Lead (Variable Length) [LeadVL]

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The Lead (Variable Length) function returns the value of a data series a variable period of time in the future. Parameters ------------------ Data            The data to analyze. This is typically a field in a data series or a calculated value. Period          The number of bars of data to include in the calculation, not including the current bar.                     For example, a period of 3 returns the value for three bars into the future. Maximum Period   The maximum value that Period can contain.                              Larger values require extra memory to be set aside for this function to be calculated. Function Value ------------------------ This function returns the value of a data series a variable period of time in the future. The value at the end of a data series is not defined. If the period is greater than the maximum period or negative, the value is not defined. If the period contains a fractional number, only the integer portion will be used. Close        Period        LeadVL(Close,Period,2) ------------------------------------------------------------------------    2                1                          3    3                2                          5    4                3                                    <-- no value since 3 > maximum period    5                2                          7    6                1                          7    7                2 Usage ----------- Variable length functions can be used in association with other calculations and fields to adjust the size of the period. The Lead function is primarily used to perform custom analysis against future data. It should typically never be used as part of calculations or predictions used for trading decisions. This is because the future data used by the lead function will not be available for the current day.