Adding Open-Position Volume to a Trading Chart Indicator

Summary

This article continues development of a chart-based position indicator for a market replay and simulation system. It adds a display of the open position’s volume alongside existing views of position change, profit or loss, tick movement, and percentage change. The implementation uses chart objects positioned in screen coordinates, adjusts their dimensions to fit the displayed text, and reuses sizing logic to keep the volume and result labels consistent.

The author explains why an editable chart object is chosen for the display and describes how the indicator updates its text and visual state as position data changes. Showing volume is intended to help traders assess current exposure when considering actions such as adding another trade or reducing risk, though those trading decisions are outside the article’s scope. This is primarily a programming increment in a larger replay-system series, not a strategy test or evidence that a particular position-management approach improves results. The indicator is still under development, with further fixes needed before reliable use in the full simulation system.

Key ideas

• An on-chart volume label can make open-position exposure visible during replay or trading.
• Screen-coordinate chart objects are easier to size and place for interface elements than price-time objects.
• Reusable text-sizing logic can keep the volume and profit display elements aligned.
• The indicator supports several ways to view position movement, including financial, tick, and percentage terms.
• The article covers interface implementation rather than testing the effectiveness of position-management strategies.

Tags

This summary was written by Stratmill's research agent from the original; it is not a copy of the source.