Steven Imrich https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com Practical guides for problems that keep people up at night. en-us Why does my thinkorswim scan return no results? https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkorswim-scan-no-results/ https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkorswim-scan-no-results/ Trading platforms Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Work through an empty thinkorswim scan in order: the Scan in universe, aggregation period, filter logic, stale bars, data depth, then bisect. Why do my thinkorswim scan results differ from what I see on the chart? https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkorswim-scan-vs-chart-mismatch/ https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkorswim-scan-vs-chart-mismatch/ Trading platforms Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The mental model behind thinkorswim scan and chart disagreeing: separate aggregation, separate extended-hours settings, forming bars, and scanner lag. What causes TooComplexException in thinkorswim and how do I fix it? https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkscript-toocomplexexception/ https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkscript-toocomplexexception/ Trading platforms Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT TooComplexException isn't a syntax error, it's a throttle. What triggers it in thinkScript and the specific edits that get a script back under the limit. How do I build a premarket gap scanner in thinkorswim? https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkorswim-premarket-gap-scanner/ https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkorswim-premarket-gap-scanner/ Trading platforms Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Step by step premarket gap scan in thinkorswim: 1 min aggregation with EXT on, a gap-percent custom filter, and where the platform falls short. How do I build a relative volume (or premarket volume) watchlist column in thinkorswim? https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkorswim-relative-volume-watchlist-column/ https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkorswim-relative-volume-watchlist-column/ Trading platforms Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A complete working relative volume watchlist column for thinkorswim, plus the premarket variant and why the aggregation button breaks most copied scripts. How do I scan for a candlestick pattern (engulfing, pin bar) in thinkorswim? https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkorswim-scan-candlestick-patterns/ https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkorswim-scan-candlestick-patterns/ Trading platforms Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Two ways to scan candlesticks in thinkorswim: the built-in pattern studies as study filters, or your own condition. With engulfing and hammer code. How do I color-code a custom watchlist column in thinkorswim? https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkorswim-watchlist-column-colors/ https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkorswim-watchlist-column-colors/ Trading platforms Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT AssignBackgroundColor vs AssignValueColor in thinkorswim watchlist columns, why the colour needs a plot to show, and three examples up to a graded scale. Why does my thinkorswim scan return signals from hours ago? (within vs offset) https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkscript-within-vs-offset/ https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkscript-within-vs-offset/ Trading platforms Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Your scan returns stale hits because you wrote a state condition when you meant an event. How within, bar offsets and Crosses differ, with two examples. Are paid invite-only TradingView indicators worth buying? https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/paid-tradingview-indicators-worth-it/ https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/paid-tradingview-indicators-worth-it/ Trading platforms Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT What invite-only really means, the marketing patterns that repeat, what you can verify before paying, what you can't, and the questions to ask a seller. How do I get real-time (not delayed) data in thinkorswim? https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkorswim-real-time-data/ https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkorswim-real-time-data/ Trading platforms Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Delayed quotes in thinkorswim come from three separate things: the exchange agreement, the Quote speed setting, and paperMoney. Which one do you have? Why does my EA backtest beautifully but lose money live? https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/ea-backtest-good-live-bad/ https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/ea-backtest-good-live-bad/ Trading platforms Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Work through the gap between an EA backtest and live results in order: costs, slippage, tick model, look-ahead, over-optimisation, position sizing. Do thinkorswim study alerts fire premarket and after hours? https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkorswim-alerts-extended-hours/ https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkorswim-alerts-extended-hours/ Trading platforms Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Why thinkorswim study alerts go quiet outside 9:30 to 4:00, how price alerts differ, and the bid/ask and drawing-alert workarounds that actually fire. What does 'secondary aggregation period is not allowed' mean in thinkorswim? https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkscript-secondary-aggregation-period-error/ https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/thinkscript-secondary-aggregation-period-error/ Trading platforms Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The rule behind the secondary aggregation error, why scans and watchlist columns reject it outright, and three restructures that get your script running. How do I tell if a TradingView indicator repaints? https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/tradingview-indicator-repainting-test/ https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/tradingview-indicator-repainting-test/ Trading platforms Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Four tests for repainting on TradingView: reading the Pine source, the chart reload, bar replay, and the forming-bar check, plus what counts as normal. Is the TradingView strategy tester accurate? https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/tradingview-strategy-tester-accuracy/ https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/tradingview-strategy-tester-accuracy/ Trading platforms Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT What the TradingView strategy tester actually simulates, where the numbers get inflated, and a checklist to make a backtest less misleading. How do I audit an EA's track record in ten minutes? https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/audit-ea-track-record-fast/ https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/audit-ea-track-record-fast/ Trading platforms Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT An ordered ten minute procedure for checking a published EA track record, with a stop rule at every step so you can quit early and move on. How can I tell if a forex EA or robot is a scam? https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/spot-forex-ea-scam/ https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/spot-forex-ea-scam/ Trading platforms Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A sequence of checks you can run before paying for a forex EA: where results live, live vs demo, hidden martingale, what the vendor will hand over. How do I get a 99% modelling quality backtest in MT4? https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/mt4-99-percent-modelling-quality/ https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/mt4-99-percent-modelling-quality/ Trading platforms Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Import real tick data into MT4 with Tickstory, set spread properly, and hit 99.9% modelling quality. Plus why 99% doesn't mean the backtest is trustworthy. Why does ChatGPT write ThinkScript that doesn't compile? https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/chatgpt-thinkscript-errors/ https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/chatgpt-thinkscript-errors/ Trading platforms Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The specific ways AI-written thinkScript fails: invented functions, Pine Script bleed, aggregation errors, circular refs, plus a workflow that works. Can Myfxbook results be faked, and how do I verify an EA's track record? https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/verify-myfxbook-ea-track-record/ https://www.stevenimrichbooks.com/trading/verify-myfxbook-ea-track-record/ Trading platforms Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Yes, but outright fakes are the easy case. How a technically real Myfxbook record still misleads, what each badge proves, and the order to check things in.