Dashboard Overview
The trading dashboard is the heart of TestMax. It is where you replay historical market data, place trades, manage positions, and analyze price action. This page walks you through every area of the interface so you know exactly where everything is and what it does.
Dashboard layout
The dashboard is organized into six primary areas:
- Sidebar (left) — Navigation, instrument selection, and account info
- Top bar — Instrument selector, timeframe picker, and date picker
- Chart area (center) — Price chart with drawing tools and indicators
- Order entry panel (right) — Order type, quantity, price inputs, and submit buttons
- Positions panel (bottom-right) — Open positions with live P&L
- Playback controls (bottom) — Play, pause, step, and speed controls
Each area is designed to keep critical information visible at all times while you trade, without requiring you to navigate away from the dashboard.
Sidebar
The sidebar on the left provides navigation to all sections of TestMax and displays key account information.
Navigation items
- Dashboard — The main trading interface (you are here)
- Analytics — Performance analytics, equity curves, trade history, and journal
- Algo Playground — Python strategy editor and backtesting (Pro)
- Prop Firm Practice — Simulated prop firm evaluations (Pro)
- Challenges — Curated trading challenges and PvP battles
- Settings — Account preferences, subscription management, and display options
Bot status indicator
When running an automated strategy from the Algo Playground, the sidebar displays a bot status indicator showing:
- Current execution status (running, paused, completed)
- A progress bar indicating how far through the backtest data the strategy has processed
- A stop button to terminate execution early
Account summary
At the bottom of the sidebar, you will see a summary of your current account:
- Plan — Free or Pro, with a link to upgrade if applicable
- Username — Your display name
Top bar
The top bar contains the primary controls for configuring your trading session.
Instrument selector
Click the instrument selector to choose which market you want to trade. Available instruments include:
| Symbol | Name | Exchange | Tick Size | Tick Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NQ | Nasdaq 100 E-mini | CME | 0.25 | $5.00 |
| ES | S&P 500 E-mini | CME | 0.25 | $12.50 |
| GC | Gold Futures | COMEX | 0.10 | $10.00 |
| CL | Crude Oil Futures | NYMEX | 0.01 | $10.00 |
| EURUSD | Euro/US Dollar | Forex | 0.00005 | $5.00 |
Timeframe picker
The timeframe picker sets the candle duration on your chart. Available timeframes:
- 1s — One-second bars (highest resolution, Pro only for extended data)
- 1m — One-minute bars
- 5m — Five-minute bars
- 15m — Fifteen-minute bars
- 30m — Thirty-minute bars
- 1h — One-hour bars
- 4h — Four-hour bars
- 1D — Daily bars
The timeframe you select affects both how the chart renders and the granularity of the step-forward shortcut (→). Choose based on your trading style — scalpers typically use 1m or 5m, day traders prefer 5m or 15m, and swing-style traders may use 1h or higher.
Date picker
Click the date picker to select which historical trading session to replay. The calendar shows available dates with data. Select a date and the chart loads the session data for that day, ready for replay.
Chart area
The chart area is the largest section of the dashboard, occupying the center of the screen. It displays a candlestick chart of the selected instrument and timeframe.
Chart features
- Candlestick rendering — Standard OHLC candlestick bars with customizable colors
- Price axis (right side) — Shows the current price scale with the last traded price highlighted
- Time axis (bottom) — Shows timestamps for the visible bars
- Crosshair — Moves with your cursor, displaying the exact price and time at any point on the chart
- Volume — Volume bars displayed below the candlestick chart
- Trade markers — Entry and exit points are marked directly on the chart when you place trades
Drawing tools
The chart includes a drawing tools toolbar with access to over 40 professional-grade tools. See Charts & Drawing Tools for the full list.
Multi-chart layouts (Pro)
Pro users can display up to 4 charts simultaneously in configurable layouts (side-by-side, stacked, or grid). Each chart can have an independent instrument and timeframe, allowing you to monitor multiple markets or view the same instrument across timeframes.
Order entry panel
The order entry panel on the right side of the dashboard is where you configure and submit orders. It contains:
Quantity
Set the number of contracts you want to trade. This quantity is also used by the keyboard shortcuts (B and S). The default is 1 contract.
Order type selector
Choose from four order types:
- Market — Executes immediately at the current best price
- Limit — Executes at your specified price or better
- Stop — Triggers a market order when price reaches your stop level
- Bracket — A market or limit order with attached stop loss and take profit levels
Price inputs
For limit and stop orders, enter your desired price. For bracket orders, configure:
- Entry price (for limit brackets)
- Stop loss — The price at which the position is closed at a loss
- Take profit — The price at which the position is closed at a profit
Buy and Sell buttons
Two large buttons at the bottom of the panel submit your order. The Buy button is styled in green and the Sell button in red for quick visual identification.
For a complete guide to order types and execution behavior, see Order Entry.
Positions panel
Below the order entry panel, the positions panel shows all currently open positions. Each position row displays:
- Instrument — The symbol you are trading
- Side — Long or Short
- Quantity — Number of contracts
- Entry price — Your average entry price
- Current price — The latest market price
- Unrealized P&L — How much you would gain or lose if you closed the position right now (updates in real time as price moves)
- Close button — A one-click button to close that specific position at market
When you have no open positions, this panel shows a clean empty state.
For more details on position tracking, see Positions & P&L.
Playback controls
The playback controls sit at the bottom of the chart area and manage the replay of historical data.
Controls
- Play / Pause button — Starts or pauses the replay. Also toggled with the Space key.
- Step forward button — Advances exactly one bar. Also triggered with the → key. Only active when paused.
- Speed slider — Adjusts replay speed from 1x (real-time) to 50x (fast-forward). Free accounts max out at 10x.
- Current timestamp — Displays the exact date and time of the current bar being shown on the chart.
Replay behavior
When the replay is playing, new bars appear on the chart at the selected speed. Price updates are reflected in the order panel, positions panel, and account bar in real time. Orders (limit, stop, bracket) are evaluated against each incoming bar and fill when conditions are met.
When the replay is paused, the market is frozen. You can analyze the chart, draw on it, configure orders, and prepare your next move. Press Space or click Play to resume.
Account bar
At the very bottom of the dashboard, a horizontal account bar displays your current session financials:
- Balance — Your starting account balance plus or minus all realized P&L
- Equity — Balance plus unrealized P&L from open positions
- Realized P&L — Total profit or loss from closed trades in this session
- Unrealized P&L — Current floating profit or loss from open positions
- Margin used — How much margin is allocated to your current positions
These values update in real time as prices move and trades are executed.