Charts & Drawing Tools
The TestMax charting engine provides professional-grade visualization for price analysis. With candlestick charts, over 40 drawing tools, volume overlay, and multi-chart layouts, you have everything you need to analyze price action and plan your trades.
Chart basics
Candlestick charts
TestMax renders standard OHLC (Open, High, Low, Close) candlestick charts. Each candle represents one period at your selected timeframe:
- Green / bullish candle — The close is higher than the open. The body shows the range from open (bottom) to close (top).
- Red / bearish candle — The close is lower than the open. The body shows the range from open (top) to close (bottom).
- Wicks / shadows — The thin lines above and below the body show the high and low of that period.
Price axis
The vertical axis on the right side shows the price scale. It auto-scales to fit the visible candles and includes:
- Last price highlight — The current price is shown with a colored label on the price axis
- Position entry markers — When you have an open position, your entry price is marked on the axis
- Order levels — Pending limit and stop orders are shown as horizontal lines on the chart and marked on the price axis
Time axis
The horizontal axis at the bottom shows timestamps. As you scroll or zoom the chart, the time axis adjusts to show appropriate granularity (individual bars, hours, dates, etc.).
Crosshair
Moving your cursor over the chart activates a crosshair that displays the exact price and time at the cursor position. This is useful for precise level identification and measuring price distances.
Navigation
Zoom
- Scroll wheel — Zoom in and out on the time axis. Scroll up to zoom in (see fewer bars with more detail), scroll down to zoom out (see more bars).
- Pinch — On trackpads, pinch to zoom.
Pan
- Click and drag — Click and drag the chart horizontally to scroll through time. Drag left to see older data, drag right to see newer data.
Auto-scroll
During active replay, the chart auto-scrolls to keep the latest candle visible. If you manually pan to look at older data, auto-scroll pauses so you are not pulled back. The chart resumes auto-scrolling when new data catches up to your view or when you click the “snap to latest” button.
Volume
Volume bars are displayed below the price chart, showing the trading volume for each candle period. Volume helps confirm price movements:
- High volume on a breakout — Suggests conviction behind the move
- Low volume on a pullback — Suggests the pullback may be temporary
- Volume spikes — Often coincide with significant price reversals or continuations
Volume is rendered as a bar chart overlay at the bottom of the chart area, using a semi-transparent style that does not obstruct the candlestick view.
Drawing tools
TestMax includes over 40 professional drawing tools for technical analysis. Access them from the toolbar on the left side of the chart area.
Lines and rays
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| Trend Line | A straight line drawn between two points. Used to identify trend direction and dynamic support/resistance. |
| Horizontal Line | A price level line extending across the full chart. Essential for marking support, resistance, and key levels. |
| Vertical Line | A time-based line. Useful for marking session opens, news events, or time-based zones. |
| Ray | A line that extends infinitely from its starting point in one direction. |
| Extended Line | A line that extends infinitely in both directions through two anchor points. |
| Info Line | A trend line that displays price change, percentage change, and bar count between the two endpoints. |
Channels
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| Parallel Channel | Two parallel lines defining a price channel. Used to identify range-bound price action and channel breakouts. |
| Regression Channel | A statistically derived channel based on linear regression of the selected price data, with standard deviation bands. |
| Disjoint Channel | A channel with independently positioned upper and lower boundaries. |
| Flat Top/Bottom Channel | A channel with one horizontal line and one angled line — useful for ascending/descending triangles. |
Fibonacci tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| Fibonacci Retracement | Horizontal lines at key Fibonacci levels (23.6%, 38.2%, 50%, 61.8%, 78.6%) between a high and low. The most widely used Fibonacci tool for identifying pullback levels. |
| Fibonacci Extension | Projects price targets beyond the current move using Fibonacci ratios (100%, 127.2%, 161.8%, 200%, 261.8%). |
| Fibonacci Fan | Diagonal lines radiating from a point at Fibonacci angles. Used for identifying dynamic support/resistance. |
| Fibonacci Time Zones | Vertical lines spaced at Fibonacci intervals to project time-based turning points. |
| Fibonacci Arc | Curved arcs at Fibonacci distances from a reference point. |
| Fibonacci Channel | A channel with internal divisions at Fibonacci ratios. |
Gann tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| Gann Fan | A set of lines radiating from a point at specific Gann angles (1x1, 1x2, 2x1, etc.). |
| Gann Square | A square overlay used for Gann time/price analysis. |
| Gann Box | A rectangular Gann analysis tool with internal grid divisions. |
Shapes and zones
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| Rectangle | A rectangular zone. Commonly used to highlight supply/demand zones, order blocks, and areas of interest. |
| Circle | A circular highlight for marking specific areas. |
| Ellipse | An elliptical highlight. |
| Triangle | A three-point shape for pattern identification. |
| Brush | Freehand drawing for marking up the chart with custom annotations. |
| Highlighter | A semi-transparent freehand marker for emphasizing areas without obscuring candles. |
Pattern tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| XABCD Pattern | Five-point harmonic pattern tool for drawing Gartley, Butterfly, Bat, and Crab patterns. |
| ABC Pattern | Three-point pattern tool for simple corrective wave identification. |
| Head and Shoulders | Marks the classic reversal pattern with left shoulder, head, right shoulder, and neckline. |
| Elliott Wave | Multi-point tool for labeling Elliott Wave counts (1-2-3-4-5 impulse and A-B-C corrective). |
| Cypher Pattern | Five-point harmonic pattern specific to the Cypher structure. |
Measurement tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| Price Range | Measures the vertical distance between two price levels in both price and percentage terms. |
| Date Range | Measures the horizontal distance between two time points in bars and time. |
| Price and Date Range | Combined measurement showing price change, percentage change, time elapsed, and number of bars. |
| Anchored VWAP | Volume Weighted Average Price anchored to a specific bar, showing the average price weighted by volume from that point forward. |
Text and annotations
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| Text | Place text labels on the chart for notes, level descriptions, or trade plans. |
| Callout | A text box with an arrow pointing to a specific location on the chart. |
| Price Label | A label that sits on the price axis showing a specific price level with custom text. |
| Arrow Marker | Directional arrows (up/down) placed on the chart to mark entries, exits, or expected moves. |
| Flag | A small flag icon placed on the chart to mark notable bars or events. |
Managing drawings
Selecting and editing
Click on any drawing to select it. Selected drawings show anchor handles that you can drag to reposition. Right-click a drawing to access:
- Properties — Change color, line style, line width, and other visual properties
- Duplicate — Create a copy of the drawing
- Delete — Remove the drawing from the chart
- Lock — Prevent accidental modification of the drawing
Persistence
Drawings are saved automatically and persist across sessions for the same instrument. When you return to a previously analyzed chart, your drawings will still be there.
Multi-chart layouts (Pro)
Pro users can display multiple charts simultaneously to monitor different instruments or timeframes at the same time.
Available layouts
- Single — One chart (default, available to all users)
- Split horizontal — Two charts side by side
- Split vertical — Two charts stacked
- Triple — One large chart with two smaller charts
- Quad — Four equal charts in a 2x2 grid
Independent configuration
Each chart in a multi-chart layout has its own:
- Instrument selection
- Timeframe selection
- Drawing tools and saved drawings
- Zoom level and scroll position
Common multi-chart setups
View the same instrument on three timeframes simultaneously:
- Top-left: 1h chart for bias and structure
- Top-right: 5m chart for trade entries
- Bottom: 1m chart for precise timing
Monitor correlated or multiple instruments:
- Left: NQ for primary trading
- Right: ES for confirmation
One chart for context and one for execution:
- Large chart: 5m trading timeframe with drawings
- Small chart: 1m for entry timing
Chart analysis tips
Mark key levels before pressing play
Before starting a replay session, pause the chart and draw horizontal lines at major support and resistance levels you can identify from the visible history. This forces you to do your analysis first, then watch how price reacts to your levels.
Use rectangles for supply and demand zones
Supply and demand zones are areas, not exact prices. Use the rectangle tool to mark zones where you expect buying or selling pressure. Color-code them — for example, green rectangles for demand zones and red for supply zones.
Anchor VWAP to session open
The Anchored VWAP tool is especially useful when anchored to the session open (9:30 AM ET for US futures). Institutional traders use VWAP as a benchmark, so price often respects this level throughout the day.
Keep drawings organized
Over time, charts can get cluttered with drawings. Periodically clean up old drawings that are no longer relevant. Keep only the levels and annotations that inform your current trading decisions.