Optional But Highly Recommended
Marking your entry time allows TradeJour to track when your trades occur. This data powers session analysis, helping you discover which times of day or days of the week your strategy performs best.
Entry Time Extraction
Use TradingView's vertical line tool to mark the exact candle where you entered a trade. Whether you're journaling live trades or backtesting historical setups, TradeJour extracts this timestamp to build your performance analytics by time and session.
Why Track Entry Time?
Entry time is one of the most valuable data points for improving your trading. With accurate entry times, you can analyse:
🕐 Time of Day Patterns
Discover if you perform better during specific hours. Many traders find they're more profitable during London open or avoid the choppy Asia session.
📅 Day of Week Analysis
Track which days yield better results. You might find Tuesdays and Wednesdays are your strongest, while Fridays are best avoided.
🌍 Session Performance
Compare your results across London, New York, and Asia sessions. Your strategy may work best when specific markets are active.
📊 Strategy Refinement
Use time data to refine your trading plan. If you consistently lose during certain hours, you can adjust your rules accordingly.
How to Mark Your Entry Time
Step 1: Select the Vertical Line Tool
In TradingView, access the vertical line tool:
- Click the drawing tools menu on the left sidebar (or press
Alt+V) - Select "Vertical Line" from the line tools submenu
- Or use the keyboard shortcut if you've set one up
Step 2: Place the Line at Your Entry Candle
- Click on the entry candle — the exact candle where your trade was executed
- Position precisely — the line should intersect the entry candle, not the candle before or after
- Ensure visibility — the line should be clearly visible in your screenshot
Tip: Place the vertical line at the start of the entry candle (left edge) for the most accurate timestamp extraction.
Step 3: Style for Visibility (Optional)
For better extraction accuracy, consider styling your vertical line:
- Colour: Use a contrasting colour (white, yellow, or cyan work well on dark charts)
- Width: A slightly thicker line (2-3px) is easier for OCR to detect
- Extend: Ensure the line extends through the visible chart area
What TradeJour Extracts
When you include a vertical line at your entry, TradeJour extracts:
Best Practices
- ✓ One vertical line per trade: Place a single line at your entry point
- ✓ Precise placement: Position exactly on the entry candle, not approximate
- ✓ Visible in screenshot: Ensure the line is captured when you take the screenshot
- ✓ Consistent style: Use the same line colour across all your charts for clarity
- ✓ Don't overlap with PnL tool: Keep the vertical line separate from your trade box
Common Questions
What if I don't mark the entry time?
Your trade will still be processed and saved. Entry time will be left blank, and you can manually add it during verification if needed. However, you'll miss out on the session analysis features.
Can I use a different drawing tool?
The vertical line tool works best because it clearly marks a single point in time. Horizontal lines, trendlines, or other tools may confuse the extraction as they don't indicate a specific timestamp.
What if my entry spans multiple candles?
Place the vertical line at your first entry candle. If you scaled into a position across multiple candles, mark where the trade began.
Related: DateTime Indicator for Backtesting
If you're backtesting historical charts (looking at data from weeks, months, or years ago), you'll also want the DateTime Indicator. This shows what date/time the chart is displaying—essential because TradingView's native display shows today's date, not the historical candle date.
→ Set up the DateTime Indicator for backtesting
Next Steps
- Set up the PnL Position tool for automatic trade data extraction (entry, SL, TP)
- Add the DateTime Indicator for backtesting historical charts
- Use text annotations to capture your analysis notes
Last updated: January 2026