StepMA_v7.2_004

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Author: Copyright � 2006, TrendLaboratory
StepMA_v7.2_004

Indicator Overview

The StepMA is a specialized technical analysis tool designed to track market trends by creating a "stepped" moving average. Unlike traditional moving averages that provide a smooth, curving line, this indicator moves in distinct horizontal plateaus. This helps traders identify clear price levels and structural shifts in the market rather than getting distracted by minor fluctuations.

Core Logic and Mechanics

1. Dynamic Step Calculation The indicator automatically determines the "height" of its steps based on market volatility. It analyzes recent price action to calculate an average range. If a fixed step size isn't manually defined, the script dynamically scales the steps so they remain proportional to current market conditions—expanding during high volatility and contracting during quiet periods.

2. Trend Detection and Support/Resistance Levels The script constantly monitors whether the price is breaking out above or below specific boundaries.

  • High/Low Sensitivity: Users can choose between monitoring the "Close" price for a standard trend feel or the "High/Low" prices for a more aggressive, sensitive detection of price movements.
  • Trend Confirmation: The indicator identifies an upward trend when the price closes above its upper boundary and a downward trend when it closes below its lower boundary. Once a trend is established, the "step" holds its level until a significant enough price movement forces a break to the opposite side.

3. Visual Logic (Color Modes) The script offers different ways to visualize these trend shifts on your chart:

  • Standard Mode: Displays a continuous line representing the calculated step values.
  • Dynamic Coloring: Provides distinct visual cues for upward and downward trends, often using different colors or shapes to make it easier to see at a glance whether the market is currently in a "bullish" or "bearish" state.
  • Shifted Visualization: Includes advanced options to offset the lines slightly from the actual step value, providing extra breathing room between the trend line and the price action to prevent "noise" from triggering false signals.

Summary of Purpose

The primary goal of this logic is to filter out market noise. By forcing the trend line into a "step" format, it highlights the significant levels where the market actually changes direction, making it easier for users to identify support and resistance zones while clearly highlighting the prevailing trend direction.

Miscellaneous
Implements a curve of type %1
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StepMA_v7.2_004 
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//|                                                  StepMA_v7.1.mq4 |
//|                                Copyright © 2006, TrendLaboratory |
//|            http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/TrendLaboratory |
//|                                   E-mail: igorad2003@yahoo.co.uk |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| Modifications:                                                   |
//| - StepMA_v7.2, 2006/06/26, by Ogeima, ph_bresson@yahoo.com       |
//|   - Color Mode 3                                                 |
//|   - UpDownShift to ColorMode2 and ColorMode3                     |
//|   - Fixed LineBuffer[] for every ColorMode, in order to enable   |
//|     applying a MovingAverage(1) on top of the StepMA,            | 
//|     thus enabling the charting of LevelLines on the StepMA       |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+

#property copyright "Copyright © 2006, TrendLaboratory"
#property link      "http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/TrendLaboratory"

#property indicator_chart_window
#property indicator_buffers 3
#property indicator_color1 Aqua
#property indicator_color2 Lime
#property indicator_color3 Red

//---- input parameters
extern int     Length      = 10;      // Volty Length
extern double  Kv          = 0.5;     // Sensivity Factor
extern int     StepSize    = 20;       // Constant Step Size (if need)
extern int     MA_Mode     = 0;       // Volty MA Mode : 0-SMA, 1-LWMA 
extern int     Advance     = 0;       // Offset
extern double  Percentage  = 0;       // Percentage of Up/Down Moving
extern double  UpDownShift = 0;       // Number of Up/Down Moving, in points. For ColorMode==3 only.
extern bool    HighLow     = false;   // High/Low Mode Switch (more sensitive)
extern int     ColorMode   = 2;       // Color Mode Switch
extern int     BarsNumber  = 0;       

//---- indicator buffers
double LineBuffer[];
double UpBuffer[];
double DnBuffer[];
double smin[];
double smax[];
double trend[];

double StepMA=0, ATR0=0,ATRmax=-100000,ATRmin=1000000;
int limit;

//---- StepSize Calculation

   double StepSizeCalc ( int Len, double Km, int Size, int k)
   {

   double result;
   if( Size==0 ) 
   {
        double AvgRange=0;
	     double Weight = 0;
	     for (int i=Len-1;i>=0;i--)
	     { 
            if(MA_Mode==0) double alfa= 1.0; else alfa= 1.0*(Len-i)/Len; 
            AvgRange+= alfa*(High[k+i]-Low[k+i]);
            Weight += alfa;
        }
	     ATR0 = AvgRange/Weight;
	
	if (ATR0>ATRmax) ATRmax=ATR0;
	if (ATR0<ATRmin) ATRmin=ATR0;
	
	result=MathRound(0.5*Km*(ATRmax+ATRmin)/Point); 
	}
	else
	result=Km*StepSize;
   
   return(result);
   }

//---- StepMA Calculation   
   
   double StepMACalc (bool HL, double Size, int k)
   {
   int counted_bars=IndicatorCounted();
   double result;
   
   if (HL)
	  {
	  smax[k]=Low[k]+2.0*Size*Point;
	  smin[k]=High[k]-2.0*Size*Point;
     } 	
	else  	 
	  {
	  smax[k]=Close[k]+2.0*Size*Point;
	  smin[k]=Close[k]-2.0*Size*Point;
	  }
	  if (counted_bars==0){smax[limit+1]=smax[limit];smin[limit+1]=smin[limit];trend[limit+1]=0;}
	  
	  trend[k]=trend[k+1];   
	  
	  if (Close[k]>smax[k+1]) trend[k]=1;   
	 
	  if (Close[k]<smin[k+1]) trend[k]=-1;  
	 
	  if(trend[k]>0)
	  {
	  if(smin[k]<smin[k+1]) smin[k]=smin[k+1];
	  result=smin[k]+Size*Point;
	  } 
	  else
	  {
	  if(smax[k]>smax[k+1]) smax[k]=smax[k+1];
	  result=smax[k]-Size*Point;
	  }
     //Print (" k=",k," trend=",trend[k], " res=",result," Smax=", smax[k], " Smin=", smin[k]);
	  
     
     return(result); 
     } 
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| Custom indicator initialization function                         |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
  int init()
  {
   string short_name;
//---- indicator line
   IndicatorBuffers(6);
   
//   SetIndexStyle(0,DRAW_LINE,STYLE_SOLID,2);
   SetIndexStyle(0,DRAW_LINE);
   SetIndexStyle(1,DRAW_LINE);
   SetIndexStyle(2,DRAW_LINE);
   
   SetIndexArrow(1,159);
   SetIndexArrow(2,159);
   
   SetIndexBuffer(0,LineBuffer);
   SetIndexBuffer(1,UpBuffer);
   SetIndexBuffer(2,DnBuffer);
   
   SetIndexShift(0,Advance);
   SetIndexShift(1,Advance);
   SetIndexShift(2,Advance);
   
   SetIndexBuffer(3,smin);
   SetIndexBuffer(4,smax);
   SetIndexBuffer(5,trend);
   
//---- name for DataWindow and indicator subwindow label
   short_name="StepMA("+Length+","+Kv+","+StepSize+")";
   IndicatorShortName(short_name);
   SetIndexLabel(0,short_name);
   SetIndexLabel(1,"UpTrend");
   SetIndexLabel(2,"DownTrend"); 
//----
   SetIndexDrawBegin(0,Length);
   SetIndexDrawBegin(1,Length);
   SetIndexDrawBegin(2,Length);
//----
   return(0);
   }
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| Custor indicator deinitialization function                       |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
int deinit()
  {
//---- 
   
//----
   return(0);
  }     
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| StepMA_v7.2                                                        |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
int start()
{
   int shift, counted_bars=IndicatorCounted();
     
   if ( BarsNumber > 0 ) int Nbars=BarsNumber; else Nbars=Bars;
   if ( counted_bars > 0 )  limit=Bars-counted_bars;
   if ( counted_bars < 0 )  return(0);
   if ( counted_bars ==0 )  limit=Nbars-Length-1; 
     
   for(shift=limit;shift>=0;shift--) 
   {	
     
      int Step = StepSizeCalc( Length, Kv, StepSize, shift);
				
      Comment (" StepSize= ", Step);
	
   	StepMA = StepMACalc ( HighLow, Step, shift)+Percentage/100.0*Step*Point;
	
   	if ( ColorMode == 0) LineBuffer[shift]=StepMA;
	
   	if ( ColorMode == 1)
   	{
         if ( trend[shift]>0 )
         {
            UpBuffer[shift]=StepMA-Step*Point;
            LineBuffer[shift]= UpBuffer[shift];
            DnBuffer[shift]=EMPTY_VALUE;
         }
         else
         if ( trend[shift]<0 )
         {
            DnBuffer[shift]=StepMA+Step*Point;
            LineBuffer[shift]= DnBuffer[shift];
            UpBuffer[shift]=EMPTY_VALUE;
         }
      }
      else
      if ( ColorMode == 2)
      {
         if (trend[shift]>0) 
         {
            UpBuffer[shift]=StepMA+UpDownShift*Point;
            if ( trend[shift+1] < 0 ) UpBuffer[shift+1] = DnBuffer[shift+1];
            LineBuffer[shift]= UpBuffer[shift];
            DnBuffer[shift]=EMPTY_VALUE;
         }
         if (trend[shift]<0) 
         {
            DnBuffer[shift]=StepMA-UpDownShift*Point;
            if ( trend[shift+1] > 0 ) DnBuffer[shift+1] = UpBuffer[shift+1];
            LineBuffer[shift]= DnBuffer[shift];
            UpBuffer[shift]=EMPTY_VALUE;
         }
      }//end if ( ColorMode == 2)
      else
      if ( ColorMode == 3)
   	{
         if ( trend[shift]>0 )
         {
            UpBuffer[shift]=StepMA+(Step+UpDownShift)*Point;
            LineBuffer[shift]= UpBuffer[shift];
            DnBuffer[shift]=EMPTY_VALUE;
         }
         else
         if ( trend[shift]<0 )
         {
            DnBuffer[shift]=StepMA-(Step+UpDownShift)*Point;
            LineBuffer[shift]= DnBuffer[shift];
            UpBuffer[shift]=EMPTY_VALUE;
         }
      }//end if ( ColorMode == 3)
      else
      {	
         LineBuffer[shift]=StepMA;
         UpBuffer[shift]=EMPTY_VALUE;
         DnBuffer[shift]=EMPTY_VALUE;
      }
	
   }//end for(shift=limit;shift>=0;shift--) 
	return(0);	
 }

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