Sending Offline Chart to Strategy Tester (25% model)
OfflineTestHelper is a simple script that helps with a simple testing strategies, nested in offline charts. The testing quality is displayed as 25%, though it highly depends on the original chart fidelity.
The Strategy Tester included in the Terminal only allows picking testing timeframes from a drop-down menu, which contains standard values M1, M5 etc. On the contrary, the offline charts never can have such timeframe value in a live terminal.
The script replaces one of the standard timeframes by the offline chart. It works with an artificial broker to prevent the refresh of such chart with on-line data.
Input Dialogue
Input lets you decide for alternative server name. It is useful, when you prepare multiple offline charts for testing, preserving all of them for later use. Otherwise keep the default.
The second option would systematically overwrite the candle open value by a close value of the preceding candle. Use this settings for offline charts with displacement of the open price, like a reversal candle on Renko charts has.
Result Dialogue
The First Steps
Watch the video from Theo on how to use the Helper with the offline chart.
What does the helper after dropping on a chart:
- Creates a virtual server folder. Absence of the on-line server will prevent the terminal from updating any chart.
- Copies essential Metatrader data to the new server folder (instrument list with latest quotes).
- Creates a copy of the current offline chart.
- Set its timeframe to M1.
- Removes zero-volume candles (they are not compatible with the tester).
- Stores the new chart into the virtual server folder.
Then it displays a result dialogue. You have a chance to stop the script now.
When you decide to stop, your data is prepared for use with any MT4 terminal instance. You may copy/move your virtual server folder to another terminal for testing, login into the virtual server in the other terminal.
When you decide to continue with the Restart, your current terminal instance will be used for testing. It will force the entire MT4 terminal restart.
- The terminal shuts down, unbinding current server data.
- Terminal starts with the virtual server “test”, the connection status remains “Disconnected”.
- Ignore whatever you see in the charts in front of you. Switch to Strategy Tester (ctrl+R) by hand.
- Pick symbol of your converted chart.
- Pick M1Â timeframe (your offline chart is stored as M1).
- Pick your strategy.
- Test.
- If you finished testing, log-in back to your original account&server (double click your previous account in the Navigator).
Any ideas why that is happening? Thanks again.
Thanks Milan – works great now! Great script…thanks for sharing.
I have got the error Message “Incorrect Account”. you are in the test account login to another one.
It is just a reminder you did not return back to your original source account. In the test account, the chart shape might be very distorted.
what is the user name and Passwort to login in test server please?
There is not any, just leave the entries as they are.
Hi Milan,
I cannot get the Backtester to work with the results of the OffLine Helper.. I run MT build 910, downloaded the latest version of Offlinehelper and all other indis.
When I run Offlinehelper on a 70 point Point o Chart on the DAX CFD which is called ‘Ger30Mar16’ in my case.. it does generate the directory and the files.
However, when I confirm the script and restart the terminal, the terminal hangs and it keeps on hanging until I remove the directory and then restart.
When I do not allow the script to automatically close down the terminal, and when I link to the server and start op the Backtester and define the testperiod from 2015.12-01 to 2015.12.04, the log says: TestGenerator: no history data ‘Ger30Mar16’ from 2015.12-01 to 2015.12.04
Any idea what is wrong here? Look forward to your response,
Kr. AD
Hello Anthony, for the build 910, please try to download the script on this page.
Dzzzing… works like charm Thank you! I can see, that in this case with a 4.5 PO chart on the DAX CFD there is appr. 2 days of data available. Is it possible to get more data in? Tnx again and….All the best for 2016!!
hi, i try to use offlinetesthelper script into my mt4 910 build, but doenst work, i receive this message: unsupported legacy hst version. use b509- compatible script. can help me?:
I have this Problem too Unsupported legacy hst version. Use b509-compatible script
using the Offline tester helper – Offline Chart to Strategy Tester…. it only converts using M1, will the strategy tester show accurate results if my EA enters on a bar close and exits after a fixed number of points? the issue i have is the tester is not entering exactly where the EA is programmed to enter (e.g on a renko bar close) it enters early and i suspect its because of M1 data. anything i can do to test accurately? do i need tick data for this or does the M1 data suffice for a bar close entry.?
Hello, When I make the backtest of renko graph does not show with bricks, appears with normal graphics, which can have happened?
There are no valid charts in the test account, ignore them. The only purpose is selecting the M1 timeframe in the Strategy Tester.
I have this Problem too Unsupported legacy hst version. Use b509-compatible script
It detected file format used in MT4 up to build 509. It is not supported by this script.
My broker, Forex.com, says I will not be able to actually trade live a fully-automated range-bar EA because my chart is off-line. Does this script enable that, or is this only for testing?
Your broker has no clue what chart you are trading from. Yes, you may place the EA on the offline chart and let it trade.
Hello Milan,
After reading this thread with all the links I’m confused if the OfflineTestHelper currently is function on build 950?
Thx
I assume it works on build 950. The other product is not yet released.
Is it possible to run in strategy tester both source chart and range chart? This test helper enables only range chart
As far as I know the MT4 tester can serve only a single chart and it is not likely to change in the future.
I tried to open M5 chart in ST, then load RangeBars on this chart and open offline chart. Some of indicators allowing to test multiple timeframes works like this. Unfortunately, RangeBars does not work on chart opened in StrategyTester. Maybe consider it as a featire for next releases
Hello pswitek,
With the Test Helper you can forward any generated offline chart to the disconnected test environment as M1 chart, nothing more. It has no relation to the RangeBars indicator. The RangeBars indicator is currently not compatible with the strategy tester environment.
Hi Milan,
Love the charts, can one use MT4 Indicators on them like MA’s and Bollinger Bands etc?
Hello Steven, theoretically any indicator can be useed, unless it is designed for and limited to particular timeframes.
please hurry with that fxt builder, backtesting so far is super flawed and deceiving. Will fxt builder be able to backtest renko bars at real price points and not the artifical opens.
+100
It is very necessary thing…
Thankx Milan.
All going well, looking forward to back testing. So good to get decent support to all my other email queries I did.
Great job!
Hi Milan,
I have been back testing, however the EA’s do not perform as they should on these charts.
1. I test EA on normal time based candle = working
2. I test same EA on Renko chart after compiling and testing on 1min EUR-USD, and some of the functions or filters just do different things than they are meant to
3. I have tested about 40 EA’s to be sure.
4. I have wiped my pc and had windows 8 reinstalled and retested – same problem.
It seems the script might be interfering somehow with the proper function of the EA.
Has anyone else had this problem?
Is there a way to fix it?
Whatever help you can give would be great, thanks.
The script creates the M1 chart from the original offline chart, nothing more. The tester treats them like common price candles, ignoring their original construction rule. The candle mostly contains artificial open and close prices, and often they are a way far from the original tick. It may skew the result a lot. At least the “align close to open” should be used to get more realistic result for Renko types, though it may distort the chart, and it may not fit the EA logical calculations.
Hi Milan,
maybe a stupid question: Could you please elaborate what you meant by using “align close to open”? Since in the backtest the next bar open might not match in the BT to the real trading I believe that is what could make the BT more realistic, however I did not find any option which called “align close to open” which could be applied.
Thanks!
Found the answer myself. Sorry for bothering..
Hello Admin, when I drag the script on the chart it gives me an error msg. “ticks.raw copy failed”. Am I doing something wrong?
If the MT4 installation is new, just restart the terminal. If the problem persists, pleas contact me using the Contact Form.
That was super fast and solved my problem. Thanks a lot. I now have renko in test environment but the problem is that the EA i am testing would not open any trade. The EA works in other accounts just fine. Is that me again?
The script has no direct impact on the Strategy tester mechanics, it delivers the M1 chart and copies supporting files to a virtual account. So it takes the spread and all other account-related values from the original account. Check if the weekend values make any impact.