| Ahmed Soliman is a professional C++ programmer using nickname CodersGuru on different automated trading communities. He is a commercial developer of Expert Advisors in MQL4. Ahmed wrote many of Expert Advisors, Technical Indicators and Scripts in MQL4. He is now working on a book about Expert Advisors programming. |
Tell us, please, a little about yourself, how and when did you start in trading?
I'm a C++ and assembly programmer. I've programmed in almost all of the programming languages and hired in a lot of projects in Spain, Egypt and USA. One of my clients a year ago asked me to program a trading system in MQL4, it was the first time I heard about this language. He told me it was like С++ language and easier. Thanks to my client and thanks to MQL4, from that day I've been programming in MQL4, but I have not forgotten my original programming language, C++. That's why you will find a lot of MetaTrader extensions that I've made in C++.
Do you trade yourself? If yes, manually or with Expert Advisors?
I've been trading Forex for 6 months, I started to trade manually but my heart bore the stress and my doctor advised me to automate my trading. Well, you know what I am talking about! I don't think that I have the iron discipline to trade manually and I believe that any manual practice can be converted in automated logic. So, the answer is: I'm trading with my Expert Advisors and I constantly try to improve them. The make my mind free and save me from the decline troubles!
So what is your current progress in automated trading? What indicators and experts have you already developed?
You will not believe me when I say that I don't know how many Indicators, Scripts, and Expert Advisors I've created. I've designed hundreds, which you can find on most of the Forex forums. I've helped a lot of people to understand this programming language with my tutorials, and a lot of them now have their reputation within the MQL programming world!
Currently I have three Expert advisors that the admin of Forex-TSD.COM is constantly forward testing them in Elite Section of the forum and they make profits.
Why do you think automated trading is better than manual trading?
Well, there's a saying "Plan your trade and trade your plan". Raymond Toh said in one of his articles "there's no way to make profit trading Forex (or achieving any success in any field) without firmly established rules and the discipline to obey them". You can not obey your rules if you trade manually, believe me: I tried manual trading and lost a lot of money. For the peace of your mind, you have to find a programmer and describe your manual practice to him, and he will give you back an Expert Advisor that makes your manual trading 100% automated!
MetaTrader and MQL4 give us the ability to write our Expert Advisors that simulate our manual trading, so, why don't we benefit from those great tools and make our trading live easier?
So, you think that it's possible to automate ANY trading system?
Most people (traders and programmers) will say NO! I say: "Tell me logically how you trade manually and I'll give you back an automated trading system". We have MQL4 functions that handle the time of trading if you want to trade a specific session. We have functions that calculate Fibo levels for you if you like those entry/exit strategies. Briefly, we have in MQL4 the reference of all of your manual trading practices. Maybe my manual experiment colored my opinion about the manual trading, but I do believe in what I've said!
What difficulties you think will face those who decide to automate a trading strategy?
To automate your trading you are one of two: a programmer or a trader that seeks for a programmer to write his system. If you are a programmer it'll not be a problem except you have to be a very good programmer to avoid any bugs in your code and logic.
If you are a trader that seeks a programmer to help, the main problem that you will face and the programmer as well is: How to put in words your manual trading practice? I advice you:
- Write as much detail as you can for your programmer!
- Try to have a basic concept about programming in general that helps you to describe your system logically.
- You have to know your system from the beginning. I've met a lot of clients who have asked me to write their systems, but when we start I discover that they know nothing about their systems!
What do you think of the Championship and its Rules?
I like the spirit of the Competition and I do believe it's the only way to improve any system. MQL4 programming is my life right now and you can imagine it will be interesting to know where you rank among MQL4 programmers around the world! Thanks for the idea and thanks for the rules!
There's only one thing in the rules that appears obscure for me, but I'll discuss it in the forum!
Will you personally participate in the Championship? Why?
Sure I'll participate in the Championship. And "Why?" because as I told, I like very much the spirit of competition and I enjoy having 40 000 USD in pocket! Beside I wish, to be ranked among the MQL4 programmers as the top coder!
Why are you so sure that you will win in the Championship? Maybe you have got a very profitable, unique strategy? What principle is your Expert Advisor based on?
Actually, I wish to be the winner, but I'm not sure that I will be! I have a strategy that is working well for me and I trust it! I cannot talk about this strategy, but I think you can not imagine a system without indicators! If I tell you what indicators I'm using in my strategy you will know how the strategy works! The new part in my Expert Advisor is that I don't use any external indicators and all of the indicators' codes are embedded in the Expert Advisor. I cannot say any more about my Expert!
Will you distribute your Expert Advisor commercially after the Championship is over?
I didn't think of that. Maybe I will, if I win!
And our traditional question: If you win and get 40 000 dollars, how will you spend this money?
I'll publish my first book about MQL4 programming and I'll ask my wife "Where do you want to go this weekend?" Maybe we travel to Mecca!
Thanks a lot, Ahmed. Wish you well in the Championship.
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