Trade Assistant MT4 / MT5 Detailed User Guide 1. Purpose of the Program Trade Assistant MT4 / MT5 is a trading panel for manual trading in MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. The panel is designed for: - trade risk calculation; - position size calculation; - visual trade planning; - setting Entry, Stop Loss, and Take Profit levels; - opening market and pending orders; - basic open position management; - moving Stop Loss to breakeven; - partial position closing; - closing a position on the current symbol. Trade Assistant is not a signal system. It does not forecast market direction and does not make trading decisions for the user. All decisions regarding entry, exit, and position management are made by the trader. 2. Installation in MetaTrader 4 1. Open MetaTrader 4. 2. In the top menu, select File -> Open Data Folder. 3. Go to MQL4 -> Experts. 4. Copy the Trade Assistant MT4 file into this folder. 5. Restart MetaTrader 4 or right-click inside the Navigator window and select Refresh. 6. Find the Expert Advisor in the Expert Advisors section. 7. Drag the Expert Advisor onto the required chart. 8. In the settings, enable Allow live trading. 9. Enable AutoTrading on the terminal toolbar. 3. Installation in MetaTrader 5 1. Open MetaTrader 5. 2. In the top menu, select File -> Open Data Folder. 3. Go to MQL5 -> Experts. 4. Copy the Trade Assistant MT5 file into this folder. 5. Restart MetaTrader 5 or click Refresh in the Navigator window. 6. Find the Expert Advisor in the Expert Advisors section. 7. Drag the Expert Advisor onto the required chart. 8. In the settings, enable Allow Algo Trading. 9. Enable Algo Trading on the terminal toolbar. 4. Initial Setup After attaching the panel to the chart, check the following: - trading is allowed in the terminal; - trading is allowed in the Expert Advisor settings; - the correct symbol is selected; - there is enough account balance or margin; - trading operations are available from the broker; - trading is not disabled for the current instrument; - Stop Loss and Take Profit are not too close to the current price; - the lot size complies with the broker’s minimum, maximum, and step requirements. Before using the panel on a real account, it is recommended to test it on a demo account. 5. Main Workflow Logic The panel works as an assistant for preparing a trade. Typical workflow: 1. Select the trade direction: Buy or Sell. 2. Select the trade type: Market, Stop, or Limit. 3. Specify the Entry level if a pending order is used. 4. Specify Stop Loss. 5. Specify Take Profit. 6. Select the risk calculation mode. 7. Enter the risk value. 8. Check the calculated lot size. 9. Check the risk, potential profit, and Risk / Reward ratio. 10. Click the button to open the trade or place the pending order. 6. Risk Calculation Modes The panel can calculate risk in several ways. Available options: - Fixed amount — a fixed amount in the deposit currency; - Balance % — percentage of account balance; - Equity % — percentage of account equity; - Free Margin % — percentage of free margin; - Custom base amount % — percentage of a custom base amount. Example: If the account balance is 10,000 USD and the selected risk is 1% of Balance, the maximum calculated risk for the trade will be 100 USD. 7. Lot Calculation The lot size is calculated based on: - selected risk; - distance from Entry to Stop Loss; - tick value; - tick size; - minimum lot; - maximum lot; - lot step; - commission, if specified; - trading instrument parameters. If Stop Loss is missing or placed incorrectly, lot calculation may be impossible. For correct risk calculation, always specify Stop Loss. 8. Entry, Stop Loss, and Take Profit Lines The panel can display the main trade levels on the chart: - Entry — entry price; - Stop Loss — risk limitation level; - Take Profit — profit target level. The lines help visually prepare the trade before entering the market. You can: - change values in the panel; - move the lines directly on the chart; - synchronize the values using the Sync Lines button, if this function is available in your version. 9. Risk / Reward Mode The Risk / Reward mode allows Take Profit to be calculated relative to Stop Loss. Example: - R/SL = 1; - R/TP = 3. This means that Take Profit will be placed at a distance three times greater than the Stop Loss distance. This mode is useful for traders who use a fixed risk-to-reward ratio, such as 1:2, 1:3, or 1:5. 10. Visual Trade Map The visual trade map helps evaluate the position structure before entry. It may display: - risk zone; - potential profit zone; - Entry; - Stop Loss; - Take Profit; - calculated lot size; - potential loss; - potential profit; - Risk / Reward. This function helps the trader quickly understand whether the trade meets their risk management rules. 11. Opening Market Orders Market Buy opens a buy trade at the current market price. Market Sell opens a sell trade at the current market price. Before opening a trade, check: - trade direction; - lot size; - Stop Loss; - Take Profit; - acceptable spread; - broker trading restrictions; - whether trading is enabled in the terminal. 12. Placing Pending Orders The panel may support the following pending order types: - Buy Stop; - Sell Stop; - Buy Limit; - Sell Limit. Buy Stop is used when a buy entry is planned above the current price. Sell Stop is used when a sell entry is planned below the current price. Buy Limit is used when a buy entry is planned below the current price. Sell Limit is used when a sell entry is planned above the current price. Before placing a pending order, check that Entry is correctly positioned relative to the current price. 13. Breakeven The Breakeven function moves the Stop Loss of an open position to the entry level. Purpose: - reduce the initial risk; - lock the trade at breakeven; - protect the position after the price has moved in the expected direction. Before using Breakeven, make sure the price has moved far enough from the entry. Some brokers do not allow Stop Loss to be placed too close to the current price. 14. Partial Close / Close % The Partial Close or Close % function closes part of an open position. Usage examples: - close 25% of the position; - close 50% of the position; - partially take profit; - reduce exposure; - exit the trade gradually. Important: The remaining position volume must comply with the broker’s minimum lot requirements. If the remaining volume is lower than the minimum lot, the operation may be rejected. 15. Close The Close button closes open positions for the current symbol and Magic Number if your version uses Magic Number filtering. Before pressing Close, make sure you really want to close the position. 16. Magic Number Magic Number is used to identify orders opened by a specific Expert Advisor or panel. If you use multiple Expert Advisors or several copies of Trade Assistant, it is recommended to use different Magic Numbers. This helps the panel distinguish its own trades from trades opened by other Expert Advisors or manually. 17. Deviation / Slippage Deviation or Slippage defines the acceptable price deviation when executing an order. If the market is moving quickly, the actual execution price may differ from the requested price. A very small Deviation value may cause the order to be rejected. A very large value may result in execution at a less favorable price. 18. Recommended Workflow 1. Open the required chart. 2. Attach Trade Assistant to the chart. 3. Check that trading is enabled. 4. Select Buy or Sell. 5. Select Market, Stop, or Limit. 6. Set Entry, Stop Loss, and Take Profit. 7. Select the risk mode. 8. Enter the risk value. 9. Check the calculated lot size. 10. Check the risk and potential profit. 11. Check the Risk / Reward ratio. 12. Open the trade or place the pending order. 13. After opening a position, use Breakeven, Partial Close, or Close if necessary. 19. Differences Between MT4 and MT5 The general usage logic is the same for MT4 and MT5. The main differences are related to platform architecture: MetaTrader 4: - uses the MQL4 folder; - Expert Advisors are placed in MQL4/Experts; - the trading model is based on MT4 orders and positions; - the AutoTrading button is used. MetaTrader 5: - uses the MQL5 folder; - Expert Advisors are placed in MQL5/Experts; - may use netting or hedging accounts depending on the broker; - the Algo Trading button is used. If your broker uses a netting account in MT5, there is usually one combined position per symbol. If a hedging account is used, several separate positions may exist on the same symbol. 20. Important Limitations Trade Assistant: - is not a signal system; - does not guarantee profit; - does not protect against market risk; - does not open trades without the user’s command, except special test modes if they are included for Market validation; - depends on broker trading conditions; - depends on trading availability for the selected symbol; - requires a correct Stop Loss for accurate risk calculation. 21. Checks Before Publishing in the Market Before publishing the product in the Market, it is recommended to check: - there are no critical compilation errors; - correct operation on different symbols; - correct operation on different timeframes; - correct handling of insufficient margin; - correct handling of disabled trading; - correct handling of minimum lot; - correct handling of lot step; - correct handling of Stop Level; - at least one trading operation in the Strategy Tester if required by automatic Market validation; - no freezes or infinite loops; - correct removal of chart objects when the Expert Advisor is removed. 22. Common Problems Problem: buttons do not open trades. Check: - AutoTrading / Algo Trading is enabled; - trading is allowed in the Expert Advisor settings; - the market is open; - trading is allowed for the symbol; - there is enough margin; - the lot size is valid; - Stop Loss or Take Profit is not too close to the current price. Problem: lot size is not calculated. Check: - Stop Loss is specified; - Stop Loss is different from Entry; - symbol specification is available; - tick size and tick value are correct; - risk value is not zero. Problem: pending order is not placed. Check: - Entry is correctly positioned relative to the current price; - Stop Level requirements are met; - pending orders are allowed by the broker; - the trading session for the instrument is active. Problem: Breakeven does not work. Check: - there is an open position; - price has moved far enough; - the new Stop Loss is not too close to the current price; - the symbol matches; - the Magic Number matches, if filtering is used. 23. Safe Usage Recommendations - Start on a demo account. - Do not use excessive risk per trade. - Check Stop Loss before opening a trade. - Consider spread and commission. - Check broker trading conditions. - Avoid using the panel during major news events unless you understand the risk. - Before pressing Open, Place, Close, or Close %, check all trade parameters. - Do not rely only on automatic calculation — verify values manually. 24. Summary Trade Assistant MT4 / MT5 helps manual traders prepare trades faster, calculate risk, determine lot size, set Entry / Stop Loss / Take Profit levels, open orders, and perform basic position management. The tool is designed to simplify the trading process, but it does not replace a trading strategy, discipline, or risk control.