Add, configure and interpret chart indicators

Begin with the installed catalog#

Choose Indicators on the selected chart, or Add indicator… in its context menu. The catalog comes from the platform and installed plugins. Search by the displayed name or use the available category and pinned filters. Pin a frequently used study to make it easier to find later. The same shared indicator pins can also appear in the screener's column picker.

The catalog can include moving averages, Bollinger Bands, pivot points, RSI, MACD, candlestick patterns, crossover studies and plugin studies. Availability follows your installed plugins and their supported contracts; a public guide cannot assume every installation has every example plugin. Read the entry's description and configuration rather than choosing a familiar acronym without checking its outputs.

View full-size screenshot ↗

Add a study and configure it#

1. Select the intended chart, then open Indicators.
2. Search for the indicator or select its category.
3. Use Add with defaults for the entry's declared defaults, or Add… to configure it first.
4. Set the parameters shown by that indicator, such as period, source, output, timeframe or colours. Only fields provided by the indicator are available.
5. Add it and wait for sufficient bars to load and the study to become ready.
6. Confirm its legend and output panel. Price overlays appear over the main chart; oscillators can appear in a separate panel.
7. Save a chart template or workspace once the setup is useful.

A conventional example is an EMA overlay and RSI panel on a forex chart. For an equity chart, compare a price moving average with a volume study. For a future, examine a momentum study alongside exchange order-flow data where supported. These are study layouts; they do not by themselves establish trade rules or expected returns.

Edit, hide and remove#

The selector identifies studies already On chart. Use Edit or the chart menu's Indicators on chart → Edit settings… to change the existing instance. Use Hide/Show to change visibility and Remove to delete that study from the chart. Re-adding a study is not the same as editing it and can leave duplicate instances with different parameters.

The chart toolbar's indicator secondary menu can copy indicator visibility to all open charts. It does not copy the indicator instances, periods, parameters or output configuration. Use a template if you intend to reproduce a whole study layout. Likewise, hiding all indicators leaves the configuration available for later display; it does not necessarily change a separate running strategy.

Understand timeframes and warmup#

The displayed chart interval and an indicator's source/consolidation timeframe can differ. Inspect any explicit timeframe parameter before comparing outputs with another chart. A higher-timeframe signal should be interpreted according to that study's completed/forming-bar policy; do not assume the latest visible value is a confirmed closed-bar signal.

Long lookbacks require enough history. An empty or partial series during startup can mean warmup is incomplete, history is unavailable or the plugin returned no valid point. Changing the chart interval, symbol or source can trigger a refresh. Wait for the session to settle, then inspect status and Chart Logs if values remain missing.

Indicators are calculated by the backend/plugin contract; the chart renders the values and styling it receives. The same indicator name on another platform may use different initialization, inputs, price basis or formula. Compare exact parameters and the same history window before treating a difference as a platform error.

Distinguish prices, patterns and trade signals#

A normal numerical series, a candlestick-pattern marker and a strategy trade-signal marker are different outputs. Signals controls trade-signal marker visibility independently of Orders, Historical trades and general indicator visibility. A visible Buy/Sell signal is a study result, not a broker fill or a submitted instruction.

Candlestick-pattern studies can offer pattern-set, trend-context and strength choices. Select the scope you actually want and inspect the marker details. A marker recognized after a bar completes is retrospective evidence of that condition, not proof that a trade could have entered earlier in the same bar.

Volume also depends on source. Forex/CFD tick volume, equity traded shares and fractional crypto base quantities represent different observations. Avoid comparing their raw magnitudes as if they were interchangeable. Missing depth or trade-print data cannot be created by adding a volume indicator.

Use the same studies elsewhere#

The screener's Columns → Indicators editor can expose plugin indicator outputs and parameters. A multi-output indicator can produce a grouped column band; choose the actual output used by a rule. Background alerts also select a supported indicator/output and evaluate their configured condition on completed bars. Their monitoring lifetime is independent of a chart's visibility.

Trading systems can provide rulebooks and templates for installed indicator sets. Follow the rulebook's specific timeframe and confirmation policy, then test with historical review or Simulation/demo before considering live use.

Troubleshoot an unavailable or incorrect-looking study#

If an entry is absent, check whether its plugin is installed and loaded, and whether the catalog refreshed after publication. If it is present but empty, confirm exact instrument/feed, source history, timeframe, parameters and warmup. For unexpected colours, inspect the plugin's declared colour parameters instead of assuming the chart's theme changed its meaning. Record the indicator type/version and settings when reporting a discrepancy. Never replace an unavailable study with a similarly named one and claim the outputs are equivalent.

Continue with related tasks#

Navigate charts and review trading records, Choose chart styles and view settings, Save and reuse chart templates.