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Code migration guide

thinkScript to cTrader migration guide

A thinkScript study or strategy needs a new cTrader C# artifact, explicit lifecycle and state, typed Bars access, and optional cBot order management; declarative plots and simulated orders are only the behavioral specification.

Open the cTrader Coding AgentReview cTrader AI Coding Agent

Generate a cTrader C# draft, then build it in cTrader Algo and test it with the intended symbol and account settings.

Conversion map

What changes between thinkorswim and cTrader

The migration is a model translation. Use this map to decide where the source behavior belongs before writing target syntax.

Source and target platform conversion map
ConcernSource modelTarget modelMigration decision
LifecycleDeclarative expressions are evaluated over chart data; studies, strategies, scans, and watchlist columns have different contexts.Robots use lifecycle methods including OnStart, OnTick, OnBar, OnStop, and OnException; indicators calculate by index.Choose when each thinkorswim calculation should run in cTrader; matching syntax alone does not preserve timing.
Market data and historyDefinitions and plots form time series and access prior values with bracket indexing or recursive definitions.Bars and DataSeries expose typed C# collections, while multi-timeframe data is requested explicitly.Recheck bar indexing, warm-up requirements, timeframe requests, and behavior on an unfinished bar.
Indicators and chart outputStudies use def, plot, painting, and built-in study functions to render chart analysis.Indicator classes expose output series and use the cTrader Algo indicators API.Map calculations before recreating plots, labels, colors, and platform-specific drawing objects.
Orders and positionsStrategies use AddOrder to add simulated orders to charts; platform conditional orders are a separate workflow.Robot methods submit and manage trades through Symbol, Positions, PendingOrders, and volume measured in units.Define fill timing, sizing, pyramiding or hedging, stops, and position ownership for the target platform.
Native validationPaste into thinkScript Editor, save it as the correct study or strategy, add it to a chart, and inspect plots or the strategy report.Build the C# project in cTrader Algo and resolve build errors. Check an indicator on the intended chart; for a cBot, run a backtest with explicit symbol, timeframe, spread, and volume settings before demo testing.Treat generated cTrader C# as a draft until it passes the target editor, chart, and backtest workflow.

Code example

Moving-average cross: thinkScript to cTrader C#

The thinkScript study plots a current-series crossover. The cTrader fragment defines the condition using Last(2)/Last(1), completed bars when called from OnBar, but does not plot or submit an order. Match confirmation timing, initialize the indicators, and implement the intended chart output or cBot behavior separately.

thinkScript source fragment
def fast = Average(close, 10);
def slow = Average(close, 20);
plot longSignal = fast crosses above slow;
cTrader C# target fragment
var fast = Indicators.SimpleMovingAverage(Bars.ClosePrices, 10);
var slow = Indicators.SimpleMovingAverage(Bars.ClosePrices, 20);
bool longSignal = fast.Result.Last(2) <= slow.Result.Last(2)
    && fast.Result.Last(1) > slow.Result.Last(1);

Workflow

A four-step migration path

Keep generation, target-platform validation, and behavior comparison as separate stages.

  1. 1

    Inventory the source behavior

    Separate calculations, plots, alerts, orders, external dependencies, and assumptions in a thinkScript study or strategy definition.

  2. 2

    Choose the target artifact

    Decide whether the result is a C# cBot or custom indicator project. This choice controls lifecycle methods and available APIs.

  3. 3

    Rewrite through target APIs

    Translate state, series, indicators, drawings, and orders into cTrader concepts instead of replacing function names.

  4. 4

    Validate behavior natively

    Build the C# project in cTrader Algo and resolve build errors. Check an indicator on the intended chart; for a cBot, run a backtest with explicit symbol, timeframe, spread, and volume settings before demo testing.

Manual decisions

Decisions code replacement cannot make

  • Choose a cTrader custom indicator or cBot and create the correct class lifecycle.
  • Translate recursive chart series into C# DataSeries or explicit state with warm-up handling.
  • Design cBot volume, labels, stops, and error handling independently from thinkScript AddOrder markers.

Limitations

What the draft cannot prove

  • thinkorswim and cTrader do not share one execution, data, or order model, so behavior can change even when both versions compile.
  • Broker, symbol, session, timezone, history, and fill settings can change signals and backtest results on cTrader.
  • Pineify can generate and revise a cTrader C# draft, but the target platform remains the authority for compilation, loading, backtesting, and runtime behavior.

Use cases

When this conversion is useful

  • Port a thinkorswim study to a cTrader indicator.
  • Rebuild thinkScript signals as a cBot with explicit risk controls.
  • Move chart formulas into typed C# for native cTrader testing.

FAQ

thinkScript to cTrader C# questions

Build the cTrader C# draft with its native model in view

Bring the complete source and your artifact, timing, data, and order requirements. Validate the result in cTrader.

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