Support Board
Date/Time: Wed, 01 Apr 2026 09:44:22 +0000
Display Delta Like Volume Bars (All Bars Above Zero)
View Count: 319
| [2026-02-13 21:21:36] |
| magnakobo - Posts: 7 |
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Hello, I would like to know if it’s possible to display the Ask/Bid Difference (Delta) in the following way and if yes the exact procedure : Instead of having positive delta above zero and negative delta below zero, I would like all delta bars to be plotted upward from zero — similar to a standard volume histogram. In other words, I want both positive and negative delta values to be displayed as upward bars , because I would like to add a 9-period moving average on top of it. My goal is to easily see when the delta is above or below its moving average. Is there a way to configure an existing study to do this, or would this require a custom study? Thank you. |
| [2026-02-13 22:11:58] |
| John - SC Support - Posts: 45398 |
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There are many ways to do this. The first thing is to determine which study you want to start with to get the delta itself. You can use the "Bid Ask Delta Bars", "Numbers Bars Calculated Values", or "Ask Volume Bid Volume Difference Text" along with a few other options. Then you need to get all values as positive numbers. The easiest way to do this is to use the "Spreadsheet Formula" and enter a formula like the following: =ABS(ID1.SG1) Then you can do what you want with this information. We have attached a Study Collection that has one way to do this in it including the Moving Average. Refer to the following for how to use a Study Collection provided by us: Study Collections: Using a Study Collection Provided by Sierra Chart Support For the most reliable, advanced, and zero cost futures order routing, use the Teton service: Sierra Chart Teton Futures Order Routing |
 AllPositiveDeltaWithMovingAverage.StdyCollct - Attached On 2026-02-13 22:11:55 UTC - Size: 47.93 KB - 44 views |
| [2026-02-27 17:49:55] |
| magnakobo - Posts: 7 |
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Hello John, I tried to apply your study to my chart, but it has several major flaws. The delta is indeed positive for all the bars, but the wicks are not visible. Everything is displayed as bars, so if there was a rejection, I can’t see it. The colors are all the same. So I can’t distinguish between positive delta and negative delta since all the bars are green. I tried your manual method, but I can’t manage to reproduce your idea. So I’m a bit lost without your help. I’m attaching an image of what I would like, so you can guide me. In my image, I have both positive and negative delta above 0, a 9-period moving average, and when the delta closes above the average the bars are opaque. When the delta closes below it, they are semi-transparent. Visually, this allows me to quickly see whether the aggression is sufficient or not — at a glance. I would like to reproduce exactly the same thing, but on Sierra Chart. Thank you in advance for your help. |
 Capture d'écran 2026-02-27 184332.png / V - Attached On 2026-02-27 17:49:21 UTC - Size: 37.78 KB - 44 views Attachment Deleted. |
| [2026-02-27 20:08:52] |
| John - SC Support - Posts: 45398 |
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What study are you starting with that gives you the candlestick bars for the delta?
For the most reliable, advanced, and zero cost futures order routing, use the Teton service: Sierra Chart Teton Futures Order Routing |
| [2026-02-27 21:59:14] |
| magnakobo - Posts: 7 |
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it is Aks Bid Volume difference bars
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| [2026-02-27 22:49:23] |
| John - SC Support - Posts: 45398 |
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How do you want the handling of these bars? Keep in mind that what they represent is the folllowing: - Open: The delta at the open of the bar. This will always be zero. - High: The highest delta seen during the development of the bar. - Low: The lowest delta seen during the development of the bar. - Close: The delta at the close of the bar. So it is not just a matter of changing negative values to positive ones, as this will distort the bars. Let us know how you are wanting to handle this conversion. For the most reliable, advanced, and zero cost futures order routing, use the Teton service: Sierra Chart Teton Futures Order Routing |
| [2026-02-27 23:22:57] |
| magnakobo - Posts: 7 |
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I believe there is still some misunderstanding regarding my request, so I will clarify it as precisely as possible. First, I do NOT want to modify the internal calculation of the delta (Open, High, Low, Close). I fully understand that: Open = 0 High = highest delta during the bar Low = lowest delta during the bar Close = delta at close I am not asking to artificially convert negative values into positive ones in a way that would distort the OHLC structure of the bar. I want to preserve the real delta values and the true High and Low of each bar. What I am requesting is primarily a visual representation change. I would like the delta to be displayed like a volume histogram. That means: • All bars should be plotted above the zero line, whether the delta is positive or negative. • The sign (positive or negative) should be indicated by color, not by position relative to zero. Specifically: Positive delta → bright green bar Negative delta → white bar The bars must include visible wicks (showing High and Low), so I can see intrabar rejection. The wicks are extremely important. If the delta reaches a strong positive value during the bar but then closes much lower, I need to see that rejection. In the study collection of the delta that you gave me earlier with the ema, there are no visible wicks, so I cannot detect this behavior. Also, all bars are displayed in the same color, which makes it impossible to distinguish positive from negative delta. In its current form, the study is unfortunately not usable for my trading as i already say it in my previous message. In addition, I want to add: A 9-period moving average applied to the delta close. Bars that close ABOVE the moving average should be fully opaque. Bars that close BELOW the moving average should be semi-transparent. This allows me to instantly identify whether the aggression is strong enough (delta above average) at a glance. with the delta representation (where positive bars are above zero and negative bars are below zero), it is impossible for me to properly use a 9-period moving average to identify which bars have a delta greater than their recent average in terms of magnitude. Since the values are split between positive and negative, the moving average fluctuates around zero and does not allow a clear visual comparison of size. I use delta like a volume histogram: I want to compare the size of each delta bar to the average of the last nine bars, regardless of its sign. That is why all bars need to be plotted on the same side (above zero), while keeping their true values internally, so I can visually and immediately identify which deltas are larger than their recent average. Regarding your question about how I want to handle the conversion: my expectation is mainly visual, not mathematical. I do not want to “force” negative values to become positive in a way that would distort the OHLC structure. I would like to keep the real delta data intact, but simply control how it is displayed. Since you have much more expertise with your platform and its internal logic than I do, I am absolutely open to your guidance on the most technically correct way to implement this without distorting the data. I cannot code in your platform’s native language, so I am relying on your experience to help me find the cleanest and most appropriate solution. In my previous message I have attached an image of the delta indicator exactly as I would like it to appear in Sierra Chart. This image comes from another trading platform where I was able to build this setup successfully. It serves purely as a visual reference to clearly illustrate the concept I am trying to reproduce on Sierra Chart. I would really appreciate your help in reproducing the same concept in SIerra Chart Thank you very much for your time and assistance. |
| [2026-03-02 14:05:03] |
| John - SC Support - Posts: 45398 |
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I use delta like a volume histogram: I want to compare the size of each delta bar to the average of the last nine bars, regardless of its sign. That is why all bars need to be plotted on the same side (above zero), while keeping their true values internally, so I can visually and immediately identify which deltas are larger than their recent average.
You are not thinking of this correctly. To display the data as you want it, the data itself must be changed. Therefore, there has to be a conversion from negative values to positive ones. We would need to know how you would want that handled in order to display the data as you want it. What you are asking for can be done, with the exception of a transparent bar when it closes below the MA, although a different color can be applied in that case to distinguish it. For the most reliable, advanced, and zero cost futures order routing, use the Teton service: Sierra Chart Teton Futures Order Routing |
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