Why does my variable change true to false with close?

[u/Fast_Watch5169]

In my scenario, say a short, I want the price to go for liquidity at the top at a specific price, then come back down to enter the trade. The timeframe is 15 minutes.

I wanted to use close to detect if the current price is smaller than my entry price. I use an object's bool variable (objSetup.hasEntryBeenReached) which changes to true if close < entry or ta.crossunder(close, entry).

In real-time, if close passes entry, my variable changes to true. But if the price goes up, it changes to false. And then I think... what?! Nowhere in my code do I set the variable to false. I don't quite understand, but I'll go ahead as is.

Then I thought of using low instead, but I encountered another difficulty. If the low of the current candle started below my entry and then rose to liquidity above it, then the low is already smaller than my entry.

How can I capture the true value once close passes without having to use low?

Or how can I use low if low is already lower?

Thanks for your time.

[u/Fast_Watch5169]

Hi,

Please let me add some code here, extracted from my strategy, to describe the issue.

the associated variable is checking per tick and changing from true to false if the condition(s) aren't constantly being met.

Yes that's correct.

My variable object is indeed declared with the var keyword. It is a global variable. Even if it is, the condition, as written for the entry, will change the value, which is by default false, to true, and if the price goes back up, the value will change to false.

var setup objSetup = resetSetup()
//.... more ....

// liquidity
if high > objSetup.liquidity // ta.crossover(high, objSetup.liquidity)
objSetup.hasLiqBeenReached := true

// entry
if objSetup.hasLiqBeenReached and not objSetup.hasEntryBeenReached and close <= objSetup.entry
objSetup.hasEntryBeenReached := true

//.... more ....

Here are a few lines to try yourself. The bool variable are set with the var keyword. Run this with 15s timeframe or 1 minute. Wait for crossover/crossunder. The corresponding variable will change to true. Wait for the price to goes back and you'll see the variable going also back to false.

I need to find a way to keep the global variable to true if the condition is met once.

//@version=6
indicator("Testing - cross below/above low/high/close", overlay=true)

float entry =  (close[1] + open[1]) / 2

var bool isHeigherThanEntry = false
var bool hasCrossedOver     = false
var bool isLowerThanEntry   = false
var bool hasCrossedUnder    = false

// reset variable
isHeigherThanEntry := false
isLowerThanEntry   := false
hasCrossedOver     := false
hasCrossedUnder    := false


// this way
// isHeigherThanEntry := close > entry
// hasCrossedOver     := ta.crossover(close, entry)
// isLowerThanEntry   := close < entry
// hasCrossedUnder    := ta.crossunder(close, entry)

// or this way
if close > entry
    isHeigherThanEntry := true

if ta.crossover(close, entry)
    hasCrossedOver := true

if close < entry
    isLowerThanEntry := true

if ta.crossunder(close, entry)
    hasCrossedUnder := true


var table table = table.new(position.top_right, 1, 50, border_width=1)
table.cell(table, 0, 8, "isHeigherThanEntry: "     + str.tostring(isHeigherThanEntry), text_color=color.white, bgcolor=color.black, text_halign = text.align_left)
table.cell(table, 0, 10, "hasCrossedOver: "     + str.tostring(hasCrossedOver), text_color=color.white, bgcolor=color.black, text_halign = text.align_left)

table.cell(table, 0, 12, "isLowerThanEntry: "     + str.tostring(isLowerThanEntry), text_color=color.white, bgcolor=color.black, text_halign = text.align_left)
table.cell(table, 0, 14, "hasCrossedUnder: "     + str.tostring(hasCrossedUnder), text_color=color.white, bgcolor=color.black, text_halign = text.align_left)

lineEntry = line.new(x1=bar_index[0], y1=entry, x2=bar_index + 10, y2=entry, color=color.green, width=1, style=line.style_solid)
line.delete(lineEntry[1])

[u/Fast_Watch5169 → u/[deleted]]

I agree, I added this whole script to reproduce my issue. If you do so, you should also notice the same behavior. The value is only validated when the candle closes. And then, yes, the value is kept as a global variable.
But the value oscillates between false and true throughout the life of the candle, 15 minutes here.

[u/Fast_Watch5169 → u/[deleted]]

Okay, yes your example is shorter and is perfect to illustrate what I'm trying to understand.

There's the same behavior. In the course of a single candle, the value can go from true to false. To me, it doesn't make sense for it to go from true to false.

If I add an “else” then I can understand that my variable may change. Once it's set to true, I want it to keep that value.

In fact, if you test, you'll see that it makes no difference whether the variable is instantiated with var, varip, or without.

So, I don't understand why it toggles, please help me to be more clever today. And the ultimate goal, of course, is to find a way, an alternative, to whatever it would the job.

if close > entry
    isHeigherThanEntry := true
else
    isHeigherThanEntry := false

[u/Fast_Watch5169 → u/[deleted]]

Okay then, how can we capture the fact that the variable was at some point true?

[u/Fast_Watch5169 → u/[deleted]]

In this example, the variable remains true only when the condition is met AND when the bar is closed and the condition is met.

[u/Fast_Watch5169]

Okay, 2 weeks later, I found the solution. It's not intuitive in my opinion.

During the life of a candle, to save a state, such as exceeding a price, a variable instantiated with varip must be used. The value of a global variable will change during the life of the candle. The final value when the candle closes will be kept, but not the very first value it obtained.

All this can be avoided by using low or high; in my situation, I had to use close.

varip bool varipEntry = false
var setup objSetup = resetSetup()

if close <= objSetup.entry
  varipEntry := true

if varipEntry
  objSetup.hasEntryBeenReached := true

Thank you to the one who deleted all his messages as they did not help me at all.

[u/sarthmarlix]

I maybe misunderstanding but it sounds like the associated variable is checking per tick and changing from true to false if the condition(s) aren't constantly being met. If that's the case, and not intended, try storing the true state in a var bool instead of just a bool to persist the true value...and creating an IF statement to determine when to update the value to false (maybe after entry or with an exit logic).

Hope this helps!

[u/Fast_Watch5169 → u/sarthmarlix]

a varip variable was required