Inputs and variables section in strategy builder

[DayTradingDEMON]

Could someone clarify how to use this small section in strategy builder? I watched the video on Ninja Traer youtube but the moderator was stuttering a lot and was not very clear on the input and variable section. I remember him saying that a double is a number with a decimal. What is a bool, string, int and time? Does int stand for integer?

[NinjaTrader_Gaby]

Hello DayTradingDEMON,

Thank you for your post.

This section can be used to create variables or user-defined inputs that you can use within your strategy. This Help Guide page provides an overview:

https://ninjatrader.com/support/helpGuides/nt8/index.html?builder_screens.htm#UnderstandingTheInputsAndVariablesScreen

What is a bool, string, int and time? Does int stand for integer?

Yes, int does stand for integer. Time is just what it sounds like, it allows you to specify a time.

As for bool, string, and int, I recommend reading this article on basic C# data types.

https://www.w3schools.com/cs/cs_data_types.php

Please let us know if you have any further questions.

[DayTradingDEMON]

OK thank you Gaby! I will check these out once the market closes. Thank you so much for getting back to me!

[DayTradingDEMON]

OK this was helpful. Is there any way you can also explain whats going on here:

[NinjaTrader_Gaby]

Hello DayTradingDEMON,

Can you elaborate on what in these screenshots you would like an explanation about? It looks like the set up for an int input and a bool variable.

[DayTradingDEMON]

I just wanna confirm what I am looking at. Is this a 20 MA on the 2 minute for input? And what is the bool under the variable being false mean

[NinjaTrader_Gaby]

Hello,

The MAPeriod is user defined input that has the default value defined as 20 and the minimum value allowed is 2. "Min" does not mean "minute" in this context- it means "minimum".

And what is the bool under the variable being false mean

This just means the strategy has defined a bool variable with the default value being false. A bool can either be true or false.

[DayTradingDEMON]

So would this mean that this trade is gonna work between 20 and 2 MA? And if the bool is false, does that mean this is not gonna go through if price is between the 20 and 2

[DayTradingDEMON]

Im trying to figure out what the inputs and variables section is for overall. I understand the conditions section but this is the one section that I am not fully understanding.

[NinjaTrader_Gaby]

Hello,

This screen is not saying anything about how the trades will work. This screen is only for defining user inputs and variables, that can be used within the strategy.

It depends on how your strategy actually uses these inputs and variable that will determine the conditions for how the trades will work.

From the Help Guide:

"The Inputs and Variables screen allows you to define the user inputs of your strategy. User inputs are important if you require input values that may vary the performance of your strategy. If for example you have a simple moving average cross over system, you may want to create an input for the fast moving average and another for the slow moving average"

https://ninjatrader.com/support/helpGuides/nt8/index.html?builder_screens.htm#UnderstandingTheInputsAndVariablesScreen

I recommend you watch this video on the Strategy Builder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxU4FR6GWNA&list=PL3-s3qsUnfLSC7zCAc5ZmVnauWXkWe0Nf&index=12

[DayTradingDEMON]

Going back to the MA snap shot, is it saying the 20 MA looking back 2 bars? Im watching this Ninja Trader video right now and am somewhat understanding more: Automate Your Trading with NinjaTrader's Strategy Builder (youtube.com)

[DayTradingDEMON]

Btw thank you for your patience and helping me with this! I am going to get this all down

[NinjaTrader_Gaby]

Hello,

This is just a user input which the user can change when setting up the strategy's parameters.

is it saying the 20 MA looking back 2 bars?

No, an Input is not setting up an actual indicator. MAPeriod is simply an input that a user can choose, the screenshot shows that 20 is the default value, and 2 is the minimum value that the user can choose. This is not referencing 2 bars back or 2 minutes, it is the minimum value the user can choose for the MAPeriod.

MAPeriod is not an indicator, you can see in the screenshot it is of type "int" meaning integer. All it is doing is storing the value of a number which is input by the user.

This user input can then be used in your strategy. Presumably, this MAPeriod input is going to be used as the input for the Period parameter of an SMA indicator later in the video.

Please let us know if you have any further questions.

[DayTradingDEMON]

ok thank you Gaby. I am going to work on this shortly and finish watching the video then get back to you folks.

[DayTradingDEMON]

So this input screen if I am understanding it correctly, is smart enough to put info under Name? An example would be if I want RSI crossing a level would I write RSICrossingBelowAvg, then put int then select 70 if thats the level im using then do I leave min at 1? Then would I put a bool variable to say yes do this and put true? I understand the part with the profit target and stops