Automated Platform - MetaTrader 4 Strategy Tester Window

The Forex Strategy Tester in the MetaTrader 4 platform is the environment used to back test the profitability of an Expert Advisor which is an Automated Trading Software & ascertain the profitability of this Expert Advisor and then Optimize it to a point where it's giving god profits from its trading activities.

Note: Before beginning the strategy-tester shown below, you must first attach a trading EA on a chart, by going to the Navigator Window, selecting the EA and then right click on it and specify the option "Attach to Chart", once the EA is attached it will appear as shown below, Then Right Click on the Expert Advisor, choose properties & then choose option by Checking/Ticking "Allow Live Trading" & then continue with the strategy tester shown below.

The strategy-tester option can be activated from the view menu & it's the second last menu item on View Menu, A short-cut is to Press Ctrl+R button keys on your key board.

Strategy-Tester has following Parameters for setting up before testing & Expert advisor & also for optimizing the profitability of this EA.

EA: Parameter for selecting which Expert-Advisor you want to test among those installed on your MT4 platform.

Symbol: The currency pair for which you want to test the Expert Advisor on

Model: Whether to execute based on tick method, open prices or control points

Use Date: Set the date to start the testing and the date to end the testing

Visual Mode: Select To view the illustration of where this Expert-Advisor opens & closes trade as testing goes on, there is also a slide bar to increase or decrease the speed for this visual mode.

Period: Chart Time Frame for which to use examples 1 H Chart

Optimization: Allow Optimization Settings for your EA

For examples to text the above EA on the EURUSD currency for profitability, the settings can be set up as shown above and the strategy tester is the run, by clicking the "Start Button".

Following trade results are generated and a trader can select to optimize the Expert-Advisor further by changing the Expert Advisors settings.

Once the optimization is complete the status bar will show progress, the above status bar show the progress that testing is complete.

To view the click on options high lighted above (Optimization Results, Optimization Graph, Journal)

Before running this you must go to the navigator window, double click on this EA to attach it to the chart and set the parameters as shown & illustrated below by checking options provided below:

After setting the above setting then you can test your strategy within the strategy tester.

Once you Run You Expert Advisor the Results will be shown on the following window

Strategy Tester Optimization Results

Strategy Tester Optimization Graph

Strategy Tester Balance and Equity Graph

Strategy Tester Profit and Loss Graph

Above is just a brief introduction to the strategies tester automated trading with EA Forex Robots is a wide topic that a trader will take some time & research to learn about but the main environment to test and optimize the Expert Advisor will be the MetaTrader 4 Strategy Tester.

Note: You can only implement an Automated Expert Advisor using data which has been downloaded and saved on your platform, therefore for the date settings choose the dates that you have been trading with your MetaTrader 4 to get a graph representation of how your Expert Advisor would trade.