MQL4 Trend Indicator EA

The majority of trading systems use indicators to determine trading signals. Metatrader includes over 20 common indicators, including moving average, MACD, RSI, and stochastics. MQL has built in functions for the stock indicators. You can also use custom indicators in your expert advisor. Learn in this MQL4 Trend Indicator EA article how to program the Expert Advisor to trade using the most popular trend indicators.

Trend Indicators

The moving average is most well known of the trend indicators. It shows whether the price has moved up or down over the indicator period. We have seen how to contruct the conditions of a moving average crossover. Let us examine the conditions of other trend indicators for a strategy entry and exit.

If you go to your MT4 console and you click Insert / Indicators / Trend, you get the following list of indicators:

All of these can be converted into buy and sell conditions within your expert advisors, as you shall see below.

Note on Usage

if you are interested in inserting any of the code in your custom EA, you can copy and paste the extern variables into your extern variables section. Then you copy and paste the indicator calling variables somewhere within your start() function, using my templates as guide, and just below these, you can copy and paste your buy and sell conditions. Alternatively, you download and use the EAs that I have constructed around each indicator.


 

ParamsAverage Directional Index
Intent//Buy: +DI line is above -DI line, ADX is more than a certain value
and grows (i.e. trend strengthens)
//Sell: -Dline is above +DI line, ADX is more than a certain value
and grows (i.e. trend strengthens)
Externextern int adx=0; //Indicator period
extern int adu=14; //Period of averaging for index calculation
extern double minadx=20; //Minimal threshold value of ADX
Indicator
Calling		PosDLine =iADX(NULL,adx,adu,PRICE_CLOSE,MODE_PLUSDI,0);
NegDLine =iADX(NULL,adx,adu,PRICE_CLOSE,MODE_MINUSDI,0);
ADXCurrent =iADX(NULL,adx,adu,PRICE_CLOSE,MODE_MAIN,0);
ADXPrevious =iADX(NULL,adx,adu,PRICE_CLOSE,MODE_MAIN,1);
BuyCondif (PosDLine > NegDLine && ADXCurrent >= minadx
&& ADXCurrent > ADXPrevious)
SellCondif (NegDLine > PosDLine && ADXCurrent >= minadx
&& ADXCurrent > ADXPrevious)

ParamsBollinger Band
Intent//Buy: price crossed lower line upwards (returned to it from below)
//Sell: price crossed upper line downwards (returned to it from above)
Externextern int bandp=0; //Indicator period
extern int bandpx=20; //Period of averaging for indicator calculation
extern int banddev=2; //Deviation from the main line
Indicator
Calling		BBLowCurrent=iBands(NULL,bandp, bandpx, banddev,0,PRICE_CLOSE,MODE_LOWER,0);
BBLowPrevious=iBands(NULL,bandp, bandpx, banddev,0,PRICE_CLOSE,MODE_LOWER,1);
BBUpCurrent=iBands(NULL,bandp, bandpx, banddev,0,PRICE_CLOSE,MODE_UPPER,0);
BBUpPrevious=iBands(NULL,bandp, bandpx, banddev,0,PRICE_CLOSE,MODE_UPPER,1);
BBCurrentClose = iClose (NULL, 0,0);
BBPreviousClose = iClose (NULL, 0,1);
BuyCondif (BBLowPrevious<BBPreviousClose
&& BBLowCurrent>=BBCurrentClose)
SellCondif (BBUpPrevious>BBPreviousClose
&& BBUpCurrent<=BBCurrentClose)

 Commodity Chanel Index
Intent//Buy: 1. indicator crosses +100 from below upwards. 2. Crossing -100 from below upwards. 3.
//Sell: 1. indicator crosses -100 from above downwards. 2. Crossing +100 downwards. 3.
Externextern int CCp=0; //Indicator period
extern int CCpx=14; //Period of averaging for indicator calculation
extern int CCLine = 100;
Indicator
Calling		CCCurrent = iCCI(NULL,CCp,CCpx,PRICE_TYPICAL,0);
CCPrevious = iCCI(NULL,CCp,CCpx,PRICE_TYPICAL,1);
CCCrossLinePos = CCLine;
CCCrossLineNeg =-CCLine;
BuyCondif ((CCPrevious<CCCrossLinePos && CCCurrent >= CCCrossLinePos) || (CCPrevious <=CCCrossLineNeg&& CCCurrent>=CCCrossLineNeg) )
SellCondif ((CCPrevious>CCCrossLinePos && CCCurrent <= CCCrossLinePos)||
(CCPrevious >=CCCrossLineNeg&& CCCurrent<=CCCrossLineNeg) )

 Parabolic Sar
Note//Buy: Parabolic SAR crosses price downwards
//Sell: Parabolic SAR crosses price upwards
Externextern int sar=0; //Indicator period
extern double sarstep=0.02; //Stop level increment
extern double sarstop=0.2; //Maximal stop level
extern int sar2=0; //Price period
Indicator
Calling		sarcurrent = iSAR(NULL,sar,sarstep,sarstop,0);
sarprevious = iSAR(NULL,sar,sarstep,sarstop,1);
closecurrent = iClose(NULL,0,0);
closeprevious = iClose(NULL,0,1);
BuyCondif (sarprevious>closeprevious&&sarcurrent<=closecurrent)
SellCondif (sarprevious<closeprevious&&sarcurrent>=closecurrent)

 MA Rising or Falling
Intent//Buy: MA grows
//Sell: MA falls
Externextern int maperiod=14; //Period of averaging for indicator calculation
extern int mamode = 1; // Type of moving average, 1= Exponential
Indicator
Calling		macurrent = iMA(NULL,0,maperiod,0,mamode,0);
maprevious = iMA(NULL,0,maperiod,0,mamode,1);
maprevious2 =iMA(NULL,0,maperiod,0,mamode,2);
BuyCondif(maprevious2 > maprevious && maprevious > macurrent)
SellCondif (maprevious2 < maprevious && maprevious < macurrent)