XABCD Marker Documentation

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• The Toolbar, Hotkeys & Conventions
• Drawing Tools
  • Pointer
  • Freehand
  • Line
  • Rectangle
  • Ellipse
  • Polyline
  • Polygon
  • Text
• Trade Markers & Tags
  • Arrow Up / Arrow Down
  • Entry / Exit
  • Win / Loss
  • Mistake Tag
• Levels, Alerts & Notes
  • Support
  • Resistance
  • Attractor
  • Level
  • Labeled Line (Trendline)
  • Price Alert
  • Note
• Measure Tool
• Chart Overlays
  • Previous Day High / Low
  • VWAP
  • Session Boxes
  • Period Boxes
• The Timer (Time Pills)
• Workflow Tools
  • Eraser
  • Clear All
  • Lock Drawings
  • Hide / Layer Toggle
  • Fade Out
  • Screenshot
  • Import / Export
• Colors, Themes & Pens
• Settings Window & Customization
• Cross-Chart Sync, Saving & Licensing
• Hotkey Reference

Introduction

The XABCD Drawing Marker (shown in NinjaTrader as XT Marker) is a fast on-chart annotation toolbar for NinjaTrader 8. It adds a single floating toolbar to your chart with one-press tools for drawing, marking trades, tagging mistakes, and overlaying live information like a clock, session boxes, period boxes, and previous-day levels.

• Tool buttons — click one to arm that tool, then draw on the chart. Most stamp-style markers place with a single click and then return you to the Pointer automatically.
• Toggle buttons — buttons like PDH/L, VWAP, TIME, SESS, and PER turn an overlay on or off; they highlight while active.
• Everything is keyboard-driven too — most tools have a hotkey (see the Hotkey Reference), so you rarely need to leave price action to reach for the mouse.

Most tools share the same colors, pen widths, and hotkey modifier, so the next section covers those once rather than repeating them on every tool.

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The Toolbar, Hotkeys & Conventions

A few things behave the same way across the whole product:

The toolbar can be docked Top (default), Bottom, Left, Right, or set to Floating, and every button can be shown, hidden, or reordered from Settings → Toolbar.

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Drawing Tools

Pointer

The Pointer is the default select/edit mode. With it active, click a drawing to select, move, or resize it; clicking empty space does nothing to your drawings.

Options

• Hotkey (default) — Ctrl+Alt+Q.

Examples

1. Reposition a marker: Press Ctrl+Alt+Q, then drag any stamp or shape to a new spot.
2. Resize a box: Select a rectangle and drag a corner handle to resize it.

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Freehand

The Freehand tool draws a continuous pen stroke by click-and-drag — for circling areas or sketching on the chart.

Options

• Brush head (optional) — press and hold the Freehand button (~⅓ second) to choose a head: Round, Flat, Chisel, Marker, Highlighter, Pencil, or Airbrush.
• Smoothing / Pressure (optional) — stylus smoothing (default 80%) and pressure sensitivity are set in Settings → Drawing Tools.
• Hotkey (default) — Ctrl+Alt+D.

Examples

1. Highlight a zone: Choose the Highlighter head and drag across a consolidation area.
2. Quick scribble: Press Ctrl+Alt+D and circle a key candle.

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Line

The Line tool draws a straight line by click-and-drag. Lines can show live measurements (price, ticks, time, angle) as you draw, and their endpoints stay draggable afterward.

Options

• Color & width (optional) — the active pen color and the pen's width.
• Measurements (optional) — toggled in Settings → Drawing Tools (see the Measure Tool for the full list).
• Hotkey (default) — Ctrl+Alt+L.

Examples

1. Trendline: Drag from a swing low to a later swing low.
2. Measured move: Enable measurements to read the price and tick distance as you draw.

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Rectangle

The Rectangle tool draws a box by dragging corner to corner — ideal for supply/demand zones and ranges.

Options

• Outline color & width (optional) — the active pen and its width.
• Fill color & opacity (optional) — 🪣 Fill Color and the Fill Opacity setting (default 35%).
• Hotkey (default) — Ctrl+Alt+R.

Examples

1. Demand zone: Drag a translucent box around a base before a rally.
2. Opening range: Box the first 30 minutes to frame the session.

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Ellipse

The Ellipse tool draws a circle/oval inside the box you drag — for circling reversals or clusters.

Options

• Outline & fill (optional) — same pen, fill color, and opacity controls as Rectangle.
• Hotkey (default) — Ctrl+Alt+O.

Examples

1. Mark a reversal: Circle a key wick rejection.
2. Group candles: Drag an oval around a cluster you want to revisit.

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Polyline

The Polyline tool draws a connected multi-segment line. Click to add each point; double-click or right-click to finish.

Options

• Color & width (optional) — the active pen and its width.
• Hotkey (default) — Ctrl+Alt+Y.

Examples

1. Zig-zag structure: Click each swing point to trace a move, then double-click to finish.
2. Channel midline: Trace a path through several pivots.

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Polygon

The Polygon tool draws a closed, filled shape. Click each corner; double-click or right-click to close it (it auto-closes back to the first point).

Options

• Outline & fill (optional) — pen, fill color, opacity.
• Hotkey (default) — Ctrl+Alt+G.

Examples

1. Irregular zone: Outline a non-rectangular area of interest.
2. Pattern shading: Fill a triangle/wedge by clicking its three corners.

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Text

The Text tool drops a text label on the chart. Click where you want it and type into the pop-up dialog.

Options

• Font family / size / weight / alignment / color (optional) — set via the Text Formatting buttons that appear when the tool is active (defaults: Arial, size 24, white).
• Hotkey (default) — Ctrl+Alt+T.

Examples

1. Label a level: Type "Daily VAH" next to a line.
2. Session note: Drop "London open" at the time it occurred.

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Trade Markers & Tags

These are single-click stamps used to journal your trading directly on the chart. Each places with one click and returns you to the Pointer. Their colors are set in Settings → Colors.

Arrow Up / Arrow Down

The Arrow Up (▲) and Arrow Down (▼) markers note a bullish or bearish expectation at a spot on the chart.

Options

• Color (optional) — each arrow has its own color in Settings.
• Hotkeys (default) — Arrow Up Ctrl+Alt+U, Arrow Down Ctrl+Alt+J.

Examples

1. Bias mark: Drop a ▲ under a breakout you expect to continue.
2. Fade setup: Drop a ▼ at a level you expect to reject.

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Entry / Exit

The Entry and Exit markers stamp a labeled box showing the time and price, e.g. ENTRY 09:42 @ 5283.25 — a clean way to journal where you got in and out.

Options

• Color (optional) — separate Entry and Exit colors in Settings.
• Hotkeys (default) — Entry Ctrl+Alt+N, Exit Ctrl+Alt+M.

Examples

1. Post-trade journal: Stamp Entry at your fill and Exit where you closed.
2. Review session: Mark every entry/exit to study your timing afterward.

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Win / Loss

The Win (✓ WIN) and Loss (✗ LOSS) stamps mark how a trade resolved.

Options

• Color (optional) — set in Settings.
• Hotkeys (default) — Win Ctrl+Alt+W, Loss Ctrl+Alt+K.

Examples

1. Result tag: Drop ✓ WIN on the trade you just closed green.
2. Heatmap your day: Stamp each trade so wins/losses are visible at a glance.

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Mistake Tag

The Mistake Tag stamps a labeled note of a trading error so you can spot patterns in your behavior. Click the TAG button to pick the tag text, then click the chart to place it.

Options

• Tag text (required) — pick from the preset list: FOMO, Early Exit, Chased, Ignored Stop, Overtraded, Revenge Trade, No Plan, Bad R:R, Wrong Size, News Trade, Tired, Emotional, Against Trend, Channel, and Range.
• Hotkey (default) — Ctrl+Alt+I.

Examples

1. Flag a chase: Pick Chased and stamp it on the entry you took too late.
2. Spot a habit: Tag every Early Exit for a week and review how much you left on the table.

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Levels, Alerts & Notes

Support

The Support marker (SUPP) stamps a labeled SUPPORT @ {price} box with a dashed horizontal line at the price you click.

Options

• Color (optional) — defaults to blue; set in Settings → Colors.
• Hotkey (optional) — none assigned by default; you can set one in Settings → Hotkeys.

Examples

1. Mark a floor: Click at a swing low to label it as support.
2. Multi-chart level: With sync on, the support line appears on your other charts of the same instrument.

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Resistance

The Resistance marker (RES) stamps a labeled RESISTANCE @ {price} box with a dashed line at the clicked price.

Options

• Color (optional) — defaults to magenta.
• Hotkey (optional) — none by default; configurable.

Examples

1. Mark a ceiling: Click at a swing high to label resistance.
2. Pre-mark the session: Set overnight high as resistance before the open.

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Attractor

The Attractor marker (ATTR) stamps an ATTRACTOR label with a dashed line — for a magnet price you expect the market to gravitate toward (gaps, VWAP, unfilled levels).

Options

• Color (optional) — defaults to bright cyan.
• Hotkey (optional) — none by default; configurable.

Examples

1. Gap fill: Mark a prior-day gap as an attractor target.
2. Unfilled level: Tag a naked POC you expect price to revisit.

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Level

The Level tool draws a simple horizontal support/resistance line across the chart at the clicked price.

Options

• Color & width (optional) — the active pen and its width.
• Hotkey (default) — Ctrl+Alt+V.

Examples

1. Round number: Drop a line at a psychological level like 5300.
2. Prior close: Mark yesterday's settle for reference.

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Labeled Line (Trendline)

The Labeled Line tool (TREND) draws a horizontal or diagonal line with your own text label attached, so you can name a level or trendline right on the chart ... for example a line labeled "Weekly VAH" or "Trend from Mon low". Arm the TREND button, then drag to draw the line; a dialog opens to capture the text and style. It's a full drawing: the endpoints stay draggable and it saves with your chart.

Options

• Label text (required) ... the text shown on the line, typed into the dialog when you draw it.
• Line color, width, and dash style (optional) ... set per line in the dialog (solid, dash, or dot).
• Extend line (optional) ... extend the line out to the right edge of the chart, rather than stopping at your end point.
• Show on all timeframes (optional) ... mirror this line onto every timeframe of the same instrument.
• Hotkey (optional) ... none by default; you can assign one in Settings → Hotkeys.

Examples

1. Named level: Draw a flat line at the weekly value-area high and label it "Weekly VAH" so it's obvious at a glance.
2. Labeled trendline: Drag a diagonal from a swing low, tick Extend, and label it "Uptrend from Mon low" ... it projects to the right edge and, with Show on all timeframes on, appears on your other charts too.

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Price Alert

The Price Alert tool (ALERT 🔔) places a horizontal line that triggers an alert when price crosses it.

Options

• Color (optional) — set in Settings.
• Hotkey (default) — Ctrl+Alt+A.

Examples

1. Breakout watch: Set an alert just above range resistance and step away.
2. Pullback entry: Alert at the level you want to buy a retest.

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Note

The Note tool (NOTE 📝) places a free-text note anchored to a price/time. Click the chart and type into the dialog.

Options

• Text (required) — your note (defaults to "Note").
• Hotkey (default) — Ctrl+Alt+B.

Examples

1. Context reminder: "Waiting for CPI" anchored near the open.
2. Plan note: "Long above, short below" at a decision level.

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Measure Tool

Measure

The Measure tool (MEAS 📏) measures the distance between two points. Click-and-drag from start to end; it draws a line plus a readout box, and both endpoints stay draggable so you can fine-tune it afterward. Measurements are saved with your chart.

Options

• What to show (optional) — each readout can be toggled in Settings → Drawing Tools: Price change, Percent, Ticks, Pips, Bars, Time, Angle (degrees), and Units. All on by default.
• Decimals (optional) — measurement decimal places (default 2).
• Hotkey (default) — Ctrl+Alt+Z.

Examples

1. Move size: Drag from a swing low to a swing high to read the move in ticks, points, and percent.
2. Time of a leg: Read how many bars and how much clock time a move took, then nudge an endpoint to re-measure.

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Chart Overlays

These are toggle overlays — press the toolbar button (or hotkey) to turn them on or off. They redraw themselves automatically as the session rolls over. Each overlay toggle remembers its on/off state per chart when you switch timeframes; the TIME, PDH-PDL, and VWAP toggles can also be set to apply to every chart at once (see Cross-Chart Sync).

Previous Day High / Low

The PDH/PDL overlay draws dashed horizontal lines at the previous trading day's session high and low, each with a right-edge label (PDH 5312.50 / PDL 5280.25). It uses the instrument's real trading session, not calendar midnight.

Options

• Toggle — button PDH/L or hotkey Ctrl+Alt+, (comma).
• Apply to all charts (optional) — "Sync PDH/PDL across charts" in Settings → Advanced keeps this overlay in the same on/off state on every chart of the instrument.

Examples

1. Range reference: Turn it on to see whether today is trading inside or outside yesterday's range.
2. Breakout context: Watch for reactions as price tests the prior high/low.

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VWAP

The VWAP overlay draws the session volume-weighted average price as a solid gold line with a VWAP label; it resets at the start of each calendar day (midnight, chart time).

Options

• Toggle — button VWAP or hotkey Ctrl+Alt+; (semicolon).
• Apply to all charts (optional) — "Sync VWAP across charts" in Settings → Advanced keeps VWAP in the same on/off state on every chart of the instrument.

Examples

1. Mean reference: Use VWAP as the fair-value line for fades and reclaims.
2. Trend filter: Only take longs while price holds above VWAP.

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Session Boxes

The Session Boxes overlay (SESS) shades the Asian, London, New York, and Sydney sessions with a colored box spanning each session's time range and high/low, labeled ASIA / LONDON / NY / SYDNEY. Click SESS to open a menu and toggle each session.

Options

• Which sessions (optional) — Asian / London / New York / Sydney, each on/off (all off by default).
• Auto-timezone (optional) — on by default; aligns session hours to NinjaTrader's timezone (Tokyo, London, New York, Sydney hours). Manual UTC hours are available in Settings → Sessions.
• Colors, opacity, outline width (optional) — per-session fill color/opacity and outline color/width (1–6 px) in Settings.
• Hotkey (default) — Ctrl+Alt+. (period).

Examples

1. Killzones: Turn on London and New York to frame the active hours.
2. Asian range: Show only the Asian box to trade the London breakout of it.

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Period Boxes

The Period Boxes overlay (PER) shades each calendar period ... Day, Week, Month, Quarter, and Year ... with a colored box spanning that period's time range and high/low, exactly like the session boxes but for calendar periods. Click the PER button to open a menu and turn each period on or off individually, or use "Show/Hide All Periods". Each period has its own color and line settings.

Options

• Which periods (optional) ... Day / Week / Month / Quarter / Year, each on/off from the PER menu (all off by default).
• Colors, border, opacity (optional) ... each period has its own fill color, border/line color, and opacity in Settings → Sessions (the "Period Box Colors" section). Period boxes share the session box border width.
• Week start (optional) ... choose whether the weekly box starts on Monday (default) or Sunday.
• Period labels (optional) ... optionally show a short label on each box (for example the month or year). Off by default.
• Hotkey (optional) ... none by default; you can assign one in Settings → Hotkeys.

Examples

1. Intraday day/week ranges: Turn on Day and Week to frame the current day's and week's high/low while you trade a 5-minute chart.
2. Higher-timeframe map: On a daily chart, turn on Month, Quarter, and Year to see the ranges that matter for swing context, each in its own color.

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The Timer (Time Pills)

The Timer (TIME ⏱) places one or more on-chart "pills" that show a live clock or countdown — a replacement for NinjaTrader's bar timer that you can style and position freely. Click the TIME button to toggle the timer on/off; press and hold it (or click a pill's top-right gear handle) to open the mode/options menu.

Display modes

• Bar Countdown — time until the current bar closes (default).
• Clock — current wall-clock time.
• Session End — active session name + time until it ends.
• Next Session — next session + countdown to its open.
• Market Close — time until the US cash close.
• Bar Elapsed — time since the current bar opened.
• Clock + Bar Countdown — two-row pill: clock on top, bar countdown below.

Options (per pill)

• Shape (optional) — Pill (rounded, default), Rounded Rectangle, or Rectangle (sharp, NT8 bar-timer look).
• Color (optional) — cycles through a 9-color palette (default cyan).
• Background (optional) — Transparent / 25% / 50% / 75% / Opaque (default Opaque). Transparent gives the text-only bar-timer look.
• Position (optional) — snap to Top Left, Top Center, Top Right, Bottom Left, Bottom Center, or Bottom Right. A snapped pill stays put; dragging it un-snaps it so it travels with the bars.
• Size (optional) — drag the bottom-right handle to resize (the font scales with it), or use the - and + buttons under the Size presets in the pill's menu to nudge it smaller or larger in small steps.
• Multiple timers (optional) — add more from the menu (e.g. a clock + a bar countdown + a session timer at once).
• Apply to all charts (optional) — "Sync TIME (countdown) across charts" in Settings → Advanced keeps the timer in the same on/off state on every chart of the instrument.
• Hotkey (default) — Ctrl+Alt+' (apostrophe) toggles the timer.

On-chart handles

• Body — drag to move.
• Bottom-right — drag to resize.
• Bottom-left — delete (when more than one pill exists).
• Top-right — open the settings menu.

Examples

1. Replace the bar timer: Mode Bar Countdown, Shape Rectangle, Background Transparent, snapped Top Right.
2. Session dashboard: Add three pills — a Clock, a Session End countdown, and a Bar Countdown — in different corners.

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Workflow Tools

Eraser

The Eraser deletes a single drawing per click. Arm it, then click the drawing you want gone; the cursor changes when you're hovering something erasable.

Options

• Hotkey (default) — Ctrl+Alt+E. (You can also remove the selected/last drawing with Ctrl+Alt+X.)

Examples

1. Targeted cleanup: Erase one stray line without touching the rest.
2. Fix a mis-stamp: Remove a marker you placed in the wrong spot.

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Clear All

The Clear All button (🗑) removes every drawing from the current chart at once.

Options

No settings. Note: there is no confirmation prompt. Clear All only affects the current chart — with Cross-Timeframe Sync on it does not wipe your other charts, and a synced horizontal level still living on another chart can reappear here, so clear each chart you want emptied.

Examples

1. Fresh start: Wipe the chart between setups.
2. Clean screenshot: Clear markup before capturing an image.

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Lock Drawings

The Lock button (🔒/🔓) freezes all drawings so they can't be moved or erased by accident; it turns red while locked.

Options

Toggle button (no default hotkey). The lock state is saved with the workspace, so a chart you left locked reloads locked — click the button again to unlock.

Examples

1. Protect your markup: Lock before a fast session so clicks don't drag levels.
2. Presentation mode: Lock while screen-sharing your chart.

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Hide / Layer Toggle

The Layer Toggle hides or shows all your drawings without deleting them — instant clean chart, then back again.

Options

• Hotkey (default) — Ctrl+Alt+H.

Examples

1. Peek at price: Hide markup to see raw candles, then unhide.
2. Before/after: Toggle to compare a clean chart with your annotations.

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Fade Out

The Fade Out mode makes finished drawings gradually fade to transparent over a few seconds — handy for transient markup you don't want to clean up manually.

Options

• Hotkey (default) — Ctrl+Alt+F toggles it. (Off by default.)

Examples

1. Scratch marks: Quickly draw a line that disappears on its own.
2. Live teaching: Point things out without leaving permanent clutter.

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Screenshot

The Screenshot tool (📷) captures the chart. Click-and-drag to grab a region, or click without dragging to capture the whole panel. The image is copied to the clipboard and saved as a PNG.

Options

• Save location — Documents\NinjaTrader 8\screenshots\{Instrument}_{timestamp}.png.
• Hotkey (default) — Ctrl+Alt+S.

Examples

1. Share a setup: Drag a box around the pattern and paste it straight into chat.
2. Journal entry: Capture the whole chart at the moment of entry.

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Import / Export

The Import (📥) and Export (📤) buttons move your drawing set in and out of a file, so you can transfer markup between charts or machines. (These buttons are hidden unless enabled in Settings.)

Options

• Enable Import/Export buttons (optional) — off by default; turn on in Settings → Drawing Tools.

Examples

1. Back up markup: Export your levels before rebuilding a workspace.
2. Move machines: Export on your desktop, import on your laptop.

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Colors, Themes & Pens

The Marker ships with a full theming system so your markup matches your chart.

• Color Theme — choose from 28 built-in themes (Ocean, Neon, Midnight, Sunset, XABCD, and more; default XABCD), or pick Custom to drive colors from two custom colors.
• Pen 1–5 — five drawing pens, each with its own color and width. The five toolbar swatches select the active pen, and Ctrl+Alt+1…5 pick them by keyboard.
• Per-tool colors — every marker (Arrows, Entry/Exit, Win/Loss, Tag, Support, Resistance, Attractor, Level, Labeled Line, Alert, Note, Measure, Session boxes, Period boxes, Timer) has its own color in Settings → Colors.
• Fill — shape fill color and a Fill Opacity (default 35%).
• Quick Color Wheel — Ctrl+Alt+C opens a fast color picker for the active pen.

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Settings Window & Customization

The Settings window (the ⚙ button) has a search box at the top and tabs for every area:

• Drawing Tools — fill opacity, toolbar element width, stylus smoothing/pressure, measurement readouts and decimals, Zoom-on-Hover, Fade Out, and the Enable Import/Export toggle.
• Sessions — show/hide each session (Asian / London / New York / Sydney), auto-timezone, manual session hours, and session box colors/opacity/outline width. This tab also holds the Period Boxes display toggles (Day / Week / Month / Quarter / Year, plus week-start and labels) and their Period Box Colors (fill, border, and opacity per period).
• Hotkeys — record a key for any tool, with conflict detection, plus the shared modifier.
• Colors — theme, the five pens, fills, and every per-tool color.
• Toolbar — show/hide and drag-reorder every toolbar button; set the dock position (Top / Bottom / Left / Right / Floating).
• Advanced — Enable Cross-Timeframe Sync, the "Sync Toolbar Toggles Across Charts" options for TIME / PDH-PDL / VWAP, and the Quick Color Wheel / Remove-Drawing modifier options.

At the bottom: Restore Default, Save Defaults (makes the current setup the default for new charts), Save / Load (named template files in Documents\NinjaTrader 8\templates\XT Marker\), and Close.

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Cross-Chart Sync, Saving & Licensing

• Workspace persistence — your drawings are saved with the NinjaTrader workspace and restored on reload automatically. Notes and trade stamps stay on the chart you placed them on, rather than being forced onto every timeframe.
• Cross-Timeframe Sync (off by default) — when enabled (Settings → Advanced), drawings and session boxes are shared across all charts of the same instrument. Horizontal markers at the same price are de-duplicated, and deleting on one chart removes it from the others.
• Overlay toggles per chart — the TIME, PDH-PDL, and VWAP toggles remember their on/off state per chart and survive a timeframe change.
• Sync Toolbar Toggles Across Charts (off by default) — in Settings → Advanced you can independently turn on "Sync TIME across charts", "Sync PDH/PDL across charts", and "Sync VWAP across charts". When on, that overlay is kept in the same on/off state on every chart of the instrument. Each works on its own, separate from the drawing/session sync above ... turn on only the ones you want to apply everywhere.
• Save Defaults — store your preferred colors, toolbar layout, and options so every new XT Marker starts the way you like it.
• Licensing — the Marker reads your saved license key on load; if it's missing, a license window prompts for it. Until a valid key is entered, the toolbar does not load and the chart shows a red "Invalid License" message; once a valid key is saved, reload the indicator to activate the toolbar.

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Hotkey Reference

All hotkeys use the shared modifier (Ctrl+Alt by default) and are editable in Settings → Hotkeys.

Support, Resistance, Attractor, Labeled Line (Trendline), and Period Boxes have no default key but can be assigned one in Settings → Hotkeys.

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XABCD Drawing Marker — Documentation — Indicator Version 1.7.0.19
For support and updates, visit XABCDTrading.com