SymbolsTotal HOW

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

The SymbolsTotal() method is used to find out how many trading instruments (symbols) are available on the MetaTrader server. It can work in two modes:

• Mode = false → counts all symbols available from the broker;
• Mode = true → counts only active symbols (Market Watch).

📦 Market Watch in the gateway context is a list of active symbols for which the gateway receives real quotes (Bid/Ask). Since we work through the API (without the MetaTrader interface), this list can be programmatically enabled or modified using the SymbolSelect() method.

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🧩 Code example

fmt.Println("\n4.1. SymbolsTotal() - Count symbols")

// Count all available symbols
allSymbolsReq := &pb.SymbolsTotalRequest{
    Mode: false, // false = all symbols
}
allSymbolsData, err := account.SymbolsTotal(ctx, allSymbolsReq)
if err != nil {
    helpers.PrintShortError(err, "SymbolsTotal(all) failed")
} else {
    fmt.Printf("  Total available symbols:       %d\n", allSymbolsData.Total)
}

// Count symbols in Market Watch only
selectedSymbolsReq := &pb.SymbolsTotalRequest{
    Mode: true, // true = Market Watch only
}
selectedSymbolsData, err := account.SymbolsTotal(ctx, selectedSymbolsReq)
if err != nil {
    helpers.PrintShortError(err, "SymbolsTotal(selected) failed")
} else {
    fmt.Printf("  Symbols in Market Watch:       %d\n", selectedSymbolsData.Total)
}

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🟢 Detailed Code Explanation

1️ First call (Mode: false)

Requests the total number of symbols available on the broker's server. This is all pairs, stocks, futures, and instruments that the broker supports — even those without current quotes.

🧠 Example output:

Total available symbols: 245

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2️ Second call (Mode: true)

Requests the number of active symbols currently in Market Watch state. These are instruments for which MetaTrader actually streams quotes (Bid/Ask).

🧠 Example output:

Symbols in Market Watch: 32

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🧱 What is Market Watch (in gateway context)

Market Watch is not a terminal window, but a logical symbol state on the server. Active symbol = one you've subscribed to for quotes.

When we work without the MetaTrader interface (through the gateway):

• we don't have a visual Market Watch;
• but we can enable it programmatically.

For this, the SymbolSelect() method is used:

selectReq := &pb.SymbolSelectRequest{
    Symbol: "EURUSD",
    Select: true, // true = add symbol to Market Watch
}
_, err := account.SymbolSelect(ctx, selectReq)
if err != nil {
    log.Fatalf("SymbolSelect failed: %v", err)
}
fmt.Println("EURUSD added to Market Watch")

After this, EURUSD is considered active — and will appear in the SymbolsTotal(Mode: true) count.

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🛰️ Quote subscription (Bid/Ask stream)

After adding a symbol to Market Watch, you can subscribe to the quote stream:

ticks, err := account.TicksSubscribe(ctx, &pb.TicksSubscribeRequest{
    Symbol: "EURUSD",
})
if err != nil {
    log.Fatalf("Subscribe failed: %v", err)
}

for {
    tick, err := ticks.Recv()
    if err != nil {
        break
    }
    fmt.Printf("[%s] Bid: %.5f | Ask: %.5f\n", tick.Symbol, tick.Bid, tick.Ask)
}

Now the gateway receives real quotes — analogous to how the MetaTrader terminal displays them in its Market Watch.

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⚙️ Practical application

Goal	How to use
Find out total number of broker's instruments	SymbolsTotal(Mode: false)
Check how many instruments are active	SymbolsTotal(Mode: true)
Add symbol to Market Watch	SymbolSelect(Symbol, true)
Remove symbol from Market Watch	SymbolSelect(Symbol, false)
Receive quotes for a symbol	TicksSubscribe() or SymbolSubscribe()

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💬 In simple terms

SymbolsTotal() itself doesn't activate anything — it only counts. Market Watch when working through the API = list of active symbols that we manage via SymbolSelect().

After enabling a symbol in Market Watch, you can stream quotes, trade it, and get real-time updates.