Mql4 Tutorial: How to Use OrderSelect() with MODE_TRADES and MODE_HISTORY

To retrieve lists of trades in MQL4, you must iterate through the order pools provided by the terminal. There are two distinct pools:

1. MODE_TRADES: Contains currently open market positions and pending orders.
2. MODE_HISTORY: Contains closed positions and deleted pending orders.

Here is a complete script that iterates through both pools and prints the details of the trades to the "Experts" log tab.

MQL4 Script: List Open and Closed Trades

//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//|                                            TradeListReporter.mq4 |
//|                        Copyright 2023, Quantitative Trading AI   |
//|                                             https://www.mql5.com |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
#property copyright "Copyright 2023, Quantitative Trading AI"
#property link      "https://www.mql5.com"
#property version   "1.00"
#property strict
#property script_show_inputs

//--- Input Parameters
input bool   FilterByCurrentSymbol = false; // Filter by current chart symbol?
input int    MagicNumberFilter     = 0;     // Filter by Magic Number (0 = All)

//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| Script program start function                                    |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
void OnStart()
{
   // --- 1. Process Open Trades ---
   Print("==========================================");
   Print("=== STARTING LIST: OPEN TRADES ===");
   int openCount = GetOpenTrades();
   Print("Total Open Trades Found: ", openCount);
   
   // --- 2. Process History Trades ---
   Print("==========================================");
   Print("=== STARTING LIST: ACCOUNT HISTORY ===");
   // Note: History depends on the "Account History" tab settings in Terminal
   int historyCount = GetHistoryTrades();
   Print("Total History Trades Found: ", historyCount);
   Print("==========================================");
}

//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| Function to iterate and print Open Trades                        |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
int GetOpenTrades()
{
   int count = 0;
   int total = OrdersTotal(); // Returns number of open and pending orders

   // Iterate backwards is generally safer in EA logic, though forward is fine for reporting
   for(int i = total - 1; i >= 0; i--)
   {
      // Select order from the TRADES pool
      if(OrderSelect(i, SELECT_BY_POS, MODE_TRADES))
      {
         // Apply Filters
         if(FilterByCurrentSymbol && OrderSymbol() != Symbol()) continue;
         if(MagicNumberFilter > 0 && OrderMagicNumber() != MagicNumberFilter) continue;

         // Print Order Details
         string orderType = OrderTypeToString(OrderType());
         
         PrintFormat("Ticket: #%d | Symbol: %s | Type: %s | Lots: %.2f | Open: %.5f | Profit: %.2f",
                     OrderTicket(),
                     OrderSymbol(),
                     orderType,
                     OrderLots(),
                     OrderOpenPrice(),
                     OrderProfit() + OrderSwap() + OrderCommission() // Total PnL
                     );
         count++;
      }
   }
   return(count);
}

//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| Function to iterate and print Closed Trades                      |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
int GetHistoryTrades()
{
   int count = 0;
   int total = OrdersHistoryTotal(); // Returns number of closed orders in loaded history

   for(int i = total - 1; i >= 0; i--)
   {
      // Select order from the HISTORY pool
      if(OrderSelect(i, SELECT_BY_POS, MODE_HISTORY))
      {
         // Apply Filters
         if(FilterByCurrentSymbol && OrderSymbol() != Symbol()) continue;
         if(MagicNumberFilter > 0 && OrderMagicNumber() != MagicNumberFilter) continue;

         // Print Order Details
         string orderType = OrderTypeToString(OrderType());
         
         PrintFormat("Ticket: #%d | Symbol: %s | Type: %s | Close Time: %s | Profit: %.2f",
                     OrderTicket(),
                     OrderSymbol(),
                     orderType,
                     TimeToString(OrderCloseTime()),
                     OrderProfit() + OrderSwap() + OrderCommission()
                     );
         count++;
      }
   }
   return(count);
}

//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
//| Helper: Convert Integer Order Type to String                     |
//+------------------------------------------------------------------+
string OrderTypeToString(int type)
{
   switch(type)
   {
      case OP_BUY:      return("BUY");
      case OP_SELL:     return("SELL");
      case OP_BUYLIMIT: return("BUY LIMIT");
      case OP_SELLLIMIT:return("SELL LIMIT");
      case OP_BUYSTOP:  return("BUY STOP");
      case OP_SELLSTOP: return("SELL STOP");
      default:          return("UNKNOWN");
   }
}

Key Implementation Details

1. OrdersTotal() vs OrdersHistoryTotal():

   • OrdersTotal() retrieves the count of currently active trades.
   • OrdersHistoryTotal() retrieves the count of closed trades. Important: This function only sees the history currently loaded in your MT4 "Account History" tab. If you want to see all history, right-click the "Account History" tab in MT4 and select "All History" before running the script.

2. OrderSelect() Modes:

   • We use MODE_TRADES for the first loop to access active positions.
   • We use MODE_HISTORY for the second loop to access closed positions.

3. Filtering:

   • The script includes inputs to filter by Symbol (e.g., only show EURUSD trades) or MagicNumber (only show trades opened by a specific EA).

4. Profit Calculation:

   • OrderProfit() only returns the raw profit from price movement.
   • To get the actual Net Profit, the code sums OrderProfit() + OrderSwap() + OrderCommission().

Q&A

Q: Why does OrdersHistoryTotal() return 0 even though I have closed trades?
A: This usually happens if the "Account History" tab in the Terminal window is empty or set to "Today" and no trades were closed today. Right-click inside the Account History tab and select "All History" to ensure MQL4 can access the data.

Q: Can I modify this to write to a CSV file instead of the log?
A: Yes. You would replace the PrintFormat calls with FileWrite. You would need to open a file handle using FileOpen("report.csv", FILE_CSV|FILE_WRITE) at the start and FileClose it at the end.

Q: Does MODE_TRADES include Pending Orders?
A: Yes. OrdersTotal() and MODE_TRADES include active market positions (Buy/Sell) as well as pending orders (Limit/Stop). The helper function OrderTypeToString handles identifying these specific types.