004 — Inputs and moving averages

Inputs let users change a script from its settings without editing the source code.

Complete script

//@version=6
indicator("Configurable Moving Average", overlay = true)

int length = input.int(20, "Length", minval = 1)
float source = input.source(close, "Source")
color lineColor = input.color(color.blue, "Line color")

float average = ta.sma(source, length)

plot(average, "SMA", color = lineColor, linewidth = 2)

Integer input

int length = input.int(20, "Length", minval = 1)

• 20 is the default value.
• "Length" is the label in the Inputs tab.
• minval = 1 prevents zero or negative lengths.

Source input

float source = input.source(close, "Source")

The default source is close. The user can change it to values such as open, high, low, hl2, hlc3, or another compatible plotted series.

Color input

color lineColor = input.color(color.blue, "Line color")

This adds a color picker to the script’s settings.

Calculate the average

float average = ta.sma(source, length)

ta.sma() is in the ta namespace, which contains technical-analysis functions. It calculates the arithmetic mean of the selected source over the chosen number of bars.

For a three-bar SMA:

SMA = (current value + previous value + value two bars ago) / 3

Why inputs matter

Hard-coded values are useful while experimenting, but inputs make a script reusable. One script can support many symbols and timeframes without changing its code.