What is TradeScript?¶
TradeScript is a language for describing trading strategies. You write the instrument, schedule, position size, and rules for entering and exiting.
You do not need to learn Python to start. A strategy is a short text document, with named sections that read from top to bottom.
Begin with a trading rule¶
For example: “Buy TCS when RSI is above 50 and the shorter moving average is above the longer one. Exit when RSI falls below 45.”
//@version=1
symbol: TCS
run: daily
size: 5% of portfolio per instrument
entry:
long when: rsi(14) > 50 and ema(50) > ema(200)
exit:
long when: rsi(14) < 45
What you need to know¶
- Instrument: the symbol you want to trade.
- Schedule: how often you check your rules.
- Position size: how much to allocate when a rule opens a position.
- Entry and exit: conditions for opening and closing.
An indicator is a calculation over market data. rsi(14) means a 14-period RSI; ema(50) means a 50-period exponential moving average. A bar is one interval of price data. On daily data, 14 periods means 14 daily bars.
Learn or look up a detail¶
| If you want to… | Open… |
|---|---|
| Start from zero | Write your first strategy |
| Understand a script | Read and change a strategy |
| Check historical behaviour | Backtest your strategy |
| Find exact syntax | Language reference |
| Write in Python instead | Python guide |
Examples teach language and structure. They do not establish that a rule will make money.
What changes as you learn?¶
Start with one instrument and explicit rules. Once you can explain a trade, add protection, then decide whether multiple instruments should trade independently or share a budget.
| Strategy you want to describe | Shape to learn |
|---|---|
| Enter and exit one instrument on signals | symbol: with entry: / exit:. |
| Apply the same rules to a fixed list | universe: with conditional entries. |
| Maintain a selected portfolio | universe: with hold:. |
| Write imperative logic or custom Python calculations | The separate Python guide. |
A TradeScript file describes intent. A valid script still needs instruments, data, capital and execution support in the selected environment. You can learn the language using a draft and historical backtest before creating a running deployment.
A few terms you will meet¶
A condition is a true-or-false test. A lookback is the number of bars a calculation uses. A target is a desired quantity or allocation; a fill is an executed trade. A rebalance adjusts holdings toward a target portfolio. These distinctions explain why a signal can match without producing the exact holding you expected.
Start learning Write your first strategy →