Writing rules for a chart setup: a fill-in template
The Gatilho Markets team · 28 October 2026 · 5 min read · How we write
In short
- Another person reading only your card should mark the same trades.
- A line you cannot answer is where you will improvise later.
- Change one line at a time, never several.
Most traders have a setup in their head. Very few have it on paper, which is why the setup quietly changes from one trade to the next. This template turns a chart idea into a card you can test, follow and review. Copy it, fill every line, and leave nothing to "I'll know it when I see it".
The template
| Line | Question to answer | Your rule |
|---|---|---|
| Name | What do you call this setup? | |
| Market and timeframe | Which instruments, which chart? | |
| Sessions | Which hours, in Brasília time? | |
| Context | What must the higher timeframe show? | |
| Level or pattern | What exactly do you draw, and how many touches? | |
| Trigger | Which candle, closing where, makes it an order? | |
| Entry | Market order on the close, or a stop order at a price? | |
| Stop | Where is the idea proven wrong? | |
| Target | Which multiple of R, or which level? | |
| Size | What percentage of the account at risk? | |
| Skip | What cancels the setup even if everything else is there? | |
| Management | Do you move the stop? When, and to where? |
A line you cannot answer is a line where you will improvise later. Leave the card unfinished rather than guess.
How precise is precise enough?
A good test: could another person, reading only your card, mark the same trades on the same chart? "Strong rejection" fails that test. "A candle closes in the top third of its range after touching the level" passes it.
A filled-in example
| Line | Rule |
|---|---|
| Name | H1 breakout and retest |
| Market and timeframe | EURUSD and GBPUSD, H1 with H4 for context |
| Sessions | 04:00 to 13:00 Brasília time (shift by an hour when Europe or the US changes clocks) |
| Context | H4 has made a higher high and a higher low |
| Level | A swing high touched at least twice in the last 50 candles |
| Trigger | Close above the high of the first candle that retests the level |
| Entry | Buy stop 1 pip above that high |
| Stop | 2 pips under the retest low |
| Target | 2R |
| Size | 1% of the account |
| Skip | High-impact release within 60 minutes; stop larger than 40 pips |
| Management | No stop moves before 1R |
With a $5,000 account, 1% is $50. A 25-pip stop gives 50 ÷ (25 × 10) = 0.20 lot on a USD-quoted pair.
Illustrative calculation, not an expectation of results.
Use the lot size calculator for the size line and the market sessions tool for the hours; the exact session times move with daylight saving in Europe and the US, while Brasília time does not.
After the card
- Test it on past charts: the manual backtest method walks through 100 trades.
- Trade it small, exactly as written, and log every deviation.
- Change one line at a time, never several.
The template works with any pattern on this site, from the inside bar to the moving average pullback. Trading involves risk, and most retail traders lose money; a card does not change that, it makes your own behaviour measurable.
Questions people also ask
How precise must a rule be?
Precise enough that someone else could apply it to the same chart and mark the same trades.
Why write sessions in Brasília time?
It is the clock you trade on. Remember that London and New York hours shift when Europe and the US change clocks; Brasília does not.
When should I change a rule?
After enough trades to judge it, one line at a time, so you know which change made the difference.
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Take the quizTrading financial markets carries a high level of risk and can result in the loss of all the money you invest. Gatilho Markets content is for education only and is not investment advice. Past results do not guarantee future results.