Price Action API guide
Bar States
Bar states are objective labels based on the current high and low compared with the prior bar range. The base state is always the first thing to read. Direction, open markers, and failed-break markers add context after that.
Last updated June 10, 2026
Base States
The base state does not care whether a trade is good, bad, long, or short. It only describes the bar range.
- Inside bar
- An inside bar is a bar whose current high and low both stay inside the prior bar's range.
- Directional bar
- A directional bar is a bar that breaks one side of the prior bar's range.
- Outside bar
- An outside bar is a bar that breaks both the prior high and the prior low.
Display Notation
Display notation is the compact string used by humans and agents. Use raw fields for logic and display strings for reading.
- 1> / 1<
- Inside bar with current price above or below the bar's open.
- 2u
- A 2 bar that broke above the prior high.
- 2d
- A 2 bar that broke below the prior low.
- 3u> / 3d<
- Outside bar above or below open. The open marker repeats the 3-bar direction for display consistency.
- >
- Current price is above the current bar's open.
- <
- Current price is below the current bar's open.
- f
- Live failed-break marker. Price broke one side and is back inside the prior range before the bar has closed.
- F
- Closed failed-break marker. The bar closed back inside the prior range after breaking one side.
Examples
The display string reads from left to right: failed-break marker if present, base state, break direction when needed, then open marker.
- 1<
- Inside bar with current price below the bar's open.
- 2u>
- Directional bar above the prior high with current price above the bar's open.
- f2u<
- Live bar broke above the prior high and current price returned inside the prior range.
- F2d>
- Closed bar broke below the prior low and closed back inside the prior range.
- 3d<
- Outside bar with current price below the bar's open.
Timeframe Continuity
Timeframe Continuity (TFC) compares whether requested timeframes are above or below each bar's open. It uses a scoped label so the display always names which timeframes were compared.
- TFC[30m,15m]=bull
- Timeframe Continuity is bull when both requested timeframes are above open.
- TFC[30m,15m]=bear
- Timeframe Continuity is bear when both requested timeframes are below open.
- TFC[30m,15m]=mixed
- Timeframe Continuity is mixed when the requested timeframes are split between above open and below open.