I’m trying to set up a system that automates trade signals from MetaTrader 4. The goal is to convert buy and sell signals into messages and send them to a Python script that uses a Telegram bot. This script would then figure out what the message means and do things like place orders with a broker using their Python APIs.
I’ve already got a basic Python script working that can receive messages from my personal Telegram account and echo them back. But what I really need is a way to send these messages directly from MetaTrader 4, not from a mobile device.
Has anyone done something like this before? I’m not sure how to connect MetaTrader 4 to a Telegram bot or how to format the signals so they can be easily understood by the Python script. Any tips or examples would be super helpful!
# Example of what I'm aiming for
def receive_mt4_signal(bot, update):
signal = update.message.text
if signal == 'BUY':
place_buy_order()
elif signal == 'SELL':
place_sell_order()
# This is just a placeholder, not actual working code
I’m pretty new to this kind of integration, so even general advice on how to approach this problem would be great. Thanks!
I’ve implemented a similar system using ZeroMQ, which is a great solution for your needs. Here’s how it works:
Install the ZeroMQ library for both MT4 and Python. In MT4, create an Expert Advisor that sends signals via ZeroMQ whenever your trading conditions are met. On the Python side, set up a script that listens for these ZeroMQ messages.
When a signal is received, your Python script can process it and forward it to your Telegram bot. This approach is fast, reliable, and allows for real-time communication between MT4 and Python without intermediary files.
The main advantage is that MT4 and Python don’t need to be on the same machine. You can run MT4 on a VPS and your Python script locally, or vice versa. It’s also more efficient than file monitoring methods.
Remember to handle potential connection issues and implement error logging in both your MT4 EA and Python script for robustness.
I’ve actually done something similar to what you’re trying to achieve, Stella. Here’s what worked for me:
Instead of directly connecting MT4 to a Telegram bot, I used a two-step approach. First, I set up an Expert Advisor (EA) in MT4 that writes trade signals to a text file on my local machine. Then, I created a Python script that monitors this file for changes and sends messages to Telegram when new signals appear.
For the EA part, you’ll need to learn a bit of MQL4 (MetaQuotes Language 4). It’s not too difficult if you have programming experience. The EA can detect your desired conditions and use the FileWrite() function to log signals.
On the Python side, you can use a library like watchdog to monitor the file. When a new signal is detected, use the python-telegram-bot library to send it to your Telegram bot.
This method avoids direct integration issues between MT4 and Python, and it’s quite reliable. It does require both MT4 and your Python script to run on the same machine, though. If that’s a problem, you might need to explore other options like using a VPS.
hey stella, have u considered using websockets? i’ve used them to connect mt4 with python n it works great. basically, u set up a websocket server in python and have ur mt4 ea send signals to it. then ur python script can process those signals n send em to telegram. it’s pretty fast n reliable. plus, u can run mt4 n python on different machines if u want. lemme know if u need more details!