The TradeJournal Expert Advisor (EA) connects your MetaTrader terminal to your TradeJournal account. Once installed, it receives signals and executes trades automatically on your broker.
This guide covers installation for both MT4 and MT5, plus a full explanation of every EA setting.
Download the EA
The file will download as:
TradeJournalEA.ex4 for MT4TradeJournalEA.ex5 for MT5MT4 Installation
Step 1 — Find the Experts Folder
In MetaTrader 4:
Step 2 — Copy the EA File
Copy TradeJournalEA.ex4 into the Experts folder.
Step 3 — Restart MetaTrader (or Refresh)
Either restart MetaTrader, or right-click Expert Advisors in the Navigator panel and click Refresh.
The EA will appear in the list.
Step 4 — Attach to a Chart
A green smiley face in the top-right corner of the chart means the EA is running and connected.
MT5 Installation
Step 1 — Find the Experts Folder
In MetaTrader 5:
Step 2 — Copy the EA File
Copy TradeJournalEA.ex5 into the Experts folder.
Step 3 — Restart or Refresh
Right-click Expert Advisors in the Navigator and click Refresh.
Step 4 — Attach to a Chart
Enable AutoTrading
In MetaTrader (both MT4 and MT5), make sure the AutoTrading button in the toolbar is active (green). If it's red/disabled, no EAs will execute trades regardless of settings.
EA Settings Explained
Connection Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| API Token | Your unique account token from TradeJournal dashboard. Required. |
| Server URL | Leave as default (points to TradeJournal servers) |
| Poll Interval (seconds) | How often the EA checks for new signals. Default: 10 seconds. |
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Symbol Prefix | Prefix your broker adds to symbols (e.g., "m." for "m.XAUUSD") |
| Symbol Suffix | Suffix your broker adds (e.g., ".pro" for "XAUUSD.pro") |
| Excluded Pairs | Comma-separated list of symbols to never trade (e.g., "GBPJPY,USDJPY") |
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Default Lot Size | Fixed lot when no lot is specified in the signal |
| Risk Percent | Auto-calculate lot based on this % of account balance |
| Max Lot | Hard cap — will never open a position larger than this |
| Balance for Risk | Use account balance, equity, or a fixed custom balance for lot calculations |
| Special Risk | Per-symbol risk override. Format: "XAUUSD:1.5,EURUSD:0.5" |
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| SL Override Mode | OFF = use signal's SL. IF_MISSING = only set SL if signal has none. ALWAYS = always use override value |
| SL Override Pips | The override stop loss distance in pips |
| TP Override Mode | Same as SL override but for take profit |
| TP Override Pips | The override take profit distance in pips |
| Use RR Mode | Calculate TP automatically from SL × R:R ratio |
| RR Ratio | The risk-reward ratio to use (e.g., 2.0 = TP is 2× the SL distance) |
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Use TP1 as BE Trigger | Move stop to break-even when TP1 is hit |
| Partial Close | Enable closing part of the position at TP1 |
| Partial Close Trigger | Which TP level triggers the partial close |
| Partial Close Percent | What percentage to close (e.g., 50 = close half) |
| Trailing Move TP | Enable trailing stop on remaining position |
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Prop Firm Mode | Master toggle for all stealth features |
| Stealth Min Seconds | Minimum random delay before entry (default: 3) |
| Stealth Max Seconds | Maximum random delay before entry (default: 15) |
| Randomize Comment | Add random suffix to trade comment |
| Daily Loss Limit % | Stop trading for the day after this % drawdown |
| Max Drawdown % | Close all trades and stop if total drawdown hits this |
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Check Duplicate | Prevent opening the same signal twice |
| Ignore No SL | Skip signals that have no stop loss |
| Ignore No TP | Skip signals that have no take profit |
| Force Market Pips | Treat entry as market order if price is within X pips |
| Send Notification | Push notification to MetaTrader mobile app on execution |
After setup, check the Experts tab at the bottom of MetaTrader. You should see:
[EA] TradeJournal EA v5.0 initialized
[EA] Connected to TradeJournal server
[EA] Polling for signals every 10 secondsIn TradeJournal → Signal Copier → EA Accounts, your account will show a Last Seen timestamp that updates every time the EA checks in.
Multiple Charts / Instances
You can run the same EA on multiple charts simultaneously — for example, if you want different settings for different accounts on the same MetaTrader terminal. Each chart instance must have its own unique API token.
However, the most common setup is one EA per MetaTrader installation.
Updating the EA
When a new EA version is released:
.ex4/.ex5 file with the new oneYour settings are preserved in the EA's parameter file and don't need to be re-entered.
Common Error Messages
| Error | Solution |
|---|---|
| "Invalid token" | Re-copy your token from TradeJournal dashboard. No extra spaces. |
| "Symbol not found" | Check Symbol Prefix/Suffix settings match your broker |
| "Live trading disabled" | Enable AutoTrading in MT4/MT5 toolbar |
| "DLL imports not allowed" | Enable in EA's Common tab settings |
| "Server unreachable" | Check internet connection. VPS firewall may be blocking outbound connections. |