TradingLab Trade Panel Pro – User Manual

TradingLab Trade Panel Pro – User Manual

Introduction

TradingLab Trade Panel Pro is a comprehensive MetaTrader 5 (MT5) Expert Advisor designed to enhance your trading experience with advanced order management, risk control, and automated trading features. This panel provides an intuitive interface for executing trades, managing positions, and protecting your account from excessive drawdowns.

Key Features

• Advanced Order Placement – Visual drag-and-drop order placement directly on the chart
• Risk Management – Automated lot sizing based on risk percentage and stop loss
• Position Management – Partial closes, break-even, reverse, and bulk closing options
• Stealth Orders – Virtual orders with hidden stop loss and take profit levels
• Trailing Stops – Multiple trailing stop modes (Simple, Candle High/Low, ATR-Based)
• Drawdown Protection – Automatic position closure when daily loss limits are breached
• Rollover Management – Automated position closing/reopening to avoid swap charges
• Economic Calendar – High-impact news events displayed on your chart
• Sound Alerts – Audio notifications for order fills, spread warnings, and more
• Dark/Light Themes – Customize the panel appearance to your preference

Installation

Step 1: Copy Files

1. Open your MetaTrader 5 data folder (File → Open Data Folder)
2. Navigate to MQL5\Experts\
3. Copy the TradingLab Trade Panel Pro.ex5 file to this folder

Step 2: Attach to Chart

1. Drag the EA from the Navigator onto any chart
2. Set “Allow AutoTrading” to Yes
3. Click OK to attach the panel

Interface Overview

The trading panel consists of five main tabs, each providing access to specific trading functions. The panel can be collapsed for a cleaner view and supports both dark and light themes.

Tab Navigation

Trade Tab

The Trade Tab is your primary interface for placing new orders. It combines risk management controls with order placement buttons.

Risk Management Section

Located at the top of the Trade Tab, this section helps you calculate appropriate position sizes based on your risk tolerance.

Quick Risk Buttons

Three preset risk buttons allow instant risk configuration:

• 0.5% – Conservative risk per trade
• 1% – Moderate risk per trade (default)
• 2% – Aggressive risk per trade

Risk Slider

For precise risk percentage adjustment:

• Range: 0.1% to 10%
• Function: Drag the slider or click on the bar to set your desired risk percentage
• The lot size will automatically recalculate based on your risk setting and stop loss distance

R:R Ratio (Reward to Risk)

The Reward-to-Risk ratio determines your potential profit relative to your potential loss:

• Input Field: Enter a value between 0.1 and 20.0
• Lock Icon: When unlocked, adjusting stop loss will automatically adjust take profit. When locked, both levels move together proportionally.
• Default: 2.0 (2:1 ratio)

Lot Size Display

Shows the calculated lot size based on:

• Your selected risk percentage
• Distance to your stop loss
• Account balance and symbol specifications

You can manually override the calculated lot size by entering a custom value.

Potential Risk/Reward Display

Two displays show your potential outcomes:

• Risk ($): Shown in red – your potential loss if the stop loss is hit
• Reward ($): Shown in green – your potential profit if take profit is reached

Order Placement Section

The main order placement area contains:

Buy and Sell Buttons

• BUY Button (Green): Places a market buy order or sets up buy pending orders
• SELL Button (Red): Places a market sell order or sets up sell pending orders

Execution Mode Toggle

Two mode buttons control order execution:

• MARKET Mode: Orders execute immediately at current market price
• PENDING Mode: Orders are placed as pending orders (Buy Stop, Sell Stop, Buy Limit, Sell Limit)

When in PENDING mode, additional controls appear:

• EXECUTE Button: Activates the pending order setup on the chart
• CANCEL Button: Cancels the pending order setup

Market Watch Section

The Market Watch panel displays:

• Live bid/ask prices for multiple symbols
• Click any symbol to switch your focus to that instrument
• Color-coded price changes (if enabled in terminal settings)

Positions Tab

The Positions Tab provides comprehensive management of your open trades and market exposure.

Position Management Section

All open positions for the current symbol are displayed with the following controls:

Partial Close Buttons

Close a portion of your position without exiting entirely:

• 25% – Closes one-quarter of the position
• 50% – Closes half of the position
• 75% – Closes three-quarters of the position

Bulk Action Buttons

• CLOSE ALL (Red): Closes all positions for the current symbol immediately
• BREAK EVEN (Orange): Moves the stop loss to the entry price, eliminating risk
• REVERSE (Blue): Closes the current position and opens an equivalent position in the opposite direction
• CLOSE WINNERS (Green): Closes only profitable positions
• CLOSE LOSERS (Red): Closes only losing positions

Exposure Section

The exposure panel shows aggregated position data across all symbols:

Per-Symbol Controls

• Close Button (X): Closes all positions for that specific symbol
• CLOSE ALL POSITIONS: Closes all open positions across all symbols

Stealth Tab

The Stealth Tab enables virtual order management, allowing you to place orders with hidden stop loss and take profit levels that brokers cannot see.

Stealth Mode Section

Enable/Disable Toggle

When enabled, the stealth mode creates pending orders that:

• Trigger without revealing your intended stop loss and take profit levels
• Execute virtual SL/TP levels once the position is opened
• Protect your trading strategy from broker observation

Virtual Orders Section

A table displays all active virtual orders with the following information:

Virtual Order Controls

• Delete (X): Removes an individual virtual order
• CANCEL ALL VIRTUAL ORDERS: Removes all pending virtual orders

OCO Orders (One-Cancels-Other)

To create OCO orders:

1. Place two pending orders in opposite directions
2. When one order triggers, the other is automatically cancelled
3. Both orders share the same virtual SL/TP levels

Options Tab

The Options Tab contains all configuration settings for customizing the trading panel behavior.

Trailing Stop Section (Collapsible)

Trailing stops automatically move your stop loss to lock in profits as price moves in your favor.

Trailing Mode Dropdown

Simple Trailing Settings

• Trail (pips): Distance in pips to trail the stop loss
• Activate (pips): Price movement required before trailing begins

Candle High/Low Settings

• Trail (pips): Buffer distance beyond the candle high/low
• Lookback: Number of candles to consider for the high/low calculation

ATR-Based Settings

• Trail (pips): Base ATR distance
• Multiplier: ATR multiple for the trailing distance
• Lookback: ATR calculation period

News Section (Collapsible)

Economic Calendar

The panel fetches high-impact news events from the ForexFactory API:

• Enable/Disable Toggle: Turn calendar integration on or off
• News Lines Toggle: Draws vertical lines on the chart at news event times
• Update Interval: How often to refresh calendar data

Visual Indicators

• Red Lines: High-impact news events
• Hover Information: News details when hovering over lines
• Warning Distance: Alerts when price approaches news time

Theme Section (Collapsible)

Theme Toggle

• Dark Mode: Dark background with light text (default)
• Light Mode: Light background with dark text

Sound Alerts Section (Collapsible)

Configure audio notifications for trading events:

Master Enable

Toggle all sound alerts on or off.

Individual Alert Types

Volume Slider

Adjust the volume level for all sound alerts (0-100).

Spread Threshold

Enter the spread level (in pips) that triggers the spread warning alert.

Equity Tab

The Equity Tab provides drawdown protection and rollover management features to protect your account.

Drawdown Protection Section

Current Daily Loss Display

Shows your current drawdown as a percentage of your starting daily equity.

Daily Loss Limit

• Input Field: Enter the maximum daily loss percentage allowed
• Default: 5% (recommended range: 3-10%)
• When breached, all positions are automatically closed

Equity Floor

• Input Field: Enter an absolute equity level that triggers protection
• Useful for accounts with frequent deposits/withdrawals

AUTO-CLOSE Toggle

When enabled:

1. Automatically closes all positions when limits are breached
2. Displays a warning notification
3. Prevents further trading until the next trading day

Rollover Section

The rollover feature helps manage positions through weekend closures:

Enable/Disable Toggle

Activates automated position rollover management.

Close Time

• Input Format: HH:MM (24-hour format)
• Example: “22:00” closes positions at 10 PM

Reopen Time

• Input Format: HH:MM (24-hour format)
• Example: “00:05” reopens positions at 12:05 AM Sunday

Rollover Process

1. At Close Time: All positions are closed with stored parameters (lots, type, SL/TP in pips)
2. During rollover: Positions remain flat, no exposure
3. At Reopen Time: Same positions are reopened with original SL/TP levels
4. Benefit: Avoids weekend swap charges while maintaining market exposure

Chart Visual Order Placement

The TradingLab panel provides an innovative visual order placement system directly on your price chart.

Visual Components

When placing an order, three horizontal lines appear on the chart:

Visual Panels

Above each line is a panel displaying:

• Current price level
• Distance in pips from entry
• Potential profit/loss in currency

Interaction

1. Click and Drag: Click on any line and drag to adjust the level
2. Real-Time Updates: Panels update instantly as you drag
3. Chart Scale Sync: Lines maintain correct positions when zooming
4. Scroll Wheel: Adjust line position with mouse wheel when hovering

Order Types

Line Appearance

• Solid Lines: Active order placement mode
• Dashed Lines: Orders placed, awaiting execution
• Filled Areas: Shaded regions between entry and SL/TP

Hotkeys

When hotkeys are enabled, use keyboard shortcuts for quick actions:

Configuration

Hotkeys are disabled by default. To enable:

1. Go to Options Tab → expand General section
2. Toggle “Enable Hotkeys” to ON
3. Configure custom key bindings if needed

Configuration Settings

These settings are configured when attaching the EA to a chart.

General Settings

Risk Settings

Spread Settings

Trailing Stop Defaults

Troubleshooting

Panel Not Appearing

1. Check if AutoTrading is enabled (top toolbar in MT5)
2. Right-click chart → Templates → Save Default Template
3. Try attaching the EA to a different chart
4. Check the Expert Advisors log for errors

Orders Not Executing

1. Verify AutoTrading is enabled
2. Check margin sufficiency
3. Ensure market is open for the symbol
4. Check for requotes or broker execution delays
5. Verify no automated trading restrictions

Trailing Stop Not Working

1. Confirm trailing mode is enabled in Options Tab
2. Check that “Activate Pips” distance has been reached
3. Verify the symbol supports trailing stops
4. Check for broker restrictions on SL modification

Sound Alerts Not Playing

1. Check master volume on your computer
2. Verify Sound Alerts are enabled in Options Tab
3. Check individual alert types are enabled
4. Ensure MT5 has permission to play sounds
5. Try changing the volume slider and toggling alerts

Virtual Orders Not Hiding SL/TP

1. Confirm Stealth Mode is enabled
2. Virtual orders hide SL/TP from broker order window
3. Actual execution will still honor those levels
4. Check virtual orders table in Stealth Tab

Economic Calendar Not Loading

1. Verify internet connection
2. Check ForexFactory website accessibility
3. Try adjusting the update interval
4. Restart the EA to refresh calendar data

High CPU Usage

1. Reduce chart history loaded
2. Disable unnecessary visual features
3. Close extra chart windows
4. Limit the number of symbols in Market Watch

Tips and Best Practices

Risk Management

1. Never risk more than 1-2% per trade
2. Always use stop losses on every trade
3. Use R:R ratios of at least 1:2
4. Review and adjust daily loss limits regularly

Panel Organization

1. Save different EA configurations for different strategies
2. Use color-coded templates for different timeframes
3. Keep the panel expanded when actively trading
4. Collapse when analyzing charts only

Performance Optimization

1. Limit the number of open charts with the panel
2. Disable unused alerts and notifications
3. Use reasonable ATR lookback periods
4. Avoid excessive rollover reopening frequency

Support