How to use Candlune

Getting started

After signing up and starting your subscription, you'll land on the replay terminal — the core of Candlune. Here's what to do first:

1. Pick a session — click Randomize to load a random XAUUSD trading day from history. You'll see the first candle of the session appear on the chart.
2. Choose a timeframe — use the tabs (1m, 5m, 15m, 30m, 1H, 4H) to match the style you want to practice. Each bar reveals only when you step forward.
3. Step through the day — press Space or click the chart to advance one bar at a time. You never see the future — this is what makes the practice effective.

Tip: Start with 5m or 15m for a balanced pace. 1m is very fast; 4H reveals fewer bars per session.

Taking a trade

When you spot a setup you want to test in simulation, here's how to enter and manage a simulated trade:

1. Click Buy (long) or Sell (short) to open a trade bracket. A dashed line appears at your entry point.
2. Drag the stop-loss and take-profit lines to where your practice rules would place them. The P&L preview shows simulated risk/reward.
3. Click Confirm to place the simulated trade. It opens at the current bar's close price.
4. Continue stepping forward. The trade closes automatically when price hits your stop or target — or click Close to exit early.

Tip: Be honest with your stops and targets. The journal tracks everything — inflated simulated wins do not improve your review process.

Chart tools and drawings

Mark up the chart like you would on any trading platform. Click the Tools button in the top bar to access:

1. Line — click and drag to draw a trendline or support/resistance level. Multi-timeframe drawing planned.
2. Box — draw a rectangle to highlight a consolidation zone, range, or area of interest.
3. Pan — the default mode. Click and drag to scroll through visible bars when you have more data on screen.
4. To delete a drawing, click it to select it and press Delete or Backspace.

Tip: Drawings persist for the session and are stored in your account. They'll reload when you revisit the same date.

Reviewing your trades

After closing a trade, a review panel slides up so you can tag what happened. Be specific — this data powers your dashboard analytics.

1. Tag the setup type — pick the pattern or entry reason (e.g., Support Bounce, Breakout, Pullback).
2. The journal records every simulated trade automatically: entry, exit, P&L, max drawdown, and duration.
3. Click Copy context next to any trade to copy its full context (candles, bars, entry/exit data). Review copied notes before sharing; external tools handle pasted content under their own terms.

Tip: Copy a losing trade context and review the decision sequence while the setup is still fresh.

Using the Dashboard

Click Dashboard in the top bar to see your performance at a glance. The dashboard gives you:

1. Win rate and total simulated P&L — see your practice results overall or filter by day/week/month.
2. Equity curve — track cumulative simulated P&L over time. Use it as a review signal, not a live-results promise.
3. Daily calendar — click any day to see trades taken and performance for that session.
4. Export trades with context — use Copy context in the journal table to copy the trade, candle sequence, entry, exit, and notes for external review. Check the content before pasting it elsewhere.

Tip: Review your dashboard at the end of each session. Look for patterns: are you overtrading certain timeframes? Taking setups that don't work?

How to actually improve

Candlune gives you a practice record. Improvement comes from honest review and deliberate practice. Here's a routine to try:

1. Do one session (30-60 minutes). Take 1-3 trades max. Quality over quantity.
2. Review every trade. Tag it honestly. Write a one-sentence note on what you saw.
3. Check your dashboard. Look at win rate by timeframe, by session tag, by setup type.
4. Copy your worst trade context into your own review process or an external review tool.
5. Repeat daily. The record compounds in your review process, not in a live trading account.

Tip: The goal isn't to win every trade. It's to follow your plan consistently. Candlune measures your discipline, not your luck.

Keyboard shortcuts

Speed up your practice with these keyboard shortcuts:

1. Space — Step forward / pause
2. Shift+B — Buy / long
3. Shift+S — Sell / short
4. C — Close active trade
5. B — Box tool
6. L — Line tool
7. P — Pan tool
8. Delete / Backspace — Delete selected drawing
9. Escape — Cancel active action