Super Breakout Entry Indicator: Closing Channel Plus ATR

Written by Dominic Walsh · Published 10 Jul 2026 · Last updated 9 Sep 2026

The super breakout entry indicator makes two changes to a plain channel break. The channel comes from closes rather than wicks. And the edges get padded by a fraction of ATR, so a break has to clear the range plus a buffer. A volatility test then decides whether the break counts.

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	4: BreakHi, BreakLo, Buy, Sell
Alerts	popup
Inputs	7

What the Super Breakout Entry Indicator draws on the chart

BreakHi is the dodger blue line, the highest close plus the ATR pad.

BreakLo is the tomato line, the lowest close minus the same pad.

Buy and Sell mark a close beyond either padded edge.

Mark distance scales with ATR, so the gap holds on any instrument.

• BreakHi: line, dodger blue, width 1
• BreakLo: line, tomato, width 1
• Buy: arrow, lime, width 2, arrow code 233
• Sell: arrow, red, width 2, arrow code 234

How the Super Breakout Entry Indicator calculates its values

A channel built from closes

iHighest and iLowest run in close mode across `InpLookback` `20` bars, starting one bar back. Using closes rather than highs and lows means a long wick cannot set the edge on its own.

Padding the edges

upper takes the highest close plus `InpAtrMult` `0.3` times ATR at `InpAtrPeriod` `14`. lower subtracts the same. That pad is why the two lines sit outside the closes they came from.

The volatility test

atrAvg averages ATR over `InpVolAvg` `50` bars. highVol needs the current reading above that average times `InpVolFactor` `1.1`. A break during an unusually calm stretch therefore fails the test.

How to read the signals

The two lines already include the ATR pad, so a touch is not a break.

Wider spacing between the lines means recent closes covered more ground.

A break in a quiet session may leave no mark at all.

`InpAnchorTime` lets you start the calculation from a chosen date.

Alert channels in this build: popup, one message per closed bar.

`InpAlertsOn` ships on and raises a terminal popup on a break. This build carries no push, email or sound channel. The guard permits one message per closed bar, so a run of breaks cannot repeat within a bar.

Every Super Breakout Entry Indicator input

Core settings

Setting	What it does	Default
InpLookback	Donchian lookback. Bars in the closing channel, default `20`.	20
InpAtrPeriod	ATR period. ATR length behind the pad, default `14`.	14
InpAtrMult	ATR offset multiplier. Pad size in ATR units, default `0.3`.	0.3
InpVolAvg	Vol filter avg length. Bars in the ATR average, default `50`.	50
InpVolFactor	Vol filter multiplier. How far current ATR must exceed that average, default `1.1`.	1.1
InpAnchorTime	Anchor time (0 = ignore). Start the calculation from this time, default `0` which ignores it.	0

Alert settings

Setting	What it does	Default
InpAlertsOn	Enable alerts. Popup on a break, default `true`.	on

Settings that fit your chart

A closing channel behaves more calmly than a wick one, which suits mid timeframes. EURUSD H1 is the reference chart, where `InpLookback` at `20` covers most of a day. On M5 the edges sit close together. On H4 the channel describes a week and breaks turn rare.

When the Super Breakout Entry Indicator fails

Closes ignore the wicks, so a violent intrabar move leaves the channel untouched.

`InpVolFactor` `1.1` is a modest bar, and an active session clears it easily.

A padded break still says nothing about whether the move continues.

Copy the compiled Super Breakout Entry 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.

Background reading on the method behind the Super Breakout Entry Indicator: Capital gain on Wikipedia, Support at Investopedia.

Download the Super Breakout Entry Indicator for MT4 and MT5

The zip holds the compiled Super Breakout Entry 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

Why does InpLookback use closes, not highs?

Because a single long wick would otherwise set the channel edge for twenty bars. Reading closes gives a channel built from where price actually finished each bar, which is a steadier reference for a breakout rule.

What does InpAtrMult at 0.3 add?

A pad on both edges, worth three tenths of an ATR. On a chart where ATR reads 20 pips that is 6 pips beyond the highest close. It stops a break registering when price barely nudges past the old extreme.

How does InpVolFactor filter a break?

It compares current ATR against its own `InpVolAvg` `50` bar average. The reading must exceed that average by 10 percent for a break to count. A break during a very quiet stretch fails and leaves no mark.

What is InpAnchorTime for?

It sets a start date for the calculation. At `0` the tool ignores it and covers the whole chart. Setting a time is useful when you want the channel measured only from a known event onwards.

Are results guaranteed?

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