Order Management

This is the complete reference for how a TTMT trade lives, from the moment a signal is accepted to the moment its last position closes. Where Order Execution is the strategy guide, this page is the mechanics: exactly how your volume is sized, how the order grid is built and priced, and how targets are assigned and then shifted as layers fill. Read it when you want the full numbers behind a trade.

INFO

This page is the mechanics. For which settings to pick and why, see Order Execution.

---

1. Trade lifecycle overview

Every trade moves through these stages:

Stage	What happens
Signal accepted	TTMT has read a valid signal (symbol, direction, stop-loss, targets).
Volume sized	Total lot size is set from your risk settings (Section 2).
Order grid built	Volume is split across your layers and orders, each priced in the entry zone (Sections 3–4).
Targets assigned	Each order is mapped to a take-profit level (Section 5).
Orders placed	Orders go to your broker independently (Section 6).
Fills monitored	TTMT tracks which layers fill (Section 7).
Targets shift	As deeper layers fill, targets compress (Section 8).
Trade finalized	Positions close at their targets, stop, or breakeven, and the record is saved.

---

2. Volume calculation

Before any orders are placed, TTMT decides how large the total position should be. Sizing uses one setting.

2.1 Fixed Lots — the sizing mode

You set a static lot size (for example, 0.10 lots) and every trade uses that volume as its total, regardless of stop-loss distance or balance. This is the only sizing mode you can pick.

Advantage	Disadvantage
Predictable and simple — you know the position size before it opens.	Risk swings between trades — a 100-pip stop risks 10× more than a 10-pip stop on the same lot.

The lot you set is the total for the trade; Section 3 splits it across the grid.

2.2 Choosing a lot that matches a percentage of balance

TTMT does not auto-scale your size by a percentage of balance — there is no risk-% mode that recomputes the lot for you. The percentage is something you reason about when picking the fixed lot, not a setting the platform applies. A common approach is to size the lot so a typical stop-loss costs roughly 1–2% of your balance, then adjust the number by hand as your balance changes.

Pick your lot = Risk Budget / (Weighted SL Distance x Contract Size)

  Risk Budget   = Account Balance x (Target Risk % / 100)
  Contract Size = From the broker symbol spec (e.g. 100,000 for forex, 100 for gold)

Why "weighted" stop-loss distance?

Because the grid enters at different prices across the entry zone, each layer is a different distance from the stop. When you plan a lot against a target risk %, use a weighted average that reflects the true aggregate risk rather than assuming every order sits at market:

Layer 1: Market price          -> Full SL distance
Layer 2: 33% into entry zone   -> Reduced SL distance
Layer 3: 66% into entry zone   -> Further reduced
Layer 4: Entry zone edge       -> Minimal SL distance

Weighted SL = sum of (layer volume share x layer SL distance)

Because deeper layers enter at a better price, the average risk per lot is lower — so a given fixed lot risks slightly less than a naive single-order estimate suggests.

Example — picking the lot

Account: $5,000 | Target: 2% ($100) | Stop: 600 pips on XAUUSD

Risk Budget   = $5,000 x 2% = $100
Contract Size = 100 (gold)
Simple SL     = 6.00 price units
Weighted SL   = 5.47 (accounting for layered entries)
Fixed lot     = $100 / (5.47 x 100) = 0.18 lots

Set 0.18 lots and a 600-pip gold stop costs about $100. The lot is then fixed — re-run the math when your balance shifts.

2.3 Per-asset default stops and targets

When a signal is missing a stop or targets, TTMT fills them in from defaults you can set per asset class — Forex Major, Forex Minor, Metals, Indices, and Crypto. These are a fallback only for that asset class; they are not a separate settings layer that overrides a signal that already has those values. See Per-Asset Overrides.

2.4 The hard volume cap

Whatever your sizing math produces, TTMT clamps the total size of any single trade to a fixed 5.0 lots. This is a platform safety backstop, not a setting you configure — there is no risk-level selector that raises it.

The cap is absolute — if your sizing math produces more than 5.0 lots, the position is reduced to 5.0 lots.

Hard-cap example

A 1% risk on a large balance with a tight stop sizes the trade to 12 lots. The 5.0-lot cap clamps it to 5.0 lots — the extra volume is never placed.

---

3. The order grid (configurable)

Once total volume is known, it is split into a grid of 1–6 layers, each holding 1–6 orders, up to 36 orders total. The default is 4 layers × 3 orders = 12.

TIP

12 orders (4×3) is the default and a solid choice. The grid scales to 36 (6×6) — but more orders means smaller orders, and at small lots some will be skipped.

3.1 Grid architecture

• Layer 1 fires first — a market order when price is already favorable.
• Deeper layers are limit orders waiting at retracement prices in the entry zone.

The diagram shows the default 4-layer shape. The volume each layer carries is set by the Entry Strategy below.

3.2 Entry strategies (volume distribution)

The Entry Strategy controls how total volume is spread across layers. The four strategies, with their default 4-layer shares:

Strategy	L1	L2	L3	L4
Single	100%	—	—	—
Even (default)	25%	25%	25%	25%
Front-Loaded	31%	23%	23%	23%
Martingale	10%	20%	30%	40%

These shares scale to whatever layer count you choose — Even at 3 layers is 33/33/34, for example. For guidance on which strategy to pick, see Order Execution; this page doesn't repeat the comparison charts.

3.3 Volume rounding and minimum lots

Brokers enforce a minimum lot size (typically 0.01) and a lot step (typically 0.01). After sizing each order, TTMT rounds to the step. To avoid cumulative rounding loss, it allocates the exact remainder to the last order so the total still matches.

If an order's volume falls below the broker minimum, it is skipped rather than forced up to the minimum — this prevents accidental over-leverage. The trade continues with whatever orders are viable, and the UI's viability indicator shows how many of the grid's orders will actually execute at your lot size.

Volume-skip example

At a small lot size, a 6×6 grid divides your volume into 36 tiny orders, several of which fall below the broker minimum. Those orders are skipped — the viability indicator might read 22/36. To execute the full grid, raise your lot size or reduce the layer or order count.

---

4. The entry zone

The entry zone is the price band across which the limit-order layers are spread.

4.1 Zone calculation

Two sizing modes are available:

Dynamic (% of Stop Loss) — default:

Zone Size = SL Distance x (Entry Zone % / 100)

Default: 80% of SL distance

Fixed (pips):

Zone Size = Entry Zone pips x Pip Value

4.2 Layer entry prices

For a BUY:

Layer 1: Market price (immediate execution)
Layer 2: Entry Price - (Zone Size x 34%)    [66% from the bottom]
Layer 3: Entry Price - (Zone Size x 67%)    [33% from the bottom]
Layer 4: Entry Price - Zone Size             [zone edge — best price]

For a SELL, the band is mirrored above entry.

Example — Buy EURUSD (default 4-layer grid)

Entry: 1.1000 | Stop: 1.0980 (20 pips) | Zone: 16 pips (Dynamic 80%)

Layer	Entry price	Distance from market
L1	1.1000	0 pips (market)
L2	1.0995	5 pips
L3	1.0989	11 pips
L4	1.0984	16 pips

4.3 How your effective zone is decided

The zone above is the default case. The band your trade actually enters across depends on your override settings and the signal itself — single-layer trades use no zone, an override can fix the zone or let it be recomputed, and a signal's own zone can pass through unchanged. See How Your Entry Zone Is Decided for the five possible outcomes, and Entry Zone Expansion for widening the zone toward your targets to catch near-misses.

---

5. Take-profit assignment

Each order in the grid is assigned to a take-profit level (TP1–TP6) based on the selected TP Strategy. This sets where each piece of your position closes.

5.1 TP strategies

TTMT supports up to 6 take-profit levels. The TP Strategy controls what share of total volume exits at each:

TP Count	Progressive	Balanced	Extended
1 TP	100%	100%	100%
2 TPs	60 / 40	50 / 50	40 / 60
3 TPs	50 / 30 / 20	34 / 33 / 33	20 / 30 / 50
4 TPs	40 / 25 / 20 / 15	25 / 25 / 25 / 25	15 / 20 / 25 / 40
5 TPs	35 / 25 / 18 / 13 / 9	20 / 20 / 20 / 20 / 20	9 / 13 / 18 / 25 / 35
6 TPs	30 / 23 / 18 / 13 / 10 / 6	17 / 17 / 17 / 17 / 16 / 16	6 / 10 / 13 / 18 / 23 / 30

Progressive front-loads exits to lock in profit early. Balanced spreads volume roughly evenly. Extended holds the most volume for the furthest targets. See Order Execution for when to use each.

5.2 TP assignment logic

TTMT assigns each order to the take-profit level that needs the most volume to reach its target share:

1. Sort orders by volume (largest first).
2. For each order, find the target level with the largest remaining deficit.
3. Assign the order to that level and update its running total.

Strategy affects the tie-break: Progressive prefers earlier targets when two are close (secure profit), Extended prefers later targets (chase trends), and Balanced processes orders in natural layer order.

5.3 Resulting allocation (6-target Progressive example)

Order	Target	Layer
L1a	TP1	1 (Market)
L1b	TP2	1 (Market)
L1c	TP3	1 (Market)
L2a	TP2	2 (Limit)
L2b	TP3	2 (Limit)
L2c	TP4	2 (Limit)
L3a	TP4	3 (Limit)
L3b	TP5	3 (Limit)
L3c	TP6	3 (Limit)
L4a	TP5	4 (Limit)
L4b	TP6	4 (Limit)
L4c	TP1	4 (Limit)

Layer 1 orders target the earliest levels and Layer 4 the latest, plus one safety order back at TP1 — so Layer 1 closes first in favorable conditions, a natural liquidation priority.

5.4 Dynamic TP count

If a signal has fewer than 6 targets, the assignment adapts automatically and spreads all orders across the available levels using that level count's shares — a 3-target signal uses the 3-TP row.

---

6. Order placement

6.1 Parallel placement

Orders are placed and managed independently — none waits on another, and if some fail the rest still go through. To avoid overwhelming the broker, limit orders are staged in small batches with a brief delay between batches.

6.2 Layer 1 (market)

Layer 1 fills immediately at market: TTMT submits the order, confirms the entry price from the broker, and records the new position.

6.3 Deeper layers (limit)

Deeper layers place limit orders at their calculated prices. They stay pending on the broker until price reaches them and they fill, the trade is closed, or you cancel them. When a limit fills, TTMT records the new position.

6.4 Partial execution

If some orders fail (a network hiccup or a broker reject), the trade continues with whatever succeeded. The one hard-failure condition is no market order succeeding — in that case the trade is aborted.

6.5 Finalizing the trade record

After all orders settle, the orders, positions, and the trade record are saved together in a single step, so no partial data is left behind if something fails.

---

7. Fill monitoring

Once the trade is live, TTMT watches every position:

• Fill detection — when a limit order fills.
• Layer tracking — how many distinct layers now hold open positions.
• Target and stop detection — when a position closes at its target or stop.

When a new layer fills, TTMT increments the filled-layer count and shifts the targets (Section 8).

---

8. Adaptive TP Redistribution

When deeper layers fill, TTMT shifts your take-profit targets so earlier layers exit sooner — reducing risk on the larger position while letting the deepest layer ride for the original far targets. This is the Redistribution feature.

8.1 Why shift

When only Layer 1 has filled (a small share of volume), holding for a far target is reasonable — your exposure is small and the trade is already in profit. When every layer has filled, exposure and drawdown are at their maximum and price retraced hard to get there — so waiting for the original far targets is risky. Shifting compresses the targets so earlier layers close sooner.

8.2 The proportional compression algorithm

Targets shift by a compression factor rather than a fixed amount:

compressionFactor = (layerNumber - 1) / (filledLayers - 1)

newTP = max(1, round(1 + (originalTP - 1) x compressionFactor))

• 0 means fully compressed to TP1 (the safety net).
• 1 means no shift (keep the original target).
• Between means a proportional shift toward TP1.

Two rules sit on top:

• Layer 1 lock. When any deeper layer fills, all Layer 1 orders move to TP1 to secure early profit. This is on by default and can be turned off (Section 8.8).
• Deepest filled layer keeps originals. The most recently filled layer always keeps its original targets (compression factor 1) and acts as the runner.

8.3 Compression factor table

	2 filled	3 filled	4 filled	5 filled	6 filled
Layer 1	TP1 lock	TP1 lock	TP1 lock	TP1 lock	TP1 lock
Layer 2	1.00	0.50	0.33	0.25	0.20
Layer 3	—	1.00	0.67	0.50	0.40
Layer 4	—	—	1.00	0.75	0.60
Layer 5	—	—	—	1.00	0.80
Layer 6	—	—	—	—	1.00

8.4 Scenario walkthroughs

These use the default 4-layer grid with 6 targets.

Only Layer 1 fills. Price moved in your direction immediately. No shift — every order keeps its original target.

Layers 1 + 2 fill. Light retracement. Layer 1 locks to TP1; Layer 2 keeps its originals as the deepest active layer.

Order	Original	New
L1a–L1c	TP1–TP3	TP1 (locked)
L2a	TP2	TP2
L2b	TP3	TP3
L2c	TP4	TP4

All 4 layers fill. Deep retracement, full position. Layers 1–3 compress progressively toward TP1; Layer 4 keeps its originals and runs.

Order	Original	cf	New
L1a–L1c	TP1–TP3	—	TP1
L2a	TP2	0.33	TP1
L2b	TP3	0.33	TP2
L2c	TP4	0.33	TP2
L3a	TP4	0.67	TP3
L3b	TP5	0.67	TP4
L3c	TP6	0.67	TP4
L4a	TP5	1.0	TP5
L4b	TP6	1.0	TP6
L4c	TP1	1.0	TP1

8.5 Liquidation order

The shift creates a built-in liquidation priority: Layer 1 closes first (locked to the nearest target), then Layer 2, then Layer 3, with Layer 4 closing last at its original targets. Earlier entries bank profit quickly; deeper entries — which got the best prices — are preserved for maximum extension.

8.6 Triggers

Trigger	When	Behavior
Layer fill	A new limit order fills	Full shift based on the new filled-layer count
Followup changes target count	A followup adds or removes targets	Re-assign with the new count
Followup updates target prices	A followup moves the target prices only	Update prices without changing assignments
All layers filled	Every layer confirms filled	Full shift at maximum layer count

8.7 Safety mechanisms

When several layers fill in quick succession, TTMT handles the fills one at a time, always using the latest data, so an outdated shift can't be applied. If some target changes fail, TTMT continues where it can and queues the rest for automatic retry with increasing wait times.

A 2026 reliability hardening means a brief broker hiccup no longer marks a healthy shift as failed: the shift computed at trade time stays authoritative, and a transient lookup error during retry no longer overwrites a clean result.

8.8 Layer 1 lock toggle

The Layer 1 lock is on by default. With it on, the first layer pins to TP1 once any deeper layer fills — flooring your risk on the earliest entry. Turn it off and the first layer follows the same shifting rule as every other layer instead of pinning to TP1. See TP Redistribution for the full treatment.

Layer 1 lock example

All four layers fill. With the lock on, the Layer 1 orders bank at TP1 as a safety net. With the lock off, those orders ride toward their shifted targets — more upside if the move continues, but no floored profit on the earliest entry.

---

9. How Trade Preview mirrors this

The dashboard's Trade Preview runs the same calculation as a live trade — volume sizing, the grid, the zone, target assignment, and the shift scenarios. What you see in Preview is what you'll get.

TIP

Preview uses the same calculation as a live trade — confirm your sizing and grid there before changing settings.

The preview has two tabs:

• Trade — the full order table with individual prices, volumes, and target assignments, plus risk metrics (max loss, risk/reward, average entry) and a viability check showing how many orders will execute.
• Scenarios — simulates partial fills (1 layer up to all layers) and shows how the targets shift, which orders change and by how much, and a breakeven simulation for when a target triggers the breakeven automation.

---

10. Worked example — full walkthrough

A complete trade from signal to target shift, with concrete numbers.

Setup

Parameter	Value
Account balance	$10,000
Risk per trade	2%
Symbol	XAUUSD (gold)
Direction	BUY
Entry	2,850.00
Stop-loss	2,844.00 (600 pips / $6.00)
TP1 / TP2 / TP3	2,853.00 / 2,856.00 / 2,860.00
Entry Strategy	Even (25/25/25/25)
TP Strategy	Progressive
Entry Zone	Dynamic 80% of stop = 480 pips = $4.80

Step 1 — volume

Risk Amount   = $10,000 x 2% = $200
Contract Size = 100
SL Distance   = $6.00

Weighted SL (Even):
  Layer 1: 25% x $6.00                  = $1.50
  Layer 2: 25% x ($6.00 - $4.80 x 0.33) = $1.10
  Layer 3: 25% x ($6.00 - $4.80 x 0.66) = $0.71
  Layer 4: 25% x ($6.00 - $4.80 x 1.00) = $0.30
  Weighted Total = $3.61

Total Volume = $200 / ($3.61 x 100) = 0.55 lots

Step 2 — entry prices

Zone Size = $4.80

Layer 1: 2,850.00 (Market)
Layer 2: 2,850.00 - ($4.80 x 0.34) = 2,848.37
Layer 3: 2,850.00 - ($4.80 x 0.67) = 2,846.78
Layer 4: 2,850.00 - $4.80          = 2,845.20

Step 3 — volume and target assignment

Even splits the 0.55 lots evenly across layers, then within each layer order "a" is largest. Targets are assigned by the Section 5.2 rule — orders sorted by volume, each assigned to the target with the largest remaining deficit, ties going to the earlier target (Progressive).

Order	Volume	Target	Entry price
L1a	0.06	TP1	2,850.00
L1b	0.04	TP3	2,850.00
L1c	0.04	TP2	2,850.00
L2a	0.06	TP1	2,848.37
L2b	0.04	TP1	2,848.37
L2c	0.04	TP3	2,848.37
L3a	0.06	TP2	2,846.78
L3b	0.04	TP2	2,846.78
L3c	0.04	TP1	2,846.78
L4a	0.06	TP1	2,845.20
L4b	0.04	TP3	2,845.20
L4c	0.03	TP2	2,845.20
Total	0.55

This lands at roughly TP1 47% / TP2 31% / TP3 22% of volume — close to Progressive's 50/30/20 target, with the small difference coming from broker lot rounding.

Step 4 — all 4 layers fill

Price drops to 2,845.20, filling every layer. Total exposure 0.55 lots. Targets shift (3-target compression, Layer 1 locked):

Order	Original	cf	New	Price
L1a	TP1	—	TP1	2,853.00
L1b	TP3	—	TP1	2,853.00
L1c	TP2	—	TP1	2,853.00
L2a	TP1	0.33	TP1	2,853.00
L2b	TP1	0.33	TP1	2,853.00
L2c	TP3	0.33	TP2	2,856.00
L3a	TP2	0.67	TP2	2,856.00
L3b	TP2	0.67	TP2	2,856.00
L3c	TP1	0.67	TP1	2,853.00
L4a	TP1	1.0	TP1	2,853.00
L4b	TP3	1.0	TP3	2,860.00
L4c	TP2	1.0	TP2	2,856.00

Volume at each target after the shift:

Target	Price	Volume	% of total
TP1	2,853.00	0.34	62%
TP2	2,856.00	0.17	31%
TP3	2,860.00	0.04	7%

Average entry: about 2,847.59 across all four layers — better than the signal's 2,850.00 because Layer 4 entered at 2,845.20. The shift means most of your volume now banks at the near target while a small runner holds for TP3.

---

11. Key design principles

Principle	How it works
Never trust signal volume	Volumes come from your settings, never from the signal.
Independent placement	Each order runs on its own — one failing doesn't stop the rest.
Proportional compression	Target shifting scales correctly for any layer and target count (1–6).
Earlier entries close first	Layer 1 locks to TP1 (when the lock is on), banking profit before deeper layers.
Deepest entry runs furthest	The deepest filled layer keeps its original targets — best price, best reward.
Graceful degradation	If volume is too small for every order, the small ones are skipped, not forced.
Reliable saving	The whole trade record is saved in one step so nothing is left half-written.
Automatic recovery	Failed target changes are retried automatically with increasing wait times.

---

Ideal Settings & Trading Strategy

Order Execution covers how to set up entries — layer count, entry strategy, TP strategy. This section is about the management choices that decide how a live trade winds down: which positions close first on a partial exit, whether Layer 1 locks to TP1, how hard targets shift on a deep retracement, and what happens to unfilled limit orders when the stop hits. All three scenarios use Fixed Lots sizing (the only sizing mode); pick the lot from the Section 2.2 math.

Scenario 1 — Conservative capital protection

Setup: A cautious trader who wants profit banked early and exposure cleaned up the moment a stop hits.

Settings:

• Position sizing: Fixed Lots, sized so a typical stop costs ~1% of balance
• Layers: 3 (shallower grid, less deep exposure)
• Redistribution: on, L1 Safety Lock on (Layer 1 pins to TP1 once any deeper layer fills)
• Partial-close mode: worst_first (the default)
• Cancel orphan orders on stop-loss: on

Why: The L1 lock floors profit on the first entry as soon as the trade retraces into a deeper layer, and worst_first closes your losing legs first on a partial exit so realized losses come off the book early. Cancelling orphans on a stop means a leftover limit order can't quietly re-enter a trade you're already out of.

Watch for: With L1 locked, your earliest entry banks at TP1 even when a move has much further to run — you cap that leg's upside in exchange for safety.

Switch when: You're consistently green and want the first layer to ride further — Scenario 2.

Scenario 2 — Balanced let-it-run

Setup: An experienced trader who wants early entries to participate in extended moves, not bank at the first target.

Settings:

• Position sizing: Fixed Lots, sized to ~1–2% per typical stop
• Layers: 4 (the default grid)
• Redistribution: on, L1 Safety Lock off (Layer 1 shifts like every other layer instead of pinning to TP1)
• Partial-close mode: proportional (each closing event trims every leg evenly)
• Cancel orphan orders on stop-loss: on

Why: Turning the L1 lock off lets the first layer follow the proportional shift, so a strong trend keeps your earliest entry working toward later targets. Proportional partial closes keep the position's shape intact as it winds down, rather than dumping the worst legs first.

Watch for: Without the L1 lock, a trade that fills deep and then reverses gives back more on the first layer than a locked setup would — you trade floored profit for extension.

Switch when: You move to a funded prop account where preserving a single runner matters more than smoothing the close — Scenario 3.

Scenario 3 — Prop-firm runner discipline

Setup: A funded prop trader who wants most of the position off quickly to respect daily-loss rules, while keeping the deepest layer running for a large reward.

Settings:

• Position sizing: Fixed Lots, sized well inside the firm's per-trade dollar limit
• Layers: 5–6 (more granular grid, more of the position banks at near targets after a shift)
• Redistribution: on, L1 Safety Lock on, with the deepest filled layer always keeping its original far targets
• Partial-close mode: worst_first (clears losing legs first to protect the daily-loss budget)
• Cancel orphan orders on stop-loss: on

Why: A deeper grid plus aggressive shifting compresses most of your volume onto near targets when price retraces hard, so realized profit lands fast — what a daily-loss rule rewards — while the deepest layer alone keeps the original targets as a runner. worst_first protects the firm's loss budget by realizing losers first.

Watch for: Layered entries fill more on deep retracements — your worst-case exposure is the deepest fill, not the market layer. Size the fixed lot to that deepest fill, and remember the 5.0-lot platform cap is the absolute ceiling.

Switch when: You move to a personal account with looser rules and want early entries to run — Scenario 2.

---

Related pages

• Order Execution — the strategy guide (which settings to pick and why).
• TP Redistribution — target shifting in depth.
• How Your Entry Zone Is Decided — how the effective zone is set.
• Entry Zone Expansion — widening the zone to catch near-misses.
• Risk Management — sizing overview and hard caps.
• Breakeven Management — stop protection after a target.
• Trade Preview — preview the full trade before committing.