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question on using 'iCustom'

  • #1
  • First Post: May 4, 2008 4:39pm May 4, 2008 4:39pm
I have read the docs, and book on mql4 website and have looked at many threads, but I am still unsure as to how you actually get data from the custom indicator.
Say I wanted to get data from break-eagle indicator. I want to get the highest High of the box, and also the lowest low of the box. This is different to an indicator with lines.
How do I actually pull data out of the indicator to use in the expert advisor?
I no that you type this:
double iCustom (NULL,0,"break-EAGLE_indicator" ..., ..., ...)
But as you can see I dont know what to put in the blank spaces, anyone able to explain this to me?
I did read somwhere that its the lines in the code or somthing like that, so if I want the line of code 50 lines down i type ...(.......,50,...), but this doesnt sound right?
  • #2
  • May 4, 2008 5:11pm May 4, 2008 5:11pm
you need to indicate any adjustments to the default settings for the indicator. If you do not wish to make any adjustments(don't put anything in that section), then you need to specify which of the 8 possible values you are looking for. For example, if the indicator only has one possible output, then you would put 0. Then you need to determine the offset. 0 for current, 1 for previous bar, etc.

iCustom (Null,0,"Indicator name", any defaults value adjustment, output number, offset);

Hope that makes sense.
  • #3
  • Edited 7:32pm May 4, 2008 6:59pm | Edited 7:32pm
Quoting fry2010
double iCustom (NULL,0,"break-EAGLE_indicator" ..., ..., ...)
But as you can see I dont know what to put in the blank spaces, anyone able to explain this to me?
for those blanks, insert the values for any external variables in the custom indicator, in the order they appear.

OK, the BreakOut-Eagle variable declarations look like this:

extern int NumberOfDays = 50;
extern string periodBegin = "05:00";
extern string periodEnd = "08:00";
extern string BoxEnd = "23:00";
extern int BoxBreakOut_Offset = 0;
extern color BoxHLColor = LightCyan;
extern color BoxBreakOutColor = LightGray;
extern color BoxPeriodColor = OrangeRed;

So the call will look like this:

double iCustom (NULL,0,"BreakOut-EAGLE_indicator",50,"05:00","08:00","23:00",0,LightCyan,LightGray,OrangeRed,1,0)

where the 1 at the end is the mode, (line index number), and the 0 which I put in is the offset or shift.

Play around with it and have it print the value it picks up and you'll figure out what it's doing. This is one way to do it, I don't know how to skip the inputs as magnumfreak suggests.
  • #4
  • May 4, 2008 8:07pm May 4, 2008 8:07pm
so, if you use the default values, just go like this

iCustom(NULL,0,"name of file", which output, offset);

No need to add all the variables in the middle.
  • #5
  • May 5, 2008 5:13am May 5, 2008 5:13am
Quoting magnumfreak
you need to indicate any adjustments to the default settings for the indicator. If you do not wish to make any adjustments(don't put anything in that section), then you need to specify which of the 8 possible values you are looking for. For example, if the indicator only has one possible output, then you would put 0. Then you need to determine the offset. 0 for current, 1 for previous bar, etc.

iCustom (Null,0,"Indicator name", any defaults value adjustment, output number, offset);

Hope that makes sense.
great explanation! thanks!
  • #6
  • May 5, 2008 12:51pm May 5, 2008 12:51pm
Makes a lot more sense now, thanks for the help guys.
One last question I hav is how do I get the high and the low price that this indicator gives? Would I need to call the indicator twice such as:

Boxhigh = iCustom(NULL,0,"BreakOut-EAGLE_indicator",0,1);
Boxlow= iCustom(NULL,0,"BreakOut-EAGLE_indicator",0,1);
Print("Boxhigh","Boxlow");

Or can I take these values from just using iCustom once? Is it even possible to take these values from the indicator?

I see that the outputs I want are from the BoxBreakout_High and ..._Low but how do I get these values?
  • #7
  • May 5, 2008 1:23pm May 5, 2008 1:23pm
Quoting fry2010
Makes a lot more sense now, thanks for the help guys.
One last question I hav is how do I get the high and the low price that this indicator gives? Would I need to call the indicator twice such as:

Boxhigh = iCustom(NULL,0,"BreakOut-EAGLE_indicator",0,1);
Boxlow= iCustom(NULL,0,"BreakOut-EAGLE_indicator",0,1);
Print("Boxhigh","Boxlow");

Or can I take these values from just using iCustom once? Is it even possible to take these values from the indicator?

I see that the outputs I want are from the BoxBreakout_High and ..._Low but how do I get these values?
With those lines .... Boxhigh is the same as Boxlow

Boxhigh = iCustom(NULL,0,"BreakOut-EAGLE_indicator",0,1);
Boxlow= iCustom(NULL,0,"BreakOut-EAGLE_indicator",1,1);
Print("Boxhigh","Boxlow");

Just my guess, because i dont know which one is holding the value of Boxlow, i assume the next Line Index.
  • #8
  • May 5, 2008 2:32pm May 5, 2008 2:32pm
Actually I think there is only one parameter for this indicator because if I change the code to that, it wont give any result for boxHigh. but your right on it giving the same result for boxhigh and boxlow.
There is somwhere in the code "boxBreakout_high" and "boxbreakout_Low" but I dont know how to get this data no matter what numbers I try in the iCustom Functions.

here it is:


for (int i=0; i<NumberOfDays; i++) {

DrawObjects(dtTradeDate, "BoxHL " + TimeToStr(dtTradeDate,TIME_DATE), periodBegin, periodEnd, BoxEnd, BoxHLColor, 0, 1);
"DrawObjects(dtTradeDate, "BoxBreakOut_High " + TimeToStr(dtTradeDate,TIME_DATE), periodBegin, periodEnd, BoxEnd, BoxBreakOutColor, BoxBreakOut_Offset,2);
DrawObjects(dtTradeDate, "BoxBreakOut_Low " + TimeToStr(dtTradeDate,TIME_DATE), periodBegin, periodEnd, BoxEnd, BoxBreakOutColor, BoxBreakOut_Offset,3);"
DrawObjects(dtTradeDate, "BoxPeriod " + TimeToStr(dtTradeDate,TIME_DATE), periodBegin, periodEnd, periodEnd, BoxPeriodColor, BoxBreakOut_Offset,4);

dtTradeDate=decrementTradeDate(dtTradeDate);
while (TimeDayOfWeek(dtTradeDate) > 5) dtTradeDate = decrementTradeDate(dtTradeDate);
}

i notice it is a string so i changed the initialisation data type to string also but no luck.
  • #9
  • May 5, 2008 3:09pm May 5, 2008 3:09pm
Quoting fry2010
Actually I think there is only one parameter for this indicator because if I change the code to that, it wont give any result for boxHigh. but your right on it giving the same result for boxhigh and boxlow.
There is somwhere in the code "boxBreakout_high" and "boxbreakout_Low" but I dont know how to get this data no matter what numbers I try in the iCustom Functions.

here it is:


for (int i=0; i<NumberOfDays; i++) {

DrawObjects(dtTradeDate, "BoxHL " + TimeToStr(dtTradeDate,TIME_DATE), periodBegin, periodEnd, BoxEnd, BoxHLColor, 0, 1);
"DrawObjects(dtTradeDate, "BoxBreakOut_High " + TimeToStr(dtTradeDate,TIME_DATE), periodBegin, periodEnd, BoxEnd, BoxBreakOutColor, BoxBreakOut_Offset,2);
DrawObjects(dtTradeDate, "BoxBreakOut_Low " + TimeToStr(dtTradeDate,TIME_DATE), periodBegin, periodEnd, BoxEnd, BoxBreakOutColor, BoxBreakOut_Offset,3);"
DrawObjects(dtTradeDate, "BoxPeriod " + TimeToStr(dtTradeDate,TIME_DATE), periodBegin, periodEnd, periodEnd, BoxPeriodColor, BoxBreakOut_Offset,4);

dtTradeDate=decrementTradeDate(dtTradeDate);
while (TimeDayOfWeek(dtTradeDate) > 5) dtTradeDate = decrementTradeDate(dtTradeDate);
}

i notice it is a string so i changed the initialisation data type to string also but no luck.
If you attached the indicator.. i can tell you what is the line index.
  • #10
  • May 5, 2008 4:14pm May 5, 2008 4:14pm
Not sure how ur able to tell, but thanks. Here it is.
Attached File(s)
File Type: mq4 BreakOut-EAGLE_indicator.mq4   7 KB | 470 downloads
  • #11
  • May 5, 2008 4:40pm May 5, 2008 4:40pm
a quick way to tell if you can get data from an indicator is to attach it to a chart and then open the data window (small gun scope looking icon) and see what shows up. If nothing is there, as far as I know there is no way to extract data (as appears to be the case for the indicator you posted).
  • #12
  • May 5, 2008 5:20pm May 5, 2008 5:20pm
No data can be extracted from this indicator.. sorry
  • #13
  • Last Post: May 6, 2008 12:23pm May 6, 2008 12:23pm
oh dear. Well i suppose i shud just try to use the code and integrate into the EA. Thanks for trying.
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