Cival Pattern Lab — Install Guide

Version 1.0.0 · file Cival.PatternLab.dll · name in ATAS: Cival Pattern Lab

Cival Pattern Lab is a compiled ATAS plugin. This guide takes you from the downloaded zip to a verified, working indicator. The full list of settings is in 02-Settings-Reference.md.

1. Requirements

Item What you need
Platform ATAS Platform 8.0.15 or newer. The plugin runs on the .NET 10 runtime that ATAS ships; you install nothing else.
Data Footprint data: bid and ask volume at each price, for the period you want to test. A bar without complete footprint rows can never trigger a pattern (see section 4).
Instrument A symbol whose tick size ATAS knows. Stop distances are entered in ticks.
History Enough chart history to produce a useful number of simulated trades. A few days of an active market is a starting point; more is better. The indicator processes at most the last Maximum bars back bars (default 10,000).
Windows You can write to %APPDATA%\ATAS\Indicators (a normal user profile is enough).

2. Install with the included script

  1. Close ATAS completely (check the Windows task manager that no ATAS process is left; a running ATAS locks the DLL).
  2. Extract Cival-Pattern-Lab-v1.0.0.zip to a normal folder and open PowerShell in it.
  3. Run:

powershell .\ATAS\Install.ps1

The script copies Cival.PatternLab.dll to %APPDATA%\ATAS\Indicators, keeps a backup of any DLL with the same name that was already there, and verifies the SHA-256 of the copied file against the value recorded in the package. If it reports a mismatch, stop and download the product again. 4. If Windows blocks the script because of the execution policy, run it for this session only:

powershell powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\ATAS\Install.ps1 5. Start ATAS.

3. Manual install

  1. Close ATAS.
  2. Check the file: Get-FileHash .\ATAS\Cival.PatternLab.dll -Algorithm SHA256 and compare the value with the Cival.PatternLab.dll line in SHA256SUMS.txt.
  3. If %APPDATA%\ATAS\Indicators\Cival.PatternLab.dll already exists, copy it somewhere safe first.
  4. Copy ATAS\Cival.PatternLab.dll into %APPDATA%\ATAS\Indicators.
  5. Start ATAS. ATAS only loads the new DLL when it starts; an ATAS session that was already open keeps the old one.

4. First load

  1. Open (or create) a chart of the instrument you want to study. Use a timeframe you actually trade.
  2. Open the chart's indicator catalog, search for Cival Pattern Lab and add it.
  3. Wait for the historical calculation to finish. For a long history this can take a while: Pattern Lab reads every bar's footprint rows to detect later revisions by the data provider. If it feels slow, lower Maximum bars back.
  4. The indicator panel appears at the top-left of the chart, about 50 pixels below the top edge.

What the first panel lines mean

What you see Meaning
Cival Pattern Lab / Waiting for closed candles / historical calculation ATAS has not delivered a closed bar to the indicator yet. Normal for a moment after loading.
Cival Pattern Lab — simulation Calculation is running. This is always line 1 afterwards.
Instrument tick size unavailable ATAS did not report a tick size. Nothing is simulated until it does.
Set holdout dates before judging results / Validation not configured / Test not configured You have not entered the Validation / Test dates yet. Results are shown as one pool (All) only.
INVALID: test must follow validation The Test date is not later than the Validation date (or the Test date is set while Validation is not). Pattern Lab stops marking new signals until you fix the dates.

You will probably see only three lines at first. With the default Compact panel (title + two lines) switched on, ATAS shows only the title and the next two lines: the rule and the simulation settings. The result lines (All, Train, Validation, Test, Ambiguous) are in the panel but hidden. Untick Compact panel (title + two lines) in the Information panel group to see all nine lines.

Markers. On historical bars where a rule matched you will see ▲ (below the bar) or ▼ (above the bar) with a label such as LAB DeltaReversal. If the chart is zoomed out so far that bars are narrower than Minimum bar spacing for signal labels (pixels) (default 6), the labels are hidden but the arrows stay.

Leave Full analysis detail switched on (group 00 Chart clarity, default on). If you switch it off while Compact display is on, Pattern Lab hides its own markers and panel because it is a research tool, not a chart overlay.

5. Settings to touch first

  1. Pattern, Stop distance (ticks), Target / stop multiple, Maximum holding bars.
  2. Round-trip costs in price units: the default is 0, which is not realistic. Enter your fees plus slippage per round trip in price units (not ticks, not currency).
  3. Validation begins (chart time) and Untouched test begins (chart time): see 04-Trading-Playbook.md for how to use them without fooling yourself.
  4. CSV export folder (blank disables) if you want the trade list and bar features in files.

6. Verify it works — checklist

Tick each item.

  1. Get-FileHash of %APPDATA%\ATAS\Indicators\Cival.PatternLab.dll matches the SHA256SUMS.txt line.
  2. After restarting ATAS, Cival Pattern Lab appears in the indicator catalog.
  3. Added to a chart, the panel title reads Cival Pattern Lab — simulation once the calculation finishes.
  4. After unticking Compact panel (title + two lines) the panel shows nine lines, including All n=… PF=… DD=….
  5. On an active instrument with several days of footprint history and the default rule, some ▲/▼ markers labelled LAB DeltaReversal appear on past bars. (If none appear, see the troubleshooting table.)
  6. Changing Pattern to another family changes the markers and the All n= count. Changing Round-trip costs in price units changes PF and the E= values but not n.
  7. Entering a Validation begins date turns the placeholder lines into Train: and Validation: lines. Entering a later Untouched test begins date adds Test:.
  8. With a CSV export folder set, PatternLab-trades.csv, PatternLab-bars.csv, PatternLab-signals.csv and PatternLab-zones.csv exist in that folder after the calculation finishes (the zones file only contains a header, because Pattern Lab draws no zones).

7. Updating

  1. Close ATAS completely.
  2. Extract the new zip and run its .\ATAS\Install.ps1. The previous same-named DLL is backed up automatically.
  3. Start ATAS and re-add or reload the indicator on your charts.
  4. Before updating, save a chart template and write down your key settings (rule, stop, target, costs, holdout dates). If a new version renames or removes a setting, ATAS may fall back to the default for that one setting.
  5. Keep the old zip. If you need to return to an older version, close ATAS and copy the older DLL back.

Changing any calculation setting recalculates the whole history, and so does a new version of the plugin. Read the documents in the new zip before comparing old and new results.

8. Uninstalling

  1. Remove Cival Pattern Lab from your charts and templates.
  2. Close ATAS.
  3. Run .\ATAS\Uninstall.ps1 from the extracted folder, or delete %APPDATA%\ATAS\Indicators\Cival.PatternLab.dll yourself.
  4. Exported CSV files stay where you wrote them; delete them if you no longer need them.

9. Troubleshooting

Symptom Likely cause What to do
Cival Pattern Lab is not in the indicator list ATAS was open during install or was not restarted; the DLL is in the wrong folder; the install script was blocked Close ATAS fully, check the DLL is in %APPDATA%\ATAS\Indicators, start ATAS again, search for Cival. If the script was blocked use the -ExecutionPolicy Bypass form in section 2.
Panel shows only three lines and no results Compact panel (title + two lines) is on (default) Untick it in the Information panel group.
No panel at all Show information panel is off; or other Cival panels fill the space (a gold message at the bottom-left says how many panels need space); or Full analysis detail is off together with Compact display Tick Show information panel, hide unused panels, switch Full analysis detail back on.
Nothing drawn on the chart, All n=0 No footprint rows for the bars (data source or history), warm-up not finished, the rule did not match, or the history is too short Check the data first: footprint rows must exist for the period (the ATAS footprint chart should show bid/ask numbers) and every bar in the lookback must be complete. Check warm-up (the first Prior lookback bars + 1 bars cannot signal), the loaded history, the symbol and timeframe, and any older saved template settings. A silent panel is not a measured zero; it means the rule did not match or the data was unavailable. Do not loosen the gates just to force signals: every change of Pattern, Volume / prior mean or Minimum absolute delta % is a new research trial.
The newest signals are missing from the results, pending=1 A simulated trade needs later bars to reach its stop, target or time limit. Signals near the end of the loaded history are counted as pending, not as completed trades. Wait for more bars. Do not count a pending trade as a result.
A period shows n=0 The Validation or Test date is outside the loaded history, or no completed trade fell inside that period (trades that cross a boundary are excluded) Compare the dates with the first and last bar on the chart; adjust them or load more history.
The settings do not match this guide A saved chart or template carries its own values and overrides the defaults Open the indicator settings and compare each value with the defaults in 02-Settings-Reference.md; reset any you do not recognise.
CandleSequence never marks anything The custom sequence contains a character other than U, D, N, or is shorter than 2 or longer than 20 characters. Nothing warns you. Re-enter the sequence, for example DDDUU.
INVALID: test must follow validation Test date is not after the Validation date Set Validation first, then a later Test date; or clear the Test date. ATAS may display an unset date as 01/01/0001 00:00:00; that means not set.
Instrument tick size unavailable ATAS gave no tick size for this instrument Check the instrument settings in ATAS; reload the chart.
DLL is locked during install or update An ATAS process is still running Close ATAS, end leftover ATAS processes in the task manager, run the installer again.
Settings reset after an update A setting was renamed or changed in the new version Re-enter your key settings from your notes; load your saved template.
Results changed after reloading the chart A different history length, a provider revising already-closed bars, or a changed setting. The whole history is recalculated whenever a setting changes or a closed bar is revised. Note the history range and settings with every result you keep. Export the CSV files when you want a fixed snapshot.
CSV files do not appear Folder blank or not writable; calculation not finished Set a writable folder. If the panel shows a Research export: or CSV export failed: line (it appears as line 2), read the message. Files are refreshed when history finishes calculating and when new bars close.
Waiting for closed candles / historical calculation stays on screen The calculation is still running, or the chart has no closed bars Wait; reduce Maximum bars back; confirm the chart has history.

Still stuck? Email support@civalsystems.com with the product version (1.0.0), your ATAS version, a screenshot with the panel expanded, and what you expected to see.