bar_index - PineScript Variable

bar_index

Overview

bar_index is the zero-based position of the bar currently being processed. The first historical bar uses index 0, and each subsequent bar increments the value by one as data progresses toward realtime.

Type

int

Qualifier

series

Remarks

• Use historical references such as bar_index[1] to compare neighbouring indices or to calculate spans between events.
• bar_index increases continuously across the loaded chart history. When new history loads (e.g., during scrolling), earlier bars receive negative indexes relative to the current dataset.
• Because the variable changes on every bar, any logic that relies on specific index values may repaint when history is reloaded or chart depth changes.

Example

//@version=5
indicator("Highlight first 200 bars", overlay=true)

limit = input.int(200, "Highlight bars", minval=1)
isEarlyBar = bar_index < limit

bgcolor(isEarlyBar ? color.new(color.blue, 88) : na,
    title="Early history highlight")

if isEarlyBar and barstate.islastconfirmedhistory
    label.new(bar_index, high,
        text=str.tostring(bar_index),
        textcolor=color.white,
        bgcolor=color.new(color.blue, 70),
        style=label.style_label_down)

See Also

• last_bar_index
• barstate
• time