Tutorial - Run your first EA

Welcome to the official EA Builder Pro - How to run your first EA - tutorial. You can have your first trading bot (EA) up and running on your desktop computer within the next 30 minutes, simply by following this step-by-step tutorial.

If you already have MT installed and downloaded your EA, you can skip to Get EA ready to run.

Getting MetaTrader set up

Every broker has an unique MetaTrader installer. We will create an account and install MetaTrader with Switch Markets. If you're unsure about why you should create an account with Switch Markets, please read why you should. If you are convinced, go ahead and Sign up.

After you've clicked the link, you'll see a sign up page. From our experience, you won't be contacted by their sales department, a practice common among many brokers. You will get e-mails though.

Next, you will be asked to upload some additional documents. You won't need a credit card to create an account and start testing your EA's, but if you decide to deposit you do get great free bonusses, as discussed before.

Once you are logged in, click 'Downloads' and select your OS and MetaTrader version. We recommend choosing MT5.

After finishing the installer, you can start MetaTrader 5. You'll be asked to login. You'll acquire the log in credentials in the next step.

Go back to Switch Markets website. You can now create a Demo account (and when ready a Live account). Choose Standard account if you don't want to pay commissions when trading, but you do accept a larger spread. Choose Pro (ECN) when you want minimum spread and you do accept to pay a commission per lot. The choice depends on to which type your EA is optimized. We prefer a Pro account.

You will see a message 'Your account [Account number] has been successfully created', with a password. You'll also get this information in your e-mail. You need the account number and password to login in MetaTrader. Go and do that now. When done, you'll see the charts are loading up and the platform is ready for, at the moment, (manual) trading only. We will adjust that in a moment.

Create an EA using EA Builder Pro

Now we're going to download an EA and 'run' it. You don't yet need to create your own perfect EA creation, you can simply add one of our template EA's, download it and run it.

Open our webtool and click the '+ Add Expert Advisor' button. Choose any template, but do not Choose 'Empty template', or you'll get an EA which doesn't do anything. Instead, for example choose the 'AMA Failed Breakout' EA for MT5.

You now have an EA, which can be edited to your needs. For now we're just going to export your EA and compile the file. Click 'Export to MetaTrader 5', then click 'EA MQL', which downloads the EA's source file.

Now double-click the downloaded file. MetaEditor will open the file.

Make sure the file is moved to the correct folder by MetaTrader. MT5 always seems to do this correctly. MT4 sometimes opens the file in the folder where it was opened (for example the Downloads folder). If the file is not in the correct folder, follow these steps: In MetaTrader, go to 'File', 'Open Data Folder'. Open the 'MQL4' folder, then the 'Experts' folder. Move the file you downloaded. Re-open the file by double clicking it.

You can now 'compile' the file by clicking the Compile button. Now the EA is ready to run.

Get EA ready to run

We're almost there. Before you can run your EA, you're going to allow MetaTrader to trade automatically using EA's.

For MT4

1. In MetaTrader 4, go to 'Tools', 'Options' and open the 'Expert Advisors' tab.
2. Make sure the 'Allow automated trading' checkbox is enabled. Mind you that if you leave the 'Disable ...' checkboxes enabled, the EA will be disabled automatically when you perform these actions. It's entirely up to you if you want that to happen.

   

3. click the 'OK' button.

For MT5

1. In MetaTrader 5, go to 'Tools', 'Options' and open the 'Expert Advisors' tab.
2. Make sure the 'Allow automated trading checkbox is enabled. Mind you that if you leave the 'Disable ...' checkboxes enabled, the EA will be disabled automatically when you perform these actions. It's entirely up to you if you want that to happen.

   

3. click the 'OK' button.

You're ready to run your EA! In MetaTrader, look at the 'Tester' (when using MT4) or 'Strategy Tester' (MT5) panel. If the panel is not visible and you don't know how to open the panels, please go to 'View' and select 'Tester' or 'Strategy Tester'. Next, select your EA, Enable 'Visual mode with the display of charts, ...' to get the full experience of seeing what the EA is doing. Although this is best for getting a detailed look on what the EA is doing, it is much slower than running the EA with the option disabled.

If you don't see your EA in the list of EA's, please make sure you compiled the EA (see above). Also, you may have to refresh the list of 'Expert Advisors' in the Navigator panel.

Run backtest

You are now ready to create your own EA and test it following the same steps. You can also improve your trading skills by getting the free (coaching) bonusses and utilizing that to become a better trader. Also, improve your EA building skills by going through our EA Builder Pro deep dive tutorial.

Run your EA on a chart (Demo/ Live)

Now that we know the EA works, we're also going to run it on a real-time chart. You'll want to do this later for your own EA when you're going to verify if your EA runs well during real-time trading. Here are the steps to run your EA on a real-time chart:

For MT4

1. You can now drag-and-drop your EA, from the Navigator panel on the chart.
2. When the EA window pops up, please verify that in the 'Common' tab the 'Allow live trading' checkbox is enabled.

   

3. Click the 'OK' button.
4. Verify that in the top right corner of the chart you see a happy face.

   

5. If you don't see a happy face, please open the 'Terminal' panel and look at both the 'Experts' tab and the 'Journal' tab for any error message which will tell you why the EA isn't running.

For MT5

1. You can now drag-and-drop your EA, from the Navigator panel on the chart.
2. When the EA window pops up, please verify that in the 'Common' tab the 'Allow Algo Trading' checkbox is enabled.

   

3. Click the 'OK' button.
4. Verify that in the top right corner of the chart you see a blue hat. If it's gray, the EA is disabled.

   

5. If you don't see a happy face, please open the 'Terminal' panel and look at both the 'Experts' tab and the 'Journal' tab for any error message which will tell you why the EA isn't running.

Having Trouble Running Your EA?

If you're experiencing difficulties with your EA, fear not! We've got you covered. Follow these simple steps:

1. Check the Troubleshooting Page: Head over to our troubleshooting page for detailed guidance. You might find a solution to your issue right there. Common problems and their fixes are listed to make your troubleshooting experience smooth and hassle-free.
2. Reach Out and Contact us: Still encountering issues after following the troubleshooting steps? Don't hesitate to get in touch with us directly. Our support team is here to assist you. Simply drop us a message detailing the problem you're facing, and we'll respond within 24 hours with personalized assistance.

Remember, your satisfaction is our priority. We're committed to ensuring that your experience with our EA is nothing short of excellent. So, whether it's a minor hiccup or a more complex issue, we're here to help you every step of the way.