Visualizing Strategy Indicators in Backtest HTML and CSV Files

Summary

The document explains that a strategy's Indicators HTML and CSV outputs contain time-indexed indicator values. It describes chart helpers for adding markers, lines, and OHLC candlesticks to indicator displays. These elements can make it easier to inspect how indicator readings relate to strategy decisions and observed performance over time.

The material is a brief documentation overview, not an analysis of a trading rule or a worked research example. It does not explain how to interpret the plotted values, validate a strategy, or distinguish useful signals from noise. Its practical contribution is limited to describing the available visual elements and the data they help present; readers need further documentation for implementation details and any conclusions about strategy quality.

Key ideas

• Indicator output files provide values across points in time.
• Chart methods can add markers, lines, and OHLC bars to indicator views.
• Visualizing indicator readings alongside strategy activity can aid inspection of decision timing.
• The document does not provide a trading method or evidence that any indicator is predictive.

Tags

# backtesting.indicators files


.. _backtesting.indicators_files:

Indicators Files
================

.. meta::
   :description: The Indicators HTML and Indicators CSV files contain data on the indicators used in the strategy. These files are unique because they use two key functions:.

The **Indicators HTML** and **Indicators CSV** files contain data on the indicators used in the strategy. These files are unique because they use two key functions:

- **add_marker()**: Adds markers to the indicators. For more details, refer to `add_marker <../docs/strategy_methods.chart/strategies.strategy.Strategy.add_marker.html>`_.
- **add_line()**: Adds lines to the indicators. For more details, refer to `add_line <../docs/strategy_methods.chart/strategies.strategy.Strategy.add_line.html>`_.
- **add_ohlc()**: Adds OHLC (candlestick) bars to the indicators. For more details, refer to `add_ohlc <../docs/strategy_methods.chart/strategies.strategy.Strategy.add_ohlc.html>`_.

These functions help in visualizing how the indicators influenced the strategy's decisions and performance. Key information includes:

- **Indicator Values:** The values of each indicator at different points in time.

.. figure:: _html/images/indicators_example.png
   :alt: Indicators example
   :width: 600px
   :align: center

Shown in full with attribution under the source's licence. Licence: GPL-3.0

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