How To Highlight Sessions in Sierra Chart
COMPLETE GUIDE & FREE CUSTOM STUDY
1. INTRODUCTION
Why Session Highlighting Matters
If you trade futures or forex, context is everything. Knowing exactly when the Asia range ends, when London opens, or when the New York overlap begins is crucial for your strategy.
However, users often ask: how to highlight sessions in Sierra Chart without cluttering the screen?
The native settings can be complex, requiring you to stack multiple studies. That’s why we created a custom C++ study that handles everything automatically.
🚀 What You Will Learn
- How to use our Custom Session Highlighter (Best Method)
- Configuring transparent backgrounds & vertical lines
- The manual way to use Sierra Chart native studies
2. METHOD 1: HIGHLIGHT SESSIONS IN SIERRA CHART WITH OUR FREE STUDY
The All-In-One Solution
We developed a lightweight custom study specifically to solve this problem. Instead of managing 3 different studies, this single tool handles everything.
Key Features
- 2 or 3 Session Modes: "Cash vs Overnight" or "Asia/London/NY"
- Transparent Backgrounds: Overlapping sessions blend colors perfectly
- Auto-Vertical Lines: Full-height lines at session open
- Smart Text Labels: Auto-positioned text inside the session
- CPU Optimized: "Max Lookback Days" feature included
⚙️ INPUT PARAMETERS
Choose between highlighting 2 Sessions (typically US Cash & Overnight) or 3 Sessions (Asia, London, New York) logic.
Limits the calculation to the last X days. Set to 0 to calculate all available history. Keeping this low (e.g., 10-30) saves CPU.
Controls where the text label appears vertically (0-100%). 95 puts it at the top of the chart window.
📥 GET THE STUDY FOR FREE
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🛠️ How to install the free highlight sessions in Sierra Chart study
We've made it easy. No coding required. After you download the .dll file from your email, follow these steps:
C:\SierraChart\Data).3. METHOD 2: HIGHLIGHT SESSIONS IN SIERRA CHART, THE "MANUAL" WAY
Using Native Studies
If you prefer not to use custom files, you can still highlight sessions using built-in tools, though it requires more setup.
To achieve the result of highlighting 3 sessions, you will need to add the "Time Range Highlight" study three separate times.
Step-by-Step Guide
- Go to Analysis > Studies.
- Find Time Range Highlight and add it to the chart.
- Open Settings for that study.
- Set Start Time and End Time (e.g., 09:30:00 to 16:00:00).
- Go to Subgraphs tab. Change "Draw Style" to Background Transparent.
- Repeat this process 2 more times for other sessions.
The Downside
The native study does not support the automatic "Vertical Line + Text Label" combo easily. You would need to add a separate "Vertical Line" study for each session start, potentially resulting in 6 different studies to manage!
FINAL NOTES
Conclusion
Visualizing time is a massive edge in trading. Whether you choose the manual route or our enhanced custom study, learning how to highlight sessions in Sierra Chart is a skill every serious trader needs.
Happy Trading! 📊
We wish you successful and profitable trading!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I change the colors of the session backgrounds?
Does this study work on Forex and Crypto charts?
How do I turn off the text labels?
Will this study slow down my Sierra Chart?
