# Double Pattern Qualifier (DPQ)

> Flags candles that retest an earlier high or low and reject it, as double-top (+1) and double-bottom (−1) candidates in a separate pane.

Updated: 2026-10-25T01:30:08.000Z · https://chartrider.com/docs/indicators/double-pattern-qualifier/

## What you see
A pane below the chart. A double-top candidate gets a red bar upward labelled "DT", a double-bottom candidate a green bar downward labelled "DB". All other candles show nothing. The colors are fixed; Line Color has no effect.

## How to read it
A candle is a double-top candidate when
- its high comes back up to the highest high of an earlier stretch of candles – within Proximity Threshold %, or above it,
- it closes below that earlier high,
- the candles in between never traded above the earlier high, and
- it shows a clear upper rejection wick.

A double-bottom candidate is the mirror image at an earlier low, with a lower rejection wick. The earlier stretch is the Lookback Period without its most recent Min. Distance candles; those candles form the bridge between the first and the second test.

The indicator flags the second test itself and does not wait for a break of the neckline, so treat a flag as a candidate that still needs confirmation from price. Each value only uses the current candle and earlier ones.

## Using it in strategies
The output `value` is +1 on a double-top candidate, −1 on a double-bottom candidate and 0 otherwise; if a candle meets both conditions, −1 is reported. In the [Trade Setup](https://chartrider.com/docs/strategies/trade-setup/), `value` equal to −1 can serve as a long trigger and +1 as a short trigger, ideally combined with a trend or level filter. In [WickScript](https://chartrider.com/docs/wickscript/): `use indicator "Double Pattern Qualifier" with period 50 as dpq`, then `dpq.value == -1`.

## Settings

Open the settings with the slider icon next to the indicator (Indicators, `F3`). Numeric settings can be swept as Step 1 / Step 2 parameters when you run a strategy.

### Inputs

| Setting | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lookback Period | Number | `30` | How many candles back the first top or bottom is searched, including the bridge candles. (min 10) |
| Proximity Threshold (%) | Number | `0.5` | How close, in percent, the candle's high (low) must come to the earlier high (low). It may also overshoot, as long as the candle closes back inside. |
| Min. Distance (Candles) | Number | `5` | Minimum number of candles between the earlier extreme and the retest. These bridge candles must not trade beyond the earlier extreme. (min 2) |
| Height | Number | `90` | Height of the indicator pane. (min 20) |

### Styles

| Setting | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Line Color | Color | `#EEE000C0` |  |

## Outputs

These values can be used in Trade Setup triggers, filters and exits (see [Trade Setup](https://chartrider.com/docs/strategies/trade-setup/)) and in WickScript.

| Output | In WickScript | Description |
|---|---|---|
| value | `value` | +1 double-top candidate, −1 double-bottom candidate, 0 none. |

## Use in WickScript

`use indicator` creates this indicator inside a script, with settings by their ID. Each output is a field of the name after `as`. See [WickScript indicators](https://chartrider.com/docs/wickscript/indicators/).

```wickscript
wickscript 1
indicator "Double Pattern Qualifier (DPQ) from the list" in pane
use indicator "DPQ" with period 30 as myDpq
show myDpq.value as line "value"
```