NinjaTrader 8 has no way to color chart tabs. Maverick adds it: apply one instance to each chart in a multi-tab window and pick a color per tab, so you can identify charts at a glance — ES yellow, NQ cyan, etc.
The color holds whether the tab is selected or not, survives renames and workspace save/restore, and leaves the tab’s X button intact. Zero runtime cost — it does all its work once at chart load, nothing while you trade.
Properties: Tab Color, Override Text Color, Text Color, Tab Font Size (for long tab names).
#region Using declarations
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;
using System.Windows.Documents;
using System.Windows.Input;
using System.Windows.Media;
using System.Xml.Serialization;
using NinjaTrader.Cbi;
using NinjaTrader.Gui;
using NinjaTrader.Gui.Chart;
using NinjaTrader.Gui.SuperDom;
using NinjaTrader.Gui.Tools;
using NinjaTrader.Data;
using NinjaTrader.NinjaScript;
using NinjaTrader.Core.FloatingPoint;
using NinjaTrader.NinjaScript.DrawingTools;
#endregion
namespace NinjaTrader.NinjaScript.Indicators
{
/// <summary>
/// Colors this chart's tab header. Add one instance per tab and pick a color per tab.
///
/// Why header-content wrap instead of TabItem.Background / Style / Template:
/// - Style setters lose to the skin's IsSelected triggers (color reverts when the tab is selected).
/// - Replacing the ControlTemplate removes the tab's X close button.
/// - Wrapping the Header CONTENT in a colored Border is untouched by the chrome triggers,
/// so the color holds in all states (selected / unselected / hover) and the X survives.
/// NT's original header object is preserved inside the wrapper, so @INSTRUMENT-style
/// tab-name updates continue to work. A HeaderProperty change hook re-wraps if NT
/// replaces the header (rename, workspace restore ordering).
/// </summary>
public class Maverick : Indicator
{
private const string WrapperName = "MaverickWrapper";
private Chart chartWindow;
private TabItem tabItem;
private object originalHeader;
private bool isWrapping; // reentrancy guard: our own Header writes must not re-trigger the hook
private bool subscribed;
private System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher uiDispatcher; // captured at apply time; Terminated can fire with ChartControl null
protected override void OnStateChange()
{
if (State == State.SetDefaults)
{
Description = @"Colors this chart's tab header. One instance per tab; pick a color per tab.";
Name = "Maverick";
Calculate = Calculate.OnBarClose;
IsOverlay = true;
IsChartOnly = true;
DisplayInDataBox = false;
PaintPriceMarkers = false;
TabBrush = Brushes.Gold;
ApplyTextBrush = false;
TextBrush = Brushes.Black;
TabFontSize = 0;
}
else if (State == State.Historical)
{
// UI work must run on the chart's dispatcher (official WPF-modifications sample pattern)
if (ChartControl == null)
return;
ChartControl.Dispatcher.InvokeAsync((Action)(() => { FindTabAndApply(); }));
}
else if (State == State.Terminated)
{
if (ChartControl != null)
{
// Chart survives (F5 reload, indicator removed) — restore the original header
ChartControl.Dispatcher.InvokeAsync((Action)(() => { RemoveAndRestore(); }));
}
else if (subscribed)
{
// Tab/window closing — the TabItem dies with it, nothing visual to restore,
// but the DPD value-changed table strongly roots the TabItem AND this instance
// until unsubscribed. Release it, on the window dispatcher if still alive.
if (uiDispatcher != null && !uiDispatcher.HasShutdownStarted)
uiDispatcher.InvokeAsync((Action)(() => { ReleaseHeaderHook(); tabItem = null; }));
else
{
ReleaseHeaderHook();
tabItem = null;
}
}
}
}
#region Tab location / wrap / restore
private void FindTabAndApply()
{
chartWindow = Window.GetWindow(ChartControl.Parent) as Chart;
if (chartWindow == null)
return;
// Match this indicator's ChartControl to its owning tab (official sample pattern)
foreach (TabItem tab in chartWindow.MainTabControl.Items)
if ((tab.Content as ChartTab) != null && (tab.Content as ChartTab).ChartControl == ChartControl)
{
tabItem = tab;
break;
}
if (tabItem == null)
return;
uiDispatcher = tabItem.Dispatcher;
ApplyWrap();
// Re-wrap if NT replaces the header out from under us (tab rename, restore ordering)
DependencyPropertyDescriptor dpd = DependencyPropertyDescriptor.FromProperty(TabItem.HeaderProperty, typeof(TabItem));
if (dpd != null)
{
dpd.AddValueChanged(tabItem, OnHeaderChanged);
subscribed = true;
}
}
private void OnHeaderChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (isWrapping)
return;
ApplyWrap();
}
private void ApplyWrap()
{
if (tabItem == null)
return;
isWrapping = true;
try
{
// Already ours (e.g. a second instance, or hook re-entry after restore) — recolor only
Border existing = tabItem.Header as Border;
if (existing != null && existing.Name == WrapperName)
{
existing.Background = TabBrush;
if (ApplyTextBrush)
TextElement.SetForeground(existing, TextBrush);
if (TabFontSize > 0)
TextElement.SetFontSize(existing, TabFontSize);
return;
}
originalHeader = tabItem.Header;
ContentPresenter presenter = new ContentPresenter();
Border wrap = new Border
{
Name = WrapperName,
Background = TabBrush,
CornerRadius = new CornerRadius(2),
Padding = new Thickness(2, 0, 2, 0), // minimal: horizontal padding is stolen from the width-constrained tab text
Child = presenter
};
if (ApplyTextBrush)
TextElement.SetForeground(wrap, TextBrush);
if (TabFontSize > 0)
TextElement.SetFontSize(wrap, TabFontSize);
// Order matters: detach the original from the TabItem's logical tree first,
// then attach it inside the wrapper — never two parents at once.
tabItem.Header = wrap;
presenter.Content = originalHeader;
}
finally { isWrapping = false; }
}
private void RemoveAndRestore()
{
if (tabItem == null)
return;
ReleaseHeaderHook();
Border existing = tabItem.Header as Border;
if (existing != null && existing.Name == WrapperName)
{
isWrapping = true;
try
{
// Restore from the wrapper's live content — the true original even if
// another instance recolored this wrapper after we created it.
ContentPresenter presenter = existing.Child as ContentPresenter;
object orig = presenter != null ? presenter.Content : originalHeader;
if (presenter != null)
presenter.Content = null; // detach before reattaching as Header
tabItem.Header = orig;
}
finally { isWrapping = false; }
}
tabItem = null;
originalHeader = null;
chartWindow = null;
uiDispatcher = null;
}
private void ReleaseHeaderHook()
{
if (!subscribed || tabItem == null)
{
subscribed = false;
return;
}
try
{
DependencyPropertyDescriptor dpd = DependencyPropertyDescriptor.FromProperty(TabItem.HeaderProperty, typeof(TabItem));
if (dpd != null)
dpd.RemoveValueChanged(tabItem, OnHeaderChanged);
}
catch { } // best-effort on the shutdown fallback path; on-dispatcher this never throws
subscribed = false;
}
#endregion
#region Properties
private Brush tabBrush;
[XmlIgnore]
[Display(Name = "Tab Color", Description = "Background color applied to this chart's tab header", Order = 1, GroupName = "Parameters")]
public Brush TabBrush
{
get { return tabBrush; }
set { tabBrush = value; }
}
[Browsable(false)]
public string TabBrushSerialize
{
get { return Serialize.BrushToString(tabBrush); }
set { tabBrush = Serialize.StringToBrush(value); }
}
[NinjaScriptProperty]
[Display(Name = "Override Text Color", Description = "Also force the tab text color (enable if the tab text is unreadable on the chosen fill)", Order = 2, GroupName = "Parameters")]
public bool ApplyTextBrush
{ get; set; }
private Brush textBrush;
[XmlIgnore]
[Display(Name = "Text Color", Description = "Tab text color when Override Text Color is enabled", Order = 3, GroupName = "Parameters")]
public Brush TextBrush
{
get { return textBrush; }
set { textBrush = value; }
}
[Browsable(false)]
public string TextBrushSerialize
{
get { return Serialize.BrushToString(textBrush); }
set { textBrush = Serialize.StringToBrush(value); }
}
[NinjaScriptProperty]
[Range(0, 72)]
[Display(Name = "Tab Font Size", Description = "Tab text size in points; 0 = platform default. Reduce if a long tab name gets trimmed.", Order = 4, GroupName = "Parameters")]
public double TabFontSize
{ get; set; }
#endregion
}
}
