Order of code?

What can I do to find out the order of things in an indicator code?

1.start
2.make calculation
3.mabey counting
4.draw lines
5.delete lines
6.end

Is there a method for finding this out with any indicator? what am I looking for? mabey I should start at the end of the code because, each function or vairable at the end should refer to the functions or variables at the start and before them!?

any advice?

I am going to put numerical lables in my code.

bamben,

I'm not sure I understood your question fully but I'll try to reply.
firstly, let's get those functions that are mandatory down.

init() function runs only ONCE right after you load the EA before start() is run. I use this to setup the EA's trading "environment" making sure the user inputs are valid for the code logic that is to come inside start().

start() runs technically each time a tick occurs but it may lapse depending on amount of work to be done, meaning if a new tick comes in while its still processing the previous tick's job, the EA disregard the new tick. and once it finishes that run, it will wait for a new tick to run again. Its also a good idea to break this function into little functions to improve code reading.

deinit() runs once when you choose to remove the EA from the chart. usually to free up global variables but I reckon its very seldom used.. (at least I don't use it at all)

The above mandatory functions' names are fixed and all indicators need them in order for MT4 to load. Which means whatever your numbering goes. you can only number those that are called by start() (those little functions I talked about).

of cos if your numerical labels are just comments and not actual coded function names, the above won't matter.

as for coding in order. It all depends on what type of indicator this is and also your preference. What I usually do is to first work out the structure inside the start() function. then tackle the little functions within one at a time.

I work on the candle counting first. cos that's the one that determines which candle it works on and whether repainting will occur. think about whether you want to go from newest to oldest or oldest to newest candle. This is decided in the "for" loop that almost every indicator has.

then move on to the calculation needed on the candle. I place these codes in a different function to improve readability. consider which one of the candle this is, as well as what has been calculated before. draw a diagram, it helps.

Objects use its name as a unique identifier. If objects are to be created. and assuming you're going to name them the same, you can first find and delete them before creating. or you can find and update them with the new values. It really depends on the situation.

to round it up, you can state what you're trying to do here. and I'm fairly sure someone can help you get going. Always good to have another coder around, so we're willing to help with any learning process.

regards,
Zen

What I am doing: http://www.forexfactory.com/showthread.php?t=146330

Thank you that is good advice about the diagrams! I can see more clearly now.

PS: you said 'Objects use its name as a unique identifier. If objects are to be created. and assuming you're going to name them the same, you can first find and delete them before creating. or you can find and update them with the new values. It really depends on the situation.'

I understand 'Objects use its name as a unique identifier'...

but what do you mean by 'you can first find and delete them before creating'?

sometimes for whatever reason... a programmer may need to change a particular object from a OBJ_TREND type to a OBJ_CHANNEL (just an example) while still using the SAME name. unfortunately, he can't change the object type using ObjectSet function.

so he has no choice but to delete the object first then re-create it as the different type using the same name.

usual practise before deleting is to first make sure this object is actually present or else MT4 will throw an error or possibly cause other weird behaviours... we avoid this by first doing an ObjectFind(name) before actually deleting with ObjectDelete. e.g.

so the sequence is find, delete, create.


but let's say the object type remains the same and you wanna change its attributes. just use ObjectSet function will do. but again, it's always good practise to first make sure the object is present before you try to make changes to it.

My rule of objects is simple... Always find the object using ObjectFind first before doing anything to it.

regards,
Zen