Blahtech Candle Timer displays the time remaining before the current bar closes and a new bar forms. The countdown can sit beside the active candle or in any chart corner, and its colour reflects the direction of the forming candle and the final seconds before the close. It is a simple, low-overhead aid for timing entries and keeping bar-close discipline.

Free on NinjaTrader 8.

Capabilities

Feature Highlights

Overview

Bar-close countdown on chart

Supported platforms

Please read the installation guide for your platform before downloading.

NinjaTrader 8

Blahtech CT is a free subscription - sign up below, then download the add-on from the members area.

Indicators are tools, not trade signals. Trading futures involves substantial risk of loss.

How the countdown works

By default the timer counts down to the close of the current chart bar. Set Custom Period Seconds to count down to a fixed period instead - useful for non-standard candles, for example a 30-second bar.

The text colour reflects the forming candle. With Text Colour Scheme set to Manual the timer uses the Bull colour while the candle is up and the Bear colour while it is down; set to Candle it follows the chart's own candle up / down colours. During the final Countdown Seconds before the close the text switches to the Countdown colour.

A suffix after the timer shows the data-feed state. While ticks are arriving the Active suffix is shown. If no tick arrives for the inactive-detection period the timer switches to the Inactive suffix and runs on the local clock; when the platform reports the feed as down the Disconnected suffix is shown. At weekends, when the markets are closed and the local clock and the feed frame can differ, Local Timer Offset Seconds keeps the local countdown aligned.

Reference

Input Parameters

Blahtech Candle Timer is fully customisable. The online user guide is in the members area.

Text
Text LocationWhere the countdown text is drawn - beside the active candle, or any chart corner
Text Font / Style / SizeFont, style (Normal, Bold, Italic, Bold Italic) and size for the timer text
Text Shift Bars / PriceMove the text right by bars, or up by a price amount (candle location only)
Text Shift X / YPixel offset from the chart edge (chart corner locations only)
Text PrefixDisplay custom text before the timer
Text Suffix - Active / Inactive / DisconnectedText shown after the timer for each data-feed state
Text Suffix - BacktestText shown while the chart is in backtest, independent of the health suffixes
Colours
Text Colour SchemeManual uses the Bull / Bear colours below; Candle matches the chart's own candle up / down colours
Text Colour Bull / BearManual colours for an up / down forming candle
Text Colour CountdownColour for the final countdown seconds. Set to 00000000 (fully transparent) to disable
Text Colour BacktestColour while the chart is in backtest. The Countdown colour still takes precedence in the final seconds
Alerts
Sound / Email / NotificationAlert delivery channels
Early SecondsFire the alert this many seconds before the candle closes (0 = on the new bar)
Startup Delay SecondsWait a number of seconds before testing for alerts on startup
Sound Wav FileChange alert sound
Message / Email Subject / BodyUser customisable alert message templates
Other Parameters
Instance IdUnique instance Id - only modify for multiple instances per chart
Display TitleText shown as the indicator title, overriding the default tab label
Colour ModeAuto follows the global Settings colour mode, then the chart background; or force Light / Dark
Backtest CountdownFrozen + Live, Frozen, or Live - what the timer does while the chart is in backtest
Backtest PositionWhere the timer is drawn in backtest - pinned candle, pinned candle at live price, or live candle
Countdown SecondsNumber of final seconds that use the Countdown colour
Inactive Detection SecondsSeconds without a tick before the feed is treated as inactive
Custom Period SecondsCount down to a custom period for non-standard candles (0 = chart timeframe boundary)
Candle Time Offset SecondsShift the countdown clock by this many seconds
Local Timer Offset SecondsSeconds added to the local clock while the feed is inactive or disconnected (weekend alignment)
Backtest Mode Expire Time (mins)Minutes to wait before cancelling backtest mode (0 = no limit)
Hot Keys
`Iconise / restore the panel
cClear Display (Shift = active tab only)
rReset (Shift = active tab only)
bBacktest
hNext tab (Shift = previous)
4Hide Candles
5Pop Lines

Chart-wide hot keys shared across all Blahtech indicators, reassignable via the Settings (cog) Global Hot Key Map. Blahtech CT has no indicator-specific hot keys.

NinjaTrader 8

Get Blahtech CT free

Blahtech CT is a free subscription. Sign up, then download the add-on zip from the members area and import it via Tools > Import > NinjaScript Add-On.

Need help? Contact support.

Pair with Blahtech BV

Candle Timer for bar-close discipline, Better Volume for participation context - a lightweight pairing on NinjaTrader 8.

View Blahtech BV

Trading futures, forex, and other leveraged products involves substantial risk and is not suitable for all investors. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Blahtech products are analytical software tools only; nothing on this site constitutes investment advice or a recommendation to trade. Full Risk Disclosure

© 2026 Blahtech Limited. Registered in England and Wales, 2006.