LT Envelope EA
Complete walkthrough of all inputs for the LT Envelope EA: reversal and trend strategies, Envelope indicator configuration, trade execution, account protection, and all available filters.
These inputs configure the Envelope indicator and select the trading strategy. Envelopes are percentage-based bands drawn above and below a moving average. Unlike Bollinger Bands they use a fixed percentage deviation rather than standard deviation, making them consistent regardless of volatility.
EA Trading Strategy
enumENV_ReversalSelects the Envelope trading strategy.
| Strategy | Signal logic |
|---|---|
| ENV_Reversal | Buy when price touches the lower envelope band (mean-reversion buy); Sell when price touches the upper envelope band (mean-reversion sell) |
| ENV_Trend | Buy when price breaks above the upper band (trend-following buy); Sell when price breaks below the lower band (trend-following sell) |
Close Trades on Opposite Direction Signal
boolfalseWhen true, an opposite Envelope signal closes the existing position before opening the new one.
Reverse Trade Signal
boolfalseInverts all Envelope strategy signals.
Envelope Time Frame
enumPERIOD_CURRENTTimeframe for the Envelope indicator calculation.
Envelope Period
int14Number of bars for the Envelope moving average. Controls how reactive the central MA and bands are.
Envelope Shift
int0Horizontal bar shift for the Envelope indicator. 0 means no offset.
Envelope MA Method
enumMODE_SMAMoving average type for the Envelope center line: SMA, EMA, SMMA (Wilder), or LWMA.
Envelope Applied Price
enumPRICE_CLOSEThe price type used for the Envelope MA calculation.
Envelope Deviation (%)
double0.100The percentage deviation that places the upper and lower bands above and below the central MA. 0.1 means the upper band is at MA + 0.1% and the lower band at MA - 0.1%. Increase on higher-volatility instruments or wider timeframes where 0.1% is too tight.
The correct deviation varies widely by instrument and timeframe. On Forex majors on H1, 0.1%-0.3% is typical. On stock indices or commodities on Daily, 1%-3% may be more appropriate.
These inputs define which instrument the EA trades and whether it uses a real or virtual account balance for lot-size calculations.
EA Name
stringLT EAThe internal name displayed on the chart and in log messages. Changing this lets you run two instances of the same EA on the same chart with different settings without naming conflicts.
Type of Symbol
enumNChartSelects whether the EA trades the chart symbol (NChart) or a custom symbol entered in the Trading Symbol field (CChart). Use CChart to trade a different instrument from the one the EA is attached to.
| Option | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| NChart | Trades the chart symbol automatically |
| CChart | Trades the symbol entered in Trading Symbol |
Trading Symbol
stringEURUSDThe symbol the EA will trade when Type of Symbol is set to CChart. Enter the exact symbol name as it appears in your broker's Market Watch (e.g EURUSD, XAUUSD, US30).
Use a Virtual Balance
boolfalseWhen enabled the EA uses the value in EA Virtual Balance for lot-size risk calculations instead of the real account equity. Useful for testing fixed-lot scenarios on a live account without changing real risk.
EA Virtual Balance
int1000The virtual account balance (in account currency) used when Use a Virtual Balance is enabled. Has no effect when Use a Virtual Balance is false.
Core execution parameters: which timeframe the EA reads signals on, trade direction, lot sizing, stop loss and take profit modes, and position management options.
Working timeframe
enumPERIOD_CURRENTThe timeframe the EA uses to read indicator values and generate signals. PERIOD_CURRENT means the EA reads the chart timeframe. Changing this lets you run a higher-timeframe strategy on a lower-timeframe chart.
Trade direction
enumbuy_sellRestricts which side the EA can open. Set to buy to only go long, sell to only go short, or buy_sell to trade both directions.
| Option | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| buy | Opens Buy positions only |
| sell | Opens Sell positions only |
| buy_sell | Opens both Buy and Sell positions |
Search signals on ...
enumbar_1Determines which bar the EA reads for entry signals. bar_1 uses the last fully closed bar (no repainting). bar_0 reads the live forming bar for faster signals at the cost of potential repainting.
bar_1 is the safer default for live trading. bar_0 is useful for scalping strategies where speed matters more than repainting protection.
Money management
enumriskSelects how the EA calculates the lot size for each trade.
| Option | Lot calculation |
|---|---|
| lots_min | Always trades the broker minimum lot |
| lot | Uses the fixed lot size set in Lot Size or Risk in Percentage |
| risk | Calculates lot size so the risk equals the percentage set in Lot Size or Risk in Percentage |
Lot Size or Risk in Percentage
double3.0Interpreted based on the Money management setting. When money management is lot, this is the fixed lot size. When it is risk, this is the percentage of account balance to risk per trade (requires a valid Stop Loss to be set).
Stop Loss Mode
enumSL_FIXEDSelects how the stop loss distance is calculated.
| Mode | Calculation |
|---|---|
| SL_FIXED | Uses the fixed number of points set in Fixed Stop Loss (points) |
| SL_RISK | Calculates a stop distance based on the Risk-Based Stop Loss (% of balance) |
Fixed Stop Loss (points)
uint0The stop loss distance in points when Stop Loss Mode is SL_FIXED. Set to 0 to disable the stop loss entirely. A point is the smallest price increment (e.g. 1 point on EURUSD = 0.00001).
Trading without a stop loss (value 0) exposes the account to unlimited drawdown if the market moves against the position.
Risk-Based Stop Loss (% of balance)
double1.0Active when Stop Loss Mode is SL_RISK. The EA calculates a stop distance such that losing the trade would cost this percentage of the account balance.
Take Profit Mode
enumTP_FIXEDSelects how the take profit distance is calculated.
| Mode | Calculation |
|---|---|
| TP_FIXED | Uses the fixed number of points set in Fixed Take Profit (points) |
| TP_RR | Sets the take profit as a multiple of the stop loss distance |
Fixed Take Profit (points)
uint0The take profit distance in points when Take Profit Mode is TP_FIXED. Set to 0 to disable the take profit.
Risk-Reward Ratio (TP = SL x RR)
double2.0Active when Take Profit Mode is TP_RR. The take profit is set at Stop Loss distance multiplied by this value. A value of 2.0 means the take profit is twice the stop loss distance.
Virtual Levels (hide SL/TP from broker)
boolfalseWhen enabled the EA manages stop loss and take profit internally without sending them to the broker. The broker sees positions with no SL/TP, which can prevent stop hunting on some brokers.
Draw Levels on Chart (requires Virtual Levels)
boolfalseWhen Virtual Levels is enabled and this is true, the EA draws horizontal lines on the chart at the virtual SL and TP levels so you can see them visually.
Only one Position
boolfalseWhen true the EA will not open a new position if one is already open on the symbol. Prevents pyramiding or stacking multiple positions from repeated signals.
Reverse All Trade Signal Combined
boolfalseInverts the final combined signal after all filters are applied. A Buy signal becomes a Sell and vice versa. Useful for testing counter-trend approaches without modifying the strategy logic.
Close opposite of All Trade Signal Combined
booltrueWhen true, receiving a Buy signal will close any open Sell positions (and vice versa) before opening the new position. Keeps the EA from holding conflicting positions simultaneously.
Two-level risk management system. Account Level monitors the overall account and closes positions when drawdown or profit thresholds are reached. Symbol Level does the same but scoped to the current trading symbol only.
Protection based on the account trades
boolfalseMaster switch for Account Level protection. When enabled the EA monitors overall account equity and closes positions automatically when the risk or profit percentage thresholds below are breached.