The Generator script gen.js serves to:

• generate new strategy collections for selected data and settings
• re-calculate previously generated collections against updated data or updated parameters
• validate collections against Acceptance Criteria and Monte Carlo settings
• optimize strategies with the built-in optimizer

Generator settings are defined in ./bin/gen.settings.ini and can be overridden by user settings files and command options.

You can pass one or several user settings files with –settings. When several files are provided, each next file overrides values from the previous one. CLI options have highest priority.

If you are new to ExGen workflows, start with Quick Start and use this page as the detailed reference.

• New generation from market data
• Validation of existing collections
• Validation, then generation (combined run)
• Generation with optimizer and Monte Carlo validation

Recommended sequence for new users:

• fetch or refresh data with Fetcher (fetch.js)
• run generation for one market and period
• validate existing collections after data refresh

Command:

  express-generator> node ./bin/gen.js --server MetaQuotes --symbol EURUSD --period M15

Command:

  express-generator> node ./bin/gen.js --input ./collections/Coll_MetaQuotes_EURUSD_M15.json --server MetaQuotes --symbol EURUSD --period M15

Command:

  express-generator> node ./bin/gen.js --input ./collections/MetaQuotes --input-match EURUSD M15 --validate-then-generate true

The following sample output can be used as a visual review of a successful generation run.

Output:

                        ..:: Express Generator v2.xx ::..
 
 
    Market : MetaQuotes EURUSD M15
    From   : 2022-02-11 13:00, To: 2026-02-20 21:30, Bars: 100000
    Spread : 10, Swap long: -0.7, Swap short: -1, Commission: 6 USD
    Account: 10000 USD, Leverage: 100, Entry: 0.01 lots
 
    10459 ┤                                 ╭──╮       Net profit      410.54 USD
    10417 ┤                                ╭╯  ╰──     Profit per day  0.28   USD
    10375 ┤                              ╭─╯           Profit factor   1.73
    10333 ┤                            ╭─╯             Max drawdown    73.29  USD
    10290 ┤                         ╭──╯               Max drawdown    0.73   %
    10248 ┤                ╭╮ ╭─────╯                  Return/drawdown 5.60
    10206 ┤              ╭─╯╰─╯                        Win / loss      0.61
    10164 ┤          ╭───╯                             Max stagnation  256    days
    10122 ┤     ╭────╯                                 Max stagnation  17.41  %
    10080 ┤     │                                      R - squared     87.03
    10037 ┤    ╭╯                                      Max cons losses 4
     9995 ┼╮╭──╯                                       Count of trades 171
     9953 ┤╰╯                                          Avrg pos length 579    bars
 
 
  - Ascended: 400, Calculated: 17949, Time: 03:00 of 03:00, Coll: 100
 
Generator Ready!
Count of strategies: 100
Collection exported: collections/Coll_MetaQuotes_EURUSD_M15.json

See the dedicated pages for each gen.settings.ini section:

• Data source
• Output collection
• Input collection
• Collection
• Generator stop
• Acceptance criteria
• Account settings
• Strategy properties
• Backtester
• Data horizon
• Forward testing
• Out of sample
• Trading session
• Symbol info overrides
• Miscellaneous
• Indicators
• Indicator options
• Auto-save
• Optimizer
• Monte Carlo
• Settings files