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Installing the recorder on Metatrader4 and Metatrader5

Once the XVID encoder is installed, you will need to disable the disable video codec “status” pop-up window.

This is done via the Xvid Configuration window of the XVid Encoder.

1. Click the “Other Options…” button at the bottom of the dialog window,
2. Uncheck the “Display Encoding Status” in the “Encoder” tab.
3. Click “OK” to save the changes and close the dialog window

When installing the Video Trade Recorder, you will be asked to select the installation folder when installing the recorder. This must be the installation folder of the Metatrader, where you wish to install the recorder. For example, if your MT4 is installed in the D:\METATRADERS\Alpari UK folder, you must also select this folder as the destination location:

Once the installation is finished, you can launch your MetaTrader terminal, but before you start using the recording software, you need to make sure that you have enabled DLL imports. This is done in the Expert Advisors tab of the MT4’s Options window (you can press CTRL-O to bring up this window in MT4):

Make sure that you have enabled “Allow DLL imports” as presented on the screen above. “Allow automated trading” can also be enabled, but it is not required for the plug-in to work correctly.

Recording trades using the _recordVideo indicator

To use the recorder, you need to attach the installed _recordVideo indicator (accessible under Indicators in Metatrader’s Navigator sub window)  to a chosen chart, or several charts if needed. This action will display the indicator’s settings dialog, where you can change the recorder’s default parameters:

The meaning of individual variables is presented below:

• Recording mode

  VTR offers three different operating modes – continuous recording, event-driven recording, and recording on every new bar. They are selected by choosing the appropriate option from the drop-down list.

  All modes are described in detail just below this section.

• Only record trades with magic number

  This parameter is used with trade event-driven recording and offers an optional additional filter for discovering new trades, that should be recorded.

  The default value is zero, which means that all trades (with any given magic number) will initiate the recording process. Any other value will set the recorder to only record trades having the defined magic number.

• Prebuffer frames

  This parameter is used in conjunction with trade event-driven recording and is used to set the number of ticks (price changes that occurred before the trade was placed), which should be registered at the beginning of the recording. This is an excellent way of documenting the market’s situation just before a trade is placed.

• Postbuffer frames

  This parameter is used in conjunction with trade event-driven recording and is used to set the number of ticks (price changes that occurred after the trade was closed), which should be registered at the end of the recording.

• Video width in pixels

  The parameter used to set the width (in pixels) of the recording format.

• Video height in pixels

  The parameter used to set the height (in pixels) of the recording format.

• Maximum frame frequency in seconds

  Defines how often individual frames are grabbed from the recorded chart. The parameter is used to throttle the frame grabber’s frequency, which also helps to lighten the load imposed on the terminal by the video frame-grabbing process.

  When this parameter is set to zero, each new tick on the monitored chart will trigger the frame grabber.

• Video encoder

  Select the desired video encoder from the following options:

  • Uncompressed video
  • XVID (Requires XVID encoder)
• Connection string TCP://IP:PORT

  All communication between the _recordVideo indicator and the recording software is routed using TCP/IP protocol on port 55556 (by default). This port can be changed if needed, but you will also be required to set the same port value in the recorder’s back-end. This is done in the “Info & Configuration” tab / Communication port.

  

Continuous recording mode

Continuous recording begins once the “*REC” button is pressed on a small control panel (see Control Panel section below) that will be displayed in the lower-left corner of the chart once the indicator is attached. The recording is stopped and finalized when “STOP” is pressed or the indicator is removed from the chart. Pressing “*REC” will call up the recording back-end app and begin recording immediately:

The recorder app takes care of multiple video processing tasks and will always show the current recording status along with basic information regarding the recorded chart and selected resolution. The last column (“Recordings”) holds active “Open folder” links, which are used to bring up the folder, where individual recordings are stored ( {MT4_DATA_FOLDER}/MQL4/Files or {MT5_DATA_FOLDER}/MQL5/Files respectively ).

Trade event-driven recording

Event-driven recording can begin once the “Start” button is pressed on a small control panel (see Control Panel section below) that will be displayed in the lower-left corner of the chart once the indicator is attached. This is when the pre-buffer process is initiated, however, the recording itself will begin once a new trade is detected. The recording is stopped and finalized when the trade is closed. This is also when the recorder reverts to the pre-buffering mode and is ready to detect the next trade.

The pre-buffering process is terminated once “STOP” is pressed or the indicator is removed from the chart.

Every new bar recording

This recording mode is very similar to the “Continuous recording mode” described above however with one exception. The recorder will only grab a video frame once a new bar is formed.

It is a very useful feature for users who wish to record swing trades lasting several days or even weeks.

The recorder’s control panel

When the _recordVideo indicator is attached to a chart, a small control panel will be displayed in the lower-left corner of the chart. This panel is used to perform the following tasks:

1. This area (“VTR” label) is used to minimize and maximize the control panel. Note, that the panel is automatically minimized once the “*REC” or “Start” (in event-driven mode) button is pressed.
2. STOP is used to end the recording in continuous mode or terminate the recording and stop the pre-buffering process in event driver recording mode.
3. *REC (or “Start” in event-driven mode) is used to start the recording (or start the pre-buffering process in event-driven recording and begin monitoring for new trades).
4. “R” is used to start the recorder back-end application, if not already started.
5. “X” is used to conveniently remove the _recordVideo indicator from the chart.

Updating the software to the latest version

The software can be easily updated once new features or bug fixes are released. Each time you start the recorder, the software checks for new updates. When an update is detected, it is automatically downloaded and you will be asked if you wish to update to the latest version. You can do this right away at any time in the future when you start the recorder. If you have the software installed on multiple MT4/MT5 terminals across your system, you will need to update all locations one by one.