Frequently Asked Questions

CandleLog is a comprehensive trading journal platform designed to help traders track, analyze, and improve their trading performance. It provides tools for logging trades, analyzing patterns, managing strategies, and maintaining a trading journal to develop consistency and profitability.

Simply sign up for a free account, and you'll automatically get a default trading account created. From there, you can start adding trades manually or import them via CSV. The dashboard will show your performance metrics as you add trades.

Yes! CandleLog offers a free tier that includes all core features. You can track unlimited trades, create strategies, use custom templates, and access all analytics features.

CandleLog supports all markets including stocks, options, futures, forex, and cryptocurrencies. You can trade any instrument and log it in the platform with customizable fields.

You can add trades in two ways: (1) Manually using the trade entry form where you can fill in all details including entry/exit prices, quantity, and notes, or (2) Import trades via CSV file from your broker. We support major brokers including TradeStation, Thinkorswim, Tradovate, and more.

Yes! CandleLog supports CSV imports from major trading platforms. Simply export your trades from your broker as a CSV file and upload it. Our system automatically detects the broker format and maps the fields correctly. We support TradeStation, Thinkorswim, Tradovate, and generic CSV formats.

Absolutely! You can edit any trade by clicking on it from your trades list. You can update all fields including prices, quantities, notes, and tags. You can also delete trades if needed.

Partial executions allow you to track trades that were entered or exited in multiple orders. For example, if you bought 100 shares in two separate orders (50 shares each), you can log both executions. This gives you accurate P&L calculation and helps you analyze your entry/exit timing.

Yes! You can attach screenshots or chart images to any trade. This is helpful for reviewing your setups, entry points, and analyzing what worked or didn't work. Simply use the screenshot uploader when creating or editing a trade.

CandleLog has built-in support for futures trading. When adding a futures trade, you can specify contract details like tick size, tick value, and multiplier. The system will automatically calculate your P&L based on the number of ticks and your position size.

Strategies are trading systems or setups that you use consistently. You can create strategies with specific rules, assign trades to them, and track performance by strategy. This helps you identify which setups work best and maintain discipline.

Go to the Strategies section and click 'Create Strategy'. Give it a name, description, and optionally add rules. Rules help you define entry criteria, exit criteria, and risk management guidelines. You can then assign trades to this strategy as you execute it.

Yes! When you define rules for a strategy, you can mark whether you followed each rule on every trade. This helps you identify rule violations and improve your discipline over time. The system tracks your compliance rate for each rule.

Missed trades are setups that matched your strategy criteria but you didn't take the trade. Logging missed trades helps you understand your psychology, identify fear or hesitation patterns, and learn from opportunities you let pass.

Yes! You can share strategies with other traders using a shareable link. When you share a strategy, others can import it into their account. You control whether people can copy your strategy or just view it.

Custom templates allow you to create your own trade entry forms with fields specific to your trading style. You can add text fields, checkboxes, dropdown menus, and more. This helps you capture consistent data for every trade based on your analysis process.

Go to the Templates section and use the template builder. You can drag and drop different field types, customize labels, add validation rules, and preview how it looks. Once created, you can assign the template to specific strategies or use it for all trades.

Yes! Each strategy can have its own custom template. For example, you might have one template for day trading with fields like "Time of Day" and "Market Momentum", and another for swing trading with "Fundamental Catalyst" and "Technical Setup".

CandleLog provides comprehensive analytics including: total P&L, win rate, average win/loss, profit factor, Sharpe ratio, maximum drawdown, equity curve, daily P&L chart, performance by strategy, performance by tag, and performance by time of day.

Win rate is the percentage of trades that were profitable. It's calculated as: (Number of Winning Trades / Total Number of Trades) × 100. For example, if you have 60 winning trades out of 100 total trades, your win rate is 60%.

Profit factor is the ratio of gross profit to gross loss. It's calculated as: (Total Winning Amount / Total Losing Amount). A profit factor above 1.0 means you're profitable. For example, a profit factor of 2.0 means you make $2 for every $1 you lose.

You can filter trades by date range, strategy, symbol, tags, P&L, and more using the advanced filters. Once filtered, you can view analytics specific to that subset of trades. This helps you analyze specific periods, strategies, or market conditions.

Yes! You can export your trades to CSV format for use in spreadsheets or other tools. The export includes all trade details, calculated metrics, and custom template fields.

The trading journal allows you to write daily notes about market conditions, your mood, lessons learned, and observations. Keeping a journal helps you develop self-awareness, track your psychological state, and identify patterns in your decision-making.

Daily notes help you correlate your performance with market conditions, your emotional state, and external factors. Over time, you'll see patterns like 'I trade better when calm' or 'I lose money in high volatility'. This awareness is key to improvement.

Yes! You can create multiple trading accounts to separate different strategies, brokers, or account types (e.g., cash vs. margin, live vs. paper trading). Each account tracks its own P&L and performance metrics separately.

Yes! All data is encrypted in transit and at rest. We use industry-standard security practices including secure authentication, password hashing with bcrypt, and regular security audits. Your trading data is private and only accessible to you.

Yes, you can delete your account at any time from the settings page. This will permanently delete all your data including trades, strategies, and journal entries. Make sure to export any data you want to keep before deletion.

CandleLog works best on modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. We recommend keeping your browser updated for the best experience and security.

Currently, CandleLog is a web application optimized for desktop use where most trading analysis happens. However, the interface is responsive and works on mobile browsers for quick trade entries and checking stats on the go.

CandleLog requires an internet connection to sync your data and access features. However, you can view previously loaded pages if you temporarily lose connection.