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Getting Basic Symbol Info

Request: retrieve lightweight market info for a specific symbol Extracts a subset of detailed symbol parameters — mainly price precision, floating-spread flag, and bid.

Code Example

// --- Quick use (service wrapper) ---
await _service.ShowSymbolInfo("EURUSD");

// --- Low-level (direct account call) ---
// Preconditions: account is connected via ConnectByServerName/ConnectByHostPort.

using var cts = new CancellationTokenSource(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(3));
var info = await _mt4.SymbolParamsManyAsync(
    symbolName: "EURUSD",
    deadline: null,
    cancellationToken: cts.Token);

foreach (var param in info.SymbolInfos)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"{param.SymbolName} — Digits: {param.Digits}, SpreadFloat: {param.SpreadFloat}, Bid: {param.Bid}");
}

Method Signatures

// Service wrapper
Task ShowSymbolInfo(string symbol);

// Low-level account call
Task<SymbolParamsManyData> SymbolParamsManyAsync(
    string? symbolName = null,
    DateTime? deadline = null,
    CancellationToken cancellationToken = default);

🔽 Input

Parameter Type Description
symbol / symbolName string (required for single-symbol usage) Trading symbol to retrieve info for (e.g., "EURUSD").
deadline DateTime? (optional) Optional UTC deadline for request timeout.
cancellationToken CancellationToken (optional) Token to cancel the operation.

Passing null for symbolName requests all symbols; for this example we supply a single symbol.

⬆️ Output

Returns a SymbolParamsManyData object with:

Field Type Description
SymbolInfos IList<SymbolParamsInfo> Parameters for the requested symbol(s).

Selected fields from SymbolParamsInfo used in this example:

Field Type Description
SymbolName string Symbol name.
Digits int Number of decimal places in price.
SpreadFloat bool true if broker uses floating spread for symbol.
Bid double Current bid price snapshot.

Need the actual spread value? Derive it from quotes (spread = Ask - Bid) via QuoteAsync/QuoteManyAsync.

🎯 Purpose

Quickly obtain the most relevant pricing attributes of a symbol — useful for compact UIs, quote panels, or quick diagnostics, without pulling every parameter.

🧩 Notes & Tips

  • Exact naming. Use symbol names exactly as returned by SymbolsAsync() (brokers may add suffixes like EURUSD.r).
  • One vs many. SymbolParamsManyAsync(null, ...) returns all symbols — heavier on large instrument lists; prefer single-symbol calls for UI interactions.
  • Floating spread flag. SpreadFloat is a boolean flag (not the value). To show spread in pips/points, compute from a live quote.

⚠️ Pitfalls

  • Symbol not found. A non-existing symbol string yields empty SymbolInfos. Validate before using.
  • Caching. Parameters change infrequently, but Bid is a snapshot — refresh if you display it as a price.

🧪 Testing Suggestions

  • Happy path. For a major (e.g., EURUSD), Digits is 5, SymbolName matches input, SymbolInfos non-empty.
  • Edge cases. Exotic symbols may have different Digits; SymbolInfos may be empty if the symbol is disabled.
  • Failure path. Simulate disconnect — expect a clear exception from the guard (no crash).