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Pine Script inputs: turn any number into a setting

Every number in a script is a guess until you test it. Inputs turn those numbers into settings, so you can try 20, then 50, without touching the code.

Beginner guide · 8-minute read · Updated 2026-10-21

What an input is

An input is a setting. It shows up when you click the gear icon next to your script's name on the chart, under Inputs.

Without inputs, changing a number means opening the code, editing it and saving. With inputs, you just type a new value in the settings box. The chart updates right away.

It also makes your script easy to share. Someone else can change the settings without reading a line of code.

New to Pine Script? Start with Pine Script for beginners. This page picks up from there.

The basic pattern

Every input follows the same shape:

length = input.int(20, "Length")

In plain words:

• length is the name you give it. You use this name later in the code.
• input.int says "this setting is a whole number".
• 20 is the starting value.
• "Length" is the label people see in the settings box.

The 6 input types you'll use most

Pine Script version 6 has a different input for each kind of value:

There are others, like input.timeframe for picking a chart timeframe. That one gets its own page: Pine Script request.security.

A full example with every type

Here's a whole indicator. It draws a Moving average (the average price of the last few candles) with 5 settings:

//@version=6
indicator("Average with settings", overlay=true)
src = input.source(close, "Price", group="Average")
length = input.int(20, "Length", minval=1, maxval=500, group="Average", tooltip="How many candles to average")
maType = input.string("SMA", "Type", options=["SMA", "EMA"], group="Average")
showLine = input.bool(true, "Show the line", group="Look")
lineColor = input.color(color.orange, "Color", group="Look")
smaLine = ta.sma(src, length)
emaLine = ta.ema(src, length)
avg = maType == "SMA" ? smaLine : emaLine
plot(showLine ? avg : na, "Average", color=lineColor)

Line by line:

• Line 1 says this is Pine Script version 6.
• Line 2 names the indicator and draws it on the price chart.
• Line 3 lets you pick which price to average. It starts on the closing price.
• Line 4 is the number of candles. minval and maxval stop anyone typing 0 or 10,000. tooltip adds a small "i" with a hint.
• Line 5 gives a drop-down list with 2 choices. options is the list.
• Line 6 is a tick box, ticked to start.
• Line 7 is a color picker, orange to start.
• Lines 8 and 9 work out both kinds of average every candle.
• Line 10 picks one. Read it as: "if the Type is SMA, use smaLine, otherwise use emaLine."
• Line 11 draws it. If the box is unticked, it draws na (nothing) instead.

group puts settings under a small heading. Here, "Average" and "Look" become 2 neat sections.

Why lines 8 and 9 work out both averages

You might wonder why we don't only work out the one we need.

Functions like ta.sma and ta.ema keep a memory of past candles. If they only run on some candles, that memory has gaps, and the numbers can come out wrong. Pine Script warns you about this.

The safe habit: work out these values on every candle, then choose between them.

input.float: a setting with decimals

Use it when a whole number isn't enough:

mult = input.float(1.5, "Range multiplier", minval=0.1, step=0.1)

• 1.5 is the starting value.
• minval=0.1 is the smallest allowed.
• step=0.1 is how much the little up and down arrows change it each click.

More useful extras

These work on most input types:

• tooltip adds a hint next to the setting. Use it to explain what the number does.
• group puts settings under a heading.
• inline puts 2 settings on the same row. Give both the same inline name.
• confirm=true asks for the value when you first add the script to a chart.

How to use inputs to test, not to tune

Here's the catch. Inputs make it easy to try 50 settings until the past looks perfect. That feels like progress. It usually isn't.

A setting picked because it fit the past is called overfitting. It's tuned to old candles that will never repeat exactly.

A better habit:

1. Pick a setting for a reason you can say in one sentence. For example: "20 candles is about one month of trading days."
2. Test it on past charts with bar replay, one candle at a time.
3. Log what you see in a trading journal.
4. Only change the setting if you can say why, then test again.

Try it today

1. Paste the full example into the Pine Editor, on a computer.
2. Save it and add it to a chart.
3. Click the gear icon. Find the 2 groups, "Average" and "Look".
4. Switch Type from SMA to EMA. Watch the line react faster.
5. Hover over the "i" next to Length. That's your tooltip.

Learning from a real script

Inputs are how a finished indicator stays flexible. Studying one shows you how many settings are useful, and how many are too many.

Our course includes the full source code of the StructureX chart tool, to learn from and customize, settings and all. It's source code, not a ready-made trading bot.

Common mistakes

• Wrong type. input.int won't accept 1.5. Use input.float for decimals.
• No limits. Without minval, someone can type 0 and break the script.
• Labels that mean nothing. "Len2" helps nobody. Write "Slow average length".
• Settings scattered everywhere. Put inputs at the top of the script, so they're easy to find.
• Tuning until it looks perfect. That's overfitting. Pick for a reason, then test.

Questions