Market Structure BOS and CHoCH Indicator: Swing Points, No Repaint, Alerts

Related: Smart Money Concepts: Break of Structure and Change of Character Analysis - another powerful indicator for MetaTrader 5 traders.

Market structure analysis helps identify trends by tracking higher highs/higher lows (uptrend) or lower highs/lower lows (downtrend) and signals trend changes.

Also recommended: Extreme Price Filter: Identify and Avoid Market Traps - similar indicator with strong performance on MetaTrader 5.

This indicator visually marks market structure on your chart according to clear, defined rules.

Swing High: A price point that is higher than the highest points of the preceding and succeeding 'N' candles. 'N' represents the swing strength, with a default value of 5.
Swing Low: The mirror image of a swing high.

A swing point is only confirmed and displayed after its 'N' candles have closed. Consequently, the labels appear 'N' candles after the actual swing occurs, ensuring they are fixed and do not repaint.

Each confirmed swing point is labeled with its relationship to the previous swing: HH (Higher High) or LH (Lower High) for swing highs, and HL (Higher Low) or LL (Lower Low) for swing lows.

BOS (Break of Structure): Occurs when a candle closes beyond the most recent swing point in the prevailing trend direction, confirming the trend's continuation. This is represented by a dashed line.

CHoCH (Change of Character): Occurs when a candle closes beyond the most recent swing point against the prevailing trend direction, indicating a potential trend reversal. This is represented by a solid line.

The break detection can be based on the candle's close price (default) or its wick.

Indicator Inputs:

- Swing Strength (defines the number of candles on each side for swing point confirmation)
- Break Detection Method (Close or Wick)
- Bars to Scan (maximum number of bars to analyze, default 3000)
- Display Options (toggle visibility of BOS, CHoCH, and swing labels, and specify the number of labels to show)
- Visual Customization (colors and font size for chart elements)
- Alerts (enable notifications for BOS and CHoCH events via popup, push notification, or email)

Expert Advisor Integration (iCustom Buffers - not visually drawn):

- Buffer 0: Trend Direction (+1 for uptrend, -1 for downtrend, 0 for no clear trend yet)
- Buffer 1: Last confirmed Swing High value (EMPTY_VALUE if none available)
- Buffer 2: Last confirmed Swing Low value (EMPTY_VALUE if none available)

Example usage for EA integration: double trendBuffer[]; CopyBuffer(indicatorHandle, 0, 0, 1, trendBuffer); retrieves the trend direction on the last closed bar.

Additional Information:

This indicator is compatible with all trading symbols and timeframes. A higher swing strength value reveals broader market structure, while a lower value focuses on short-term structure.

The indicator's function is limited to drawing and calculation; it does not execute trades.
This tool was updated in 2026.

You may also like: MTF Trend Context - Professional Market Analysis Tool - excellent alternative for indicator users on MetaTrader 5.

#property copyright "RobotFX"
#property link "https://robotfx.org"
#property version     "1.00"
#property description "This code is educational. Feel free to use, modify and upgrade as you wish. Visit ROBOTFX.ORG for professional trading tools"
#property indicator_chart_window
#property indicator_buffers 3
#property indicator_plots   3
#property indicator_type1   DRAW_NONE
#property indicator_label1  "Trend"
#property indicator_type2   DRAW_NONE

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• This tool is provided for educational and testing purposes only.
• Past performance does not guarantee future results.
• Trading involves substantial risk of loss. Use on a demo account first.
• Results may vary depending on market conditions, broker, and settings.
• We recommend thorough backtesting and forward testing before using with real funds.