Time Counter & Bar Size Documentation

Time Counter & Bar Size Documentation covers installation, what the overlay displays, the color-coded warning states, settings, and common troubleshooting. If your charts run on Second, Minute, Day, Week, or Month bars rather than ticks, this is the sibling of Tick Counter & Bar Size written for you.

1. Install and Add to a Chart

1. In NinjaTrader, go to Tools > Import > NinjaScript Add-On.
2. Select the Time Counter & Bar Size ZIP package.
3. Complete the import and allow NinjaTrader to compile if prompted.
4. Restart NinjaTrader if required.
5. Right-click a chart, choose Indicators, and select TimeCounterAndBarSize under PriceActionTools.
6. Make sure the chart is using a supported time-based bar type — see Compatible Bar Types below.

No license or activation step is required.

2. What It Displays

The overlay shows two live values next to the active bar, updating on every tick:

Time Countdown

A running clock for the current bar, computed from the bar’s total duration (for example, 5-minute bars use 5 minutes; monthly bars use the actual number of days in that calendar month) against the current time. Choose which value to show with Time Display:

• Remaining — time left until the bar closes
• Elapsed — time since the bar opened
• Total — the bar’s full duration, no countdown

Times under an hour display as mm:ss; an hour or more displays as hh:mm:ss.

Bar Size

Independently of the time display, the current bar’s high/low range is tracked and shown via Bar Size Units:

• Ticks — range divided by the instrument’s tick size (e.g. 12 t)
• Points — raw price range (e.g. 3.25 pts)
• Currency — price range converted using the instrument’s point value, formatted as currency (e.g. $162.50)

The text is drawn on the price panel just to the right of the most recent bar, vertically centered on its most recent close price, and moves and updates every tick.

3. Color-Coded Warning States

Whatever percentage of the bar is left dictates the text color, independent of whether you’ve got the display set to Remaining, Elapsed, or Total:

• It stays the normal/open color as long as there’s more time left than the yellow cutoff.
• Cross below that cutoff and it switches to yellow.
• Drop further, past the red cutoff, and it goes red.

Both cutoffs are just percentages you can set yourself in Settings, so you get a glance-able warning instead of having to actually read and interpret the clock every time.

4. Settings

• Font Size — text size for the overlay (default 25)
• Time Display — Remaining, Elapsed, or Total (default Remaining)
• Bar Size Units — Ticks, Points, or Currency (default Ticks)
• Open Color — text color while above the yellow threshold (default white)
• Yellow Threshold % — remaining-time percentage at or below which text turns yellow (default 15)
• Yellow Color — text color in the yellow warning state
• Red Threshold % — remaining-time percentage at or below which text turns red (default 5)
• Red Color — text color in the red warning state

5. Compatible Bar Types

Time Counter & Bar Size only renders on time-based bar types: Second, Minute, Day, Week, Month. On any other bar type — Tick, Volume, Range, Renko, or tick-based Heiken Ashi/PriceOnVolume/Volumetric — it stays inactive and draws nothing. For those bar types, use the sibling Tick Counter & Bar Size indicator instead, which covers exactly that ground.

• NinjaTrader 8
• Live trading, Replay, and backtesting — the time source adapts automatically

6. Common Fixes

The Indicator Isn’t Showing Anything

• confirm the chart is using a time-based bar type (Second, Minute, Day, Week, or Month) — it stays inactive on Tick, Volume, Range, or Renko charts
• use Tick Counter & Bar Size instead if you’re on one of those unsupported bar types

The Countdown Looks Off During Replay or Backtesting

Time Counter & Bar Size uses playback time during Replay/backtesting rather than the live clock, so the countdown reflects simulated time, not your wall-clock time.

Dollar Values Look Wrong

Confirm the instrument’s point value is set correctly in NinjaTrader — Currency mode converts the bar’s price range using that value.

7. FAQ

Does This Work on Tick or Range Bars?

No. Time Counter & Bar Size only supports time-based bar types (Second, Minute, Day, Week, Month). Use Tick Counter & Bar Size for tick, volume, range, or Renko charts.

Do I Need a License?

No. Time Counter & Bar Size doesn’t require license activation.

Can I Show Bar Size in Dollars Instead of Ticks or Points?

Yes — set Bar Size Units to Currency.

Can I Change What the Countdown Shows?

Yes — Time Display switches between Remaining, Elapsed, and Total.

8. Support

For support or setup questions, visit https://priceactiontools.com/support/.

Full product page: https://priceactiontools.com/product/time-counter-indicator-for-nt8/

Tick Counter & Bar Size documentation: https://priceactiontools.com/documentation/tick-counter-and-bar-size/

All of our NinjaTrader tools: NinjaTrader indicators and add-ons

Official NinjaTrader website: https://ninjatrader.com/