Hello,

I'm not an EasyLanguage expert but I do have some(very) basic knowledge. I am trying to plot a custom ShowMe based on the SuperTrend user function (appended below). For the life of me I cannot figure out what the final input (strend) is supposed to be. When I plot the indicator SuperTrend there is no input for strend, only for ATRLength, ATRmult and Strength. I just want red dots when C < Supertrend and green if vice versa but I can't plot this without this final input. Driving me nuts. Any help would be appreciated.

I've appended the indicator code as well.

Dave

SuperTrend Function:

// SuperTrend function

inputs:
ATRLength(NumericSimple), ATRMult(NumericSimple), Strength(NumericSimple), STrend(NumericRef);

vars:
ATR(0),
avg(0),
dn(0),
up(0),
trend(1),
flag(0),
flagh(0),
ST(0),
hl(0);

hl = Highest(High, ATRLength) - Lowest(Low, ATRLength);
ATR = XAverage(hl, ATRLength);
avg = (XAverage(high, Strength) + XAverage(low, Strength))/2;
up = avg + ATR;
dn = avg - ATR;

if c > up[1] and c > Highest(High, Strength)[1] then
trend = 1
else if c < dn[1] and c < Lowest(Low, Strength)[1] then
trend = -1;


if trend < 0 and trend[1] > 0 then flag=1 else flag=0;
if trend > 0 and trend[1] < 0 then flagh = 1 else flagh = 0;

if trend > 0 and dn < dn[1] then dn=dn[1];
if trend < 0 and up > up[1] then up=up[1];

if flag = 1 then up = avg + ATR;
if flagh = 1 then dn = avg - ATR;

if trend = 1 then ST = dn else ST = up;
SuperTrend = ST;
STrend = trend;



SuperTrend Indicator:

// SuperTrend indicator

inputs:
ATRLength(10), ATRMult(1), Strength(10);

vars:
strend(0),
st(0);

st = SuperTrend(ATRLength, ATRMult, Strength, strend);

Plot1(st,"Up");
Plot2(st,"Down");
Plot3(st,"SuperTrend",iff(strend = 1,GetPlotColor(1),GetPlotColor(2)));

davidcolin,

welcome to NexusFi. When you are working in the Tradestation development environment (or in Multicharts's PL Editor for that matter) you can highlight a reserved word and press F1, this will bring up an explanation of this word does.

NumerifRef is used to reference values back from a function, meaning you don't pass anything into the function using this input, but you can use it to receive a value. In your case of of the supertrend it just references +1 or -1 depending on the trend being up or down. You can use a simple numeric variable to hold what the function references back via STrend, but you don't have to use this variable later in your code.

By the way you can show your appreciation for a post here on Futures.io using the "Thanks" button under it.

Regards,

ABCTG

Hello ABCTG,

Thank you for answering my recent forum post re: the variable required to use the supertrend function. Unfortunately, not really having a programming background, I didn't even understand your answer. And now I am running into the same problem with a function for donchian channels. I want to use this function and I know what to enter for the inputs, however it seems to want me to enter something for the variables. Would you be able to tell me what I need to enter to use this function properly? Thanks and sorry to bother you. I'm not sure who else to ask.

Code is:


inputs:
period (NumericSimple),
myMid (NumericRef),
myUpper (NumericRef),
myLower (NumericRef),
upperPrice (NumericSeries),
lowerPrice (NumericSeries);


myUpper = Highest(upperPrice, period);
myLower = Lowest(lowerPrice, period);
myMid = (myUpper + myLower) / 2;


David

David,

I am sorry, but I don't understand what you mean with "it seems to want me to enter something for the variables". Your code snippet only shows inputs and no variables, so it's not really clear what you mean.

For the inputs you can see that you have three NumericRef inputs, so these will return values to the indicator (signal or function) calling your function.

Then you have "period" that sets the lookback length for the Highest and Lowest function and you have the price inputs for the Highest and Lowest function i.e. upperPrice and lowerPrice. The latter two are probably something like High or Low.

Regards,

ABCTG

davidcolin 

Hello ABCTG, Thank you for answering my recent forum post re: the variable required to use the supertrend function. Unfortunately, not really having a programming background, I didn't even understand your answer. And now I am running into the same problem with a function for donchian channels. I want to use this function and I know what to enter for the inputs, however it seems to want me to enter something for the variables. Would you be able to tell me what I need to enter to use this function properly? Thanks and sorry to bother you. I'm not sure who else to ask. Code is: inputs: period (NumericSimple), myMid (NumericRef), myUpper (NumericRef), myLower (NumericRef), upperPrice (NumericSeries), lowerPrice (NumericSeries); myUpper = Highest(upperPrice, period); myLower = Lowest(lowerPrice, period); myMid = (myUpper + myLower) / 2; David

DUUUUH...my apologies, I was actually looking at the indicator code where myMid, myUpper and myLower were variables. Sorry for the mistake.

Anyway what I meant was, I still don't get what to enter as a value for numericref inputs when using the function to say, plot a custom ShowMe. For example

SuperTrend(20, 2, 2, STrend(NumericRef)???? )

OR

DonchianChannel(20, ? , ? , ?, High , Low)

David,

you have to create variables and use these to pick the values up that the function references.

Assuming you have created a variable called "trendDirection" you'd use this in the function header:

 

Code

SuperTrend(20, 2, 2, trendDirection ) ;

Now the variable trendDirection can be used to plot the value that the SuperTrend function references via its STrend input.

It will be similar for the DonchianChannel function, but you'll need three variables here.

Regards,

ABCTG