Lags between Alerts"

[shaeffer]

Please excuse me reposting this (from the Oscillators sub-forum) but the Sticky there says I should have posted here? I think.
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While using FWguideMACD.efs in a 5 minuter chart, I'll sometimes see 8 alerts in a row, seconds apart, all for the same symbol. I assume this is caused by the signal and MACD curves not making a clean quick cross, but instead crossing up, then down, then up, then down etc. Is there a way to prevent subsequent alerts until say 30 seconds after the previous alert?

Thanks
shaeffer

[eSignal_JasonK]

Hello shaeffer,

All you need to do is add setComputeOnClose(); to the preMain() function. Let me know if that does the trick for you.

[shaeffer]

MACD Crossover Alert

Originally posted by JasonK
All you need to do is add setComputeOnClose(); to the preMain() function. Let me know if that does the trick for you.

That did the trick Jason, thanks. Its a huge improvement over the multiple signals I got before. I edited the efs to insert this, because I couldn't see how the Wizard could do this - can it?.

My only suggestion for improvement is that the alert be generated the moment the crossing first occurs (then can't trigger again until the next bar time period). In the case of very strong crossings (big histogram bar), a large price move can occur before the alert is triggered. The downside to this would be that maybe the Xover doesn't occur by the end of the time period, so the alert would have been false. But that's fine - being alerted earlier so the trade decision can be made is more important. Again, your suggestion was a great improvement, and although the above may be fine tuning, it would have practical trading advantage. Is a one time alert within a time period possible?

In that efs, I think maybe the '>' and '<' operators are backwards. When the 'faster' MACD line crosses up thru the 'slower' Signal line that should generate an UP alert I think, not a Down alert per the existing efs. If I'm wrong could you let me know?

Interesting that the existing efs mixes exponential MACD curves with a simple Signal curve. In my charts, I use all exponential, in which case the simple Signal line sometimes resulted in alerts two histogram bars after the crossing. That's all user preference, but just thought I mention it if it matters to other eSignal users.

Cheers
shaeffer