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Home/MT4 Programming/How to Protect Your MT4 Programs: Simple Ways Even Without Being an MT4 Programmer
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How to Protect Your MT4 Programs: Simple Ways Even Without Being an MT4 Programmer

Have you ever wanted to share your MT4 programs with a friend or potential partner but worried that it might be shared or sold without your permission? As an MT4 developer, it’s essential to protect your intellectual property and maintain control over your program. In this blog post, we’ll show you some simple and effective ways to protect your MT4 programs, even if you’re not an MT4 programmer.

Code Snippet to Bond a Program to a Single MT4 Forex Account

Here’s a simple way to limit the use of your MT4 program to a single MetaTrader account. By following these steps, you can send your Expert Advisor, Indicator, or Script to anyone you want, knowing that it won’t work on any other account except the one you authorized:

1. Open your MT4 program in MetaEditor by pressing F4 in the MetaTrader platform.

Opening MetaEditor in MetaTrader 4 - MT4

2. Copy the following code.

//--- code begin
int account_number = 0;
if(account_number > 0 && account_number != AccountNumber())
{
    Print("Account not allowed");
    return(-1);
}
//--- code end

3. Modify the second line of the code by replacing ‘0’ with the number of the account authorized to use your MT4 program:

//--- code begin
int account_number = 52068425; // <-- WRITE HERE THE AUTHORIZED ACCOUNT NUMBER
if(account_number > 0 && account_number != AccountNumber())
{
    Print("Account not allowed");
    return(-1);
}
//--- code end

4. Paste the code above between the brackets of ‘OnInit’ or ‘init’ (in old files) function of your MT4 program.

5. Ensure that the line of code (#property strict) is at the start of the program. If not, add it, or the code won’t work.

Code placed at the beginning of the mt4 program

6. Compile the MT4 program.

Compile MT4 Program

7. Share only the executable file (‘ex4’).

Share Only EX4 File

Download a sample of an Expert Advisor bond to a single MT4 Forex account

The EA is linked by default to the fictitious MetaTrader 4 forex account 52068425. Change this number to the account you want to allow use of the program.

MACD Sample – Account Protection

Code Snippet to Set a Trial Period

You can limit the use of your MT4 trading tool from a certain date with this simple piece of code. The MT4 EA or Indicator will work until the date you set in the code, after which the MetaTrader 4 program will stop working.

Follow the same steps above but replace points 2 and 3 with the following ones:

2. Copy the following code.

//--- code begin
datetime trial_end_date = 0;
if(TimeCurrent() > trial_end_date)
{
    Print("Trial period has expired!");
    return(-1);
}
//--- code end

3. Modify the second line of the code replacing ‘0’ (zero) with the date you want the MT4 program to stop working.

//--- code begin
datetime trial_end_date = D'23.07.2020'; // <-- SET PROGRAM EXPIRATION DATE
if(TimeCurrent() > trial_end_date)
{
    Print("Trial period has expired!");
    return(-1);
}
//--- code end

Download a sample of an Indicator with a trial period

The indicator trial is limited by default to work until December 31, 2020 (format D’31.12.2020′). Change it to the date to which you want to limit the use of the program.

ATR – Trial Period

Limiting Use of Your MT4 Program to Demo Accounts

If you want to limit the use of your MT4 program to demo accounts, you can use this code snippet to prevent it from running on live accounts:

//--- code begin
if(AccountInfoInteger(ACCOUNT_TRADE_MODE) != ACCOUNT_TRADE_MODE_DEMO)
{
    //--- stop EA if not demo
    Print("This program only works on demo accounts!");
    return(-1);
}
//--- code end

Adding an Extra Layer of Protection with MQL5 Cloud Protector

The MetaTrader 4 trading platform contains a tool that adds an additional layer of protection to programs: MQL5 Cloud Protector. This free service adds a high degree of protection to MT4 programs, similar to the protection system used in trading apps marketed in MQL5 market.

It is advisable to always use this protection, especially for those cases where a high degree of protection is desired in the MT4 program that you want to share or sell. From our point of view, MQL5 Cloud Protector significantly reduces the need to use DLL files in program protection.

MQL5 Cloud Protector was launched at the end of 2017 on MT5 build 1700. You can see the details of this version in the post “MetaTrader 5 Build 1700: Synthetic Instruments, Shared Projects and MQL5 Cloud Protector“. Consequently, the tool was also available for MT4 sometime later.

Protect Your MT4 Programs and Keep Them Safe

Your MT4 programs are your intellectual property, and it’s essential to protect them from unauthorized use and distribution. By following the steps outlined in this post, you can ensure that your programs are not used by unauthorized parties, prevent unauthorized distribution, and maintain control over your product.

However, there are additional steps you can take to keep your programs safe. Regularly back up your files, keep your antivirus software up to date, and use strong passwords to prevent unauthorized access. Be careful who you share your programs with and only give access to trusted individuals or companies. Remember, protecting your intellectual property is not just good for your business, but it’s also essential for maintaining the integrity of the MT4 platform.

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Comments

  1. Sky

    Really appreciate you helping out the trading community. This code is very useful.

    It works for me however, I am having the issue whenever I restart Mt4, the indicators that I apply this code to get removed from all charts and I either have to drag the indicator back onto the chart or load the template I saved.

    Do you know what could be causing this issue?

    Reply

    • barmenteros FX

      Thank you for your kind words and for reaching out with your concern. We’re glad to hear that the code has been useful to you.

      Regarding the issue you’re experiencing with indicators getting removed upon restarting MT4, it would be helpful if you could provide us with a screenshot showing how you’ve implemented the code and where exactly you’ve placed it. This will enable us to better understand the situation and assist you in resolving the issue more efficiently.

      Best regards

      Reply

      • Sky

        Here’s the full code of one of my indicators with your code included:

        #property indicator_chart_window
        #property indicator_buffers 1
        #property indicator_color1 LightSeaGreen
        #property indicator_style1 1
        #property indicator_width1 2

        double TodayOpenBuffer[];
        extern double TimeZoneOfData=0;
        extern double Horizontaloffset=20;
        //+——————————————————————+
        //| Custom indicator initialization function |
        //+——————————————————————+
        int init()
        {

        //— code begin
        int account_number = 12345678; // 0 && account_number != AccountNumber())
        {
        Print(“Account not allowed”);
        return(-1);
        }
        //— code end

        SetIndexStyle(0,DRAW_LINE);
        SetIndexBuffer(0,TodayOpenBuffer);
        SetIndexLabel(0,”Open”);
        SetIndexEmptyValue(0,0.0);
        return(0);
        }
        //+——————————————————————+
        //| Custor indicator deinitialization function |
        //+——————————————————————+
        int deinit()
        {
        return(0);
        }
        //+——————————————————————+
        //| Custom indicator iteration function |
        //+——————————————————————+
        int start()
        {
        int counted_bars=IndicatorCounted();
        if(counted_bars 0) counted_bars–;
        int lastbar=Bars-counted_bars;
        if(counted_bars==0) lastbar-=1+1;

        DailyOpen(1,lastbar);
        return (0);
        }
        //+——————————————————————+
        //| DailyOpen |
        //+——————————————————————+
        int DailyOpen(int offset,int lastbar)
        {
        int shift;
        int tzdiffsec=TimeZoneOfData*3600;
        double barsper30=1.0*PERIOD_M30/Period();
        bool ShowDailyOpenLevel=True;
        // lastbar+= barsperday+2; // make sure we catch the daily open
        //lastbar=MathMin(Bars-20*barsper30-1,lastbar);

        for(shift=lastbar;shift>=offset;shift–)
        {
        TodayOpenBuffer[shift]=0;
        if(ShowDailyOpenLevel)
        {
        if(TimeDay(Time[shift]-tzdiffsec)!=TimeDay(Time[shift-1]-tzdiffsec))
        { // day change
        TodayOpenBuffer[shift]=Open[shift];
        TodayOpenBuffer[shift+1]=0; // avoid stairs in the line
        }
        else
        {
        TodayOpenBuffer[shift]=TodayOpenBuffer[shift+1];
        }
        }
        }
        return(0);
        }
        //+——————————————————————+

        Reply

        • barmenteros FX

          // Issue in ‘init()’ function: Incorrect account validation logic
          // Current code:
          /*
          int account_number = 12345678; // 0 && account_number != AccountNumber())
          {
          Print(“Account not allowed”);
          return(-1);
          }
          */
          // Corrected version:
          int account_number = 12345678;
          if (account_number != 0 && account_number != AccountNumber())
          {
          Print(“Account not allowed”);
          return(-1);
          }
          // Ensure the ‘if’ statement is properly structured for account validation.

          Reply

          • Sky

            Thank you, but the indicator no longer works for me with the new code. I’m not able to drag it onto the chart.

          • barmenteros FX

            It seems that the issue might be related to other aspects of the indicator’s code, rather than the snippet we provided. We recommend compiling the indicator in the MetaTrader editor and addressing any errors or warnings that appear. This process should help identify and resolve any underlying problems. Best regards

  2. Alex

    metaquotes – are russian freaks . Cloud protection garbage that can be easy decompiled, same as their MQLMarket are decompiles and resell now in Indian telegram channels …

    Reply

  3. Philip

    Thank You for this, you have saved me a lot of time. I have not made an attempt yet, but I’m sure I can get the code provided to work.
    Thanks Again,
    Philip,
    Phil_GMT

    Reply

    • barmenteros FX

      You’re welcome Philip! We’re glad we could help and that the information provided was useful to you. If you have any further questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out.

      Reply

  4. Adam Ahmad

    Big thanks for that simple code that you post and by the way, just one question if I change “{Print” to “{Alert”, the message will popup in the screen right?

    Reply

  5. Robert Chen

    Thanks for the great sharing.

    Wondering can you share also how to protect or lock a MT4 template to certain MT4 account number or name ?

    thanks in advance & hopefully can receive your reply

    Reply

  7. Abbey

    Hi,

    Thanks for all you do. Is there a way to combine the two restrictions (bonding to one or two accounts and also setting a trial period)?

    Reply

  9. Mathew Karanja

    I have tried that code and did as instructed but an error msg keep popping up showing

    ‘{‘ – Function defination unexpected
    ‘}’ – not all control paths return a value

    Reply

  10. Mike Rossi

    Hello, how can I make an indicator work on 2 pairs only (EURUSD, GBPUSD).
    Indicator only not EA
    Thank you

    Reply

  12. Tomi

    Adding restriction or locking an indicator to a particular account number as you explained above clearly, is it the same with indicator on mt5 platform sir? I will like you to (if not too much to ask sir) help me on how to go about it with indicator on mt5 platform sir.
    Thanks

    Reply

  15. John

    Hello,

    Please I have an indicator in MT5 .mq5 , can you please assist me adding a code to lock the indicator to an account number?

    Thank you

    Reply

  17. Wongani Bulaya

    hey guys, my software is working fine, but when i change the propety to strict thats when a number of erros are popping up
    like undeclared identifier and ‘if’ expressions not being allowedon a global space.
    what do i do?

    Reply

    • barmenteros FX

      Hi Wongani, the strict property is used to give compatibility with programs developed before the recent MT4 versions (build 600+). It also implies that the old codes are checked according to the new compilers standards. That is why using the strict property may cause new errors and warnings to appear when compiling. In some cases the warnings can be ignored. Instead, the errors must be corrected so that the code can be compiled successfully. Regards

      Reply

  18. khoa le

    hi,
    I pasted #property strict line in code but when compile got error :
    “possible loss of data die type conversion”
    Could you help me to solve it?
    thank you

    Reply

  19. Chicco

    Thank you! It works perfectly :) I really appreciate your wworks.
    What if I want to add 2 or more accounts. Should I use a comma or semi colon to separate multiple accounts?

    Reply

    • Barmenteros FX Staff

      Hi Chicco,

      Find below a simple example:


      //--- code begin
      int AcctNbr1 = 52068425; // <-- write here the authorized account number if(AcctNbr1 > 0 && AcctNbr1 != AccountNumber())
      {Print("Account not allowed"); return(-1);}
      int AcctNbr2 = 26341416; // <-- write here the authorized account number if(AcctNbr2 > 0 && AcctNbr2 != AccountNumber())
      {Print("Account not allowed"); return(-1);}
      //--- code end

      Best regards

      Reply

      • Mohammed

        hey dear thanks for your great efforts

        i just follow your instruction for single account it is working well but when i add second account EA not working even i follow same code you post
        {

        //— code begin
        int AcctNbr1 = 274282; // 0 && AcctNbr1 != AccountNumber())
        {Print(“Account not allowed”); return(-1);}
        int AcctNbr2 = 277166; // 0 && AcctNbr2 != AccountNumber())
        {Print(“Account not allowed”); return(-1);}
        //— code end

        }

        please need your advise

        thanks

        Reply

        • barmenteros FX

          Hi. Your code does not have much to do with what we publish. In your case, use the following:

          //— code begin
          int AcctNbr1 = 274282;
          int AcctNbr2 = 277166;
          if(AcctNbr1 != AccountNumber() && AcctNbr2 != AccountNumber())
          {Print(“Account not allowed”); return(-1);}
          //— code end

          Reply

  20. Matimba

    Hi, I did put the code as instructed but it gives me an error code ” onlnit- function already defined and has a body

    This is the code i was trying to put on my indicator and ea. please help me out on how to fix this issue
    int OnInit()
    {
    int AcctNbr = 21698831; // 0 &&
    AcctNbr != AccountNumber())
    {
    Alert(“Account not allowed”);
    return(-1);
    }
    return(INIT_SUCCEEDED);
    }

    Reply

    • Barmenteros FX Staff

      Hi Matimba,

      You get that error because you already have a function in the code with the same name (‘OnInit’), so you should delete this new ‘OnInit’ function you created, search the ‘OnInit’ function already existing in your code, and copy the snippet inside it. In the other hand, your code won’t run since it contains error. Please, recheck your code and make sure it’s the same as the code we published in this post.

      Thanks

      Reply

  21. Troc

    Hello Bamenteros,

    Many thanks for your great help!
    Could you show us how to modify the code slightly so instead of checking for account number it validates against the name of the account?

    Many many thanks Barmenteros!
    You guys are great!

    Reply

    • Barmenteros FX Staff

      Hi Troc,

      Please, send us a screenshot highlighting what do you mean by account name. If it’s what we think, you should notice that the name of the account is the same for all the accounts belonging to the same broker server, so it won’t be a valid verification method.

      Thanks

      Reply

  22. rosa

    Alert(“acct numbr> ” + AccountNumber());
    //— code begin
    int AcctNbr = 452295; // 0 && AcctNbr != AccountNumber())
    {
    Alert(“No puedes usar este indicador. Contacta con [email protected]” + AcctNbr);
    return(-1);
    //— code end
    }

    Reply

  23. rosa

    Hi,
    AccountNumber() returns “0” so it doesn´t work if you already have the indicator on your chart, close mt4 and reopen it.

    int OnInit() {
    //— code begin
    Alert(“accountnumber: ” + AccountNumber());
    int AcctNbr = XXXXXX; // 0 && AcctNbr != AccountNumber())
    {
    Alert(“not allowed: ” + AcctNbr );
    return(-1);
    //— code end
    }
    }

    Reply

  25. Lito Lapis

    Hi,
    Is it possible to create a code protector for MT4 that you can share to your client that will expire in an X amount of days or months?

    Thank you.
    Lito

    Reply

  26. gary

    I read somewhere on your blog abt using vmprotect for extra protection, but cant seemed to find the post. Can u share a little more on your experience of using that? Thank you.

    Reply

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