Toolbars Menu - Exploring the MT4's Desktop toolbars features

All toolbars are customizable, which allows placing only necessary, often used commands in them. To set up a toolbar, one has to open its context menu (right-mouse-button click) and execute the "Customize..." command:

 

Standard Commands Menu

General commands managing the terminal are collected in this toolbar:

• New Chart — create a new symbol chart window. The command opens the list of financial instruments (symbols). One can open a new chart having selected a necessary name in this list. The same actions are performed after the "File — New Chart" and "Window — New Window" menu commands have been executed, as well as the context menu commands of the "Market Watch — Chart Window" window.
• Profiles — menu used to manage profiles. One can activate a profile having selected it in this menu. You can delete a profile in this menu, and a new profile can be stored based on the current chart windows configuration. You can find more details in the "Profiles and Templates" section. To work with profiles, one can also execute the "File — Profiles" menu command.

 

Attention: You cannot delete the DEFAULT profile.

• "Market Watch" window — open/close the "Market Watch" window. The current quotes for all available symbols are published in this window. This window allows opening symbol charts and placing orders. More details about working with this window are given in the "Market Watch" section.
  The "View — Market Watch" menu command and accelerating keys of Ctrl+M allow to open or close this window.
• "Market Watch" window — open/close data window named "Market Watch." Information about prices and indicators imposed is published in this window. You can find more details about working with this window in the "Data Window" section. The "View — Data Window" menu command and accelerating keys of Ctrl+D allow to open or close this window.
• "Navigator" window — open/close the "Navigator" window. All open accounts, available experts, technical indicators, and scripts are placed in this window. You can find more details about working with this window in the "Navigator" section. The "View — Navigator" menu command and accelerating keys of Ctrl+N allow to open or close this window.
• "Terminal" window — open/close the "Terminal" window. This window allows you to place trading orders, view the account history, get news, and many other things. You can find more details about working with this window in the "Terminal" section. The "View — Terminal" menu command and accelerating keys of Ctrl+T allow to open or close this window.
• "Tester" window — open/close the "Tester" window. This window is intended for the testing and optimization of expert advisors. You can find more details about working with this window in the "Strategy Testing" section. The "View — Strategy Tester" menu command and accelerating keys of Ctrl+R allow to open or close this window.
• New Order — place a new order. The command opens the window that allows placing a market or a pending order. You can find more details in the "Trading" section. This window can also be opened by the "Tools — New Order" menu command, the "Market Watch — New Order" window, or "Terminal — Trading — New Order" window context menu commands, as well as by pressing F9.
• MetaEditor — launch MetaEditor. This editing program allows you to create and edit expert advisors, custom indicators, scripts, and MQL4 libraries. You can find more details about working with this editing program in the "MetaEditor" section and its own help files. This action can also be performed by the "Tools — MetaQuotes Language Editor" menu command or by pressing F4.
• Enable/disable expert advisors — enable/disable performing of trade operations by Expert Advisors and scripts. The function of this button is analogous to the option in the "Expert Advisors" tab.
• Terminal Settings — call the window of terminal settings. All basic settings of the terminal are made in this window. You can find more details in the section of the same name. The window of terminal settings can also be opened by the "Tools — Options" menu command or by pressing the accelerating keys Ctrl+O.
• Full-screen mode — enable/disable the full-screen mode. When this option is enabled, toolbars and status bar are hidden, and all service windows are closed. The client terminal name, main menu, workspace (charts), and chart windows tabs remain on the screen. The repeated execution of this command will result in a return to the initial status. You can perform the same actions by pressing F11 or by the "View — Full Screen" menu command.
• Chart Print — print the chart. If the "Color Printing" option is enabled in the program settings, the chart can be printed out in color, not as a black-and-white one. The same action can be performed by the "File — Print..." menu command or by the chart context menu command of the same name.
• Print Preview — chart preview before it is printed out. You will use the settings of the selected printer. Thus, one can check before printing whether all the desired data will appear on the paper. The same action can be performed by the "File — Print Preview" menu command or by the chart context menu command of the same name.
• Help — call the help files. After this button has been pressed, one should click on the desired interface element.  

Charts Commands Menu

Commands for managing charts and technical indicators imposed in the charts are grouped in this toolbar. They include:

• Bar Chart — display the chart as a sequence of bars (transform into the bar chart). The same action can be performed by the "Charts — Bar Chart" menu command or by pressing the accelerator keys Alt+1.
• Candlesticks — display the chart as a sequence of candlesticks (transform into the candlestick chart). The same action can be performed by the "Charts — Candlesticks" menu command or by pressing the accelerator keys Alt+2.
• Line Chart — display the chart as a broken line (transform into the line chart). The same action can be performed by the "Charts — Line Chart" menu command or by pressing the accelerator keys Alt+3.
• Zoom In — zoom in on the chart. The same action can be performed by the "Charts — Zoom In" menu command, the corresponding chart context menu command, or by pressing the "+" key.
• Zoom Out — zoom out of the chart. The same action can be performed by the "Charts — Zoom Out" menu command, the corresponding chart context menu command, or by pressing the "-" key.
• Tile Windows — arrange chart windows as a tile. The same action can be performed by the "Window — Tile Windows" menu command or by pressing the "Alt+R" key combination.
• Auto-Scroll — automatic scrolling of the chart to the latest bars. If this option is enabled, it will always display the latest bars on the screen. The same action can be performed by the "Charts — Auto-Scroll" menu command.
• Chart Shift — shift the chart from the right window border to the shift label of the chart. The chart shift label (a grey triangle in the upper part of the window) can be moved horizontally with the mouse within 10% to 50% of the window size. The same action can be performed by the "Charts — Chart Shift" menu command.
• Indicators — call the sub-menu to manage indicators. All built-in technical indicators are grouped in it. Having chosen a name in the list, one can impose the indicator into the active chart. You can find more details in the "Technical Indicators" section. The same actions can be performed by the "Insert — Indicators" menu command.
• Periods — sub-menu to manage the chart periods. When a period is selected in this sub-menu, the corresponding changes will appear in the active chart. Switching among chart periods can be performed by the "Charts — Timeframes" menu command, the corresponding chart context menu command, or the corresponding buttons of the "Timeframes" toolbar.
• Template — call the sub-menu to manage templates. You can impose any template into the active chart from this sub-menu. Moreover, a new template can be stored based on the active chart or delete an existing template. You can find more details about working with templates in the "Templates and Profiles" section. The same actions can be performed by the "Charts — Template" menu command or the corresponding chart context menu command.

Attention: Most commands of the "Charts" toolbar are published in the same name and the chart context menu.

 

Line Studies Commands Menu

Line Studies and graphical objects (geometrical shapes, signs, and texts) to be imposed into the chart are collected in the "Line Studies" toolbar. Commands of this toolbar (excluding the "Crosshair" and "Cursor") are duplicated in the "Insert" menu. Working with line studies is described in detail in the corresponding section.

Other icons in this toolbar are intended for working with graphical objects and for changing the cursor operation mode:

• Ellipse — draw an ellipse. This shape helps to select various areas in the chart. You can find more details about working with objects in the section of the same name. The "Insert — Shapes — Ellipse" menu command allows the drawing of this figure.
• Triangle — draw a triangle. This shape helps to select various areas in the chart. You can find more details about working with objects in the section of the same name. The "Insert — Shapes — Triangle" menu command allows the drawing of this figure.
• Rectangle — draw a rectangle. This shape helps to select various areas in the chart. You can find more details about working with objects in the section of the same name. The "Insert — Shapes — Rectangle" menu command allows the drawing of this figure.
• Text Label — add a text label. After this button has been pressed, one should select a point in the chart to place the label. Unlike the text (described below), the text label is attached not to the chart but to the chart window. When the chart is scrolled, the text label does not move. The "Insert — Text Label" menu command will also add comments to the chart.
• Text — add a comment to the chart. It will be anchored directly to the chart. When the chart is scrolled, the text will move together with it. The "Insert — Text" menu command will also add comments to the chart.
• Symbols — menu to manage graphical symbols. One can add graphical signs into the chart or delete all the imposed signs from it using this menu. These objects can also be imposed into the chart by the "Insert — Arrows" menu command.
• Crosshair — a crosshair. Cursor in this mode allows highlighting coordinates of the selected point in the chart or indicator window. This mode can only work within the active chart window. If being in the "Crosshair" mode, one keeps the left mouse button pressed and moves the cursor, it will draw a line connecting these two points. You will highlight the distance between the points and the current price value to the right of the second point of the line. This will look like: [amount of bars between two points] / [amount of points between two points] / [the current price value in the second point]. This tool is named an electronic ruler. You can also switch the cursor to the crosshair mode by pressing the accelerator keys Ctrl+F or the third mouse button.
• Cursor — a standard cursor (selection mode). The cursor in this mode allows the selection of various objects in the chart. 
  

 

Timeframes Commands Menu

Switchers among the chart periods are grouped in this toolbar. The chart period will change in the active window after these toolbar buttons have been pressed. After that, the uploading of data for the selected symbol and period will take some time.