Trade Ideas custom formulas: how to use them without breaking your workflow¶
Custom formulas are one of the highest leverage features in Trade Ideas: - you can create your own “filters” from existing data - you can create custom columns that match how you think
But they’re also easy to overuse. This guide focuses on practical usage.
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What custom formulas are (plain English)¶
A custom formula is a user-defined expression that outputs a value.
You can then: - display it as a column - filter on it (e.g., only show symbols where your formula is above X)
Before you start (rules that save time)¶
- Start with a normal filter first. Only write a formula if you can’t do it with built-in filters.
- Keep formulas readable. If it’s a spaghetti mess, you won’t trust it.
- Always sanity-check against known symbols and known values.
Step 1 — Open the custom formula editor¶
Step 2 — Build a “toy” formula first (sanity check)¶
Before you build something complex, create a simple formula that: - you can predict - you can verify quickly
Example pattern: - use a single input - output something you can see in an existing column
Step 3 — Use the formula as a column¶
Columns are the easiest way to test formulas because you can visually compare: - your formula output - related standard columns
Step 4 — Use the formula as a filter (carefully)¶
Filtering on a formula is where people accidentally “overfit” their scanners.
If you filter on a formula: - use wide ranges first - tighten slowly - watch what kinds of symbols disappear
Practical examples (high value, low drama)¶
These are categories of formulas that tend to be useful: - normalize a metric (convert raw volume into relative comparisons) - combine two columns into a simple “score” - create a boolean rule (“true/false”) to filter a universe
I’m intentionally not publishing a bunch of “magic” formulas here. The goal is to teach the workflow, not create a cargo-cult strategy.
Common mistakes¶
- Using formulas to avoid defining a lane: lane first (price/liquidity/float), formulas second.
- Formula-only strategies: if you can’t explain it to a beginner, you won’t trust it live.
- No validation: if you don’t compare against known symbols, you can fool yourself fast.
FAQ¶
Are custom formulas worth learning?¶
Yes—once you can already build a solid Top List and Alert Window. They’re an “optimizer”, not a “starter”.
Should I use custom formulas for day trading?¶
They can help, especially for creating custom columns and ranking/triage logic, but don’t let formulas replace simple guardrails like liquidity and time-of-day.
Next¶
Next step
Turn this into a repeatable workflow
If you only do one thing next, tighten your lane and reduce noise. That's how Trade Ideas becomes usable.
