using getGlobalValue to insure var is the same

[pj909]

I have 2 scripts. The 2nd script (in study pane) is using values from the 1st (in price pane) and I want to make sure the parameters are the same.

The script test2 uses efsExternal to call test1. I am using getGlobalValue to retrieve the parameter from test1 and use it in test2.

For example: test1 plots an SMA of nLen. Test2 tries to retrieve the nLen value via getGlobalValue("gMALen"). If the value of nLen changes (in test1) then test2 should be reloaded with the new nLen.

The problem is the study in test2 is not using the correct value for nLen. The var x0 is getting the proper value from the Global but that value is not being used by the efsExternal call.

// test1.efs plots an SMA on the price pane
var xStudy = null;
var bInit = false;
var aFPArray = new Array();

function preMain() {
    setPriceStudy(true);
    setCursorLabelName("MA", 0)
    x=0;
    aFPArray[x] = new FunctionParameter("nLen", FunctionParameter.NUMBER);
    with( aFPArray[x] ) {
        setName("MA length");
        setLowerLimit(1);        
        setDefault(10);  
    }    
}

function main(nLen) {
    if(bInit == false){
        setGlobalValue( "gMALen", nLen ); 
        xStudy = sma(nLen)
        bInit = true;
    }

    var nMA = xStudy.getValue(0) 
    return ( nMA );
} 

// test2.efs uses an SMA to create a study
// the SMA here should be of the same length as 
// the SMA being plotted by test1 

debugClear();
var xStudy = null;
var bInit = false;
var x1 = 1;
var x0 = 1;
var nState;

function preMain() {
    setPriceStudy(false);    
}

function main() {       
    nState = getBarState();
    if (nState == BARSTATE_NEWBAR) {
        x1 = x0;
        x0 = getGlobalValue( "gMALen" ); 
        debugPrintln("old="+x1+"  new="+x0);
        if (x1 != x0) { reloadEFS(); }

    }
    if(bInit == false){
        xStudy = efsExternal("test1.efs", x0)
        bInit = true;
    }

    // do stuff with xStudy values

    var myPlot = xStudy.getValue(0);
    setBarBgColor(Color.RGB(220,220,220));
   
    return (myPlot);
} 

[Guest]

Hi pj909,

As I remember, on a reloadEFS() command, variables declared outside main() are not reinitialized, but retain their last value. e.g. once bInit is set to true, it will remain so ,unless you reset to false.

The best place to do this is in your conditional that contains reloadEFS(), but prior to the reload command.

Hope this helps.

Steve

[pj909]

Thanks Steve

Adding bInit = false before the reload seems to work. But there are a few bars where the MA is different from the result being shown in the indicator pane. Different by a penny and not every bar. Very strange - there must be some setting I need to make the same but I don't know what it would be.

Some additional observations: If test1 is loaded after test2, test2 will not update until NEWBAR. In order to have test2 start with the value from test1 it must be loaded 2nd and the assigment of both the global var and the series needs to be duplicated at ALLBARS. As in:

    if (nState == BARSTATE_ALLBARS) {   // to get the current value in the other efs
        x0 = getGlobalValue( "gMALen" );
        xStudy = efsExternal("test1.efs", x0)
    }
    
    if(bInit == false){
        xStudy = efsExternal("test1.efs", x0)
        bInit = true;
    }
    
    if (nState == BARSTATE_NEWBAR) {  // check and see if user changed nLen in the other efs
        x1 = x0;
        x0 = getGlobalValue( "gMALen" ); 
        if (x1 != x0) {
            bInit = false; 
            reloadEFS();
        }
    } 

PJ