SymbolInfoTick HOW

Example from file: examples/demos/lowlevel/01_general_operations.go

The SymbolInfoTick() method is used to get the last market tick — that is, the current quote for a symbol, containing Bid, Ask, Last prices, volume, and time of the last update.

This is one of the key methods for getting "live" market data.

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🧩 Code Example

tickReq := &pb.SymbolInfoTickRequest{
    Symbol: cfg.TestSymbol,
}
tickData, err := account.SymbolInfoTick(ctx, tickReq)
if err != nil {
    helpers.PrintShortError(err, "SymbolInfoTick failed")
} else {
    fmt.Printf("  Last tick for %s:\n", cfg.TestSymbol)
    fmt.Printf("    Bid:                         %.5f\n", tickData.Bid)
    fmt.Printf("    Ask:                         %.5f\n", tickData.Ask)
    fmt.Printf("    Last:                        %.5f\n", tickData.Last)
    fmt.Printf("    Volume:                      %d\n", tickData.Volume)

    // Time is int64 (Unix seconds), NOT protobuf Timestamp. It counts in the broker server's time zone:
    // format it as UTC to show the broker's clock (time.Unix alone would convert it to this machine's zone).
    // TimeUtc is the same moment in real UTC.
    tickTime := time.Unix(tickData.Time, 0).UTC()
    fmt.Printf("    Time:                        %s (broker server time)\n", tickTime.Format("2006-01-02 15:04:05"))
    fmt.Printf("    Time (UTC):                  %s\n", time.Unix(tickData.TimeUtc, 0).UTC().Format("2006-01-02 15:04:05"))
}

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🟢 Detailed Code Explanation

tickReq := &pb.SymbolInfoTickRequest{
    Symbol: cfg.TestSymbol,
}

Creates a request with one parameter Symbol — the name of the instrument (e.g., EURUSD) for which to get the last tick.

---

tickData, err := account.SymbolInfoTick(ctx, tickReq)

Executes a gRPC request to the gateway. Returns a structure with the last update for the specified symbol: Bid, Ask, Last prices, volume, and time.

---

if err != nil {
    helpers.PrintShortError(err, "SymbolInfoTick failed")
} else {
    fmt.Printf("  Last tick for %s:\n", cfg.TestSymbol)

Checks for errors. If the request is successful — starts printing symbol data.

---

fmt.Printf("    Bid:                         %.5f\n", tickData.Bid)
fmt.Printf("    Ask:                         %.5f\n", tickData.Ask)
fmt.Printf("    Last:                        %.5f\n", tickData.Last)
fmt.Printf("    Volume:                      %d\n", tickData.Volume)

Prints prices and volume:

• Bid — price at which you can sell (buyer's quote);
• Ask — price at which you can buy (seller's quote);
• Last — last trade price (relevant for stocks, futures);
• Volume — volume of the last tick or trade.

---

tickTime := time.Unix(tickData.Time, 0).UTC()
fmt.Printf("    Time:                        %s (broker server time)\n", tickTime.Format("2006-01-02 15:04:05"))
fmt.Printf("    Time (UTC):                  %s\n", time.Unix(tickData.TimeUtc, 0).UTC().Format("2006-01-02 15:04:05"))

The Time field is stored as int64 — Unix-style seconds counted in the broker server's time zone. time.Unix() turns it into a time.Time; .UTC() keeps that clock as it is (without it, Format would shift the value into the local time zone of the machine running the program and print a time that is neither broker time nor UTC). TimeUtc is the same moment in real UTC.

Format 2006-01-02 15:04:05 is the standard date template in Go.

---

📦 What the server returns

message MrpcMqlTick {
  int64 Time = 1;    // Unix time of last update (broker server time)
  int64 TimeUtc = 9; // Time in UTC (the same moment)
  double Bid = 2;    // Current Bid price
  double Ask = 3;    // Current Ask price
  double Last = 4;   // Last trade price
  uint64 Volume = 5; // Volume of last trade
  // Also available: TimeMsc, TimeMscUtc, Flags, VolumeReal
}

---

💡 Example output

Last tick for EURUSD:
    Bid:                         1.08540
    Ask:                         1.08560
    Last:                        1.08545
    Volume:                      150
    Time:                        2026-01-04 22:15:03 (broker server time)
    Time (UTC):                  2026-01-04 20:15:03

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🧠 What it's used for

The SymbolInfoTick() method is used:

• to get the latest quote before trading actions;
• when updating interfaces and analytical panels (e.g., displaying current prices);
• for logging and market monitoring;
• in demo examples, to visually show current market data.

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💬 In simple terms

SymbolInfoTick() returns the last tick for a symbol: current Bid, Ask, Last prices, volume, and update time. It's a quick way to find out the current market state for the required instrument.