📘 SQL-like Trading Rules – Beginner Guide

Welcome! 👋 This guide shows you how to tell your trading bot what to watch for and what to do, using a simple rule language that looks a bit like SQL. Imagine you're giving your bot step-by-step instructions, like teaching a friend how to play a game! 🕹️

🧠 Quick-Start: How Rules Work

You write rules to tell your bot:

• What to watch (like prices, your position, or indicators)
• What to do when those things happen (like buy, sell, or set a stop loss)

Think of your bot as a security guard:

• "IF" is what the guard checks first ("If the door is open...")
• "TICK" is the guard watching the outside world (market data)
• "POS" is the guard checking what's inside (your own position)
• "WITH" is extra details ("...with a timer of 3 minutes")
• "THEN" is what the guard does if the condition is true ("...then sound the alarm!")

🏗️ Basic Structure (The Recipe)

Every rule is like a recipe:

1. IF 🍳 (optional): Sets up the main ingredient or base rule. Think: "If we start with eggs..."
2. TICK ⏰: Watching the market, like "If the clock ticks and the price changes..."
3. POS 🧾: Watching your holdings, like "If my position changes or reaches a certain amount..."
4. WITH 🧂: Adds extra flavor, like "with a pinch of salt" (extra details about what to check)
5. THEN 🚦: What action to take ("then bake for 10 minutes" or "then buy 100 shares")

Example:

This means:
👀 The bot sets a stop loss of 30 ticks, watches the volume for the last 3 minutes, and if it's above 50, it places an order for 100 shares at $51.25.

🔑 What Do The Keywords Mean?

• IF:
  • "If this is true at the start..."
  • Example: IF stopLoss ticks=30 (The bot puts a stop loss of 30 ticks in place, before anything else.)
  • Note: IF statements are standalone and not followed by THEN.
• TICK:
  • "Watch the market, every tick (price/volume change)..."
  • Example: TICK volume ...
• POS:
  • "Watch my position (how much P&L I have)..."
  • Example: POS pnlTicks ...
• WITH:
  • "With these extra details..."
  • Example: WITH minutes=3 (Look at the last 3 minutes)
• THEN:
  • "If the above is true, then do this..."
  • Example: THEN order SET ...

Metaphor:
It's like:
IF (put on helmet) THEN TICK (watch the road WITH sunglasses) > 50 THEN (pedal faster!)

🤔 What The Bot Is Watching & Doing (with Examples)

👀 Watching the Market (TICK)

• The bot is keeping an eye on real-time data, like price or volume.
• Example:
  TICK volume WITH minutes=3 > 50 THEN

  order SET size=100, price=51.25, transmit=true
  • Bot watches: 3-minute volume
  • Bot acts: If volume > 50, place an order for 100 shares at $51.25

🧾 Watching Your Position (POS)

• The bot checks your current holdings (P&L).
• Example:
  POS pnlTicks > 5 THEN stopLoss SET ticks=30, transmit=true
  • Bot watches: If P&L is above 5 ticks
  • Bot acts: Sets a stop loss to 30 ticks and sends the change immediately

🧂 Adding Details (WITH)

• "WITH" gives more info about what to check.
  E.g., "WITH minutes=5" means look at the last 5 minutes.
• Example:
  TICK ema WITH period=20 > 50.25 THEN

  order SET size=100, price=51.00, transmit=true
  • Bot watches: 20-period EMA (average) is above 50.25
  • Bot acts: Buy 100 shares at $51.00

🚦 Taking Action (THEN)

• "THEN" tells the bot what to do if the conditions above are met.
• Example:
  order SET size=100, price=51.25, transmit=true
  • The bot prepares and sends an order for 100 shares at $51.25

🧩 Building Blocks (What You Can Use)

🎯 Primitive Actions (for IF)

• These go at the start (with IF), like setting up your safety net.
  • stopLoss – Put a stop loss on your trade
  • takeProfit – Set a target for taking profit
  • trailingStopLoss – Make your stop loss follow the price
  • (and more)
• Example:
  IF stopLoss ticks=30
  • Bot puts a stop loss 30 ticks away before doing anything else.

📊 Technical Indicators (for WITH)

• These are tools the bot can use to analyze the market.
  • volume – How many shares traded
  • ema – Exponential moving average
  • volatility – How much price jumps around
  • rsi – Relative Strength Index
  • (and more)
• Example:
  TICK ema WITH period=20 > 50.25 THEN ...
  • Bot checks if 20-period EMA is above 50.25

📚 Common Scenarios (Copy & Tweak!)

🛑 Stop Loss Management

• Bot sets a stop loss, watches for a volume surge, then buys if it happens.

🔍 Position Monitoring

• Bot checks your position P&L, then moves your stop loss if needed.

📈 Volume-Based Trading

• Bot watches for big volume in 5 minutes, then buys 50 shares.

🚀 Volume Breakout (multiple checks)

• Bot only buys if both volume and price conditions are met.

🏃 Trailing Stop

• Bot sets a trailing stop, then tightens it if price goes up.

➕ Position Scaling

• Bot adds to your position if P&L rises.

🔢 Value Types (What Numbers Mean)

• Numbers:
  • price=50.25 (dollars)
  • size=100 (shares)
  • ticks=30 (distance)
• Time Periods:
  • minutes=5
  • hours=1
• True/False (yes/no):
  • transmit=true (do it now)
  • isActive=false

💡 Tips & Tricks (Skim These!)

• 🕒 TICK = market data, POS = your position
• 🛑 IF can only be used for primitive actions (like stopLoss/takeProfit)
• 🧂 WITH is for technical indicators only (like volume, ema, rsi)
• ⚠️ Don't mix up WITH and IF (don't use WITH for stopLoss, etc)
• ✍️ Always put spaces around >, <, =, and THEN
• 🗒️ Use commas to separate settings: size=100, price=51.25
• 🚦 Use transmit=true if you want the bot to act right away
• 🧪 Start simple, test your rule, and build up!

🏁 Final Advice

Start with a tiny rule, see what the bot does, then add more!
Every part of your rule tells the bot what to watch and what to do—just like giving instructions to a smart assistant.

Happy trading! 🚀