How to install Base Camp Trading indicators on Thinkorswim

To install your BCT indicators on ThinkorSwim, you’ll first want to log into your BCT Dashboard and navigate to the Indicators section.

(You may have a different dashboard layout, but you would still navigate to the Indicators section, regardless of your layout.)

The MQ Momentum indicator is used in this example, however, the steps are the same for all indicators. You will just replace “MQ Momentum” with the name of the indicator you are installing in your steps.

Select the indicator that you would like to install from the dropdown menu

(Note: installation guides for available trading platforms as well as individual indicator resource guides are also linked on the page.)

In the User ID field for the Thinkorwim Bundle Download, enter your ThinkorSwim user ID (that you use to log into the ThinkorSwim platform)

Select Authenticate Indicators

A link to download the files will appear to the right. Select that link to download the indicator files

Note: The MQ Momentum indicator is used in this example. The process is the same for each BCT indicator and will need to be repeated for each indicator that you would like to install on ThinkorSwim. You can select the “Reload” option between downloads.

Open your computer’s file directory. Your system will typically default to downloading the files to your Downloads folder, unless you have defaulted it to download to a different folder or have the option to choose a folder.

Find and select the downloaded Zip file (your directory may take you directly to the underlying TS file, in which case you will want to navigate up one level in the folder)

With the Zip file selected (not opened), Select Extract All

Note: Windows 11 shown, other operating systems may vary in appearance, however, the functions are the same. If using a Mac, you can double click on the Zip file to extract the files. Your system may automatically extract the files for you, and potentially delete the Zip file the underlying files were in. In this case, you can skip the extraction steps and move to the import steps in ThinkorSwim

A destination and extraction window should pop up.

Confirm the destination to extract the file(s) to (default Downloads folder recommended)

Select Extract

Your file directory will pop back up, with the extracted file displayed. You do not want to open the extracted/underlying TS file, only note the file location path (If you try to open the .ts file, your system will try to open it as a video file, though it is not)

To import the files into ThinkorSwim, log into your ThinkorSwim desktop application in real money mode (indicators must be installed on the desktop version, not the web or mobile app versions)

Select the Charts tab

Select the Studies icon (flask) -or- Studies > Edit Studies

In the Edit Studies and Strategies popup window, select Import (bottom left)

In the Load Studies popup window, select the folder dropdown menu and navigate to your Downloads folder (or folder you downloaded the files to) with the file location path you noted earlier. You may need to select your User in the folder menu then the Downloads folder under your user.

Find the MQ_Momentum folder (or the folder for which indicator you would like to import the files for if other) by scrolling to the right and double-click on the yellow folder icon (not the indicator name). (Note: If on a Mac and your system automatically extracted the files and deleted the folder they were under, your files may be all the way to the right and not in a folder.)

Select the indicator file to import (single click)

The file will populate in the File Name field

Select Open (this imports the file)

To apply the indicator to your charts, in the Edit Studies and Strategies window, enter all or part of the name of the indicator in the search field in the left side bar.

Select the indicator to add from the list of available indicators

Select Add selected (this will move the indicator to the appropriate chart placement in the Added studies and strategies section

Select Apply (to apply the changes to your charts)

Select OK (to close the Edit studies and strategies window)

You can return to the Edit Studies and strategies tool at any time by selecting the Edit Studies option in the Charts tab of your ThinkorSwim desktop application to remove the indicator from your charts, edit indicator settings, or add additional indicators to your charts.

To remove an indicator, hover over the selected indicator and select the “X” icon

To edit indicator settings, select the settings (gear wheel) icon

To hide the indicator, hover over the selected indicator and select the hide (crossed-out eye) icon

To apply your changes, select Apply

To close the Edit studies and strategies window, select OK