Logging MT4 Ticks, Spreads and Delays

[Jim]

GuruLoggerCSV is an indicator that logs every tick the chart it's attached to receives from your MetaTrader 4 broker to a CSV format text file. If you like it will log the spread and the time with millisecond resolution as well. This will use up several Mb of your hard disk drive per pair per broker per day. If that seems a bit excessive you can configure it to save separate OHLC bars for bid and ask prices instead. You can also easily change it into an EA that will log bars or ticks during a backtest, which can make enlightening viewing.

We've also recently cloned a bit of the BAA indicator and grafted it on so that this indicator can now also make farmyard noises. In this case it does so if the timestamp on quotes from your broker gets too far out of line with the clock on the computer on which you're running MetaTrader. This can make enlightening listening!

This is the first version we've released in public, so it may well contain a bug or two. If you discover any please advise us of that fact by commenting on this thread.

Here is the source code, together with a brief manual:

[Mintaka]

Dear Jim,

I set up the GuruLogger indicator running on Meta Trader 4 - Alpari. I am running it on two different pairs. GBP/USD and EUR/USD. I think, I have got some interesting results so far.
The time differences are between 3 and 7 seconds.

15:05:53 GuruLoggerCSV GBPUSD,M1: Alert: GBPUSD - Time difference 3 seconds at 2011/08/22 15:05:53.763. Server time = 16:05:50
15:05:53 GuruLoggerCSV EURUSD,M1: Alert: EURUSD - Time difference 3 seconds at 2011/08/22 15:05:53.855. Server time = 16:05:50
15:51:48 GuruLoggerCSV GBPUSD,M1: Alert: GBPUSD - Time difference 3 seconds at 2011/08/22 15:51:48.355. Server time = 16:51:45
15:51:48 GuruLoggerCSV EURUSD,M1: Alert: EURUSD - Time difference 3 seconds at 2011/08/22 15:51:48.377. Server time = 16:51:45
15:54:20 GuruLoggerCSV GBPUSD,M1: Alert: GBPUSD - Time difference 6 seconds at 2011/08/22 15:54:20.578. Server time = 16:54:14
15:54:20 GuruLoggerCSV EURUSD,M1: Alert: EURUSD - Time difference 6 seconds at 2011/08/22 15:54:20.600. Server time = 16:54:14
15:58:36 GuruLoggerCSV GBPUSD,M1: Alert: GBPUSD - Time difference 7 seconds at 2011/08/22 15:58:36.569. Server time = 16:58:29
15:58:36 GuruLoggerCSV EURUSD,M1: Alert: EURUSD - Time difference 3 seconds at 2011/08/22 15:58:36.601. Server time = 16:58:33
15:59:44 GuruLoggerCSV GBPUSD,M1: Alert: GBPUSD - Time difference 7 seconds at 2011/08/22 15:59:44.377. Server time = 16:59:37
15:59:44 GuruLoggerCSV EURUSD,M1: Alert: EURUSD - Time difference 7 seconds at 2011/08/22 15:59:44.399. Server time = 16:59:37
16:00:31 GuruLoggerCSV GBPUSD,M1: Alert: GBPUSD - Time difference 4 seconds at 2011/08/22 16:00:31.343. Server time = 17:00:27
16:00:31 GuruLoggerCSV EURUSD,M1: Alert: EURUSD - Time difference 4 seconds at 2011/08/22 16:00:31.364. Server time = 17:00:27
23:27:40 GuruLoggerCSV EURUSD,M1: Alert: EURUSD - Time difference 6 seconds at 2011/08/22 23:27:40.461. Server time = 00:27:34

If you can see sometimes the long time delay for the two pairs happens at the same time, but sometimes not.
I have a question what are the consequences for my trading results.
By the way, the baar and heehaw are very annoying - very funny!

[Jim]

Hi Mintaka,

I'm pleased to hear you enjoy Ray's robotic sense of humour! A couple of questions for you if I may:

1. Were those results obtained from a demo account, a live classic account, a micro account?

2. Were you running your MT4 instance on a VPS in the UK, a VPS in the US, or at home on your own PC connected to the global internet via broadband, cable or whatever?

3. Imagine that you were attempting to short cable as the price dropped quickly at 16:54:20 Alpari time yesterday. You clicked the "Sell" button whilst your order ticket was displaying a price that was already 6 seconds out of date. What would have happened next, do you suppose?

Cheers,

Jim

[Mintaka]

Hi Jim, something interesting happened today. I wanted to test pippa_D1_mover_GuruEx01 on Meta Trader - Alpari UK - Demo Account. It happens that I am running Guru Logger CSV on one pair USD/JPY. I went to the History Center to check the database for EUR/USD. When the program was searching for the data the Guru Logger CSV made a few incredible nice noises. The time delay was 17 second. I had closed the History Center and the heehaw sounded again. This time 21 second delay. I wonder is it just random coincidence or something wrong with the Meta Trader.
21 second delay can cause lots of money troubles.

[Jim]

Morning Mintaka,

Long delays can indeed cause money troubles! Your results do seem to suggest that MetaTrader 4 isn't terribly good at doing more than one thing at once. I highly recommend doing development and testing on one instance of MT4, and live EA trading on a different copy, preferably on a VPS. Which reminds me - have you been able to give any consideration to my previous questions yet?

Cheers,

Jim

[Jim]

Hi Mintaka,

Since you were getting some "interesting" results from Alpari UK, I tried turning on GuruLogger myself on an Alpari UK Classic account shortly before 13:30 today British Summer Time. This is what I discovered:

13:30:00 GuruLoggerCSV GBPUSD,M1: Alert: GBPUSD - Time difference 9 seconds at 2011/08/25 13:30:08.817. Server time = 14:29:59
13:30:00 GuruLoggerCSV GBPUSD,M1: Alert: GBPUSD - Time difference 9 seconds at 2011/08/25 13:30:08.848. Server time = 14:29:59
13:30:00 GuruLoggerCSV EURUSD,M1: Alert: EURUSD - Time difference 9 seconds at 2011/08/25 13:30:08.864. Server time = 14:29:59
13:30:00 GuruLoggerCSV EURUSD,M1: Alert: EURUSD - Time difference 8 seconds at 2011/08/25 13:30:08.973. Server time = 14:30:00
13:30:00 GuruLoggerCSV GBPUSD,M1: Alert: GBPUSD - Time difference 8 seconds at 2011/08/25 13:30:08.973. Server time = 14:30:00
13:30:00 GuruLoggerCSV EURJPY,M1: Alert: EURJPY - Time difference 8 seconds at 2011/08/25 13:30:08.973. Server time = 14:30:00
13:30:00 GuruLoggerCSV EURUSD,M1: Alert: EURUSD - Time difference 8 seconds at 2011/08/25 13:30:08.989. Server time = 14:30:00
13:30:00 GuruLoggerCSV GBPUSD,M1: Alert: GBPUSD - Time difference 8 seconds at 2011/08/25 13:30:08.989. Server time = 14:30:00
13:30:00 GuruLoggerCSV EURJPY,M1: Alert: EURJPY - Time difference 8 seconds at 2011/08/25 13:30:08.989. Server time = 14:30:00
13:30:08 GuruLoggerCSV EURUSD,M1: Alert: EURUSD - Time difference 8 seconds at 2011/08/25 13:30:09.442. Server time = 14:30:01
13:30:08 GuruLoggerCSV EURJPY,M1: Alert: EURJPY - Time difference 8 seconds at 2011/08/25 13:30:09.442. Server time = 14:30:01
13:31:10 GuruLoggerCSV EURUSD,M1: Alert: EURUSD - Time difference 69 seconds at 2011/08/25 13:31:10.270. Server time = 14:30:01
13:31:10 GuruLoggerCSV GBPUSD,M1: Alert: GBPUSD - Time difference 69 seconds at 2011/08/25 13:31:10.270. Server time = 14:30:01
13:31:10 GuruLoggerCSV EURJPY,M1: Alert: EURJPY - Time difference 69 seconds at 2011/08/25 13:31:10.270. Server time = 14:30:01

This was from a UK VPS. What do you make of those numbers?

Cheers,

Jim

[Mintaka]

1. Were those results obtained from a demo account, a live classic account, a micro account?

2. Were you running your MT4 instance on a VPS in the UK, a VPS in the US, or at home on your own PC connected to the global internet via broadband, cable or whatever?

3. Imagine that you were attempting to short cable as the price dropped quickly at 16:54:20 Alpari time yesterday. You clicked the "Sell" button whilst your order ticket was displaying a price that was already 6 seconds out of date. What would have happened next, do you suppose?

Cheers,

Jim

N.B. ad. is an abbreviation for a Latin word "adnotatio" - English annotation
ad.1 I was running it on a live micro account. But have also been running it on a MT4 demo micro account.
ad.2 I have been running at home on my own PC connected to the global internet via broadband
ad.3 I would be too late and I wouldn't be able to get the results I was expecting. The delay means the price would have already changed.
I hope I don't sound like an idiot. English is not my native language.