All Guides
Fair Value Gap Tool
Auto-detect Fair Value Gaps and Volume Imbalances on any timeframe. Chain imbalances, apply interval color presets, display gap size, risk values, and receive Pushover push alerts — all from a single drawing.
On this page
01 — Detection
Controls how the tool identifies Fair Value Gaps on the chart. When you place the tool near a candle, it scans the surrounding candles and snaps to the detected gap.
| Property | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Detect Volume Imbalance | false |
When enabled, the tool also detects Volume Imbalances (single-candle gaps between consecutive candle bodies) in addition to standard 3-candle Fair Value Gaps. |
| Chain All Imbalances | false |
Chains consecutive FVGs and Volume Imbalances into a single zone. Useful for identifying larger imbalance areas where multiple gaps overlap. |
| Min Size (Ticks) | 0 |
Minimum gap size in ticks. Gaps smaller than this are ignored. Set to 0 to disable the filter. |
| Max Size (Ticks) | 0 |
Maximum gap size in ticks. Gaps larger than this are ignored. Set to 0 to disable the filter. |
Imbalance Type
- FairValueGap
- VolumeImbalance
- Mixed
02 — Appearance
Visual styling for the FVG zone — fill colors, border, midpoint and quadrant lines.
| Property | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bullish Fill | Theme default | Fill color for bullish FVG zones. |
| Bearish Fill | Theme default | Fill color for bearish FVG zones. |
| Fill Opacity | 15 | Opacity of the zone fill (0 = transparent, 100 = solid). |
| Bullish Border | Theme default | Border stroke color for bullish zones. |
| Bearish Border | Theme default | Border stroke color for bearish zones. |
| Border Opacity | 50 | Opacity of the zone border (0–100). |
| Border Width | 1 | Thickness of the zone border in pixels (1–10). |
| Show Midpoint Line | false | On/Off. Draw a horizontal line at 50% of the zone height. |
| Show Quadrant Lines | false | On/Off. Draw lines at 25% and 75% of the zone height, dividing it into four quartiles. |
| Line Color | Theme default | Color for midpoint and quadrant lines. |
| Use different color per Interval | false | Override fill/border with per-interval colors (see Interval Presets). |
Interval Presets (I1 – I8)
When Use different color per Interval is enabled, up to 8 interval presets assign unique colors to FVGs drawn on different timeframes. Each preset matches a specific bar type and period.
How it works: When you draw an FVG on a 5-minute chart, the tool checks your interval presets. If Interval 2 is set to "Minute / 5", it applies Interval 2's outline and area colors instead of the default appearance. Unmatched intervals fall back to the default colors.
| Property | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Enabled | — | Turn this interval preset on or off. |
| Bar Type | — | NinjaTrader bar type: Minute, Day, Tick, Range, etc. |
| Value | 1–10 000 | Period value — e.g. 5 for a 5-minute chart. |
| Outline Stroke | — | Border color override for this interval. |
| Area Color | — | Fill color override for this interval. |
| Area Opacity | 0–100 | Fill opacity override for this interval. |
03 — Label
A free-text label displayed directly on or near the zone. Supports background, bold, custom font and positional placement.
| Property | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Label Text | "" | The text to display. Supports text template placeholders (see below). Leave blank to hide. |
| Position | BottomRightOutside | Where to place the label relative to the zone rectangle. |
| Font Family | JetBrains Mono | Font family name for the label, e.g. JetBrains Mono. |
| Font Size | 12 | Label font size in pixels (8–72). |
| Color | Theme default | Text color. |
| Bold | false | On/Off. Display label in bold weight. |
| Background | false | Draw a filled rectangle behind the label text. |
| Background Color | Theme default | Background fill color. |
| Background Opacity | 70 | Background fill opacity (0–100). |
| Display Priority | 5 | Drawing order when multiple text elements overlap (1 = drawn first, 10 = drawn last / on top). |
Text Placement Options
- TopLeft
- TopCenter
- TopRight
- MiddleLeft
- MiddleCenter
- MiddleRight
- BottomLeft
- BottomCenter
- BottomRight
- LeftOutside
- RightOutside
- TopOutside
- BottomOutside
- TopLeftOutside
- TopRightOutside
- BottomLeftOutside
- BottomRightOutside
03a — Text Templates
Ten template slots that let you construct dynamic labels using placeholders. Type a template string in any slot and reference it in the Label Text field or use it directly. Placeholders are automatically replaced with live values.
Example: A template like
{type} {direction} | {ticks}t might display as FVG Bullish | 8t on the chart.
| Placeholder | Description |
|---|---|
{type} | Imbalance type — FVG, VI (Volume Imbalance), or Mixed |
{direction} | Bullish or Bearish |
{top} | Top price of the zone |
{bottom} | Bottom price of the zone |
{mid} | Midpoint price |
{ticks} | Gap size in ticks |
{points} | Gap size in points |
{pct} | Gap size as a percentage |
{currency} | Gap size in dollar value |
{interval} | Chart interval (e.g. "5 Min") |
{date} | Date the FVG was drawn |
{time} | Time the FVG was drawn |
04 — Prices
Show the top and bottom price levels of the gap directly on the chart.
| Property | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Show Prices | true | Toggle the price display on or off. |
| Text Format | TicksFromCurrent | How prices are displayed. See format options below. |
| Position | BottomRightOutside | Where to position the price text. See placement options below. |
| Font Size | 11 | Font size for price text (8–24). |
| Color | Theme default | Price text color. |
| Background | false | Show a background behind price text. |
| Background Color | Theme default | Price background color. |
| Background Opacity | 70 | Price background opacity (0–100). |
| Display Priority | 5 | Drawing order (1–10). |
Price Display Formats
- FullPrice
- LastTwoDigits
- LastThreeDigits
- LastFourDigits
- TicksFromCurrent
05 — Gap Size
Display the height of the gap in your preferred unit — ticks, points, percentage, or currency.
| Property | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Show Gap Size | false | Toggle gap-size text on or off. |
| Text Format | Ticks | Unit for the gap size value. See format options below. |
| Position | MiddleCenter | Where to position the gap size text. See placement options below. |
| Font Size | 11 | Gap size font size (8–24). |
| Color | Theme default | Gap size text color. |
| Background | false | Show background behind gap size text. |
| Background Color | Theme default | Gap size background color. |
| Background Opacity | 70 | Gap size background opacity (0–100). |
| Display Priority | 5 | Drawing order (1–10). |
Gap Size Formats
- Points
- Ticks
- Percentage
- Currency
08 — Risk
Shows the monetary or tick risk of the gap — useful for quickly assessing whether a gap is worth trading.
| Property | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Show Risk | true | Toggle the risk readout on or off. |
| Text Format | Currency | Unit for the risk value. See format options below. |
| Position | BottomRightOutside | Where to position the risk text. See placement options below. |
| Font Size | 11 | Risk text font size (8–24). |
| Color | Theme default | Risk text color. |
| Background | false | Show background behind risk text. |
| Background Color | Theme default | Risk background color. |
| Background Opacity | 70 | Risk background opacity (0–100). |
| Display Priority | 5 | Drawing order (1–10). |
Risk Formats
- Currency
- Points
- Ticks
- Percentage
10 — Behavior
Controls how the zone extends across time, and when text is visible.
| Property | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Auto Extend | false | Continuously extend the zone's right edge to the latest bar as new bars form. |
| Extend to Session End | true | Snap the zone's right edge to the end of the trading session it was drawn in. |
| Extend to Clicked Session End | true | When placing the tool, automatically stretch it to the end of the session at the clicked bar. |
| Extend Right | false | Extend the midpoint and quadrant lines indefinitely to the right. |
| Show Text Only When Selected | false | Hide all text elements (label, prices, gap size, risk) until the drawing is clicked/selected. |
| Anchor Size | 6 | Size of the drag-handle anchors in pixels (3–15). |
| Anchor Outline Color | Black | Color of the anchor border. |
| Anchor Fill Color | Transparent | Color of the anchor interior. |
11 — Alerts
Trigger an audible NinjaTrader alert and/or a Pushover push notification when price enters the zone.
| Property | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Enable Alert | false | Master switch — enables real-time price monitoring for this zone. |
| Alert Sound | Alert1 | Built-in NinjaTrader alert sound to play. |
| Alert Title | "" | Title shown in the NinjaTrader Alerts window. |
| Alert Message | "" | Body text for the alert. Supports template placeholders. |
| Use Pushover | false | Send a push notification via the Pushover service when the alert fires. |
| Pushover User Key | "" | Your Pushover user key (from pushover.net). |
| Pushover API Token | "" | Your Pushover API token. |
| Pushover Sound | pushover | Notification sound on your device. |
| Custom Sound Name | "" | Name of a custom sound uploaded to your Pushover account. |
Pushover Sound Options
- pushover
- bike
- bugle
- cashregister
- classical
- cosmic
- falling
- gamelan
- incoming
- intermission
- magic
- mechanical
- pianobar
- siren
- spacealarm
- tugboat
- alien
- climb
- persistent
- echo
- updown
- vibrate
- none
- custom