Fetcher (fetch.js)

fetch.js downloads historical market data, updates Forex rates, refreshes symbol information, and checks for Express Generator updates.

If you are new to ExGen, begin with Quick Start and return here for full option coverage.

What Fetcher Does

Fetcher can run one or more of these jobs in a single command:

Download Forex rates (fx_rates)
Download symbol information (symbol_info)
Download historical market data (symbol, period)
Check and optionally install Express Generator updates (check_for_update)

If all jobs are disabled, Fetcher exits with “Nothing to fetch!”.

You can fetch data only from servers provided by the developers (Forex Software Ltd).

Currently available servers are: Premium, Dukascopy, MetaQuotes, Darwinex, Eightcap, BlackBull.

Note: Premium data is composed from Dukascopy tick data sources.

Quick Start

Recommended first run order for new users:

Update metadata first (FX rates and symbol info)
Fetch historical data
Continue with strategy generation in Generator (gen.js)

Fetch historical data

node ./bin/fetch.js --server MetaQuotes --symbol EURUSD --period M15

Example output:

..:: Express Generator Fetch v2.xx ::..
Fetched: MetaQuotes EURUSD M15, From: 2018-02-02 09:45, To: 2026-02-20 21:30, Bars: 200000
Data fetch ready!

Update local metadata (FX rates + symbol info)

node ./bin/fetch.js --server MetaQuotes --fx-rates true --symbol-info true

Example output:

..:: Express Generator Fetch v2.xx ::..
FX rates fetch ready!
Symbol info fetch ready!

Check for updates only

node ./bin/fetch.js --check-for-update true --update-check-interval 0

Settings and Priority

Fetcher reads options in this order (lowest to highest priority):

Default file: ./bin/fetch.settings.ini
User settings file(s): –settings my-fetch.ini (or multiple files)
CLI options: for example –time-zone -4

Higher priority overrides lower priority.

When using several files with –settings, each next file overrides keys from the previous one.

Settings names are flexible in INI and CLI:

snake_case
camelCase
PascalCase

Aliases are supported:

symbol and symbols
period and periods
settings and setting

Command Reference

Core options

Option	Type	Default	Description
`–server`	string	`Premium`	Data server. Allowed values: Premium, Dukascopy, MetaQuotes, Darwinex, Eightcap, BlackBull.
`–symbol` / `–symbols`	string or list	empty	One or more symbols to download, for example `EURUSD GBPUSD`.
`–period` / `–periods`	string or list	`M30`	One or more periods: M1, M5, M15, M30, H1, H4, D1.
`–time-zone`	integer	`0`	Time zone offset in hours where UTC = 0.
`–max-data-bars`	integer	`0`	Maximum bars to keep. Use 0 for all available bars.
`–if-missing-or-older-than`	integer	`0`	Re-download data only if file is missing or older than N minutes. 0 disables this rule.
`–silent`	boolean	`false`	Suppress regular console output (errors are still shown).

Network behavior note:

If a fetch request fails with a transient network error (for example socket hang up), Fetcher retries automatically after 3 seconds, up to 2 retries.

Metadata options

Option	Type	Default	Description
`–fx-rates`	boolean	`false`	Downloads `fx-rates.json` in `./res`.
`–symbol-info`	boolean	`false`	Downloads symbol info file `./res/<server>.json`.

Update options

Option	Type	Default	Description
`–check-for-update`	boolean	`true`	Enables update check at startup.
`–automatic-update`	boolean	`true`	Installs update automatically when a newer version is found.
`–update-check-interval`	integer	`24`	Hours between update checks.

Settings file options

Option	Type	Description
`–settings`	string or list	One or more user INI files that override default settings.
`–setting`	string or list	Alternative spelling for `–settings`.

Output and Files

FX rates are saved in ./res/fx-rates.json
Symbol info is saved in ./res/<server>.json
Historical data is saved in the data directory under ./data
Update check timestamp is stored in ./bin/res/update-check.json

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