Can this array thinkscript be simplified?

[Zac]

Looking at the source for the Ichimoku cloud (built in study), I found this:

Highest(high[kijun_period], 2 * kijun_period)

Is this equivalent to:

Highest(high, 2 * kijun_period)

?

 

[halcyonguy]

no, they are different

high , or high[0]
get the high from the current bar
offset is 0

i'm going to assign a value of 10 to help explain it. the [ ] number is an offset.
def kijun_period = 10;
high[kijun_period]
( same as high[10] )
when [ ] are used, it means go to another bar and read a value.
it is saying, go back 10 bars and read the value of high.


highest( high , 20 )
or highest( high[0] , 20 )
this means to start at the current bar then look back 20 bars and find the highest high


highest( high[10] , 20 )
by adding an offset to the price variable, it changes the starting point of where highest looks. instead of the current bar, some other bar.
high[10] means go back 10 bars, THEN look back 20 bars, from that bar, to find the highest high.

 

[Zac]

Thanks for the detailed explanation. So is the original expression equivalent to:

Highest(high, 2 * kijun_period)[kijun_period]

 

[halcyonguy]

Thanks for the detailed explanation. So is the original expression equivalent to:

Highest(high, 2 * kijun_period)[kijun_period]

yes, they are the same.

#
# good question.
# if i don't know what a formula is doing, i create some test formulas and display their values on the chart, in bubbles.

# simplify and rewrite the formulas, by replacing long variable names.

def bn = barnumber();
def x = 2;
def t1 = Highest( high[x] , 2 * x )[0];
def t2 = Highest( high[0] , 2 * x )[x];

# create a bubble to display the variable values on the chart.
#   i tend to adjust the vertical placement of objects, so they aren't touching the candles.
#   i use  "\n"  to force data after it, to be on a new line.

addchartbubble( 1, low*0.997,
bn + "  bar#\n" +
high + "  H\n" +
t1 + "  Hi[x]\n" +
t2 + " est[x]"
, color.yellow, no);
#

test bubbles. they show the same values, for 2 different formulas

here are a couple of visuals that might help.
wether you start with an offset on a variable, or do an offset on the function, you end up covering the same range of bars.

test1 - high offset

test2 - highest offset