ADR Bar Indicator: How Much Of Today Is Already Gone

Written by Dominic Walsh · Published 22 Jul 2026 · Last updated 9 Sep 2026

The adr bar indicator answers a question worth asking before a trade. How much of a normal day has this instrument already travelled? It averages twenty daily ranges. Today then gets measured against that figure.

This build ships as a compiled .ex4 for MT4 and .ex5 for MT5; the screenshots below come from EURUSD H1.

Platforms	MT4 (.ex4) + MT5 (.ex5)
Chart window	Main price chart
Plots	1: ADR Bar (object based)
Alerts	popup, push notification, email, sound
Inputs	28

What the ADR Bar Indicator draws on the chart

Levels and a panel, no plot lines.

Segments mark the average range from the day open and from both extremes.

A dim gray line marks today’s open.

The `ADR Bar (object based)` buffer draws nothing.

• ADR Bar (object based): hidden buffer

How the ADR Bar Indicator calculates its values

Twenty days

That is the whole input. `AdrDays` `20` daily bars each give their high minus low. Averaging those produces the figure everything gets measured against.

Three placements

Each answers a different question. `ShowEnvelope` hangs half the average either side of the day open. `ShowFromExtremes` measures a full average up from today’s low and down from its high.

Consumption

This is the headline number. Today’s range divided by the average gives a percentage. `HighConsumedPct` `80.0` is where the panel marks it.

How to read the signals

A low figure early in the day says room remains.

A high one says the easy part has gone.

The from-extremes pair suits a trending day.

`LevelForwardBars` `10` sets how far right each segment goes.

The day open line tells you which half of the range you sit in.

Levels rebuild at the start of each new session.

Alert channels in this build: popup, push notification, email and sound, one message per closed bar.

`EnableAlerts` is the master switch and starts true with `EnablePopup`. Set `EnablePushNotify` for a phone, `EnableEmail` for mail, or `EnableSound` to sound `SoundFile`. Those three sit off.

Every ADR Bar Indicator input

Core settings

Setting	What it does	Default
AdrDays	Completed daily bars averaged into the ADR. Daily bars in the average, `20`.	20
LevelForwardBars	Level segment end (bars right of price). Bars each segment runs, `10`.	10
HighConsumedPct	Consumption above this is highlighted. Where the panel marks it, `80.0`.	80.0

Display settings

Setting	What it does	Default
ShowEnvelope	Draw dayOpen +/- ADR/2. Half the average each side of the open, `true`.	on
ShowFromExtremes	Draw dayLow + ADR and dayHigh – ADR. A full average from low and high, `true`.	on
ShowDayOpen	Draw today’s daily open. Draw the day open, `true`.	on
LevelWidth	Level line width.	2
ShowLevelText	Label each level on the chart. Label each level, `true`.	on
AdrHighColor	ADR High color.	orange red
AdrLowColor	ADR Low color.	dodger blue
AdrFromLowColor	“ADR from day low” color.	gold
AdrFromHighColor	“ADR from day high” color.	medium orchid
DayOpenColor	Daily open color.	dim gray
ShowPanel	Show the ADR panel. Show the readout, `true`.	on
PanelX	Panel X (px).	12
PanelY	Panel Y (px).	20
PanelFontSize	Panel font size.	9
PanelTitleColor	Panel title color.	gold
PanelTextColor	Panel text color.	gainsboro
PanelWarnColor	Panel highlight color.	orange red
ShowPanelBack	Draw a panel background.	on
PanelBackColor	Panel background color.	RGB 18,22,30

Alert settings

Setting	What it does	Default
EnableAlerts	Master alert switch. Master switch, `true`.	on
EnablePopup	Popup alert. Message in the terminal, `true`.	on
EnablePushNotify	Push notification to phone.	off
EnableEmail	Email alert.	off
EnableSound	Sound alert.	off
SoundFile	Sound file.	alert.wav

Settings that fit your chart

A daily range figure is most useful intraday. EURUSD H1 is the reference chart. The levels sit within reach through the session there. On M5 they look distant. On daily bars the idea collapses.

When the ADR Bar Indicator fails

A twenty-day average says nothing about today.

News days can use the whole average before lunch.

A reading past a hundred percent is common.

A holiday session can leave every level untouched.

Copy the compiled ADR Bar Indicator file into your MQL4/Indicators folder, and the MT5 build into MQL5/Indicators, then restart the terminal and drag it onto a chart. The step-by-step guide with screenshots is at how to install MT4 and MT5 indicators.

Download the ADR Bar Indicator for MT4 and MT5

The zip holds the compiled ADR Bar Indicator build for MT4 and MT5, plus a short README. Compiled files only, no source. Enter your email below and the download link arrives in your inbox.

FAQ

What does AdrDays 20 average?

The high minus low of the last twenty completed daily bars. Twenty sessions is about a trading month. That is recent enough to track conditions and long enough to absorb one odd day.

How does ShowFromExtremes differ from ShowEnvelope?

The envelope hangs half the average each side of the open, which assumes a balanced day. From-extremes measures a full average up from the low and down from the high, which suits a day already trending.

What does HighConsumedPct 80.0 highlight?

The point where today has used four fifths of a normal day of travel. Past that the panel marks the figure, because more travel needs more than a normal day.

Can HighConsumedPct go above 100 percent?

Yes, and it happens often. The average is a typical day, not a limit. A reading of a hundred and fifty simply says today has gone half again as far as normal.

Are results guaranteed?

No. Trading involves risk. Results are not guaranteed; past performance is not indicative of future results. Use the ADR Bar Indicator as one input. Always backtest before trading live.