Better Sessions is a free session indicator for TradeStation. It plots session breaks at the times that matter: market open, close, 11 am reversal window and the weekly close. Part of Emini-Watch’s free indicators for TradeStation.
Most session indicators plot every line on every chart, leaving you to clean up the clutter. Better Sessions reads your chart resolution and only draws the lines that make sense at that timeframe. And because it uses the new EasyLanguage drawing object classes, lines extend from the top of your price panel through any indicator panels below.
What You Get
Four session break lines, each with an on/off toggle and a time input:
| Line | Marks | Default | Style |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Market open (8:30 am CT) | On | Dotted, yellow |
| Close | Market close (3:15 pm CT) | On | Dotted, yellow |
| Euro Close | 11 am reversal window | Off | Dotted, cyan |
| Weekly Close | Last bar of the trading week | On | Solid, yellow |
open, close, 11 am reversal window and weekly close
Automatic Display Rules
This is what separates Better Sessions from a basic vertical line study:
- Daily lines (open, close, Euro close) show on 15-minute charts and below. Above that, they switch off automatically – no clutter on your higher timeframe charts.
- The weekly close line shows on 15-minute charts and below.
- Tick charts are handled automatically too. The indicator measures how fast your tick chart actually prints (averaged over the last 5 sessions) and applies the same thresholds. A fast Emini tick chart behaves like a 1-minute chart, a slow one like a 30-minute chart.
- Both thresholds are inputs (DailyMaxMinutes, WeeklyMaxMinutes) if you want different cutoffs.
Holiday-Proof Weekly Close
Most session indicators hardcode “Friday at the close” and break on holiday weeks. Better Sessions detects the end of the trading week from the trading activity itself; no holiday lookup table needed. When Good Friday or Juneteenth lands on a Friday, the weekly close line plots on Thursday’s last bar. Early closes are caught the same way – the line always lands on the final bar of the trading week, whatever day that turns out to be.
My Setup
I run two configurations:
Intraday charts: Dotted lines at the 8:30 am open and 3:15 pm close of the Emini. Cyan dotted line to mark the 11 am reversal window – most intraday reversals happen before this. If the market hasn’t reversed by 11 am, odds favor the trend continuing into the close. It’s a simple filter that keeps you on the right side of the move.
Higher timeframe charts: Single yellow solid line at the weekly close to mark the week’s trading activity.
Installation
- Download and unzip the .ELD file above
- Open TradeStation and go to File > Import/Export EasyLanguage
- Select “Import EasyLanguage file” and choose the downloaded file
- Apply _BetterSessions to any chart and customize the indicator settings
NinjaTrader version: a NinjaScript port of the original vertical line code is available from the Downloads section of Scott Daggett’s site here. Note it’s based on the older version and doesn’t include the automatic display rules.
Better Sessions Settings
| Input | Default Value | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| OpenLine | True | Toggle open line on/off |
| CloseLine | True | Toggle close line on/off |
| EuroCloseLine | False | Toggle 11 am line on/off |
| WeeklyLine | True | Toggle weekly close line on/off |
| OpenTime | 0830 | Time of the open line |
| CloseTime | 1515 | Time of the close line |
| EuroCloseTime | 1100 | Time of the 11 am line |
| DailyMaxMinutes | 15 | Show daily lines on charts up to this many minutes |
| WeeklyMaxMinutes | 15 | Show weekly line on charts up to this many minutes |
| LineColor | “Yellow” | Color of the open, close and weekly lines |
| EuroCloseColor | “Cyan” | Color of the 11 am line |
Times are in HHMM format in your chart’s time zone. To change line colors, use one of the recognized TradeStation color names listed here. To change line styles, edit the EasyLanguage code directly. Available styles: solid, dotted, dashed, dashed2, dashed3.
Session Indicator FAQ
What is a session indicator?
A session indicator marks the boundaries of trading sessions on your chart – the open, the close and the transitions between them. Futures trade almost 23 hours a day, so without session breaks it’s hard to see at a glance where one day’s trading ends and the next begins.
Does TradeStation have built-in session breaks like TradingView?
Yes. TradeStation does have a built-in session break. However, it shows the “post-settlement” close at 4 pm CT, not the real futures market close at 3:15 pm. In addition, TradeStation does not natively show the open or the weekly close – you need an indicator to plot the correct session lines. That’s exactly what Better Sessions does, and it goes further with automatic display rules and a holiday-proof weekly close.
Why mark the 11 am reversal window?
Most Emini intraday reversals happen before 11 am CT, around the close of European markets. If the morning trend remains intact at 11 am, the odds shift toward a continuation into the close. The cyan line is a visual reminder to stop looking for reversals.
Does it work on tick charts?
Yes. The indicator measures your tick chart’s speed over the last 5 sessions and applies the same display thresholds as minute charts, so it adapts to any market’s tick volume automatically.
Troubleshooting
Extra panel appearing below your chart?
Go to Format Indicator > Scaling tab > Select “Scale on Same Axis as Underlying Data”
Date/time labels cluttering your lines?
This requires changing the default for all vertical lines:
- Open any chart
- Drawing > Vertical Line > click anywhere on the chart
- Right-click the line > Format Vertical Line
- Labels tab > untick “Show Labels” > tick “Set as Default” > OK
- Delete the line and reapply the indicator
More Free TradeStation Indicators
- TRIN Indicator – One of the few truly leading market breadth indicators
- Stock Market Crash Indicator – Spot warning signs before major drops
- Commitment of Traders Indicator – See what commercial hedgers and large speculators are doing
- Better Volume Indicator – Stop ignoring the most underrated market variable
Professional-Grade Trading Indicators
Better Sessions tells you WHEN the key moments of the trading day arrive. The full ‘Better’ Indicator suite tells you WHO is driving the market when they do:
- Better Momentum – Identifies momentum shifts before they show up on price
- Better Sine Wave – Pinpoints cycle turning points
- Better Pro Am – Separates professional activity from amateur activity
Follow the Professionals, Fade the Amateurs. That’s the whole game, and these are the tools built for it.
