The Threshold solver compares its Input with one or more fixed levels, to identify when an indicator is above or below a set value.
For example: the CCI above 100 or below -100, the Stochastics above 80 or below 20, or the MACD above or below zero.
Tip
To compare an indicator with another indicator, with bar prices or with any other value that changes, use the Comparison solver.
Properties tab
The essential settings for the node.
Modifiers
Buttons for the most common output modifiers. They change only the selected instance of a node on a Logic Board, so they appear only when a node is selected there, not when a solver is selected in the Solvers panel. That keeps the solver’s original output unchanged everywhere else it’s used, much like changing an SMA’s plot color on one chart leaves it unchanged on your other charts.
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Enable | Turns the node on or off. When it’s off, the node is left out of the system’s calculations. It still looks connected on the Logic Board, but it’s ignored. |
| Invert | Inverts the node’s output. The same calculation as the Inverter function node, without its extra options. |
| Swap | Swaps the outputs: Long becomes Short and Short becomes Long. The same as the Long/Short Modifier function node with Mode: Swap. |
Global Properties
These settings apply to every instance of the solver: change one instance and they all change. To change just one, make a copy of the solver. The copy is a separate solver, with a number added to the end of its name.
Behavior
Turns off the Long or the Short output.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Evaluate | Which outputs the solver calculates. Both: Long and Short. Long only: only Long; the Short output is removed. Short only: only Short; the Long output is removed. |
Input
What the solver evaluates. Choose a data type in the Type menu; the settings below it change to match.
| Type | What it evaluates |
|---|---|
| Indicator Value | Any installed indicator with a plot or Series<T> output, chosen in the Select Indicator window. The default and most used type. Displacement reads the value from a number of bars back. |
| Price | A bar price (Open, High, Low, Close, or the Body Top, Median or Bottom), optionally processed over a lookback period. |
| Volume | The current bar’s volume. |
| Swing Point Prices | Prices from the latest swing highs and lows. |
| Linear Regression Channel | The upper, middle or lower line of a regression channel. |
| Fixed Value | A single value that never changes. Only useful for solvers with two inputs, such as Comparison. |
Every type and its settings in full: Data type selection.
Output Rules
Output rules decide when the solver gives a Long or Short output. Open the Rules window with the ellipsis (…) button next to Threshold Rules.
The Rules window
Where you define the conditions the solver looks for. One solver can combine several rules, so complex conditions don’t need several solvers.
How the Rules window works
Click a rule’s title bar (the strip that says Fixed or Range) to expand or collapse it.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Add Rule menu (top left) | Adds a rule. A Fixed rule is the most common: it compares the Input with a value, or with Input B. A Range rule compares the Input with a lower and upper limit, or with a range of distance between Input A and Input B. To use a Range rule instead of the default Fixed rule, delete the Fixed rule, then add a Range rule. |
| Output Calculation menu (top right) | Decides the output when two or more rules are true at the same time. See below. |
| Settings window (Range rules) | Finer control over the values being evaluated. See below. |
| Delete button | Deletes the rule. Undo brings it back. |
Output Calculation options
| Option | Output |
|---|---|
| First | The output of the first true rule, working down from the top of the list. |
| Largest | The largest output of all the true rules. For fuzzy logic systems. |
| Smallest | The smallest output of all the true rules. For fuzzy logic systems. |
| Average | The average of the outputs of all the true rules. For fuzzy logic systems. |
| Addition | The outputs of all the true rules added together. For fuzzy logic systems. |
Range rule settings
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Outside / Inside | Whether the rule is true inside the range or outside it. |
| Exclude / Include | Include counts the range limits themselves (>= and <=). Exclude doesn’t (> and <). |
| Fixed Output / Ranged Output | Fixed Output is a simple on/off output: 0, or the value on the far right (usually 1). Ranged Output turns on fuzzy logic: two Output fields appear, and when the Input is between the limits, the output is interpolated linearly between those two values. |
Fixed rules
A Fixed rule identifies when the Input is above, below or equal to a level. For example, whether the CCI is above 150 or below -150, or whether the MACD is above or below zero.
- The name of the Input, for example the indicator name or the bar price.
- The comparison (see the table below).
- The threshold level. When the comparison is true, the rule is true.
- The output value when the rule is true. 1 (100% confidence) suits most systems; use a smaller value only when building a fuzzy logic system.
| Comparison | True when the Input is |
|---|---|
| = | equal to the level |
| != | not equal to the level |
| > | greater than (above) the level |
| < | less than (below) the level |
| >= | greater than or equal to the level |
| <= | less than or equal to the level |
For example, CCI [ > ] [ 150 ] is true while the CCI is above 150. See the examples below.
Range rules
A Range rule identifies when the Input is between two levels.
- The name of the Input, for example the indicator name or the bar price.
- One end of the range. For the Long calculation this is usually the lower level, with 3 the upper level; for the Short calculation it’s usually the other way round, as in the image.
- The other end of the range.
- The output value when the rule is true. 1 (100% confidence) suits most systems; use a smaller value only when building a fuzzy logic system.
Ranged Output (fuzzy logic, advanced)
With Ranged Output turned on in the rule’s Settings menu, two Output fields appear, 4 and 5. Only use this when building a fuzzy logic system.
- 4: the output confidence value when the Input is at level 2.
- 5: the output confidence value when the Input is at level 3.
If one of them is 1 (100% confidence), the other should be less.
Options tab
Secondary settings shared by all nodes.
Weight
Changes the node’s final output value. Only needed when designing a fuzzy logic system, or a fuzzy logic part of a system.
How Weight works
Weight changes only the selected instance of a node on a Logic Board. So the controls appear only when a node is selected there, not when a solver is selected in the Solvers panel: a solver’s original output can’t be changed globally.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Multiply Output | Multiplies the node’s internal Long and Short values (set by the Output Rules on the Properties tab) by this number. The final output still can’t go above 1 (see Slider). |
| Slider | Limits the final output to between 0 and 1. The left handle sets a minimum output, given whether or not the condition is true. The right handle sets the maximum; the output is capped there. |
| Hedge Operation | Applies a formula to the internal value. None: unchanged. Very: squares it (value²). Somewhat: takes the square root (√value). |
Example: two out of three
Three solvers check three indicator conditions, but only two need to be true. Connect them to an Additive logic node and set each solver’s maximum (the slider’s right handle) to 0.5. When any two are true, the Additive node adds 0.5 + 0.5 + 0 = 1, which means the two-out-of-three condition is met.
Description
Free text for describing what the node does or what it’s for. The Description is shared by every instance of the node, unlike Weight, which is set per instance.
Help tab
Shows this page for the selected node, inside BloodHound. Click the node’s image at the top of the page to open it in a bigger window. The built-in web viewer needs NinjaTrader 8.0.26.0 or newer.
Tutorial video
From the weekly training workshop, April 2025.
Examples
This video shows how to detect price interacting with a threshold level, using three different solvers, including Threshold.
Example 1A: The basics
Detects overbought (above 80) and oversold (below 20) conditions on the Stochastics D plot.
Settings and chart
Input settings
- Set Indicator to Stochastics » D.
Rules window
Open the Rules window with the ellipsis (…) button next to Threshold Rules, then set the levels as shown.
Result
A Long output while the Stochastics D is above 80, and a Short output while it’s below 20.
Example 1B: Volatility
Detects when the ATR is above 7. Some systems need, or take advantage of, higher volatility.
Settings and chart
Input settings
- Set Indicator to ATR.
Rules window
Open the Rules window with the ellipsis (…) button next to Threshold Rules, then set the levels as shown. The Long and Short settings are the same.
Result
Long and Short outputs when the ATR goes above 7, showing when trading activity picks up. The ATR has no direction, which is why both outputs appear at the same time.
Example 1C: A basic MACD filter
Uses the MACD’s zero line as a filter: Long above zero, Short below.
Settings and chart
Input settings
- Set Indicator to MACD.
Rules window
No changes needed.
Result
A Long output while the MACD is above zero, and a Short output while it’s below. A simple filter.
Example 2A: A discretionary support/resistance level
Allows longs only above a price level you choose, and shorts only below it, using the close price.
Settings and chart
Input settings
- Set Input » Type to Price.
Rules window
Open the Rules window with the ellipsis (…) button next to Threshold Rules, then set the levels as shown.
Result
A Long output while the close is above 11,200.0, and a Short output while it’s below.
Example 2B: Two discretionary support/resistance levels
Above the lower level, only longs are allowed; below the upper level, only shorts. Between the two levels, both can occur.
Settings and chart
Input settings
- Set Input » Type to Price.
Rules window
Open the Rules window with the ellipsis (…) button next to Threshold Rules, then set the levels as shown.
Result
A Long output while the close is above 11,160.0, a Short output while it’s below 11,200.0, and both while it’s between the two levels.
