SymbolInfoSessionTrade HOW

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

The SymbolInfoSessionTrade() method is used to retrieve trading session times — periods when trading operations are allowed for a symbol.

Unlike SymbolInfoSessionQuote() (which shows when quotes are available), this method shows when trading is allowed — that is, when the server accepts orders and executes trades.

---

🧩 Code example

tradeSessionReq := &pb.SymbolInfoSessionTradeRequest{
    Symbol:       cfg.TestSymbol,
    DayOfWeek:    pb.DayOfWeek_MONDAY,
    SessionIndex: 0,
}
tradeSessionData, err := account.SymbolInfoSessionTrade(ctx, tradeSessionReq)
if err != nil {
    helpers.PrintShortError(err, "SymbolInfoSessionTrade failed")
} else {
    fmt.Printf("  Monday trade session #0:\n")
    if tradeSessionData.From != nil {
        fromTime := tradeSessionData.From.AsTime()
        fromSeconds := fromTime.Hour()*3600 + fromTime.Minute()*60 + fromTime.Second()
        fmt.Printf("    From (seconds from day start): %d\n", fromSeconds)
    }
    if tradeSessionData.To != nil {
        toTime := tradeSessionData.To.AsTime()
        toSeconds := toTime.Hour()*3600 + toTime.Minute()*60 + toTime.Second()
        fmt.Printf("    To (seconds from day start):   %d\n", toSeconds)
    }
}

🟢 Detailed Code Explanation

tradeSessionReq := &pb.SymbolInfoSessionTradeRequest{
    Symbol:       cfg.TestSymbol,
    DayOfWeek:    pb.DayOfWeek_MONDAY,
    SessionIndex: 0,
}

A request is created with parameters:

• Symbol — trading instrument (e.g., EURUSD);
• DayOfWeek — day of the week for which the schedule is needed;
• SessionIndex — sequential session number for that day.

---

tradeSessionData, err := account.SymbolInfoSessionTrade(ctx, tradeSessionReq)

A request is sent to the MetaTrader server via gRPC. The response returns a structure with From and To fields — trading session start and end.

---

if tradeSessionData.From != nil {
    fromTime := tradeSessionData.From.AsTime()
    fromSeconds := fromTime.Hour()*3600 + fromTime.Minute()*60 + fromTime.Second()
    fmt.Printf("    From (seconds from day start): %d\n", fromSeconds)
}

Converts From to time.Time format and calculates the number of seconds from the start of the day.

---

if tradeSessionData.To != nil {
    toTime := tradeSessionData.To.AsTime()
    toSeconds := toTime.Hour()*3600 + toTime.Minute()*60 + toTime.Second()
    fmt.Printf("    To (seconds from day start):   %d\n", toSeconds)
}

Same for the session end.

---

📘 What is SessionIndex

The SessionIndex parameter is not related to the day of the week, it indicates the session number within the selected day.

For example, if a symbol has several trading intervals during the day:

DayOfWeek	SessionIndex	From	To
MONDAY	0	09:00	12:00
MONDAY	1	13:00	17:00
TUESDAY	0	09:00	17:00

That is:

• DayOfWeek — day of the week;
• SessionIndex — sequential session number on that day.

If an instrument has only one trading session per day (e.g., Forex 24 hours), then SessionIndex = 0.

---

📦 What the Server Returns

message SymbolInfoSessionTradeData {
  google.protobuf.Timestamp From = 1; // Trading session start time
  google.protobuf.Timestamp To = 2;   // Trading session end time
}

---

💡 Example Output

Monday trade session #0:
    From (seconds from day start): 0
    To (seconds from day start):   86399

📘 This means trading is available all day — from 00:00:00 to 23:59:59.

---

ℹ️ Why Values Can Be Zero

If you see the output:

From (seconds from day start): 0
To (seconds from day start):   0

this is normal behavior, not a code error.

Reasons:

1. 24/5 trading — the broker doesn't set separate intervals.
2. Broker hasn't filled in the schedule — often found on demo servers.
3. Gateway doesn't transmit these fields — API returns empty Timestamp.
4. Day or index contains no data — there's no session on that day with that index.

✅ In such cases, 0 is interpreted as "all day open for trading".

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🧠 What It's Used For

The SymbolInfoSessionTrade() method is used:

• to check trading hours before opening orders;
• to avoid trading outside sessions;
• for visualizing market operation (charts, calendars);
• in backtests and simulations to account for trading schedules.

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💬 In Simple Terms

SymbolInfoSessionTrade() shows what hours and days trading is allowed for a symbol. If it returns zeros — it means trading is available all day or the broker hasn't specified a schedule.