Hi sunman

Here's an example of an indicator that creates a number of variables but has only one output (the last line of code). The output line for this indicator is the last line of code. Variables are created before the output line but will not be plotted on a chart unless an additional output is created by, let's say, Start; .

 {Date Filter}  {Roy Larsen, 2003-2015, 12/5/15} Sd:=Input("Start day"  ,1,31,1); Sm:=Input("Start month",1,12,1); Sy:=Input("Start year" ,1980,2015,2011); Ed:=Input("End day"    ,1,31,31); Em:=Input("End month"  ,1,12,12); Ey:=Input("End year"   ,1980,2020,2013); Start:=(DayOfMonth()>=Sd AND Month()=Sm AND Year()=Sy) OR Year()>Sy OR (Year()=Sy AND Month()>Sm); End:=(DayOfMonth()<=Ed AND Month()=Em AND Year()=Ey) OR Year()<Ey OR (Year()=Ey AND Month()<Em); Start AND (End OR (Start AND Alert(Start=0,2)));

 {Date Filter + Start}  {Roy Larsen, 2003-2015, 12/5/15} Sd:=Input("Start day"  ,1,31,1); Sm:=Input("Start month",1,12,1); Sy:=Input("Start year" ,1980,2015,2011); Ed:=Input("End day"    ,1,31,31); Em:=Input("End month"  ,1,12,12); Ey:=Input("End year"   ,1980,2020,2013); Start:=(DayOfMonth()>=Sd AND Month()=Sm AND Year()=Sy) OR Year()>Sy OR (Year()=Sy AND Month()>Sm); End:=(DayOfMonth()<=Ed AND Month()=Em AND Year()=Ey) OR Year()<Ey OR (Year()=Ey AND Month()<Em); Start AND (End OR (Start AND Alert(Start=0,2))); Start;

So you can output as many variables as you want on a chart, but usually indicators only have one output, which is probably the last line of code, and it often won't have a name. If the intended output does have a name then that name can be used to create the output.

At any rate what you need to do is study a few of the standard indicators that come with MetaStock.

Roy

The reason you're getting a lot of "values" returned from your codes is that you're using the equal comparison "=" in places where you need to be using the assignment operator ":="

You were initialising variables to zero at the top of the code, then you performed a comparison instead of reassigning a value.

var1 := 0; {assignment, unnecessary}
...
var1 = HHV(H,10); {comparison, Boolean, returns TRUE (1) or FALSE (0)}

Perhaps if you gave us a full description of what you're trying to achieve, we'd get a better understanding of the problem: what you're trying to do might not even be achievable in the Metastock Formula Language, or it might require so much self-referencing (PREV) that it will be too slow to actually be of any use.  From reading the snippets of code you've posted, I still have no idea what you're trying to do.

Remember too: MS Formula Language is a scripting language, not a programming language like anything you've encountered before.  It's designed for traders (not programmers) to write basic functions to aid their trading; it's not a full-functioning high-level programming environment for programmers who happen to trade.  It's very primitive; you can achieve a lot, but not everything.

[... edit ...]

And another thing.... please don't post code snippets.  Post the ENTIRE code.  If you have the holy grail of trading systems, well done, but people are more willing to give you their time when they can see all of the code and all of the issues, not small parts of "I've coded something like..."  Often, it's the bits left out of the posted code which are the bits which cause the problems.

The forum code tags are working again (for now) so please put the word "code" in square brackets "[" and "]" above the code section in your post, and close the tag with "/code" in square brackets "[" and "]" at the end of the code section in your post.

Edited by user Friday, April 21, 2017 12:35:43 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Added more words