Config file for ICMarkets TrueECN 1:500

General discussion about the Tickstory Lite software package.
coverman
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Feb 10, 2018 12:52 pm

Config file for ICMarkets TrueECN 1:500

Post by coverman »

Hello

I am just starting to learn this backtesting and wonder if anyone here have a configuration file for ICMarkets TrueECN with 1:500 leverage?
I loaded the EA onto my chart, but I guess I can't get this data when markets are closed. At least nothing is downloaded to my folder.
So, if anyone have a file I can use, it would be great.
I usually only have time doing these backtests during the weekend, so I want to get started.

tickstory
Posts: 4883
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2013 12:27 am

Re: Config file for ICMarkets TrueECN 1:500

Post by tickstory »

Hi Coverman,

Please check out our FAQ on solving this here:

https://tickstory.com/help/tickstorylit ... infoexpert

Please note that licensed users get priority responses to their queries.

Thanks.

Joey73
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2018 2:43 pm

ICMarkets TrueECN 1:500

Post by Joey73 »

I just purchased the license for Tickstory (August 2018) and my broker is IC Markets 500:1 leverage ECN Account.
my MT4 is the last version (Version 4 Build 1090) and Tickstory expert doesnt work : no file .config is created and no error message is generated, nothing happens.
I tried to write the name of the .config file into the EA Properties manually and nothing happens too, no message in the journal.
Could you solve this issue?
another important question:
I Live in Italy (UTC+1 in winter and UTC+2 in summer with DTS) my broker IC Markets is always plus one Hour (Now in august 2018 is UTC+3 with DTS) and sometimes 2 Hours.
Which is the correct setting when i export to MT4? UTC+2 with DTS London time at the top of the list with Automatic DTS option flagged? or other?
Thank you Luca Arrighini

tickstory
Posts: 4883
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2013 12:27 am

Re: Config file for ICMarkets TrueECN 1:500

Post by tickstory »

Hi Luca,

To answer your questions:

1) You may want to check that you are connected to your broker at the time of generating the config. If you are dragging the EA to the chart, it will only execute when a tick arrives.
Also make sure you are checking the correct 'Journal' tab. There is a Journal tab for EAs and one for testing EAs (in the Strategy Tester window). It's unusual that you wouldn't get at least a MT4 message saying that the EA has been attached/started.

2) It sounds like what you need is the "UTC+2 with London/European DST". If you press the 'i' button once you have selected this timezone, you can cross-check when the time-shifts. These threads should also be very useful:

https://tickstory.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... 167&p=5897
https://tickstory.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1820

Thanks.

Joey73
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2018 2:43 pm

Re: Config file for ICMarkets TrueECN 1:500

Post by Joey73 »

Ok i did it everything you said:

1) my broker was connected to MT4, i waited for a tick and in the Journal tab appeared only this following message:

"2018.08.31 13:22:53.907 Expert TickstoryInfoExpert EURUSD,H1: loaded successfully"

in the "expert" menu appeared the following message:

"2018.08.31 13:29:32.604 TickstoryInfoExpert EURUSD,H1: Error - could not open file Mt4.International Capital Markets Pty Ltd..Server.mt4config for writing. Ensure permissions have been granted."

2) ok so if i have to choose "UTC+2 with London/European DST" do i have to delete the "TimeDaylightSaving ()" function in my EA or do i have to leave it working?

i also have another issue:

-i don't get the 99.9% quality model but n/a.

Do i have to use 2 different MT4 ? one for live trading connected to my broker and anothe for backtesting disconnected from my broker server? in this case is it possible to install the Backtesting MT4 on an external drive and download the historical data there to save a lot of memory? if yes How can i do this? or is it possible to do everything with my MT4?

Thank you very much Luca Arrighini

tickstory
Posts: 4883
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2013 12:27 am

Re: Config file for ICMarkets TrueECN 1:500

Post by tickstory »

Hi Luca,

Regarding your questions:

1) Please refer to our FAQ of how to resolve this:

https://tickstory.com/help/tickstorylit ... infoexpert

2) I'm not sure what the "TimeDaylightSaving()" function does, but if it is trying to shift the time programmatically, then yes it would be necessary to remove this code.
Typically, however, EAs to not modify the timestamps of the incoming ticks.

3) For the modelling quality issue, please check out our FAQ as it goes through a trouble-shooting check-list:

https://tickstory.com/help/tickstorylit ... ng_quality

4) It is recommended that you use a separate MT4 terminal because this will keep your "real" broker information and your simulated test environment separate. If you want to install the software on an external drive, you will need to set up MT4 in "portable mode". This is a special mode in MT4 where it allows you to keep your installation files and data together in the same folder. The configuration of this mode is described in the Tickstory manual (see https://tickstory.com/help/tickstorylit ... _tickstory). If you have any specific questions while setting this up, you can do a quick search on this forum for "portable" and find useful information.

Hope this helps!

Joey73
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2018 2:43 pm

Re: Config file for ICMarkets TrueECN 1:500

Post by Joey73 »

Thank you for the answer, but i have still some issues.
I did what is explained in the link you show me to generate a mt4.config file: now i got no error... simply: "2018.09.02 16:25:02.674 TickstoryInfoExpert EURUSD,M30: initialized" but no .mt4config file was created.
At that point i went to EA's properties to force a valid file name, i tried to set it to "Mt4.International Capital Markets Pty ltd.mt4config" and i got the following message:
"2018.09.02 16:31:15.373 TickstoryInfoExpert EURUSD,M30 inputs: Version=Support for AU200; ConfigFileName=Mt4.International Capital Markets Pty ltd.mt4config; SymbolSuffix=; AllowWhenNotConnected=false; "

But still no .mt4config file for me in the file folder.
So please help me i don't know what do i have to do.

once this issue will be fixed i'll proceed to fix the others ... maybe is better to fix one at time.

tickstory
Posts: 4883
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2013 12:27 am

Re: Config file for ICMarkets TrueECN 1:500

Post by tickstory »

Hi Luca,

If you are attaching it to a chart, you'll need to make sure at least one tick from your broker comes in before the EA will execute. If you're trying during the weekend, this could be the reason for no ticks. What you can also do is execute the EA within the strategy tester in "open price" mode. This should also extract the information you need even while your terminal is not connected.
If you execute on a chart, you should find the resulting .mt4config file in:

<Data folder>\MQL4\Files

If you execute within the Strategy Tester, it will appear in:

<Data folder>\tester\files

Please let us know if you have any issues.

Thanks.

Joey73
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2018 2:43 pm

Re: Config file for ICMarkets TrueECN 1:500

Post by Joey73 »

1) ok did what you said but tickstory EA didn't work, so i forced a name of the file ("Mt4.International Capital Markets Pty ltd.mt4config" seems to work) and i get the file. The question is: is correct the name i setted (I didn't know which name to choose)?

2) I installed a new MT4 in Portable mode on my extern drive connected to my broker's demo account for my backtesting.
Do i have to leave it connected to my broker, do i have to run it in offline mode (in this case how can i do that?) before export data from Tickstory to MT4 or is indifferent?

3) i Read i have to block updates for MT4 but the instructions in the guide are not very clear: i understood i have to type"/skipupdate" into the launcher tab into Tickstory's setting menu but there is already wrote: "/portable" there ... do i have to type "/portable /skipupdate" all together?

4)when i load the .mt4config file to export any data to MT4 i see the commission set to zero, do i have to set the cost of the trade to see it included into the backtest or not?

5)when i load the .mt4config file to export any data to MT4 i see the spread setted for every instrument i choose ... in the strategy tester do i have to set the spread too or will it be duplicated doing so?

thank you very much for your help

tickstory
Posts: 4883
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2013 12:27 am

Re: Config file for ICMarkets TrueECN 1:500

Post by tickstory »

Hi Luca,

To your questions:

1) The filename doesn't matter just as long as you have a config file that's fine.
2) Once you have logged in once and can view all the charts etc in Metatrader, you can log out. You can do this simply by putting an incorrect password in the File->Login prompt.
3) Yes, please use both parameters with a space in-between: "/portable /skipupdate" (without quotes)
4) Unfortunately the MQL/EA language cannot obtain the commission settings. As such, please refer to these threads for more information about how to set your commission:
http://forum.tickstory.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=283
http://forum.tickstory.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1412
http://tickstory.com/forum/search.php?k ... commission (General search of this forum)
5) The 'Spread' setting within Tickstory is only there for backward-compatibility reasons. In most recent versions (for at least 1-2 years), there is a spread setting in the MT4 Strategy Tester which will be the spread used during your back-test.

Hope this answers your questions!

Post Reply