Technology and Entertainment › Learn MQL5 Programming – Beginner’s Guide to Automated Trading in MetaTrader 5
MQL5 (MetaQuotes Language 5) is a programming language developed by MetaQuotes Software Corp. It is designed for creating automated trading systems (EAs) and technical indicators on the MetaTrader 5 (MT5) platform — one of the most popular platforms for trading Forex, commodities, and other financial assets.
MQL5 is similar to C++ but is specifically tailored for trading applications. It supports complex algorithmic strategies with high performance and execution speed.
Learning MQL5 is highly beneficial for traders who wish to build and test their own strategies. Official documentation and community resources are available on the MetaQuotes and MT5 websites.
Now that you understand what MQL5 can do, let’s start learning the basics step-by-step — beginning with variable declarations.
Variables must be declared at the beginning of the code before being used. Each variable name must be unique. Variables store data that the program uses during execution.
char, short, int, long, uchar, ushort, uint, ulong – integer typescolor – represents a specific color valuedatetime – stores date and timebool – stores true or false valuesdouble – double-precision floating-point numberfloat – single-precision floating-point numberstring – stores text or character sequencesExample of variable declaration:
color default_font_color = clrWhite;
string msgLine = "";
double rsiValue;
string symbol = Symbol();
bool alert_RSI_90 = false;