MT4 program shows manipulation coded in

Edit: Before anyone reads on, the problem was with me, and not with mql4 or MT4. I've learned my mistake. Read on if you want the details of me being wrong and being arrogant to boot. Sorry.


Instead of everyone having to read and see my proof twice, if you want to know how I have proved manipulation is coded into MT4, then please see:
MT4 program shows manipulation coded in - MQL4 forum

If you see that post, you will know why many (if not all) expert advisors lose. Manipulation to the very core of the program when it comes to EAs.

Don

Perhaps you should write a better EA. Did you look at your EA log file? It is all there in black and white, just as it is described in the response below. There is no error checking at all. This was written with the sufx template and not a from scratch EA.

This is from that forum and I looked at your code as well.

disbellj wrote:
I figured I would make as simple an EA as possible, after making hundreds of unprofitable EAs over the past year.
The Buy and Sell Conditions are simple as can be:
if(LastCandleUp == True && ThisCandleUp == True && LastCandleDown == False && ThisCandleDown == False) Order = SIGNAL_BUY;

if(LastCandleUp == False && ThisCandleUp == False && LastCandleDown == True && ThisCandleDown == True) Order = SIGNAL_SELL;

When this EA is put on the chart (no matter what chart, no matter what broker), the Comments are wrong.
When you see the last bar as an up bar, the Comments are correct on that part. But when this bar is an up bar also, the Comments show as the bar as flat, not up. So the Buy trade not taken.
When you see the last bar as a down bar, the Comments are correct on that part. But when this bar is a down bar also, the Comments show as the bar as flat, not down. So the Sell trade not taken.
If the last bar was up and this bar down, or the last bar down and this bar up, the Comments are correct.
This showed me intentional manipulation in the code of MT4 program to make trades not be taken when they should be, because the EA (and Comments) are not seeing the signal as being triggered.
So I tried to get around the purposeful sabotage of MT4 creators that is coded into MT4 - the program, and made the Buy and Sell conditions to be the same as what the Comments showed when the Buy and Sell Conditons were correct, but the Comments were wrong:
if(LastCandleUp == True && ThisCandleUp == False && LastCandleDown == False && ThisCandleDown == False) Order = SIGNAL_BUY;

if(LastCandleUp == False && ThisCandleUp == False && LastCandleDown == True && ThisCandleDown == False) Order = SIGNAL_SELL;
I put "NOT" in the name of this EA. I figured it might make the trades now. Did it? NOT, LOL. Now the Buy and Sell Conditions in the EA are not what I want, the Comments are correct to what is seen when looking at bars on chart! So of course no trades were taken!
This is just more proof that manipulation exists in the MT4 code itself, and not in the broker or the indicator or EA writer. The EA code can be correct, but not work, because of this manipulation.
I can see now why my EA's fail, when something this simple is being manipulated. I have seen much more evidence (such as inconsistencies of reliable indicators' values being seen by an EA). So I'm not still broke just because I have bad strategies (over a hundred or two hundred EAs, and you start to wonder how all could be bad, when the indicators are good, and/or the strategies are good. This simple test shows how).

What can be done? Will MetaQuaotes fix it, or remove my post and stop me from posting further?
Don


[...]
This showed me intentional manipulation in the code of MT4 program to make trades not be taken when they should be, because the EA (and Comments) are not seeing the signal as being triggered.

jjc 2009.05.06 19:49

No, it's a fault in the EA code. What's happening on my machine when I try this out is as follows:

 

1. The EA eventually generates a buy or sell signal (when the previous and in-progress bars are in the same direction).
2. It tries to place an order, but fails because it decides it hasn't got enough money. And writes an entry to the log using Print().
3. The code contains a return (0) in its block of trading code. This causes it to exit before the comments on screen are updated.

Therefore, the comments on screen do not get updated if the EA is repeatedly trying and failing to submit an order. That's certainly the problem I'm seeing. The comments on screen don't reflect what the EA is trying - but failing - to do internally.

In addition, the logging isn't correct. The message "Error opening BUY/SELL order" only gets logged in the hugely unlikely event that an OrderSelect() fails immediately after successful order placement. It's not logging order failure returning a zero ticket number. The else { clause looks to be attached to the wrong if block.

fbj 2009.05.06 20:18

jjc, you have the patience of a saint and diplomatic skills of the best...
Additionally, NormalizeDouble() is nowhere to be seen - do not people get it???
btw, can you put me onto any source code formatter?
Have yet to come across anything that can manage. Tidy springs to mind but not tidy for me.
Ta Vmuch

jjc 2009.05.06 20:24

fbj wrote >>
jjc, you have the patience of a saint and diplomatic skills of the best...
That's the exact opposite of what my colleagues, clients, and all my friends say, but thanks anyway.

smjones,

I got the EA shell from ExpertAdvisorBuilder:
http://sufx.core.t3-ism.net/ExpertAdvisorBuilder/

I just put in the Variables, Buy Conditions, Sell Conditions, and Comments.

Don

OK. I'm a goober. I put the comments where they shouldn't have gone. If I put them right under Buy and Sell Conditions, I get the correct Comments.

Thanks to smjones for correcting me.

Don

Nah, MQ4 is a hard language because it has no good way to debug it.

There is nothing particularly wrong with the template, other than it is a one size fits all approach.

I think it is good that you are checking this way. You get a better understanding of the language and trading in general.

smjones,

First, thank you for responding. I apologize for the tone I used I my original post. I honestly still don't know what I did wrong. I looked to see Buy and Sell section was done, and put my comments just before start function was terminated with a return. My terminology is probably wrong. As far as the template I used, that template has helped me to build many EAs (that didn't use comments on screen, and the comments I did have never changed the way the EAs traded). If not for that template, I couldn't have ever started really. Just me. For now, I'll be putting Comments right after the Variables are defined. BTW, I do make much more complicated EAs nowadays, but getting Comments correct is very important in the process of very complicated EAs. So Thank You again.

Don

jjc,

You mentioned NormailizeDouble. Would you mind letting me in on what you're referring to?

Normally, I only use NormalizeDouble in my money management equation I created to get number of lots to trade, depending on stop loss and multiple other variables. Otherwise, for Comments, I normally use DoubleToStr. I didn't do either of those in this simple EA, so I guess I'm just wondering what you were referring to.

Thank you,

Don

can you post the url of the post you are speaking of?
i heard of this before, price & indicator manipulation, of course the regulating bodies in the usa and elsewhere dont care or they would have done something about it long ago...new2fx

I have been using fxcm forex program but shifted to Meta Trader 4. After some losses I started to work harder with the program. I am almost ready to start all over again, but today I came to read these articles in FF that the EA in MT 4 is manipulated. Is this really through? I have been trading stocks since I was a little boy and have just started with forex and commodities. After a serious time with research, I found MT 4 as one of the most serious platforms on the market. The news mentioned above make me in doubt again, so I ask is this really a reality.
perrymansen

This claim comes up for 2 reasons:

1. You suck at trading and are looking to blame anyone else but yourself.

and/or

2. You suck at programming and are looking to blame anyone else but yourself.

Don't believe the hype. MT4 isnt fixed. Its not easy to create a profitable EA but that has FAR more to do with finding a profitable strategy NOT anything related to MT4. My EA's have no problem cashing in.

Number 2 is correct. I suck at programming. I put Comment in the wrong place apparently. Someone found the error in my code, although I'm still not sure where I went wrong. Anyways, I was making an EA that would do a simple Buy if previous bar was an up bar, and Sell if previous bar was a down bar. I didn't expect to actually use this EA for anything other than Commenting to screen if last bar was an up bar or down bar, etc. The EA made incorrect trades (even though everything seemed simple enough), and the Comments showed the incorrect information. I had supposedly put the Comments inside the Sell loop, although to me it looked like Comments were put right before the last
return(0);
}
that closes int start()

Anyways, I always put my Comments at end of variables now, so I don't have the problem. So the problem was me not MT4. Anyone can do the code to make sure a simple EA like I explained above works. If not, report back here.

BTW, one way I was told to find out if the problem was my code or MT4, was to put the code in an indicator, and if it worked there, but not the EA, then the problem was my code. Sure enough, the indicator worked.

Sorry for the confusion.

Don

Hi,

Can someone, PLEASE, let me know where can I find an EA to trade according to last bar. Example, if last bar = up, then buy, if last bar = down, then sell. With option to add take profit, stop loss and trailstop.

I would really appreciate it.
Thank you in advance.

I've generated ea's using this generator. Seems to work OK.
http://eatbuilder.com/

Here ya go . First one's on me.

One file is the simple 1BarEA. The other file you can load into the generator to see how its done and to make any modifications you like.

This looks like the same exact template I used. Since then, I have removed a good bit of that code, and added my own, always putting comments after the varaibles I define, before getting down in the area of if else statement and trading functions.

Regards,

Don