Updated! Faster ways to Backtest your EA & New Backtesting methods!

Also to add to this, does anyone know of any "Cloud" Back testing? to make it backtest really fast? Isn't there Cloud Services for EA's programmed in MT5?

Personaly I use ruby to code strategy back-tests before I even begin coding the EA.

I export the data from MT4 to a cvs file and work with that. So far this has been the fastest method "idea-backtest-optimizationOfParameters-retest-checkWithChart-codeEA". Would love to hear what other people use.

Cheers o/

EDIT: my choice of ruby boiled down to because it was fast to code with, eas(ish) to learn and perfect for little scripts, plus it has a nice IDE to work in, if you want it and very easy to read and debug. I was thinking about c++, vb, java and everything else that I was working with in the past (hell I even had an idea about MySQL database) but tbh I just wanted the first back-tests to be fast so that I knew whether to immediately discard the idea or continue working with it.

For me the MT4 tester is fast enough. I don't use the optimizer a lot, and after going to test the EA seriously i optimize the code.

Optimizing is where the speed is hidden.

1) 90% of all ticks don't need a recalculation of the indicator values and the same 90% does not even need to reevaluate the open orders.

2) Functions are very useful. But if you need to call the same function again somewhere else in your code it might be better to store the result on the first call.

3) Do only the necessary thing while testing. Error and recovery handling is not needed.

4) Print(), Alert() and every object() call slows down. Don't use them if possible

https://www.mql5.com/en/forum/132553

WHRoeder, can you explain your link a little bit?

I should mention too that our EA is a very complex EA. Backtesting for simple Expert Advisors isn't too bad, though it still can be slow depending on how far you want to backtest, and if your wanting to backtest with everytick. Also optimizing a complex EA would take a long time as well. So I think for many traders and developers there is a great need for MT4 to support faster backtesting and optimization utilizing technologies such as multi-threading etc.. As I see this being a demand in many forums!

Also I found something very interesting! That I want to share with you read below...

Metaqoutes the makers of Meta Trader 4 make branded solutions for brokers. So I got thinking...

I contacted Metaqoutes to ask them if they could provide me with a copy of Meta Trader 4 that can handle faster backtesting and optimization, and that could support multi-threading. I got an email back the next day

saying that would provide me with an offer. So I'm not sure how much they will charge me, but I will let you guys know as soon as I find out. But this gets me thinking... Do they already have a customized version of MT4? and if so why aren't they sharing this? Or why are they not implementing this in MT4 updates? Get's you kind of thinking..... But maybe they don't have this programmed yet, and will charge me to have this customized, but my guess is they already have a version of MT4 developed that enables faster backtesting/optimization and support for newer technologies such as multi-threading etc.. And Yes I know MT5 supports multi-threading but there is several features missing in MT5 that MT4 has and not many brokers support MT5 yet, and the EA would have to recoded.

Not sure what you want explained. My EA is over 2000 bidirectional lines, code works in either direction:

double  minGapStop  = MarketInfo(Symbol(), MODE_STOPLEVEL)*Point,
SetStops(oo.SL, oo.TP, size, oo.price);
if (oo.TP != TPorig){                   // Handle TP
    double  TPmin = now.close +DIR* minGapStop;
    if ((oo.TP-TPmin)*DIR < 0){         // Below min?
        oo.TP = TPmin;                  // Can't.
        CallAgain(oo.TP+stop.to.Bid
                    -DIR* (minGapChange+Point),"mTP");
    }
    if ((TPorig != NO_TP) && (oo.TP-TPorig)*DIR < Point)
        oo.TP = TPorig;                 // TP up only.
}

1. For the standard buy trailing stop, newSL=market - SL.pips*pips2dbl, you know the SL can move up only when market goes above curSL+ SL.pips*pips2dbl, so I'd have

   CallAgain(oo.SL +DIR * SL.pips*pips2dbl +stop.to.Bid);
   

   No point in checking to move the SL until market moves sufficiently.

   ---

2. Like wise if I determine I want to open an order at a specific price

   double  delta = (Bid-oo.OP)*DIR;
       if (delta <= 0){        CallAgain(oo.OP);       return; }   // Below
       if (delta > 0.5*atr){   CallAgain(oo.OP);       return; }   // Gapped above
   

   If market hasn't yet reached there, request to be called again.

   ---

3. extern bool     Show.Comments               = true;
   int     init(){
       if (IsTesting() && !IsVisualMode()){    Show.Comments   = false;
                                               Show.Objects    = false;    }
   

   Since objects and comments are for Human use only, I don't create any under testing.
   

WHRoeder I just wasn't sure what the purpose of your code was if you were posting and relation to the original post are you just showing your EA, or ways to speed up backtesting?

https://forum.mql4.com/40529#467336

extern bool     Show.Comments               = true;
int     init(){
    if (IsTesting() && !IsVisualMode()){    Show.Comments   = false;
                                            Show.Objects    = false;    }

I was wondering for mt4 b600+ how you would implement a hide comments/hide objects routine

I tried to copy this into my EA in the Initialize section and I got 2 errors:

'init' - function can be declared only in the global scope      1570    13
'init' - function already defined and has body      1570    13

extern bool     Show.Comments               = true;

Since build 600, variable names can not have dots.