For traders

Signals

A signal in TheStrat Suite is a context + action pair: what the prior candle (C1) set up, and what the current candle (CC) does to its range. The Suite draws the actionable levels, tells you when one is live, and stays out of the way otherwise.

Bar-type notation is defined in bar-types.md — this doc assumes it.

How a signal works

Levels. When an enabled setup exists, the prior candle's high and/or low are drawn as trigger lines. An inside-bar setup draws both sides (yellow above, orange below) — the break direction isn't known yet.
Potential. Until price crosses a trigger, labels carry the * prefix (*2d-1-2u): a setup, not a trade.
In force. Price beyond the trigger with the setup's conditions met: the line takes the signal color (green/red), the * drops, the alert fires, and the timeframe highlights in the data table. A signal stays in force only while price holds beyond the trigger. One exception: a Failing 2 is in force from detection — the failure itself is the event, not a trigger cross.
Targets. Magnitude and exhaustion levels project from there — covered in targets-and-stops.md.

The signal types

Family	Type	Example	Default	One line
Reversals	Inside Reversal	`2d-1-2u`	On	Consolidation resolves against the prior move
Reversals	2-2 Reversal	`2d-2u`	On	Direct reversal, no pause
Continuations	Inside Continuation	`2u-1-2u`	On	Pause, then the move resumes
Continuations	2-2 Continuation	`2u-2u`	Off	Sustained push — noisy unfiltered
Reclaims	Failing 2 (Range Reclaim)	`F2u` / `F2d`	Off	The breakout itself fails — one-bar reversal
Expansions	3-2 Expansion	`3-2u`	Off	Outside bar's indecision resolves
Expansions	Outside Bar (3 Exp)	`3u` / `3d`	Off	CC engulfs the prior range

Inside Reversals — the bread-and-butter

C1 is inside, CC breaks opposite C2's direction. Price coiled, then rejected the prior move. A C2 with no direction (doji) counts as the reversal side, so the setup still qualifies. Filters: HAM/SHO (require C1 to be a hammer/shooter — the coil already rejected one side), FTFC.

2-2 Reversals — faster, less coiled

CC immediately breaks against a directional C1. Filters: HAM/SHO, FTFC, and the distinctive one — F2: require C1 to have been a Failing 2 itself (F2d-2u). The prior bar already trapped traders on a failed break; their exits fuel your move.

Inside Continuations

C1 inside, CC resumes C2's direction — a trend pullback in miniature. Filters: HAM/SHO, FTFC.

2-2 Continuations — off for a reason

Any two trending bars qualify, which is why this ships disabled. Turn it on with HAM/SHO or FTFC attached, or expect noise. The pattern is C1 and CC only — what happened before C1 does not gate it, so a 3 → 2u → 2u sequence is a valid continuation.

Failing 2s (Range Reclaims)

CC breaks a side, then reclaims it — the one-bar reversal the community also calls a Potential 3 or 1-bar Rev Strat. Direction letter names the failed break: F2u is bearish, F2d bullish. In force from detection; the take-action zone is the reclaimed C1 range itself.

Note the two-layer design: detection (Advanced → Failing 2 Detection, on by default) classifies F2s everywhere — table, labels, line styling — while the signal toggle (Signals → Reclaims, off by default) decides whether they trade: levels, windows, alerts. Detection on + signal off means you see F2s but aren't prompted to act on them.

3-2 Expansions

C1 was an outside bar — both sides ran, indecision. CC committing to one side resolves it, and the move often runs hard if the 3 shook out weak hands. Filters: HAM/SHO, FTFC.

Outside Bars (3 Exp)

CC itself takes both sides of C1. Direction from close vs open (3u/3d). This is volatility expansion, not a directional setup in the classic sense — magnitude/exhaustion targets for it are separately toggleable under Advanced.

Cross-cutting filters

HAM/SHO — per-family toggle requiring C1 conviction (see bar-types.md for the three definitions).
FTFC — per-family toggle requiring all monitored timeframes to agree on direction (close vs open). Ships off everywhere. It filters hard, so I made it opt-in.
Lead Signal (Filters → Lead Signal, off) — the highest timeframe with a signal in force becomes the Lead; lower timeframes only show setups aligned with it. Counter-trend noise on the 15m stops fighting your daily.
Domino (always computed) — consecutive inside bars stacked across timeframes, flagged in the table and alertable. A market coiled on multiple timeframes at once.

Universal mode names

With Label Style = Universal, the same signals read in plain language: ↑REV, ↑CONT, ↑INS, ↑EXP, OUTSIDE, and FAILING for a live F2 — with ◆ marking HAM/SHO conviction and * still meaning potential. Same engine, same triggers; only the vocabulary changes.

Why a given line draws or doesn't: ../engineering/drawing-decisions.md. Targets and stops: targets-and-stops.md.