Classic Structure family
A family overview for structure-based models that use swing elements rather than isolated fractals as the main base.
Section video
Classic Structure models are built on swing structure. Instead of using a single fractal as the complete base, they use the current or most relevant structural element created by a sequence of highs and lows on the selected timeframe.
That shift changes the logic materially. Entry and stop placement are now anchored to the structural leg itself, which makes these models a better fit when your setup depends on how the market is organizing its swings rather than on one isolated extremum.
In Lazy Trader, that structure can be built from regular, intermediate-term, or long-term points and from either 3-candle or 5-candle fractals. That produces several structural maps for the same market, and they are worth comparing directly in visual tester mode.
Shared mechanics across the family
- A chosen timeframe and fractal mode define the structural reading.
- The active swing element becomes the base for entry and stop calculations.
- The same structural map can lead to continuation, sweep, or reversal behavior depending on the submodel.
- The active structural element can be either fully confirmed or still developing.
What matters in live structure reading
Swing structure can exist in an unconfirmed state while the latest element is still extending with price.
Many structure-driven models use that live state directly, which is why it is better to validate in visual tester mode than through static screenshots alone.
Type-2 structure in version 3.23
Version 3.23 added an additional / alternative mechanism for structure detection. The case below shows Direction type-2, wick, dir 1-2.
type-2 differs from type-1 because the type-2 swing structure has a separate additional mechanism for internal swings.
Here, internal swings are a continuous chain of extremes that forms its own sequence; on the screenshot it is highlighted in orange. The dir parameter is applied on top of this condition.
In dir-1, direction uses only the first internal swing, meaning the current internal swing.
In dir-2, which is selected on the screenshot, direction becomes a rising or falling internal chain and returns LONG or SHORT only when swings inside that chain update their internal extremes. In this screenshot they do not update their extremes, so direction stays in WAIT.
How to read the numbers after dir
- In type-1, there is one number: 1, 2, or 3. Value 1 is the base behavior; 2 and 3 define how many swings with the same direction must appear in a row to confirm the true state.
- In type-2, there are two numbers. The first works for the regular state, as in type-1; the second is for the internal algorithm. The meaning is the same: how many swings with the same direction are required to confirm a true LONG or SHORT.
Practical result
- type-1 can be made more conservative through the dir parameter.
- type-2 ends up with 9 states: 3 for each dimension. They all have different sensitivity, so choose the mode experimentally for your own risk model.
Interface hints
- Status menu includes a hint that shows which type-2 algorithm is being used: internal algorithm or external algorithm.
- In the visualization, swings used for decisions are drawn thicker than the additional swings around them.
As usual, there is no ideal mode: everything depends on personal risk perception.
Other Lazy Trader sections
Config Mode and Lazy Trader 3 optimization
Config Mode turns dozens of Lazy Trader settings into controlled presets that can be iterated in Strategy Tester and then saved back into working plan cfg files.
Balanced Price Range (BPR)
BPR is the imbalance-compression model: it works with the overlap between opposite inefficiencies and lets you choose how deep into that balance zone entry should happen.
Moving Averages model
The MA model does more than “touch the fast average”: it also validates the nearest eligible fractal to the left before opening.
Larry-Williams model
Larry-Williams works with range extremes and supports both direct breakout continuation and return-entry logic after a raid back into the range.
Box-Fractal model
Box-Fractal uses a confirmed fractal range as the structural base for entry and stop placement rather than entering at the first raw extremum.
Base config
Base config is the shared risk and management layer that sits under each model and keeps model-specific logic from drifting into risk chaos.
Position Manager
Position Manager gives each open trade its own chart-level button and lets you adjust takes, breakeven, stop-loss, and level sizing without leaving the Lazy Trader workflow.
STATUS canvas
Status canvas merges Direction, Start After, End At, Time, and Models into one live state map, so you can see what is aligned, what is still pending, and why the plan is running or waiting.
MODELS menu
Models are the executable entry modules inside the plan, and the menu is built to let many different model types coexist under one scenario.
START AFTER menu
Start After does not pick the side of the trade; it defines what must happen before the plan is allowed to begin evaluating entries at all.
DIRECTION menu
Direction defines whether the plan is fixed long-only, fixed short-only, or dynamically biased through box, MA, or swing logic.
Automatic direction detection
This section explains the combined logic of Direction plus Start After, which is where many users actually shape the market bias of the plan.
TIME menu
TIME is where session logic lives: windows, overnights, weekday permissions, daily close, Friday close, and broker-specific timing constraints.
END AT menu
END AT defines when the plan stops looking for new positions, which is different from instantly flattening every already-open trade.
PLAN menu
PLAN is the root canvas: it is where risk, entry/stop/take, and the links to every other menu become one executable scenario.
What Lazy Trader does
Use this page when the main question is not “which button do I press”, but “what role does Lazy Trader play in the workflow at all”.