Module 2 · Lesson 1 of 8 · Charting · About 5 minutes
Charting Platforms and the Chart Layout: What Is on the Screen
On this page
Before you read: Candlestick Anatomy: Open, High, Low, Close and Wicks
What you will learn
- What a charting platform does and how it differs from a broker.
- The main parts of a chart layout: price pane, axes, toolbars and panes for indicators.
- Why the same data can look different from one platform to another.
What is a charting platform?
Is the program that draws the chart the same as the firm that holds the account?
A charting platform turns price and volume data into charts and tools for reading them. TradingView is one widely used example, and this module uses it to describe general ideas. Many brokers offer their own charts too. A charting platform may or may not be connected to a broker; drawing a chart is not the same as placing an order. Features, data and plan limits differ by platform and change over time, so check the platform’s own help pages for current details.
What are the parts of a chart layout?
Where does each piece of information sit?
Most layouts share the same pieces. The main pane shows price as candles, bars or a line. The vertical price scale runs along one side and the time scale along the bottom. A header names the instrument, the timeframe and the latest values. Toolbars hold drawing tools, chart settings and the list of indicators. Many indicators open in their own panes below price, each with its own scale. A watchlist panel may list other instruments.
Chart layout diagram
Illustrative diagram constructed for teaching. Not real market data.
The diagram shows a generic chart layout: a header with an instrument name and timeframe, a left toolbar, a main pane of fictional candles with hollow green up candles and filled red down candles, a price scale on the right, a time scale along the bottom and a separate indicator pane. All values are made up.
Try it on a chart
- Find the price scale on the right edge and the time scale along the bottom.
- Find the toolbar along the top and hover over a few buttons to read their names.
Charts and quotes are TradingView's data, not ours, and may be delayed.
Why can the same chart look different?
Two people open the same instrument and see different highs. Why?
First distinguish changed numbers from changed display:
| Control | Can it change stored/input OHLC? | What to compare |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary chart-display timezone | Not by relabeling the same instants alone. | Clock labels versus actual aggregation/session rule. |
| Linear versus log price axis | No; it changes vertical geometry. | Same numeric prices at different spacing. |
| Included regular/extended session | Can, if the included observations change. | Exact window, timezone and reset. |
| Bar length/alignment or non-time construction | Can; it changes grouping/transformation. | Symbol, feed, rule and confirmed/developing state. |
| Different feed/symbol or configured input adjustment | Can; the underlying series may differ. | Venue/contract/adjustment definition and history. |
| Explicitly timezone-dependent indicator input | Can change its own window/calculation. | Native TPO custom sessions are a documented example; not ordinary OHLC relabeling. |
Completed geometry example: 100→110→121 has dollar/price-unit gaps 10 and 11, but each return is 10% (10/100 and 11/110). A log axis gives equal proportional moves equal vertical distance; it does not replace 121 with 120 or change any candle’s recorded high. Neither axis is a forecast. Record settings and as-of timestamp with chart notes; a delayed feed versus a current one may show different available observations, not an axis-induced price change. For session arithmetic see Futures Sessions and Timeframes: Nearly 24 Hours, Different Characters; for aggregation see Symbols, Timeframes and Sessions on a Chart.
What this does not tell you about charting platforms
- Which platform or plan anyone should use.
- The exact menus or buttons on any platform. These change; use the platform’s own help.
- Whether a chart’s data is complete, real time or official.
- Nothing here suggests any trade.
Watch the lesson explained
Check yourself
- What is the difference between a charting platform and a broker? Hint: drawing a chart versus holding an account.
- Name four parts of a typical chart layout. Hint: panes, scales, header, toolbar.
- Give two settings that can make the same instrument look different. Hint: session, scale, time zone.
- Which control can change the numeric high: log axis alone, or excluding a session containing the highest trade?
Reflect on your own process
- Which chart settings (session, scale, time zone, data feed) does your written plan say to record with each chart note?
- How would you check whether a different high on someone else's chart comes from the data or only from the display?
- Where in your journal do you record the platform, plan and data feed you used on a given day?