Initialize Variables set starting values (strikes, instruments or any value) when a strategy starts a new run counter. Read them back in the condition builder with the Get Runtime keyword.
Key rules
- They are written once per run counter, when the bot is assigned at the first condition check.
- They are not written on every trade, and not every day.
- They are not written again until a new run counter starts.
- They cannot be used in list-based (multi-underlying) strategies.
When exactly?
The first check follows the Take Trades settings in Advanced Settings.
Example: yesterday’s run exited, and the strategy is Active again today. If Start condition check after exchange open is 10 minutes, the variables are written 10 minutes after market open.
“My variables don’t show in Runtime Data”
Runtime Data (⋮ menu on the deployment) shows the counter with the latest activity. If no trade has happened in the current counter, you see the previous counter’s values, or nothing if the strategy has never traded. The variables are still written internally.
Strategy stays Active for days without a trade
The run counter has not changed, so the variables are not written again the next morning. A common pattern for intraday strategies is a Universal Exit at end of day. The next day starts a new counter, and the variables are written again.
Note: a Universal Exit clears all runtime variables.
Example video (Initialize Variable + Wait + Trade): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvdNpdW0WBo&t=10s
Edited with AI from the original Tradetron article, checked against current docs (Oct 2026). Spot something wrong? Tell us in the Community.