Indicator Parameters Explained
Almost every indicator in Signals AI shares the same five core parameters. This page explains them once - individual indicator pages only cover what's unique to each indicator.
Candle Type​
The type of candles used in the calculation.
- OHLC (default) - standard candlesticks.
- HEIKIN_ASHI - smoothed candles that filter out noise, useful for cleaner trend identification.
Source​
Which price point of each candle the calculation uses.
Single price points:
| Source | What it is | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Close (default) | Final price of the period | The standard choice - the close represents the period's final consensus of value |
| Open | First price of the period | Opening range breakout style strategies |
| High | Highest price of the period | An average of Highs runs above price - useful as dynamic resistance |
| Low | Lowest price of the period | An average of Lows runs below price - useful as dynamic support |
Averaged price points (smoother, less affected by single price spikes):
| Source | Formula | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| OHLC4 | (O + H + L + C) / 4 | The "mean price" of the whole candle |
| HLC3 | (H + L + C) / 3 | The "typical price" - used inside indicators like CCI |
| HL2 | (H + L) / 2 | The midpoint of the range; ignores open and close |
Period​
The lookback window - how many candles the calculation uses.
- Shorter period (e.g., 10, 20) → reacts quickly to price changes, tracks price closely, more signals (and more noise).
- Longer period (e.g., 50, 200) → smoother, less sensitive, fewer but steadier signals.
Timeframe​
The chart interval the indicator is calculated on - 1m, 5m, 15m, 1H, etc.
Lower timeframes give more signals; higher timeframes give fewer signals that reflect larger moves. Conditions in one strategy can mix timeframes (e.g., enter on 5m only when the 1H trend agrees).
Offset​
Looks back at the indicator's value from N candles ago - "what was this indicator's value N candles back?"
- 0 - the current, still forming candle
- 1 - the most recently completed candle
- 2 - the candle before that, and so on
Useful for conditions like "RSI was below 30 on the previous candle and is above 30 now."
Indicator specific parameters​
Some indicators add their own parameters - for example Supertrend's Multiplier, MACD's fast/slow/signal periods, or Bollinger Bands' standard deviations. These are documented on each indicator's page:
- Trend Indicators — EMA, SMA, WMA, VWMA, Supertrend, ADX, VWAP
- Momentum Indicators — RSI, MACD, Stochastic, ROC, Williams %R, Special K
- Volatility & Range Indicators — Bollinger Bands, ATR, Min Max