Article-22597-MQL5-Economic-Calendar-Modular-Canvas-Dashboard/README.md

Article-22597-MQL5-Economic-Calendar-Modular-Canvas-Dashboard

This repository is an article-derived reference project based on the original MQL5 article. It does not claim to reproduce the full original source code unless files are explicitly attached.

Overview

Reference repository for MQL5 article 22597 describing a refactor of an economic news dashboard from a monolithic chart-object implementation into a modular canvas-based system.

The article presents a four-module architecture:

• core data/state module
• logic module
• rendering module
• interaction module

It also discusses a dual-theme UI, runtime resizing, pixel-based scrolling, collapsible day groups, unit-aware calendar value formatting, live remain/countdown updates, and toast notifications.

Original Article

• Article ID: 22597
• Title: MQL5 Economic Calendar Dashboard, Part 11
• Author: Allan Munene Mutiiria
• Publication date: 2026.05.26
• Category: Trading / GUI
• URL: https://www.mql5.com/en/articles/22597

Repository Purpose

This repository is intended as a technical reference/reconstruction project for the article’s architecture and code organization.

Its purpose is to preserve and organize the article-described implementation details for:

• modular MQL5 EA design
• canvas-based dashboard rendering
• economic calendar event visualization
• interaction handling without chart objects
• pre-news trading workflow integration

Key Concepts

• Canvas-based dashboard rendering with CCanvas
• Separation of concerns across .mqh modules
• Runtime-resizable layout with width/height bounds
• Pixel-based scrolling with draggable scrollbar thumb
• Proportional table column scaling
• Unit-aware formatting for calendar values
• Relative time formatting for upcoming/released events
• Collapsible day-group row planning
• Hit-testing and hover-code action dispatch
• Crop-based canvas resizing instead of bitmap reallocation
• Timer-driven partial repaint of changing cells
• Trade deduplication using stable calendar event IDs

Algorithm / Architecture Summary

The article describes an Expert Advisor structured around a thin main entry point and four supporting modules:

1. Main EA file

• declares inputs
• embeds CSV resource for tester mode
• includes all modules
• forwards OnInit, OnDeinit, OnTick, OnChartEvent, and OnTimer

2. Core module

• stores layout constants, dashboard size state, theme palette, font/glyph constants
• defines scrollbar state and helpers
• computes scalable column widths
• formats calendar values and remaining time strings

3. Logic module

• loads events from live calendar API
• stores metadata such as unit, multiplier, digits, and event IDs
• applies filters
• builds a row plan with day separator rows
• supports collapse/expand state per day group
• supports trade candidate search and deduplication

4. Render module

• draws the dashboard header, filters, rows, scrollbar, countdown banner, and toast
• caches interactive rectangles for later hit-testing
• uses a main canvas plus a separator overlay canvas

5. Interact module

• converts chart coordinates to dashboard-local coordinates
• performs pixel-level hit-testing
• dispatches actions based on hover codes
• manages dragging, edge resizing, wheel scrolling, and canvas lifecycle

The article emphasizes allocating canvases at maximum size once, then resizing by changing the visible crop, reducing drag-time reallocation overhead.

Mentioned or Attached Files

Explicitly attached files

• MQL5 News Calendar EA PART 11.mq5 — main Expert Advisor entry point
• News Core.mqh — shared state, layout, theme, formatting, scroll helpers
• News Interact.mqh — hit-testing, action dispatch, drag/resize handling, canvas lifecycle
• News Logic.mqh — event loading, filtering, row planning, trading logic
• News Render.mqh — dashboard drawing and visual update routines
• EconomicCalendar.csv — embedded resource for strategy tester mode

Files only mentioned in text

• Part 10 article/source from the earlier monolithic implementation
• MQL5 Trading Tools series referenced for canvas drawing fundamentals

Statistics

• Modules described: 4
• Primary language: MQL5
• Main program type: Expert Advisor
• Attached source files in article: 6
• UI rendering approach: Canvas bitmap labels
• Article series position: Part 11

Tags

MQL5 MetaTrader5 Economic-Calendar Canvas Dashboard Expert-Advisor UI Modular-Architecture Scrolling Event-Filtering

Difficulty

Intermediate to Advanced

Requires familiarity with:

• MQL5 event handlers
• CCanvas
• MT5 Economic Calendar API
• custom UI rendering
• state-driven interaction design
• EA modularization

Limitations

• The repository is article-derived; full compile-ready original source is only supported to the extent of the explicitly attached files listed in the article.
• Some implementation details are described narratively rather than fully reproduced in the processed input.
• The article references additional prior work and shared helpers; not all supporting context is included here.
• Build success may depend on the presence and placement of EconomicCalendar.csv as described by the article.
• This README does not assume undocumented installation or usage steps beyond what the article states.

Reference

• Original article: https://www.mql5.com/en/articles/22597
• MQL5 Economic Calendar: https://www.mql5.com/en/economic-calendar
• MQL5 CCanvas documentation: https://www.mql5.com/en/docs/standardlibrary/canvasgraphics/ccanvas