Tickstory

hey guys, i am a new user and this problem is hopefully due to a misunderstanding.

issue: i have just set up a desktop and installed latest build of mt4 (840) and purchased the most recent version of tick story v.1.6. i use the tickdatadownloader for downloading. import into tickstory lite and exports to mt4. everything is working fine. i launch mt4 via tick story. working fine(initially had a problem as i forgot to type license).

however, when i run the backtested on the selected period i have imported i get the following error messages:

1) when opening mt4 through tickstory the error message says: 0 tick events (21 bars, 66280 bar states) processed in ... etc etc...

2) when i open mt4 not through tickstory by through terminal i get this error message: fxt file is read only and access denied.

i have gone through the directories and they all match up. tick story exports to correct location. metatrader selects from correct location. the data is stored at correct location.

as i said this is my first time with tickstory so not sure I'm doing it right. should i always open my strategy tester through tickstory? or only first time i export new data? how do i get my strategy tester to run on the imported data?

i am on windows 7 64 bit professional.

Hi Master_dude,

In response to your comments:

1) This is an informative message, however the fact that there are 0 tick events indicates that the data you exported from Tickstory is not being used correctly.
2) The second error message usually indicates that you have not launched MT4 via Tickstory (by pressing F8 or the "play" button).

Can you please ensure you have launched via Tickstory before commencing your back-test as this should resolve both issues.
If you're new to things, the following video is a great primer for beginners:

https://youtu.be/084k9fJCeCY

Hope this helps.

thank you for your quick response. and the link to the video. i already saw i a couple of times and have been reading through some of the other topics here on your site as well.

yes i launched mt4 via tickstory the first time and also tried several time since. i keep getting the same message. i only launched mt4 on its own to check if that would work or not... question: should i always launch mt4 via tick story or only the first time i export new data?

what does it mean the data is not being used correctly and how can i fix it.. ? data is exported to correct folder and is found by mt4 so .... but then again I'm not sure what I'm soppused to be seeing in the journal. it says:

TestGenerator actual Tick file "directory of fxt file" found

and then the 0 tick event message

i mean one difference from how do backtest and the video tutorial is that in the tutorial he doesn't set the time period for backtesting but i always do...

Hi Master_dude,

"MT4 not using the data correctly" means that:
a) You are not launching MT4 via Tickstory and/or
b) You are exporting the data from Tickstory to a location that MT4 is not looking at and/or .

Given that you are successfully doing a), please check the following for b):

1) When exporting the data via Tickstory, note the "server" you export to. Some terminals have both a 'Demo' and 'Live' server and depending which is selected, the data will be exported to the respective location. Check that the data exists within the respective MT4 HST & FXT folders.
2) Start up MT4 - don't allow the terminal to connect to the broker. Note the server you are connecting to.
3) In MT4, check the history center to ensure the data exists for the date range you exported. Also go to File->Open Data Folder and double-check that the data exists and that it corresponds to the folder you exported to.

Make sure you also have a read of the manual which gives you some useful background information about "FXT" and "HST" files and where they are located. This information really helps when trouble-shooting.

Note that you only need to export data once for any particular date range. As for launching MT4, you need to only do this once each time you start MT4 (if you exit MT4, you will need to launch again via Tickstory).

Hope this helps.

its working now and i don't know why but its great...

Great to hear, Master_dude Just take a note of the above in case you run into further issues on the next back-test.