MetaTrader 5 platform build 1930: Floating window charts and .Net libraries in MQL5

Now you can detach financial symbol charts from the trading terminal window. This feature is convenient when using multiple monitors. Thus, you may set the main platform window on one monitor to cont

26 October 2018

Terminal

  1. Now you can detach financial symbol charts from the trading terminal window.

    This feature is convenient when using multiple monitors. Thus, you may set the main platform window on one monitor to control your account state, and move your charts to the second screen to observe the market situation. To detach a chart from the terminal, disable the Docked option in its context menu. After that, move the chart to the desired monitor.



    A separate toolbar on detached charts allows applying analytical objects and indicators without having to switch between monitors. Use the toolbar context menu to manage the set of available commands or to hide it.

  2. Fully updated the built-in chats. Now they support group dialogs and channels. Conduct private discussions with a group of people in a unified environment without switching between different dialogs and create channels according to your interests and languages. Communicate with colleagues and friends at MQL5.community without visiting the website.

    Group chats and channels can be public or private. Their creators decide whether it is possible to join them freely or only by invitation. You can also assign moderators to channels and chats for additional communication control.




  3. Added support for extended volume accuracy for cryptocurrency trading. Now the minimum possible volume of trading operations is 0.00000001 lots. The market depth, the time and sales, as well as other interface elements now feature the ability to display volumes accurate to 8 decimal places.

    The minimal volume and its change step depend on financial instrument settings on the broker's side.



  4. Added the tab of articles published on MQL5.community to the Toolbox window. Over 600 detailed materials on the development of trading strategies in MQL5 are now available directly in the terminal. New articles are published every week.



  5. Added support for extended authentication using certificates when working under Wine.
  6. Fixed display of the market depth when it is limited to one level.
  7. Added the "Save As Picture" command to the Standard toolbar. Now, it is much easier to take pictures of charts and share them in the community.



  8. Fixed applying the time shift when importing bars and ticks. Previously, the shift was not applied in some cases.



  9. Fixed terminal freezing in case of a large amount of economic calendar news.

MQL5

  1. Added native support for .NET libraries with "smart" functions import. Now .NET libraries can be used without writing special wrappers — MetaEditor does it on its own.

    To work with .NET library functions, simply import DLL itself without defining specific functions. MetaEditor automatically imports all functions it is possible to work with:
    • Simple structures (POD, plain old data) — structures that contain only simple data types.
    • Public static functions having parameters, in which only simple types and POD structures or their arrays are used

    To call functions from the library, simply import it:
    #import "TestLib.dll"

//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| Script program start function                                    |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
void OnStart()
  {
   int x=41;
   TestClass::Inc(x);
   Print(x);
  }
    The C# code of the Inc function of the TestClass looks as follows:
    public class TestClass
{
   public static void Inc(ref int x)
   {
    x++;
   }
}
    As a result of execution, the script returns the value of 42.

    The work on support for .NET libraries continues. Their features are to be expanded in the future.

  2. Added support for working with WinAPI functions to Standard Library. Now, there is no need to import libraries manually and describe function signatures to use operating system functions in an MQL5 program. Simply include the header file from the MQL5\Include\WinAPI directory.

    WinAPI functions are grouped in separate files by their purpose:

    • libloaderapi.mqh — working with resources
    • memoryapi.mqh — working with memory
    • processenv.mqh — working with environment
    • processthreadsapi.mqh — working with processes
    • securitybaseapi.mqh — working with OS security system
    • sysinfoapi.mqh — obtaining system information
    • winbase.mqh — common functions
    • windef.mqh — constants, structures and enumerations
    • wingdi.mqh — working with graphical objects
    • winnt.mqh — working with exceptions
    • winreg.mqh — working with the registry
    • winuser.mqh — working with windows and interface
    • errhandlingapi.mqh — handling errors
    • fileapi.mqh — working with files
    • handleapi.mqh — working with handles
    • winapi.mqh — including all functions (WinAPI header files)

    The binding works only with the 64-bit architecture.

  3. Added support for the inline, __inline and __forceinline specifiers when parsing code. The presence of the specifiers in the code causes no errors and does not affect the compilation. At the moment, this feature simplifies transferring С++ code to MQL5.
    Find more information about specifiers in MSDN.

  4. Significantly optimized execution of MQL5 programs. In some cases, the performance improvement can reach 10%. Recompile your programs in the new MetaEditor version to make them run faster.
    Unfortunately, new programs will not be compatible with previous terminal versions due to this additional optimization. Programs compiled in MetaEditor version 1912 and later cannot be launched in terminal versions below 1912. Programs compiled in earlier MetaEditor versions can run in new terminals.

  5. Significantly optimized multiple MQL5 functions.
  6. Added new properties for attaching/detaching charts from the terminal main window and managing their position.

    Added the following properties to the ENUM_CHART_PROPERTY_INTEGER enumeration:

    • CHART_IS_DOCKED — the chart window is docked. If set to 'false', the chart can be dragged outside the terminal area.
    • CHART_FLOAT_LEFT — the left coordinate of the undocked chart window relative to the virtual screen.
    • CHART_FLOAT_TOP — the upper coordinate of the undocked chart window relative to the virtual screen.
    • CHART_FLOAT_RIGHT — the right coordinate of the undocked chart window relative to the virtual screen.
    • CHART_FLOAT_BOTTOM — the bottom coordinate of the undocked chart window relative to the virtual screen.

    Added the following functions to the ENUM_TERMINAL_INFO_INTEGER enumeration:

    • TERMINAL_SCREEN_LEFT — the left coordinate of the virtual screen. A virtual screen is a rectangle that covers all monitors. If the system has two monitors ordered from right to left, then the left coordinate of the virtual screen can be on the border of two monitors.
    • TERMINAL_SCREEN_TOP — the top coordinate of the virtual screen.
    • TERMINAL_SCREEN_WIDTH — terminal width.
    • TERMINAL_SCREEN_HEIGHT — terminal height.
    • TERMINAL_LEFT — the left coordinate of the terminal relative to the virtual screen.
    • TERMINAL_TOP — the top coordinate of the terminal relative to the virtual screen.
    • TERMINAL_RIGHT — the right coordinate of the terminal relative to the virtual screen.
    • TERMINAL_BOTTOM — the bottom coordinate of the terminal relative to the virtual screen.

  7. Added the volume_real field to the MqlTick and MqlBookInfo structures. It is designed to work with extended accuracy volumes. The volume_real value has a higher priority than 'volume'. The server will use this value, if specified.

    struct MqlTick
      {
       datetime         time;            // Last price update time
       double           bid;             // Current Bid price
       double           ask;             // Current Ask price
       double           last;            // Current price of the Last trade
       ulong            volume;          // Volume for the current Last price
       long             time_msc;        // Last price update time in milliseconds
       uint             flags;           // Tick flags
       double           volume_real;     // Volume for the current Last price with greater accuracy
      };

    struct MqlBookInfo
  {
   ENUM_BOOK_TYPE   type;            // order type from the ENUM_BOOK_TYPE enumeration
   double           price;           // price
   long             volume;          // volume
   double           volume_real;     // volume with greater accuracy
  };

  8. Added new properties to the ENUM_SYMBOL_INFO_DOUBLE enumeration:

    • SYMBOL_VOLUME_REAL — the volume of the last executed deal;
    • SYMBOL_VOLUMEHIGH_REAL — the highest deal volume for the current day;
    • SYMBOL_VOLUMELOW_REAL — the lowest deal volume for the current day.

    Use the SymbolInfoDouble function to get these properties.

  9. Added the MQL_FORWARD property to the ENUM_MQL_INFO_INTEGER enumeration — forward test mode flag.
  10. Added the pack( integer_value ) property for structures. It allows you to set the alignment of the fields arrangement within a structure, which can be necessary when working with DLL. The values of 1, 2 ,4 ,8 and 16 are possible for integer_value.
    If the property is not defined, the default alignment of 1 byte is used — pack(1).

    Example of use:
    //+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| Default packing                                                  |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
struct A
  {
   char              a;
   int               b;
  };
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| Specified packing                                                |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
struct B pack(4)
  {
   char              a;
   int               b;
  };
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| Script program start function                                    |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
void OnStart()
  {
   Print("sizeof(A)=",sizeof(A));
   Print("sizeof(B)=",sizeof(B));
  }
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
    Conclusion:
    sizeof(A)=5
sizeof(B)=8
    Find more information about alignment within structures in MSDN.

  11. Relaxed requirements for casting enumerations. In case of an implicit casting, the compiler automatically substitutes the value of a correct enumeration and displays a warning.

    For the following code:
    enum Main
  {
   PRICE_CLOSE_,
   PRICE_OPEN_
  };

input Main Inp=PRICE_CLOSE;
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| Start function                                                   |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
void OnStart()
  {
  }
    The compiler displays the warning:
    implicit conversion from 'enum ENUM_APPLIED_PRICE' to 'enum Main'
    'Main::PRICE_OPEN_' instead of 'ENUM_APPLIED_PRICE::PRICE_CLOSE' will be used
    Previously, the following error was generated in that case:
    'PRICE_CLOSE' - cannot convert enum
    The compiler will still display the error if enumerations are used incorrectly in the function parameters.

  12. Fixed compilation of template functions. Now, when using overloaded template functions, only the necessary overload, rather than all existing ones, is instantiated. 
    class X {  };

void f(int)  {  }
  
template<typename T>
void a(T*) { new T(2); }  // previously, the compiler generated the error here
  
template<typename T>
void a()  { f(0); }
  
  
void OnInit()  { a<X>(); }  

  13. Optimized some cases of accessing tick history via the CopyTicks* functions.
  14. Added the new TesterStop function allowing for early completion of a test/optimization pass. When calling it, the entire trading statistics and OnTester result are passed to the client terminal just like during the normal test/optimization completion.
  15. Added the new property for custom indicators #property tester_everytick_calculate. It is used in the strategy tester and allows for forced indicator calculation at each tick.

Tester

  1. Now, in case of a non-visual test/optimization, all used indicators (standard and custom ones) are calculated only during a data request. The exceptions are indicators containing the EventChartCustom function calls and applying the OnTimer handler. Previously, all indicators were unconditionally calculated in the strategy tester at each incoming tick (even from some other instrument). The new feature significantly accelerates testing and optimization.

    To enable the forced indicator calculation at each tick, add the #property tester_everytick_calculate property for the program.
    Indicators compiled using the previous compiler versions are calculated as before — at each tick.

  2. Fixed calculating the deposit currency accuracy when testing/optimizing and generating relevant reports.
  3. Optimized and accelerated the strategy tester operation.
  4. Fixed a few testing and optimization errors.

MetaEditor

  1. Fixed search for entire words. Now when searching, the underscore is counted as a regular character, rather than a word delimiter.

Updated documentation.

See the previous news, please:
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