What's the difference between = and := in Pine Script?

= declares a new variable and gives it its first value. := reassigns a value to a variable that's already been declared. You can't use := on a name Pine hasn't seen a = for yet, and a variable declared with the const keyword can never be reassigned at all.

Does a Pine Script for loop include or exclude its end value?

It includes it. for i = 0 to 9 runs 10 times, with i taking every value from 0 through 9. TradingView's own docs recommend reaching for a built-in like ta.sma() before writing a loop by hand, when one already exists for what you're calculating.

Does Pine Script's if statement need a then keyword?

No. Pine Script has no then keyword. An if statement's block is defined by indentation alone: the line right after if, indented by four spaces or a tab, is what runs when the condition is true. else if and else are both optional and chain in the order you write them.

Can alertcondition() fire an alert from a strategy() script?

No. alertcondition() only creates a usable alert inside an indicator() script. It's allowed to appear in a strategy() script and will compile without error there, but TradingView won't let you create an alert from it. Strategies use alert() and the {{strategy.order.*}} placeholders instead.

What's the simplest way to turn a Pine Script condition into an Autoview command?

Build a boolean with ordinary Pine Script logic (a comparison, an if block, whatever your script needs), then pass that boolean as alertcondition()'s first argument with a fixed Autoview command as its message. When the condition turns true, TradingView offers that alert for creation, and every time it fires afterward, Autoview receives the same fixed command.

Pine Script basics, from syntax to your first command

Q: Is series a Pine Script data type?

Not on its own. The fundamental types are int, float, bool, color, and string. series is a qualifier, one of four (const, input, simple, series) that describe when a value becomes known, not what kind of value it is. A series float, for example, is still a float; series just means its value can change bar to bar.

Autoview · Guide · Updated July 20, 2026

This page covers the fundamentals of Pine Script itself, the syntax, variables, data types, operators, and control structures you need before anything else makes sense, and ends with the simplest possible way to turn a condition into a live Autoview command. If you already know Pine Script and just want the automation mechanics, see Pine Script strategy alerts or Pine Script functions instead. This page is the level below both.

Every script starts with a declaration

A Pine Script needs exactly one declaration statement before anything else, and it decides what the rest of the script is allowed to do:

//@version=5
indicator("My Script")

indicator() is for scripts that plot or signal without placing simulated trades; strategy() adds backtesting and, with it, the {{strategy.order.*}} alert placeholders covered in the strategy alerts guide. Pick strategy() only if you want that backtest and those placeholders. Everything below works the same in either.

Variables: = declares, := reassigns

= creates a variable and gives it its first value. := changes the value of a variable that already exists. Mixing them up is a common early mistake, Pine won't let you := a name it hasn't seen a = for yet.

candleColor = color.white
if close > open
    candleColor := color.green
if close < open
    candleColor := color.red

candleColor is declared once with =, then conditionally reassigned with := depending on which if block runs.

Data types, and what "series" actually means

Pine Script's fundamental types are int, float, bool, color, and string. series is not a sixth type sitting alongside those, it's a qualifier, one of four (const, input, simple, series) that describe when a value becomes known rather than what kind of value it is. A series float is still a float, the series part just means its value can be different on every bar, which is true of almost anything derived from price or time.

The practical distinction: int, float, and bool tell you what you can do with a value (add two floats, negate a bool); the qualifier tells you whether that value is fixed for the whole script or can move bar to bar.

Operators

Arithmetic: +, -, *, /, %.
Comparison: <, <=, !=, ==, >, >=, all returning bool.
Logical: and, or, not.

range = high - low
isWideBar = range > ta.sma(range, 20) * 1.5

isWideBar is a bool: true on any bar whose range beats 1.5x its own 20-bar average range.

Control structures: if and for

if has no then keyword. The block that runs is whatever's indented under it:

if isWideBar
    label.new(bar_index, high, "Wide")
else if range > 0
    label.new(bar_index, high, "Normal")

for loops over an inclusive range, for i = 0 to 9 runs 10 times, i taking every value 0 through 9:

sum = 0.0
for i = 0 to 9
    sum := sum + close[i]
avg = sum / 10

That's a manual 10-bar average. It works, but Pine Script has ta.sma(close, 10) for exactly this, and TradingView's own docs recommend reaching for the built-in first, reserve loops for the cases nothing else covers.

Plotting

plot() draws a series on the chart. It's also how a value becomes available to {{plot("Name")}} in an alert message, covered in the strategy alerts guide:

plot(ta.sma(close, 10), "SMA 10", color.blue)

The simplest path to a live command

Once you can build a bool from an if and some comparisons, you already have everything alertcondition() needs. alertcondition(condition, title, message) takes that boolean, a name for TradingView's alert-creation dropdown, and a fixed message string, and it only works in an indicator() script; it compiles inside strategy() without error, but no alert can be created from it there.

//@version=5
indicator("Wide Bar Signal", overlay=true)

range = high - low
isWideBar = range > ta.sma(range, 20) * 1.5

alertcondition(isWideBar, title="Wide Bar", message="s=BTCUSDT b=buy q=1 t=market d=1")

Create the alert against the Wide Bar condition in TradingView's alert dialog, and every time isWideBar turns true, Autoview receives that exact message. The message here is fixed text, the same command every time, which is the tradeoff for alertcondition()'s simplicity. Once you need the command itself to change bar to bar (a computed size, a computed price), that's alert() plus str.tostring(), covered in the functions guide.

Test before you trust it

Notice the d=1 left in the example above. That's not a typo, it's Autoview's dry-run flag: with it set, Autoview logs what it would have done instead of sending the order. Let isWideBar trigger a few times, check the log for the side, size, and symbol you expected, then remove d=1 once it matches.

A note on what Autoview is. Autoview is an execution tool, not a trading or investment advisor. It places the orders your script and alerts tell it to; it doesn't generate signals or make any claim about results. Trading carries risk of loss, and you're responsible for the strategy you automate. See our disclosures.

Set up your first alert