> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://takeprofit.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Strategy/Backtesting Widget
The **Strategy/Backtesting Widget** allows you to test and analyze trading strategies using historical data directly inside your workspace.
It combines strategy execution, performance analytics, trade logs, and risk statistics in a single environment — tightly integrated with Charts and the Indie IDE.
***
## Getting Started
When the Strategy/Backtesting Widget is opened, you will see a prompt to select a strategy.
Click **Select Strategy** or **Open Strategy** to:
* Choose a built-in strategy
* Open an existing custom strategy
* Create a new strategy
***
## Using Built-in Strategies
The widget includes a library of ready-to-use strategies such as:
* ADX Breakout Strategy
* MACD Strategy
* Moving Average Cross
* RSI Strategy
* Price Channel Strategy
* Consecutive Up/Down Strategy
* Inside Bar / Outside Bar Strategies
To use a built-in strategy:
1. Open the strategy selector
2. Choose a strategy from the **Built-in** section
3. Run the backtest
Built-in strategies are useful for:
* Learning how strategy logic works
* Benchmarking performance
* Comparing behavior across instruments and timeframes
***
## Creating a Custom Strategy
To create your own strategy:
1. Open the strategy selector
2. Click **Create New Strategy**
3. The Indie editor will open
4. Define your strategy logic
Custom strategies are written in Indie using the strategy framework.
For full implementation details, refer to: [https://takeprofit.com/docs/indie/Strategies/Strategies-overview](https://takeprofit.com/docs/indie/Strategies/Strategies-overview)
Once saved, the strategy becomes available inside the Strategy/Backtesting Widget.
***
## Strategy Settings
Each strategy includes configurable inputs.
Typical parameters may include:
* Initial Capital
* Commission value and type
* Leverage
* Risk-free rate
* Order size and order size unit
* Market order type
* Intrabar execution rules
* Strategy-specific logic inputs (periods, thresholds, multipliers, etc.)
You can modify these inputs directly from the settings panel and instantly rerun the backtest.
***
## Backtesting Date Range
You can control the period used for backtesting directly from the top panel of the widget.
### Start Date
* **Start Available** – uses the earliest available historical data (limited by your plan)
* **From Custom Date** – manually select a start date using the calendar
> Note: Historical data is capped depending on your plan (e.g., 5,000 candles on Free, 20,000 on All-in).
***
### End Date
* **Now** – includes the most recent market data and updates automatically (forward testing)
* **Until Custom Date** – manually select an end date
***
### Calendar Selection
When selecting a custom range:
* A dual calendar picker allows you to define **start and end dates**
* You can navigate between months and years
* Selected dates define the exact backtesting window
This allows you to:
* Test strategies on specific market periods
* Compare performance across different conditions
* Isolate trends, volatility phases, or events
Adjusting the date range will immediately affect the backtest results and all related metrics.
## Main Performance Overview
After running a strategy, the Strategy/Backtesting Widget provides a structured performance summary.
### Core Metrics
* Total P\&L
* Win Rate
* Profit Factor
* Total Trades
* Wins / Losses
* Average Trade
* Expectancy
* Risk–Reward Ratio
***
## Capital & Returns
This section summarizes capital progression:
* Initial Capital
* Final Capital
* Realized P\&L
* Unrealized P\&L
* Annualized Return
* Buy & Hold Return
* Average Monthly Return
* Minimum / Maximum Equity
***
## Risk & Volatility
Risk metrics help evaluate downside exposure:
* Max Drawdown
* Average Drawdown
* Number of Drawdowns
* Max Drawdown Duration
* Sharpe Ratio
***
## Volatility & Recovery
Additional recovery and stability indicators:
* Sortino Ratio
* Calmar Ratio
* Daily Standard Deviation
* Daily Value at Risk (95% / 99%)
* Annualized Volatility
* Average Recovery Time
* Maximum Recovery Time
***
## Trade Quality
Trade-level quality metrics include:
* Expectancy
* Risk–Reward Ratio
* Profit Factor
* Best Trade Net P\&L
* Worst Trade Net P\&L
* Commission-to-Profit Ratio
***
## Trade Analysis
The **Trades** tab provides a detailed breakdown:
* Trade ID and type (Long / Short)
* Entry and exit timestamps
* Duration
* Individual trade P\&L
* Cumulative P\&L
* Drawdown and run-up
Trades can be inspected individually for execution analysis.
***
## Orders Log
The **Orders** tab displays:
* Order ID
* Order type (Market / Limit / Stop)
* Price
* Quantity
* Exposure
* Fee
This allows you to audit execution mechanics in detail.
***
## Visual Components
The widget also provides:
* Equity curve
* Drawdown chart
* Position activity
* Trade distribution statistics
These visualizations help identify instability, overfitting, or structural weaknesses in strategy logic.
To compare the backtesting of two strategies side-by-side:
* Open two **Strategy/Backtesting Widgets** with the two strategies you want to compare (these can be built-in, existing custom strategies, or a new strategy you want to create).
* Select the **asset**.
* Select the **timeframe**.
* Click **"Source Code"** to open them for both strategies and click **"Open Report"** to update your strategy backtesting results.
* **Verify the results** of both strategies side-by-side.
***
## Workflow Integration
The Strategy/Backtesting Widget is designed to work together with:
* **Charts** – to visually validate entries and exits
* **IDE** – to develop and refine strategy logic
* **Watchlist** – to test strategies across multiple instruments
This creates a structured research loop:
Develop → Test → Analyze → Refine → Retest
***
The Strategy/Backtesting Widget transforms your workspace into a complete strategy validation environment — combining execution logic, risk diagnostics, and performance analytics in one unified interface.