V Hands Trading Simulator

V Hands Trading Simulator.

OK, download the zip file on the post above, and put it somewhere handy, then open it.
Go to your C drive, program files, there should be a folder called Interbank FX Trader 4. If you can't find this folder, do a search.
Inside this folder is one called "experts".
Inside "experts" there is a folder called "indicators" and one called "include".
Then, copy the following files from the zip file to the following locations:
vHandsTrade.mq4 goes into "experts"
VisualTestingTools.mq4 goes into "include"
vTerminal.mq4 and vHistory.mq4 both go into "indicators"
Now shut down Interbank and restart. Or if you want to, just compile the EA vHandsTrade if you know how to do that. Interbank FX compiles everything upon startup so you can do it either way.
If you have an mq4 broker other than Interbank, I expect that the file locations will be the similar, the main file just won't be called Interbank FX Trader 4. Do a search and you'll find "experts".

The vHands application runs inside strategy tester.
Strategy tester is normally used to backtest an "Expert Advisor", or "EA", which is an automated trading program.
Strategy tester has a visual mode, so that you can see, tick by tick, what your EA does. In this case, we're going to use the tester to replay that past data but we will enter our own trades as we wish. No fair if you're like "rain man" and can remember every tick for the last year...
Strategy tester also does a handy thing -- if you're testing an EA called "Super Trader" for example, and there is a saved template called "Super Trader", it will automatically use that template in the visual mode of the backtest, so that you can see your indicators, or whatever you put in the template when you saved it, while the visual backtest is running.
We're going to take advantage of that, and create a template next, which will be used during the vHands run.

Next, open a chart, any chart, and make it look the way you like your charts to look. I mean, just candles or bars, colors, grid/no grid, etc.
Make sure you have the chart shift selected so there is some black space at the right. Either use the button or "charts" "shift" pulldown.
Don't add indicators or MA's or other clutter at this point. The purpose of this is drill to get used to price action. If you really want them later on, add them to the template and re-save.
OK, so you have a chart open. Now open the Navigator, by clicking the little folder/star button, or use the View Navigator pulldown.
Open the "custom indicators" folder and find one called vHistory.
Click on it and drag it onto your chart window. Click OK.
Do the same with the one called vTerminal.
Now save the template, either by using the template icon button, or by pulling down the "charts" "template" "save template" command and save it as this name exactly:
vHandsTrade
Don't worry about the caps, it will save in lower case, it will still work.

Now close your terminal window to make a little room. To do this, look to the left side of the screen at or near the bottom, you'll see in the frame where it says "terminal". Click the x to close it. When you need it back, find the icon, or pull down "view" "terminal".
Now open Strategy Tester, either by using the little icon with the magnifying glass, or pull down "view" "strategy tester".
You'll get a window at the bottom. Make sure it's big enough so you can see everything. This is the strategy tester, and the settings are as follows:
At the top, select vHandsTrade as the Expert Advisor.
In the next window, select your currency pair.
For Model, select "every tick"
Check the box "Use Date" and put in the dates to go from and to.
Check the box "visual mode".
Make sure "optimization" is unchecked at the right.
Then click Start. Wait for it to load the data, your chart will come up and start ticking along.
Notice that there is a speed control bar just to the right of the "Visual Mode" check box. To the right of that is a pause/play button.
Every time you hit start, it will create a new chart. Don't forget to delete the old ones. If you just want to stop temporarily, use pause. If you want to start all over, use Stop and then Start again.

Now we're gonna buy.
First press the pause button. Always do this. You'll see why the first time you forget.
Now select the middle line under "Buy" (solid line). Once it's selected, click on the middle white squeare and move it onto the screen.
Select the number of lots you want, then drag it onto the screen. If you do not make a selection, the number which is purple is what you get.
If you don't want a trailing stop, select the "0" to the right of TS, then drag it onto the screen. If you want a trailing stop, select a number and drag it in.
If you want to place the stop, select the dot-dash line below Buy, then drag it to the screen at the point where you want the stop.
Otherwise you can select a number of pips for your stop.
I'm explaining a lot of things that would take you less time to learn just playing around than it would to read this.
Once you get everything set, then hit the play button and it will resume.

OK, to close an order, select the ticket number and then move it. The ticket number will be in the indicator window with the running orders, in the far left column. Once it is moved at all, the order will close.

To modify an order, you simply move the field that contains the data you wish to modify.
Example: to change the take profit from 0.00 to 234.10.
In the vHistory indicator window, in the Take Profit column, select the number 0.0 and move it.
A yellow line appears on the chart.
Click on the line to select it.
Move it to 234.10. The numerical value of Take Profit for that order will change.
Once you've moved the line, it should change back to red and you're done.

Tip - simulator won't start

If you've clicked start, and waited around and nothing happens, check the pause button.
Sometimes when it starts out, it is paused, and you have to click on the > button to get it going.

Compiling

Originally Posted by traider
The vTerminal indicator does not show up on my list of custom indicators. I'm using Metatrader 4, the indicator only shows an MQ4 file, no EX4 file and I'm operating Vista. Any suggestions?
Thanks
If there is an mq4 file in the "experts" folder and no ex4 file, then you have not compiled.
Shutting down MT4 and restarting should do it. If not, do the following:
Open MT4 (Interbank, in my case) if it's not already open.
Open MetaEditor in any of the following ways:
click on the little icon that looks like a yellow road sign
OR press F4
OR right click on the Expert advisor name in the navigator window and choose "modify"
OR use "tools" "metaquotes language editor" pulldown.
Open the file vHandsTrade file
Then click the icon at the top that says "compile"
You can do this anytime you download an indicator, script, or EA and don't want to shut down Interbank and restart. Then it will appear in the navigator window.