,period", so...
// Examples: If true, 2-mo chart: EURUSD_x2,Monthly False: EURUSD,M43198 (where PERIOD_MN1=43200, and 43200-2=43198)
// If true, 5-wk chart: EURUSD_x5,Weekly False: EURUSD,M10075 (where PERIOD_W1=10080, and 10080-5=10075)
// Choice "false" is for indicators (especially MTF) that require the normal "Symbol()" name, but don't
// care about "Period()"
// NOTE: A timeshifted chart (ANY timeframe) must always change the Symbol() name, e.g. EURUSD+1H,Daily
extern bool Indicator_On = true; // "False" is an easy way to disable without removing from the source chart.
bool Debug = false; //Generally for developer use
// Regarding the auto-adjustment of the symbol name:
// Always pay attention to the chart name it tells you it will generate so you will know which offline
// chartname to open! See the experts log or maybe an Alert.
// Unless you have a non-zero timeshift, you cannot create an offline chart with the same name as a
// regular period: M1,M5,M10,M15,M30,H1,H4,D1(Daily),W1(Weekly),MN1(Monthly)
// If your TimeShiftAdd_in_HptMM is "0", and the new period is not a standard period, it will be called, e.g., "EURUSD,H2".
// If you have a Daily chart with positive time shift of 2 hours, the name would be "EURUSD+2H,D1"
// Similarly, a time shift of -2 hours would be "EURUSD-H2,D1".
int FileHandle = -1;
int CSVHandle = -1;
int NewPeriod = 0;
int NewPeriodDisplayed;
string symbol;
string symboloutput;
#define OUTPUT_HST_ONLY 0
#define OUTPUT_CSV_HST 1
#define OUTPUT_CSV_ONLY 2
#define CHART_CMD_UPDATE_DATA 33324
// GetWindowTextA overwrites gwstr but it should initially be at least as long a string as it will become later.
// //12345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789 //119 chars "};
string gwstr = " ";
string offlineChartName;
int TimeShiftAdd_in_Minutes;
bool FLAG_NO_OFFLINE_CHART = false;
bool FLAG_FIRSTINITDONE = false;
bool FLAG_ERRORFOUND = false;
//====================
void DebugMsg(string msg)
{
if (Debug) Alert(msg);
}
int init()
{
string msg;
int intShiftByNum;
string strShiftByUnit;
//TimeShiftAdd_in_Minutes = TimeShiftAdd_in_Bars*Period();
TimeShiftAdd_in_Minutes = MathFloor(TimeShiftAdd_in_HptMM)*60 + MathMod(TimeShiftAdd_in_HptMM*100,100) + TimeShiftAdd_in_Bars * Period();
if (MathMod(TimeShiftAdd_in_Minutes,Period() ) != 0)
{
//ERROR. TimeShift must be an even multiple of the source chart Period()
msg = StringConcatenate("ERROR. ",WindowExpertName(),": Illegal TimeShift value: ",TimeShiftAdd_in_Minutes,"min must a multiple of source TF ",Period() );
Alert(msg); // This is critical so it is forced to Alert
//if (!FLAG_FIRSTINITDONE)
//{
// if (LimitedAlertsEnabled) Alert(msg);
// else Print(msg);
//}
return(-1);
}
//safe checking for PeriodMultiplier.
if (PeriodMultiplier <= 1) {
PeriodMultiplier = 1;
//only output CSV file? The ONLY point of PeriodMultiplier == 1, timeshift=0, would be to have a CSV file.
if (TimeShiftAdd_in_Minutes == 0) OutputCSVFile = 2;
}
NewPeriod = Period() * PeriodMultiplier;
//if(Period() * PeriodMultiplier < PERIOD_MN1) NewPeriod = Period() * PeriodMultiplier;
//else NewPeriod = Period()-PeriodMultiplier;//feel free to change how you come up with an obscure tf lower than monthly.
//NewPeriod2=Period() * PeriodMultiplier;
symbol = Symbol();
// Figure out the timeshift string to be added to the offline Symbol() name:
//if (MathMod(TimeShiftAdd_in_Minutes,PERIOD_MN1) == 0) {strShiftByUnit= "MN"; intShiftByNum = TimeShiftAdd_in_Minutes/PERIOD_MN1;}
if (MathMod(TimeShiftAdd_in_Minutes,PERIOD_MN1) == 0) {strShiftByUnit= "N"; intShiftByNum = TimeShiftAdd_in_Minutes/PERIOD_MN1;} // Need to stay within char. limit, so "N" used, not "MN"
else if (MathMod(TimeShiftAdd_in_Minutes,PERIOD_W1) == 0) {strShiftByUnit= "W"; intShiftByNum = TimeShiftAdd_in_Minutes/PERIOD_W1;}
else if (MathMod(TimeShiftAdd_in_Minutes,PERIOD_D1) == 0) {strShiftByUnit= "D"; intShiftByNum = TimeShiftAdd_in_Minutes/PERIOD_D1;}
else if (MathMod(TimeShiftAdd_in_Minutes,PERIOD_H1) == 0) {strShiftByUnit= "H"; intShiftByNum = TimeShiftAdd_in_Minutes/PERIOD_H1;}
else {strShiftByUnit= "M"; intShiftByNum = TimeShiftAdd_in_Minutes;}
if (intShiftByNum == 0 && OutputCSVFile != OUTPUT_CSV_ONLY && (NewPeriod == PERIOD_M1 || NewPeriod == PERIOD_M5 || NewPeriod == PERIOD_M15 // || NewPeriod == 10 //e.g. Oanda has M10.
|| NewPeriod == PERIOD_M30 || NewPeriod == PERIOD_H1 || NewPeriod == PERIOD_H4 || NewPeriod == PERIOD_D1
|| NewPeriod == PERIOD_W1 || NewPeriod == PERIOD_MN1 ))
{
symboloutput = symbol;
FLAG_NO_OFFLINE_CHART = true; // One cannot generate an offline chart with the same name as a regular TF chart!
if (OutputCSVFile != OUTPUT_HST_ONLY) OutputCSVFile = OUTPUT_CSV_ONLY; //2
}
else if (intShiftByNum > 0) symboloutput = StringConcatenate(symbol,"+",DoubleToStr(intShiftByNum,0),strShiftByUnit);
else if (intShiftByNum < 0) symboloutput = StringConcatenate(symbol,DoubleToStr(intShiftByNum,0),strShiftByUnit); //negative
else symboloutput = symbol;
if (StringLen(symboloutput) > 11) symboloutput = shortenSymbol(symboloutput);
symboloutput = StringSubstr(symboloutput,0,11); // The MAX number of characters for symboloutput is 11, no matter what the offset.
NewPeriodDisplayed = NewPeriod;
if (NewPeriod > PERIOD_MN1)
{
msg = "NOTE: For charts > 1-month period, be aware of variable: Over_1MN_alters_Symbol_name";
if (!FLAG_FIRSTINITDONE)
{
if (LimitedAlertsEnabled) Alert(msg);
else Print(msg);
}
int solen = StringLen(symboloutput);
int pmlen = StringLen(DoubleToStr(PeriodMultiplier,0));
if ( solen+pmlen > 10) symboloutput = shortenSymbol(symboloutput);
solen = StringLen(symboloutput);
if ( Over_1MN_alters_Symbol_name && solen+pmlen <= 9)
{
NewPeriodDisplayed = Period();
symboloutput = StringConcatenate(symboloutput,"_x",PeriodMultiplier); //<=9 plus 2chars "_x" is always <= 11 MAX
}
else if ( Over_1MN_alters_Symbol_name && solen+pmlen == 10 && intShiftByNum != 0)
{
NewPeriodDisplayed = Period();
symboloutput = StringConcatenate(symboloutput,"x",PeriodMultiplier); // ==10 plus 1 char "x" is == 11 MAX, but there must be a "+" or "-" from a timeshift.
}
else
{
if ( Over_1MN_alters_Symbol_name && solen <= 10) symboloutput = StringConcatenate(symboloutput,"x"); //The "x" will help to know a larger TF was used.
NewPeriodDisplayed = Period() - PeriodMultiplier;
if (NewPeriodDisplayed <= 0) NewPeriodDisplayed = 101; //arbitrary (preferably prime) number
}
}
if (NewPeriodDisplayed == PERIOD_MN1)
offlineChartName = StringConcatenate(symboloutput,",Monthly (offline)"); //Note, there is no "MN2". Instead it would be D60, but MT4 doesn't handle it (directly).
else if (MathMod(NewPeriodDisplayed,PERIOD_W1) == 0)
{
if (NewPeriodDisplayed == PERIOD_W1) offlineChartName = StringConcatenate(symboloutput,",Weekly (offline)");
else offlineChartName = StringConcatenate(symboloutput,",W",DoubleToStr(NewPeriodDisplayed/PERIOD_W1,0)," (offline)");
}
else if (MathMod(NewPeriodDisplayed,PERIOD_D1) == 0)
{
if (NewPeriodDisplayed == PERIOD_D1) offlineChartName = StringConcatenate(symboloutput,",Daily (offline)");
else offlineChartName = StringConcatenate(symboloutput,",D",DoubleToStr(NewPeriodDisplayed/PERIOD_D1,0)," (offline)");
}
else if (MathMod(NewPeriodDisplayed,PERIOD_H1) == 0)
offlineChartName = StringConcatenate(symboloutput,",H",DoubleToStr(NewPeriodDisplayed/PERIOD_H1,0)," (offline)");
else
offlineChartName = StringConcatenate(symboloutput,",M",NewPeriodDisplayed," (offline)");
if (OpenHistoryAndCSVFiles() < 0) return (-1);
WriteHistoryHeader();
UpdateHistoryFile(Bars-1, true);
if (FLAG_NO_OFFLINE_CHART)
{
msg = StringConcatenate("Offline chart not created because it already exists: ",StringSubstr(offlineChartName,0,StringLen(offlineChartName)-10)," (Time shifted by 0min)");
if (OutputCSVFile != OUTPUT_HST_ONLY) msg = StringConcatenate(msg," However, CSV file will be created");
if (!FLAG_FIRSTINITDONE)
{
if (LimitedAlertsEnabled) Alert(msg);
else Print(msg);
}
}
else if (OutputCSVFile == OUTPUT_CSV_ONLY)
{
msg = StringConcatenate("CSV file will be created: ",StringSubstr(offlineChartName,0,StringLen(offlineChartName)-10),".csv (Time shifted by ",DoubleToStr(TimeShiftAdd_in_Minutes,0),"min )");
if (!FLAG_FIRSTINITDONE)
{
if (LimitedAlertsEnabled) Alert(msg);
else Print(msg);
}
}
else if (LiveUpdateMultipleCharts)
{
msg = StringConcatenate("Looking for one or more charts named: ",offlineChartName," (Time shifted by ",DoubleToStr(TimeShiftAdd_in_Minutes,0),"min )");
if (OutputCSVFile != OUTPUT_HST_ONLY) msg = StringConcatenate(msg," CSV file will also be created");
if (!FLAG_FIRSTINITDONE)
{
if (LimitedAlertsEnabled) Alert(msg);
else Print(msg);
}
UpdateMultipleChartWindows();
}
else
{
msg = StringConcatenate("Looking for ONLY the FIRST FOUND chart named: ",offlineChartName," Others will not live-update! (Time shifted by ",DoubleToStr(TimeShiftAdd_in_Minutes,0),"min )");
if (OutputCSVFile != OUTPUT_HST_ONLY) msg = StringConcatenate(msg," CSV file will also be created");
if (!FLAG_FIRSTINITDONE)
{
if (LimitedAlertsEnabled) Alert(msg);
else Print(msg);
}
UpdateChartWindow();
}
if (IsDllsAllowed() == false)
{
//DLL calls must be allowed
msg = StringConcatenate("ERROR. ",WindowExpertName()," will not work unless you turn on: Allow DLL imports");
Alert(msg); // This is critical so it is forced to Alert
//if (!FLAG_FIRSTINITDONE)
//{
// if (LimitedAlertsEnabled) Alert(msg);
// else Print(msg);
//}
}
if (StringLen(symboloutput) > 11)
{
msg = StringConcatenate("Probable ERROR. MT4 cannot open offline charts with symbol name > 11 characters: ",symboloutput);
if (!FLAG_FIRSTINITDONE)
{
if (LimitedAlertsEnabled) Alert(msg);
else Print(msg);
}
}
FLAG_FIRSTINITDONE = true; // This is used to prevent double "Alert" commands when init() is executed again by other routines.
return (0);
} // end of init()
void deinit()
{
//Close file handle
if(FileHandle >= 0) {
FileClose(FileHandle);
FileHandle = -1;
}
if (CSVHandle >= 0) {
FileClose(CSVHandle);
CSVHandle = -1;
}
} // end of deinit()
int OpenHistoryAndCSVFiles()
{
string fileOpenChartName;
fileOpenChartName = StringConcatenate(symboloutput,DoubleToStr(NewPeriodDisplayed,0));
if (!FLAG_NO_OFFLINE_CHART && OutputCSVFile != OUTPUT_CSV_ONLY) {
FileHandle = FileOpenHistory(fileOpenChartName + ".hst", FILE_BIN|FILE_WRITE);
if (FileHandle < 0) return(-1);
}
if (OutputCSVFile != OUTPUT_HST_ONLY) {
CSVHandle = FileOpen(fileOpenChartName + ".csv", FILE_CSV|FILE_WRITE, ',');
if (CSVHandle < 0) return(-1);
}
return (0);
} // end of OpenHistoryAndCSVFiles
int WriteHistoryHeader()
{
string c_copyright;
int i_digits = Digits;
int i_unused[13] = {0};
int version = 400;
if (FileHandle < 0) return (-1);
c_copyright = "(C)opyright 2003, MetaQuotes Software Corp.";
FileWriteInteger(FileHandle, version, LONG_VALUE);
FileWriteString(FileHandle, c_copyright, 64);
FileWriteString(FileHandle, symboloutput, 12);
FileWriteInteger(FileHandle, NewPeriodDisplayed, LONG_VALUE);
FileWriteInteger(FileHandle, i_digits, LONG_VALUE);
FileWriteInteger(FileHandle, 0, LONG_VALUE); //timesign
FileWriteInteger(FileHandle, 0, LONG_VALUE); //last_sync
FileWriteArray(FileHandle, i_unused, 0, ArraySize(i_unused));
return (0);
} // end of WriteHistoryHeader
static double d_open, d_low, d_high, d_close, d_volume;
static int i_time;
void WriteHistoryData()
{
if (FileHandle >= 0) {
FileWriteInteger(FileHandle, i_time, LONG_VALUE);
FileWriteDouble(FileHandle, d_open, DOUBLE_VALUE);
FileWriteDouble(FileHandle, d_low, DOUBLE_VALUE);
FileWriteDouble(FileHandle, d_high, DOUBLE_VALUE);
FileWriteDouble(FileHandle, d_close, DOUBLE_VALUE);
FileWriteDouble(FileHandle, d_volume, DOUBLE_VALUE);
}
if (CSVHandle >= 0) {
int i_digits = Digits;
FileWrite(CSVHandle,
TimeToStr(i_time, TIME_DATE),
TimeToStr(i_time, TIME_MINUTES),
DoubleToStr(d_open, i_digits),
DoubleToStr(d_high, i_digits),
DoubleToStr(d_low, i_digits),
DoubleToStr(d_close, i_digits),
d_volume);
}
} // end of WriteHistoryData
int UpdateHistoryFile(int start_pos, bool init = false)
{
static int last_fpos, csv_fpos;
int i, ps;
int shift;
// if (FileHandle < 0) return (-1);
// normalize open time
ps = NewPeriod * 60;
shift = 60 * TimeShiftAdd_in_Minutes;
//i_time = (Time[start_pos]-shift)/ps;
i_time = (Time[start_pos]+shift)/ps;
i_time *= ps;
if (init) {
//first time, init data
d_open = Open[start_pos];
d_low = Low[start_pos];
d_high = High[start_pos];
d_close = Close[start_pos];
d_volume = Volume[start_pos];
i = start_pos - 1;
if (FileHandle >= 0) last_fpos = FileTell(FileHandle);
if (CSVHandle >= 0) csv_fpos = FileTell(CSVHandle);
} else {
i = start_pos;
if (FileHandle >= 0) FileSeek(FileHandle,last_fpos,SEEK_SET);
if (CSVHandle >= 0) FileSeek(CSVHandle, csv_fpos, SEEK_SET);
}
if (i < 0) return (-1);
int cnt = 0;
int LastBarTime;
//processing bars
while (i >= 0) {
//LastBarTime = Time[i]-shift;
LastBarTime = Time[i]+shift;
//a new bar
if (LastBarTime >= i_time+ps) {
//write the bar data
WriteHistoryData();
cnt++;
i_time = LastBarTime/ps;
i_time *= ps;
d_open = Open[i];
d_low = Low[i];
d_high = High[i];
d_close = Close[i];
d_volume = Volume[i];
} else {
//no new bar
d_volume += Volume[i];
if (Low[i]
if (High[i]>d_high) d_high = High[i];
d_close = Close[i];
}
i--;
}
//record last_fpos before writing last bar.
if (FileHandle >= 0) last_fpos = FileTell(FileHandle);
if (CSVHandle >= 0) csv_fpos = FileTell(CSVHandle);
WriteHistoryData();
cnt++;
d_volume -= Volume[0];
//flush the data writen
if (FileHandle >= 0) FileFlush(FileHandle);
if (CSVHandle >= 0) FileFlush(CSVHandle);
return (cnt);
} // end of UpdateHistoryFile
int UpdateChartWindow()
{
static int hwnd = 0;
if (FileHandle < 0) {
//no HST file opened, no need updating.
return (-1);
}
if(hwnd == 0) {
//trying to detect the chart window for updating
hwnd = WindowHandle(symboloutput, NewPeriodDisplayed);
}
if(hwnd!= 0) {
if (IsDllsAllowed() == false) {
//DLL calls must be allowed
DebugMsg("Dll calls must be allowed");
return (-1);
}
// if (PostMessageA(hwnd,WM_COMMAND,CHART_CMD_UPDATE_DATA,0) == 0) {
int MT4InternalMsg = RegisterWindowMessageA("MetaTrader4_Internal_Message");
if(PostMessageA(hwnd, WM_COMMAND, 0x822c, 0) == 0) hwnd = 0;
PostMessageA(hwnd, MT4InternalMsg, 2, 1);
}
//window not found or PostMessage failed
return (-1);
} //end of UpdateChartWindow
void UpdateMultipleChartWindows()
{
// This routine by pips4life is an offshoot of an incomplete (but useful)
// suggestion by rangebound (of ForexFactory) how to solve
// the problem that WindowHandle() only returns the first window it finds.
int hwnd,len;
if (FileHandle < 0) {
//no HST file opened, no need updating.
return (-1);
}
// GetWindowTextA overwrites gwstr but it should initially be at least as long as it will become.
// //12345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789 //119 chars
gwstr = " ";
hwnd = WindowHandle(symboloutput,NewPeriodDisplayed); //This is non-zero if at least one matching window exists
if (hwnd != 0)
{
if (Debug) Print("Initial WindowHandle: ",hwnd);
//if (Debug) Print("Initial gwstr:",gwstr,":");
//len = GetWindowTextA(hwnd,gwstr,80); //Unfortunately, len is always 0, gwstr doesn't get text
//if (Debug) Print("First gwstr:",gwstr,":"); //This is often zero-chars even though it was just set to spaces above!
//offlineChartName = StringSubstr(gwstr,0,len-1);
//hwnd = GetWindow(hwnd,GW_HWNDFIRST); //Always same as WindowHandle
//if (Debug) Print("Initial GetWindow: ",hwnd," len: ",len," offlineChartName: ",offlineChartName);
//if (Debug) Print(" Owner window: ",GetWindow(hwnd,GW_OWNER)); //Always 0
//if (Debug) Print(" Child window: ",GetWindow(hwnd,GW_CHILD)); //Always 0
//if (Debug) Print(" First window: ",GetWindow(hwnd,GW_HWNDFIRST));
//if (Debug) Print(" Last window: ",GetWindow(hwnd,GW_HWNDLAST)); //same as FIRST
//if (Debug) Print(" Next window: ",GetWindow(hwnd,GW_HWNDNEXT)); //Always 0
//if (Debug) Print(" Prev window: ",GetWindow(hwnd,GW_HWNDPREV)); //Always 0
//if (Debug) Print(" GetParent window: ",GetParent(hwnd));
//if (Debug) Print(" GetAncestor-Parent window: ",GetAncestor(hwnd,GA_PARENT));
hwnd=GetParent(hwnd);
if (Debug) Print("Initial window using GetParent: ",hwnd);
hwnd = GetWindow(hwnd,GW_HWNDFIRST); //Not sure if this is redundant or not. Doesn't hurt and it may be necessary.
//len = GetWindowTextA(hwnd,gwstr,80);
//if (Debug) Print("First GetWindow: ",hwnd," len: ",len," gwstr:",gwstr,":"," offlineChartName:",offlineChartName,":");
int MT4InternalMsg;
while (hwnd !=0)
{
len = GetWindowTextA(hwnd,gwstr,80);
if ((len >0) && gwstr == offlineChartName)
//if ((len >0) && (StringSubstr(gwstr,0,len-1) == offlineChartName)) //No does not work.
{
// PostMessageA(hwnd,WM_COMMAND,CHART_CMD_UPDATE_DATA,0);
MT4InternalMsg = RegisterWindowMessageA("MetaTrader4_Internal_Message");
if(PostMessageA(hwnd, WM_COMMAND, 0x822c, 0) == 0) hwnd = 0;
PostMessageA(hwnd, MT4InternalMsg, 2, 1);
if (Debug) Print("Found and updated this GetWindow: ",hwnd," gwstr: ",gwstr);
}
//if (Debug) Print("CHECKED GetWindow: ",hwnd," len: ",len," gwstr: ",gwstr,":");
hwnd = GetWindow(hwnd,GW_HWNDNEXT);
}
}
} // end of UpdateMultipleChartWindows
/*
int PerfCheck(bool Start)
{
static int StartTime = 0;
static int Index = 0;
if (Start) {
StartTime = GetTickCount();
Index = 0;
return (StartTime);
}
Index++;
int diff = GetTickCount() - StartTime;
Alert("Time used [" + Index + "]: " + diff);
StartTime = GetTickCount();
return (diff);
}
*/
static int LastStartTime = 0;
static int LastEndTime = 0;
static int LastBarCount = 0;
int reinit()
{
deinit();
init();
LastStartTime = Time[Bars-1];
LastEndTime = Time[0];
LastBarCount = Bars;
} // end of reinit
bool IsDataChanged()
{
/*
static int LastBars = 0, LastTime = 0, LastVolume = 0;
static double LastOpen = 0, LastClose = 0, LastHigh = 0, LastLow = 0;
if (LastVolume != Volume[0] || LastBars != Bars || LastTime != Time[0]||
LastClose != Close[0] || LastHigh != High[0] || LastLow != Low[0] ||
LastOpen != Open[0]) {
LastBars = Bars;
LastVolume = Volume[0];
LastTime = Time[0];
LastClose = Close[0];
LastHigh = High[0];
LastLow = Low[0];
LastOpen = Open[0];
return (true);
}
return (false);
*/
/*
fast version without float point operation
*/
static int LastBars = 0, LastTime = 0, LastVolume = 0;
bool ret;
ret = false;
if (LastVolume != Volume[0]) {
LastVolume = Volume[0];
ret = true;
}
if (LastTime != Time[0]) {
LastTime = Time[0];
ret = true;
}
if (LastBars != Bars) {
LastBars = Bars;
ret = true;
}
return (ret);
} // end of IsDataChanged
int CheckNewData()
{
static string LastServer = "";
if (Bars < 2) {
//the data is not loaded yet.
DebugMsg("Data not loaded, only " + Bars + " Bars");
return (-1);
}
string serv = ServerAddress();
if (serv == "") {
//no server yet
DebugMsg("No server connected");
return (-1);
}
//server changed? check this and reinit to prevent wrong data while changing server.
if (LastServer != serv) {
DebugMsg("Server changed from " + LastServer + " to " + serv);
LastServer = serv;
reinit();
return (-1);
}
if (!IsDataChanged()) {
//return if no data changed to save resource
//DebugMsg("No data changed");
return (-1);
}
if (Time[Bars-1] != LastStartTime) {
DebugMsg("Start time changed, new history loaded or server changed");
reinit();
return (-1);
}
int i, cnt;
//try to find LastEndTime bar, which should be Time[0] or Time[1] usually,
//so the operation is fast
for (i = 0; i < Bars; i++) {
if (Time[i] <= LastEndTime) {
break;
}
}
if (i >= Bars || Time[i] != LastEndTime) {
DebugMsg("End time " + TimeToStr(LastEndTime) + " not found");
reinit();
return (-1);
}
cnt = Bars - i;
if (cnt != LastBarCount) {
DebugMsg("Data loaded, cnt is " + cnt + " LastBarCount is " + LastBarCount);
reinit();
return (-1);
}
//no new data loaded, return with LastEndTime position.
LastBarCount = Bars;
LastEndTime = Time[0];
return (i);
} // end of CheckNewData
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| program start function |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
int start()
{
static int last_time = 0;
if (!Indicator_On) return (0);
//always update or update only after certain interval
if (UpdateInterval_in_msec != 0) {
int cur_time;
cur_time = GetTickCount();
if (MathAbs(cur_time - last_time) < UpdateInterval_in_msec) {
return (0);
}
last_time = cur_time;
}
//if (Debug) PerfCheck(true);
int n = CheckNewData();
//if (Debug) PerfCheck(false);
if (n < 0) return (0);
//update history file with new data
UpdateHistoryFile(n);
//refresh chart window
if (LiveUpdateMultipleCharts) UpdateMultipleChartWindows();
else UpdateChartWindow();
//if (Debug) PerfCheck(false);
return(0);
} // end of start()
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
string shortenSymbol(string symbolname)
{
symbolname = stringReplaceFirstMatch(symbolname,"CHF","CF");
symbolname = stringReplaceFirstMatch(symbolname,"CAD","CD");
symbolname = stringReplaceFirstMatch(symbolname,"USD","U");
symbolname = stringReplaceFirstMatch(symbolname,"EUR","E");
symbolname = stringReplaceFirstMatch(symbolname,"GBP","G");
symbolname = stringReplaceFirstMatch(symbolname,"JPY","J");
symbolname = stringReplaceFirstMatch(symbolname,"AUD","A");
symbolname = stringReplaceFirstMatch(symbolname,"NZD","NZ");
// Not planning to convert these less common names... the more one converts, the longer the un-convert routine.
//symbolname = stringReplaceFirstMatch(symbolname,"NOK","NK");
//symbolname = stringReplaceFirstMatch(symbolname,"SEK","SK");
//symbolname = stringReplaceFirstMatch(symbolname,"DKK","DK");
//symbolname = stringReplaceFirstMatch(symbolname,"HKD","HK");
//symbolname = stringReplaceFirstMatch(symbolname,"SEKRUB","SKRU"); // Note, one could change pairs of names instead of just base-currency names.
//Note: Changing these names back will likely require all possible pairs be specified, EU->EURUSD, NOT just E->EUR & U->USD
// More specifically for "EU" in particular, any unconvert must be careful not to change "EURUSD"->"EURUSDRUSD" (wrong). Use:
// if (StringFind(symbolname,"EU,0) == 0 && StringFind(symbolname,"EUR",0) != 0) symbolname=stringReplaceFirstMatch(symbolname,"EU","EURUSD")
return(symbolname);
} // end of shortenSymbol
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
string stringReplaceFirstMatch(string str, string toFind, string toReplace)
{
int len = StringLen(toFind);
int pos = StringFind(str, toFind);
if (pos == -1) {
return (str);
} else if (pos == 0) {
return (StringConcatenate(toReplace,StringSubstr(str, pos + len)));
}
return (StringConcatenate(StringSubstr(str, 0, pos),toReplace,StringSubstr(str, pos + len)));
} // end of stringReplaceFirstMatch