Every term used across the SSTP documentation, defined in one place. If a word or abbreviation is unclear while reading another page, find it here.
Terms are listed alphabetically. Each entry includes where the term appears in the product and, where helpful, an example.
Bar Classification
The process of categorizing each completed time period by comparing its price range to the previous period. Every period receives one of five classifications: Higher High (HH), Lower Low (LL), Outside Bar (OB), Inside Bar (IB), or False Outside Bar. Classification uses AND logic — both the high and the low must confirm the direction.
Where it appears: Core detection engine, X-Ray Mode overlays, tooltip Pattern field, Glossary cross-references throughout.
Example: If this week's high exceeded last week's high and this week's low stayed above last week's low, the week is classified as HH.
Boundary
The point in time where one period ends and the next begins. SSTP uses boundaries to determine when a period is complete and ready for classification. Calendar-based timeframes (M, Q, Y) use calendar date boundaries. Time-based timeframes (15m, 1H, 4H, D, W) use exchange-aligned time boundaries.
Where it appears: Internal detection logic, X-Ray Mode (rectangles span boundary to boundary), boundary detection details in Timeframes.
Buffer Bars
The number of bars beyond the visible chart edges where labels are pre-rendered. A buffer of 200 means labels exist 200 bars to the left and right of what's currently on screen, so they appear instantly when you scroll rather than being drawn on-demand.
Where it appears: Advanced settings (Group ⑩). Default: 200. Range: 50–1,000.
Confirmation
The moment a swing becomes final. A swing is confirmed when subsequent price action establishes that a directional change occurred. Until confirmed, a potential swing remains undetected. Once confirmed, a swing cannot be revised or removed — it is a historical fact.
Where it appears: Label placement logic, CSV export, tooltip display.
Example: A potential weekly swing high is confirmed when the following week completes as a Lower Low, proving the prior high was indeed a turning point.
Confluence
When two or more timeframes detect swings at the same bar or very close bars. This means multiple levels of market structure are turning at the same point. The more timeframes that align, the more structurally significant the level.
Where it appears: Label stacking on the chart, Labels & Display (stacking section), Overview.
Example: A bar with W, M, and Q labels stacked above it means the weekly, monthly, and quarterly swings all peaked at the same point — a major resistance level.
Continuation
A price move that extends the current trend direction. In OB Continuation Mode, "Mark as Continuation" means the Outside Bar first extends the trend, then reverses — producing a conservative signal with later timing. The opposite of Reversal.
Where it appears: Core Settings (Group ②), tooltip Pattern field, CSV export.
Count-Based Detection
A swing detection method that requires a specific number of consecutive directional daily bars before confirming a swing, rather than using calendar period boundaries. Used for 2-Day and 3-Day timeframes only. Inside bars don't break or count toward the consecutive sequence.
Where it appears: 2-Day and 3-Day timeframe detection. See Timeframes for full details.
See also: Period-Based Detection (the method used by all other timeframes).
CSV Data Only
A mode that runs all swing detection, classification, and hierarchy tracking without creating any visual labels or lines on the chart. Bypasses TradingView's 500-label limit for deep historical data export.
Where it appears: CSV Export settings (Group ⑨). See CSV Export.
Cycle Count
A running counter tracking how many swings have occurred at a given timeframe since the last parent-timeframe reset. Part of the hierarchical odometer system. When a parent timeframe confirms a swing, all child counters reset to 1.
Where it appears: Full tooltip tier (as swing number), CSV export (_Cycle columns), Hierarchy Debug Table.
Example: "W-14" means this is the 14th weekly swing since the last monthly swing reset the counter. If historical monthly cycles typically contain 10–14 weekly swings, W-14 suggests the cycle is mature.
Dynamic Window
A performance optimization that manages which visual elements are rendered. It only creates labels and boxes within the visible chart area plus a buffer zone, and removes objects that scroll off-screen. Prevents hitting TradingView's 500-label limit on instruments with long histories.
Where it appears: Advanced settings (Group ⑩). Default: On.
Expansion Ratio
A ratio comparing the current swing to the previous swing in the same direction. Used for price (Px), time (Tx), volume (Vx), and velocity (VelB-x, VelC-x). Values above 100% mean the current swing is larger (expanding); below 100% mean smaller (contracting).
Where it appears: Proportional tooltip tier and above. See Tooltips & Metrics.
Example: Px = 120% means the current swing covered 20% more price distance than the previous same-direction swing.
False Outside Bar
An Outside Bar whose closing price doesn't confirm the expected breakout direction. The price range exceeded both the prior high and low, but the close suggests the breakout wasn't sustained. A potential trap signal.
Where it appears: Core Settings ("Mark False OBs" toggle), X-Ray Mode (yellow fill), bar classification system.
Full_Hierarchy
A single integer in the CSV export that encodes all 10 cycle counts using positional notation. Each digit position represents one timeframe, from Yearly (billions position) down to 15-Minute (ones position). Provides a compact snapshot of the entire hierarchical state on every bar.
Where it appears: CSV export global column. See CSV Export for decoding instructions.
Gann's Exception Rule
An optional rule for 2-Day and 3-Day timeframes. Normally, a 2-Day swing requires 2 consecutive same-direction bars. With the Exception Rule enabled, if price exceeds a prior swing extreme before the bar count is met, the swing is marked early — capturing fast breakouts that strict counting would miss.
Where it appears: Core Settings (Group ②). Applies to 2D and 3D only.
Example: A downtrend has a swing low at 100. Price rallies one day, then the second day gaps above the prior swing high at 115. Without the Exception Rule, this isn't captured (only one consecutive up-bar). With it, the 115 high is marked immediately.
Hierarchy
The parent-child relationship between timeframes. Larger timeframes (Y, Q, M) are parents of smaller timeframes (W, D, 2D, 3D, etc.). When a parent confirms a swing, all child counters reset — like an odometer rolling over. This nesting structure tracks where you are within each cycle.
Where it appears: Full tooltip tier (hierarchy tag), CSV export (Full_Hierarchy), Hierarchy Debug Table.
See also: Cycle Count, Odometer, Phase.
Higher High (HH)
A bar classification where the current period's high exceeded the previous period's high, and the current period's low stayed at or above the previous period's low. Both conditions must be true (AND logic). Represents unambiguous upward movement.
Where it appears: Bar classification, X-Ray Mode (green fill).
Higher Timeframe (HTF)
Timeframes at the Weekly level and above: W, M, Q, Y. These represent longer-duration cycles and carry the most structural weight in the hierarchy. In settings, HTF labels have their own size and color groups.
Where it appears: Settings (Groups ③ and ⑦), label hierarchy.
In-Progress
A period that has started but not yet completed. Its classification isn't final because the final high and low aren't known yet. In X-Ray Mode, in-progress periods appear as dashed rectangles with gray fill.
Where it appears: X-Ray Mode, Info Table (status column).
Info Table
An optional status panel in the top-right corner of the chart showing one row per active timeframe with its current swing direction and accumulation status. Provides a real-time dashboard for monitoring multiple timeframe states during live trading.
Where it appears: Advanced settings (Group ⑩). Default: Off.
Inside Bar (IB)
A bar classification where the current period's price range stayed entirely within the previous period's range — the high didn't exceed the prior high, and the low didn't break below the prior low. Represents consolidation. Inside Bars don't change the swing direction and are invisible to count-based detection.
Where it appears: Bar classification, X-Ray Mode (blue fill).
Intraday
Timeframes shorter than one trading day: 15m, 1H, 4H. These detect swings within the trading session. In settings, intraday labels have their own size and color group.
Where it appears: Settings (Groups ③ and ⑤).
Label Stacking
The automatic vertical arrangement of labels when multiple timeframes detect a swing at the same bar. Labels stack upward (swing highs) or downward (swing lows) with consistent spacing. Smallest timeframes sit closest to the price bar, largest timeframes furthest.
Where it appears: Chart display. See Labels & Display.
Lower Low (LL)
A bar classification where the current period's low broke below the previous period's low, and the current period's high stayed at or below the previous period's high. Both conditions must be true (AND logic). Represents unambiguous downward movement.
Where it appears: Bar classification, X-Ray Mode (red fill).
Multi-Day (MD)
The 2-Day and 3-Day timeframes collectively. These use count-based detection (not period-based) and are only available on daily charts. In settings, they share a label size group with Daily.
Where it appears: Settings (Groups ③ and ⑥), Gann's Exception Rule label.
OB Continuation Mode
The global setting that determines how Outside Bars are resolved across all timeframes. Three options: Mark as Continuation (conservative — OB extends the trend first), Mark as Reversal (aggressive — OB immediately reverses), Skip Entirely (OBs ignored).
Where it appears: Core Settings (Group ②). See Timeframes for detailed behavior descriptions.
Odometer
The hierarchical counting system that tracks cycle counts across all 10 timeframes simultaneously, encoded as a single integer in the Full_Hierarchy CSV column. Each digit position represents one timeframe. When a parent timeframe swings, all child positions reset to 1 — like a car odometer rolling over.
Where it appears: Full tooltip tier, CSV export. See CSV Export.
Outside Bar (OB)
A bar classification where the current period exceeded both the previous period's high and the previous period's low — range expansion in both directions. The period moved further up AND further down than its predecessor. How this is resolved depends on OB Continuation Mode.
Where it appears: Bar classification, X-Ray Mode (white fill), Core Settings.
Period-Based Detection
A swing detection method where bars are accumulated until a time period boundary is reached (hour end, day end, week end, month end, etc.), then the completed period is classified against the previous one. Used for 8 of the 10 timeframes: 15m, 1H, 4H, D, W, M, Q, Y.
Where it appears: All period-based timeframes. See Timeframes.
See also: Count-Based Detection (the alternative method used by 2D/3D).
Phase
Whether the current cycle count started from a swing high (Top, value 1) or swing low (Bottom, value 0). Combined with Cycle Count, it tells you both position and direction within the parent cycle.
Where it appears: Full tooltip tier, CSV export (_Phase columns).
Example: Phase: 1 (Top), W_Cycle: 3 → three weekly swings have occurred since the last monthly swing high. The market has been trending down at the monthly level for three weekly oscillations.
Price Expansion (Px)
Current swing's price range ÷ previous same-direction swing's price range, as a percentage. Answers: "Is this move bigger or smaller than the last move in the same direction?"
Where it appears: Proportional tooltip tier and above.
Price Retracement (Pr)
Current swing's price range ÷ immediately preceding swing's range (opposite direction), as a percentage. Answers: "How much of the previous move was retraced?" Classic Fibonacci levels (38.2%, 50%, 61.8%) often appear here.
Where it appears: Proportional tooltip tier and above.
Retracement Ratio
A ratio comparing the current swing to the immediately preceding swing (opposite direction). Used for price (Pr), time (Tr), volume (Vr), and velocity (VelB-r, VelC-r). Measures how much of the prior move was "given back."
Where it appears: Proportional tooltip tier and above. See Tooltips & Metrics.
Reversal
A change in price direction — from up to down or down to up. In OB Continuation Mode, "Mark as Reversal" means the Outside Bar immediately reverses the trend, producing an earlier signal. The opposite of Continuation.
Where it appears: Core Settings (Group ②), tooltip Pattern field.
State Isolation
Each timeframe maintains completely independent detection state — its own swing direction, OB resolution, accumulation data, and label array. Activity in one timeframe never affects another. A Weekly swing confirming has no impact on Monthly detection.
Where it appears: Internal architecture. See Timeframes.
Swing
A completed directional price movement from one extreme to another. A swing high is the peak before the market turns down. A swing low is the trough before the market turns up. Swings always alternate between highs and lows — two consecutive highs or two consecutive lows within the same timeframe are structurally impossible.
Where it appears: Fundamental concept throughout the product.
Swing Chart
A traditional charting method (originated by W.D. Gann and others) that connects swing highs and swing lows with straight lines, filtering out noise to reveal underlying trend structure. SSTP identifies the turning points that would appear on a swing chart for each of its 10 timeframes simultaneously.
Where it appears: Product conceptual framework.
Swing High
A price peak where the market stopped going up and turned down. Displayed as a label above the price bar where the high occurred. The label text shows the timeframe abbreviation (W, M, Q, etc.).
Where it appears: Chart labels (above price), tooltips, CSV export.
Swing Low
A price trough where the market stopped going down and turned up. Displayed as a label below the price bar where the low occurred. The label text shows the timeframe abbreviation.
Where it appears: Chart labels (below price), tooltips, CSV export.
Swing Number
The hierarchical cycle count displayed in the Full tooltip tier, formatted as "{TF}-{count}" (for example, "W-14"). Indicates which swing this is within the current parent-timeframe cycle. Resets when the parent timeframe confirms a swing.
Where it appears: Full tooltip tier, CSV export.
Timeframe
A specific time horizon for swing detection. SSTP supports 10 timeframes simultaneously: 15-Minute (15m), 1-Hour (1H), 4-Hour (4H), Daily (D), 2-Day (2D), 3-Day (3D), Weekly (W), Monthly (M), Quarterly (Q), and Yearly (Y). Each timeframe detects swings independently with its own isolated state.
Where it appears: Settings Group ①, all feature areas.
Tooltip Tier
The level of analytical detail displayed when hovering over a swing label. Five tiers, each cumulative: None (0), Basic (1), Proportional (2), Momentum (3), Full (4). One tier applies to all labels globally.
Where it appears: Tooltips settings (Group ④). See Tooltips & Metrics.
Turning Point
A swing high or swing low — the point where the market changed direction at a specific timeframe. "Turning point" and "swing point" are synonymous. The product name "Smart Swing Turning Points" emphasizes that these are structurally significant directional changes.
Where it appears: Product name, general descriptions.
Velocity
The speed of a price move, measured two ways: per chart bar (price change ÷ number of bars) and per calendar day (price change ÷ calendar days elapsed). Increasing velocity suggests urgency; decreasing velocity suggests exhaustion. Both measures may diverge due to weekends, holidays, and gaps.
Where it appears: Momentum tooltip tier and above. See Tooltips & Metrics.
Viewport
The portion of the chart currently visible on screen. The Dynamic Window system uses viewport boundaries to determine which labels and boxes to render. Objects outside the viewport plus buffer are removed to conserve drawing resources.
Where it appears: Advanced settings (Dynamic Window, Buffer Bars).
Volume Expansion (Vx)
Current swing's total volume ÷ previous same-direction swing's volume, as a percentage. Answers: "Is participation increasing or decreasing?" Rising Vx suggests growing conviction; falling Vx may signal exhaustion.
Where it appears: Momentum tooltip tier and above.
Volume Retracement (Vr)
Current swing's total volume ÷ immediately preceding swing's volume (opposite direction), as a percentage. Reveals whether the counter-move has similar participation levels to the trend move it's correcting.
Where it appears: Momentum tooltip tier and above.
X-Ray Mode
A visualization overlay that draws color-coded rectangles on the chart showing how each time period was classified. Each rectangle spans the duration and price range of one period. Colors: green (HH), red (LL), white (OB), blue (IB), yellow (False OB), gray (in-progress). Available for all 10 timeframes.
Where it appears: X-Ray Mode settings (Group ⑧), chart overlay. See X-Ray Mode.
Example: Enabling X-Ray for Weekly shows colored rectangles across the chart, each representing one trading week. A sequence of green → green → white → red → red visually maps the weekly structure: uptrend → expansion → reversal.