Introduction to MetaTrader 4 Platform Interface

The following screen-shot below shows the main MetaTrader 4 metal software interface. As a beginner metals trader trying to learn how to execute metals orders in the online metals market, the main tool for trading the metal market is the MT4 metal trading platform software. This MT4 metal platform is software that you will connect to your metals broker with and execute metals trade transactions & monitor your metals trading account balance from this MetaTrader 4 metal trading platform.

The Metal MetaTrader 4 metal trading platform software is provided for free through the various metals broker sites. This MetaTrader 4 metals platform looks like metal examples illustrated & described below:

Main Areas of this MetaTrader 4 metal software as illustrated above are:

1. MT4 Navigation Menus
2. Toolbars
3. MT4 Metals Chart Window
4. MT4 Navigator Window Panel
5. MT4 Market Watch Window Panel
6. MT4 Terminal
7. MetaTrader 4 Connection Bars

For this MT4 tutorial we shall look at a brief introduction for each of these learn metals MetaTrader 4 platform:

1. Navigation Menus

The MT4 navigation menus are:

1. File
2. View
3. Insert
4. Charts
5. Tools
6. Window
7. Help

These are the main MT4 navigation menus that can be used to navigate the MetaTrader 4 metals trading software. As a beginner metals trader you can start by just clicking any of these MT4 navigation menus to familiarize yourself with various MT4 buttons that are arranged as MT4 sub menus within these MT4 navigation menus.

These MetaTrader 4 navigation menus will be discussed and covered in details in the next MetaTrader 4 guides about navigation menus.

2. Toolbars

The MT4 tool bars are used to manipulate MT4 metals charts, either by placing MT4 indicators, MT4 line studies, change MT4 metal chart timeframes and load MT4 template from a list of saved MT4 templates.

These MT4 tool-bars will be discussed on other MetaTrader 4 tutorials which will outline each MetaTrader 4 button key on this MetaTrader 4 toolbar & how to add and customize these MT4 toolbars.

3. Chart Panel

This MT4 metals chart window is the main area where MT4 metal charts are displayed & a trader can analyze the metals trend direction of a MT4 metals chart whether up or down, place MT4 metals chart indicators for technical analysis & even place orders from these MT4 metals charts.

4. Navigator

MT4 Navigator will contain information about MT4 trading accounts, whether practice or real, this MT4 window will also have a list of all the MT4 indicators as well as MT4 Metals EAs and scripts.

A trader can select which MT4 metal trading account to login by expanding the Accounts menu, choose an MT4 indicator by expanding the MT4 indicator menu or choose an MT4 Metals Trading EA by expanding the EA menu.

5. Market Watch

MT4 Market watch is used to show streaming metals price quotes for MT4 metals trading instruments. This can list as many quotes provided by your MT4 metals broker or a few selected by a metals trader. To save internet bandwidth, right click inside the MT4 market watch window and select 'Hide All', so as to hide the MT4 symbols that you are not transacting on this MT4 metal software & save on internet bandwidth.

6. Terminal

This is the MetaTrader 4 window panel that's like the bank account trade area for your MT4 metals trade transactions, on this MT4 window you can view your account balance, profit & losses statement, equity, margin used also retrieve a copy of all your MT4 metals trade transactions history.

This MT4 window panel will also list all open metals trade transactions & calculate all the profit and loss in realtime as the metals charts move up or down.

7. Connection Bar

MT4 connection bars - Red bars are for no connection, green bars show that there is connectivity to the servers and MT4 metals trade orders can be set. These MetaTrader 4 connection bars should always be green when one logged into their MetaTrader 4 demo metals trading account or MT4 live account.

These MetaTrader 4 metal platform main areas form the MT4 metal trading platform interface & will be the main areas to be covered in detail in the next learn MetaTrader 4 tutorials. For now it is best to download MetaTrader 4 metal trading platform software & familiarize yourself with MT4 platform interface.

Why Metals Platform is Required for Placing Metal Trading Transactions with Metals Trading Brokers

Metals platform is software that's used to access the metal market & interpret these metals price movements using metal charts and metal analysis tools. There are various reasons why a trader requires to use a good metals trading platform. A good metals trading platform can determine if a as a trader you make a profit or not.

So why does a trader need a good Metal Trading Software:

To connect to the Metals Trading Broker Server:

To place a metals trade order a trader needs to use a metals platform which will connect to the trading servers of their metal trading broker & this will allow them to open and close metals trade orders. Good metals platforms will connect with ease to the brokers' servers and allow metal traders to place metals orders at any time from their desktop computer PC.

To analyze metals charts using metal trading analysis tools

To place a buy or sell metals order one needs to first analyze the direction of metals using metals charts. This is why all good metals softwares provide metal trading technical tools such as metals price charts, metals indicators & various different chart time-frames from which one-can analyze metals price moves using the metal chart timeframes of their choice.

From the above metals platform interface, the summary of all information required by a trader is provided on this MT4 metal platform interface

• Connection - connection to the broker servers
• Charts - metals price graphs that display metals prices
• Toolbars - toolbars to add tools and technical analysis indicators on metals charts
• Market Watch - for displaying available instruments on MT4 platform
• Data panel - provides MetaTrader 4 metals account information and other indicator data
• Exchange rates - shows current market metals price on a metals chart
• Menu bar - Shows all menu items on the MT4 platform