Was True (Variable Length) [WasTrueVL]

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The Was True (Variable Length) function determines whether a given condition was true within a variable period. Parameters ------------------ Condition   The condition to evaluate. This is typically a field in a data series or a calculated value. Period        The number of bars of data to analyze for the condition, including the current value.                   For example, a period of 3 includes the current value and the two previous values. Maximum Period   The maximum value that Period can contain.                              Larger values require extra memory to be set aside for this function to be calculated. Note: An end point to the Period parameter can be simulated using the Lag function to obtain a previous value of this function. See the notes for the Lag function for more information. Function Value ------------------------ This function determines whether a given condition was true within a variable period. A condition is considered to be true if it has a non-zero value. If the condition was not true during the given period, the function returns zero. If the condition was null during the given period and not true, the function returns null. This function has a value at the beginning of a data series at the first true value or when there are enough records to fill the period. 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. Usage ----------- Variable length functions can be used in association with other calculations, such as "Bars Since" functions, to determine values since an event occurred. For example, the following formula would return if a condition was true after the highest high in the last ten bars: WasTrueVL ( condition, BarsSinceHigh ( High, 10 ) , 10)