MAEA/plans/MAEA-implementation-plan.md

MAEA (Moving Average Expert Advisor) Implementation Plan

Project Overview

• Name: MAEA
• Type: MQL4 Expert Advisor for MetaTrader 4
• Strategy: Advanced trend-following with EMA-based signals, multiple filters, and risk management
• Repository: https://git.moreminimore.com/kunthawat/MAEA
• Timezone: Thailand (UTC+7)

Strategy Details

1. EMA Lines (3 Base Lines)

All EMAs use period 30 with different price sources:

• EMA High: EMA of High prices - Light Blue color
• EMA Medium: EMA of Close prices - Yellow color
• EMA Low: EMA of Low prices - Orange color

2. Border Lines (2 Dynamic Lines)

Calculated based on the range between EMAs:

• High Border Line: EMA High + (EMA Medium - EMA Low) - Purple color
• Low Border Line: EMA Low - (EMA Medium - EMA Low) - Purple color

Example Calculation:

EMA High = 3500
EMA Medium = 3400
EMA Low = 3300
Range = EMA Medium - EMA Low = 3400 - 3300 = 100

High Border = 3500 + 100 = 3600
Low Border = 3300 - 100 = 3200

3. Signal Types

3.1 Breakthrough Signal

• Buy Signal: Close price breaks above EMA High
• Sell Signal: Close price breaks below EMA Low
• Purpose: Triggers order opening

3.2 Pullback Signal

• Definition: Price hits a line and closes on the opposite side
• Buy Pullback: Price moves down to hit any line, then closes above the line
• Sell Pullback: Price moves up to hit any line, then closes below the line
• Purpose: Increases lot size when breakthrough occurs in the same direction
• Tracking: Separate tracking for buy and sell directions, resets when order opens
• Lot Size Impact:
  • No pullback before breakthrough = 0.01 lot
  • Pullback occurred before breakthrough = 0.02 lot

4. Order Opening Logic

• Only one order at a time
• Lot Size:
  • 0.01 lot if no pullback occurred before breakthrough
  • 0.02 lot if at least one pullback occurred before breakthrough in the same direction
• Trigger: Breakthrough signal only
• Filters Applied:
  • Volume filter must pass
  • Spread filter must pass
  • MTF filter must pass (if enabled)
  • News filter must pass (if enabled)

5. Risk Management

5.1 Take Profit

• Target specified in USD (e.g., $5)
• Closes order when profit reaches target amount

5.2 Stop Loss

• Buy Orders: SL at Low Border Line
• Sell Orders: SL at High Border Line

5.3 Breakeven

• Triggered when profit reaches specified number of points (e.g., 100 points)
• Moves Stop Loss to breakeven (entry price)

5.4 Trailing Stop

• Starts after breakeven is reached
• Trails Stop Loss by specified number of points from current price
• Default: 100 points trail distance

Additional Filters and Features

6. Volume Filter

• Calculation: Average volume of last 20 bars
• Condition: Trade only when current volume > average volume
• Purpose: Ensures sufficient market activity

7. Multiple Timeframe (MTF) Filter

• Timeframes: H1 (trading) and D1 (filter)
• Status: Optional feature (can be turned on/off)
• D1 Filter Logic:
  • If D1 close > D1 EMA High: Only buy orders allowed
  • If D1 close < D1 EMA Low: Only sell orders allowed
  • If D1 close between D1 EMA High and D1 EMA Low: No orders allowed
• Behavior: Order opens immediately when filter condition is met

8. Spread Filter

• Purpose: Avoid trading during high spread periods
• Condition: Only open orders when current spread <= maximum allowed spread
• Default: 30 points

9. Risk Management

• Max Drawdown: Maximum percentage drawdown allowed
• Behavior: Stop trading if drawdown exceeds limit
• Recovery: Resume trading when drawdown is below limit

10. News Filter

• Purpose: Avoid trading during high-impact news events
• Implementation: Avoid specific times (e.g., NFP, FOMC releases)
• Timezone: Thailand (UTC+7) - all times must be converted accordingly
• Flexibility: User can configure multiple time ranges to avoid

Strategy Flow Diagram

graph TD
    A[Start New Bar] --> B[Calculate EMAs]
    B --> C[Calculate Border Lines]
    C --> D[Check for Open Orders]
    D -->|Has Open Order| E[Manage Open Order]
    D -->|No Open Order| F[Check Pullback Signals]
    
    E --> E1[Check Take Profit]
    E1 -->|TP Reached| E2[Close Order]
    E1 -->|TP Not Reached| E3[Check Breakeven]
    E3 -->|Breakeven Reached| E4[Move SL to Entry]
    E3 -->|Breakeven Not Reached| E5[Check Stop Loss]
    E5 -->|SL Hit| E2
    E5 -->|SL Not Hit| A
    
    F --> F1[Close Below EMA High]
    F1 -->|Yes| F2[Set Pullback Flag]
    F1 -->|No| F3[Close Below EMA Medium]
    F3 -->|Yes| F2
    F3 -->|No| F4[Close Below EMA Low]
    F4 -->|Yes| F2
    F4 -->|No| F5[Check Breakthrough Signals]
    
    F2 --> F5
    F5 --> F6[Close Above EMA High]
    F6 -->|Yes| F7[Open Buy Order]
    F6 -->|No| F8[Close Below EMA Low]
    F8 -->|Yes| F9[Open Sell Order]
    F8 -->|No| A
    
    F7 --> F10[Set Lot Size]
    F10 -->|Pullback| F11[0.02 Lot]
    F10 -->|No Pullback| F12[0.01 Lot]
    F11 --> F13[Set SL at Low Border]
    F12 --> F13
    F13 --> F14[Set TP based on USD Target]
    F14 --> F15[Reset Pullback Flag]
    F15 --> A
    
    F9 --> F16[Set Lot Size]
    F16 -->|Pullback| F17[0.02 Lot]
    F16 -->|No Pullback| F18[0.01 Lot]
    F17 --> F19[Set SL at High Border]
    F18 --> F19
    F19 --> F20[Set TP based on USD Target]
    F20 --> F21[Reset Pullback Flag]
    F21 --> A
    
    E2 --> F15

Implementation Steps

Phase 1: Project Setup & Git Configuration

1. Create MQL4 project structure
2. Initialize Git repository
3. Configure remote to Gitea server (https://git.moreminimore.com/kunthawat/MAEA)

Phase 2: Core EA Structure

4. Create MAEA.mq4 with basic EA framework
5. Define all input parameters (EMA period, lot sizes, TP, breakeven, trailing stop, filters, etc.)
6. Set up indicator buffers for 5 visual lines
7. Initialize global variables for state tracking

Phase 3: Indicator Calculations

8. Implement EMA calculations for High, Medium, Low (period 30)
9. Implement Border Line calculations (High Border = High + Range, Low Border = Low - Range)
10. Add visual indicators with correct colors (Light Blue, Yellow, Orange, Purple)
11. Implement Volume average calculation (20-bar average)

Phase 4: Signal Detection

12. Implement breakthrough signal detection (price breaks High/Low EMA)
13. Implement pullback signal detection (price hits line and closes on opposite side)
14. Implement separate pullback tracking for buy and sell directions
15. Implement pullback flag reset logic after order opens

Phase 5: Multiple Timeframe Filter

16. Implement D1 EMA calculations for MTF filter
17. Implement MTF filter logic (D1 > High = buy only, D1 < Low = sell only, between = no trade)
18. Add enable/disable toggle for MTF filter

Phase 6: Additional Filters

19. Implement volume filter (current volume > 20-bar average)
20. Implement spread filter (current spread <= max spread)
21. Implement news filter (avoid specific hours/days, Thailand timezone)
22. Add enable/disable toggles for news filter

Phase 7: Order Management

23. Implement order opening logic with all filter checks
24. Implement dynamic lot sizing (0.01 no pullback, 0.02 with pullback)
25. Implement Stop Loss placement at Border Lines
26. Implement Take Profit calculation (convert USD target to pips)
27. Implement Breakeven logic (move SL to entry at X points)
28. Implement Trailing Stop logic (trail by X points after breakeven)
29. Implement single order restriction

Phase 8: Risk Management

30. Implement max drawdown calculation
31. Implement drawdown protection (stop trading if exceeded)
32. Implement trading resume logic when drawdown is below limit

Phase 9: Order Monitoring & Management

33. Implement Take Profit checking on each tick
34. Implement Breakeven checking and SL modification
35. Implement Trailing Stop checking and SL modification
36. Implement Stop Loss checking
37. Implement order closure logic

Phase 10: Testing & Validation

38. Test all EMA and Border Line calculations
39. Test breakthrough and pullback signal detection
40. Test all filters (volume, spread, MTF, news)
41. Test order opening with correct lot sizes
42. Test TP, SL, breakeven, and trailing stop
43. Test drawdown protection
44. Test visual indicators display

Phase 11: Documentation & Deployment

45. Create comprehensive README.md with strategy documentation
46. Add parameter descriptions and usage instructions
47. Add troubleshooting guide
48. Commit initial code to Git
49. Push to Gitea repository
50. Verify repository connection and code availability

Input Parameters

Parameter	Description	Default Value
EMAPeriod	EMA period for all lines	30
LotSizeNormal	Lot size without pullback	0.01
LotSizePullback	Lot size with pullback	0.02
TakeProfitUSD	Take profit target in USD	5.0
BreakevenPoints	Points to trigger breakeven	100
TrailingStopPoints	Points for trailing stop distance	100
MagicNumber	EA unique identifier	12345
MaxSpread	Maximum allowed spread in points	30
VolumePeriod	Period for volume average calculation	20
MaxDrawdownPercent	Maximum drawdown percentage	10.0
UseMTFFilter	Enable/disable MTF filter	true
UseNewsFilter	Enable/disable news filter	true
NewsAvoidHours	Hours to avoid (comma-separated)	14,15,20,21
NewsAvoidDays	Days to avoid (comma-separated)	1,5

Visual Indicators

Line	Color	Description
EMA High	Light Blue (clrLightBlue)	EMA of High prices
EMA Medium	Yellow (clrYellow)	EMA of Close prices
EMA Low	Orange (clrOrange)	EMA of Low prices
High Border	Purple (clrPurple)	Upper dynamic border
Low Border	Purple (clrPurple)	Lower dynamic border

Key Considerations

1. Pullback Detection: Track price hitting lines and closing on opposite side separately for buy/sell
2. Pullback Reset: Reset pullback flag immediately after opening an order
3. Single Order: Only one order open at any time
4. Dynamic SL: Stop Loss moves with Border Lines as they update
5. Breakeven: Only moves SL to entry price, not to profit
6. TP Calculation: Convert USD target to pips based on lot size and symbol
7. Volume Filter: Only trade when current volume exceeds 20-bar average
8. MTF Filter: D1 timeframe acts as trend filter, H1 for entry signals
9. Spread Filter: Avoid high spread periods
10. Timezone: All time-based filters use Thailand timezone (UTC+7)
11. Trailing Stop: Activates after breakeven, trails by specified points
12. Drawdown Protection: Stops trading if max drawdown exceeded

Technical Specifications

• Platform: MetaTrader 4
• Language: MQL4
• Trading Timeframe: H1 (recommended)
• Filter Timeframe: D1 (for MTF filter)
• Currency Pairs: All pairs (user-selectable)
• Account Types: Any MT4 account type
• Server Timezone: Thailand (UTC+7)

Testing Checklist

Core Strategy

• EMA calculations verify correctly (High, Medium, Low)
• Border Line calculations verify correctly
• Breakthrough signals trigger correctly
• Pullback signals detect correctly (buy and sell separately)
• Pullback flag resets after order opens
• Lot sizes apply correctly (0.01 vs 0.02)

Filters

• Volume filter works (20-bar average, current > average)
• Spread filter prevents high spread trades
• MTF filter works correctly (D1 > High = buy only, D1 < Low = sell only, between = no trade)
• MTF filter can be enabled/disabled
• News filter avoids specified times (Thailand timezone)
• News filter can be enabled/disabled

Order Management

• Stop Loss places at correct Border Lines
• Take Profit closes at correct USD amount
• Breakeven triggers at correct points
• Trailing stop activates after breakeven
• Trailing stop trails by correct distance
• Only one order opens at a time

Risk Management

• Max drawdown protection works
• Trading stops when drawdown exceeds limit
• Trading resumes when drawdown is below limit

Visual & Technical

• Visual indicators display with correct colors
• Git repository connects to Gitea successfully
• Code compiles without errors
• EA runs without runtime errors

Notes

• The strategy uses 5 visual lines on the chart
• Pullback tracking is separate for buy and sell directions
• Border Lines expand the range beyond the EMAs for wider stops
• The strategy is trend-following and works best in trending markets
• Multiple filters ensure quality trade entries
• All time-based calculations use Thailand timezone (UTC+7)
• MTF filter provides higher timeframe trend confirmation
• Risk management features protect account from excessive losses