Why use time filters?

Time filters let you control when an EA opens or manages trades. Common uses:

• Run scalping logic only during high-liquidity hours.
• Block trading during major news events or weekends.
• Separate logic per session (e.g., London vs New York)

Core concepts & timezone notes

MQL4 uses server time returned by TimeCurrent() which depends on your broker. Don't assume it equals UTC. Two common approaches:

1. Use broker server time (fast & simple) — best for brokers you trust and when you want consistent behavior with quotes and orders.
2. Convert to UTC/local by applying an offset (safer across brokers but requires managing DST).

We'll show both approaches and also a DST-aware option to avoid trading at wrong times when clocks change.

Basic MQL4 time filter (simple window)

Drop this into your EA's main loop or a helper function. It uses server time and checks if current hour is inside allowed window.

// Returns true if current hour is between startHour and endHour (inclusive)
bool IsWithinHours(int startHour, int endHour)
{
  datetime now = TimeCurrent();
  int hour = TimeHour(now);
  if(startHour <= endHour)
    return (hour >= startHour && hour <= endHour);
  // window wraps midnight, e.g., 22 - 04
  return (hour >= startHour || hour <= endHour);
}

// usage example:
if(IsWithinHours(7, 16)) // only trade between 07:00 and 16:59 server time
{
  // trading code here
}

Note: This checks hour only — for minute precision use TimeMinute() and compare full datetimes.

Advanced session windows & DST-safe approach

For session-specific control (e.g., London open: 08:00–16:30 UTC) convert server time to UTC using a configured offset and update offset when DST changes.

int BrokerUTCOffsetHours = 2; // set this once for your broker (example: +2)
bool IsWithinUTCWindow(int startHourUTC, int endHourUTC)
{
  datetime nowServer = TimeCurrent();
  datetime nowUTC = nowServer - BrokerUTCOffsetHours*60*60;
  int h = TimeHour(nowUTC);
  if(startHourUTC <= endHourUTC)
    return (h >= startHourUTC && h <= endHourUTC);
  return (h >= startHourUTC || h <= endHourUTC);
}

To handle DST: either update BrokerUTCOffsetHours on DST change or implement a small routine that checks GMT offset from a trusted web API (requires external call which is not always available).

Practical examples

1) Minute-precise trading window

bool IsBetween(datetime startDT, datetime endDT)
{
  datetime now = TimeCurrent();
  return (now >= startDT && now <= endDT);
}

// usage:
datetime start = StrToTime("2025.10.14 07:30"); // server-time formatted string
datetime end   = StrToTime("2025.10.14 16:45");
if(IsBetween(start, end)) { /* allow trading */ }

2) Block trading during news (using scheduled windows)

Predefine news blocks and skip trading if current time falls inside any block — store blocks in an array for quick checking.

3) Session-based flags for multi-strategy EAs

Toggle strategyA during London session and strategyB during NY session using IsWithinUTCWindow. This reduces false signals and improves performance.

Best practices

• Log time checks for first 24 hours to confirm broker offsets.
• Test on demo with server time in logs.
• Keep time logic centralized (one helper function) to avoid mistakes.

SEO & Link strategy (inbound & outbound)

For SEO, add internal links to cornerstone pages (for example, link to your signals page and related long-form posts). Example inbound links we recommend:

• RFXSignals — Home (internal)
• Related: The Future of Forex Signals (internal)

Outbound (authority) links improve relevance: link to official docs for MQL4 and authoritative resources:

• MQL4 official documentation
• Investopedia (market hours)