# The order bar and orders panel

> Every button on the order bar under the chart, the method dropdown, offset and stop steppers, and the Positions and Orders tabs with net P&L and fees.

Source: https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/order-bar
Guide 4.6, Placing trades. Beginner, 6 min read.
Checked with Scalpel 1.12.8 on 2026-10-15. By Scalpel Team.

**In short:**

The order bar sits under each desk's chart: a **Buy** row with the sizing method dropdown, your four buy buttons (each with the dollar size it would buy above it) and the buy **Offset**, and a **Sell** row with **Full**, **1/2**, **1/4**, **1/2 Ask**, **1/2 Mid**, **B/E**, **Trail**, **Cancel** and the sell **Offset**. Below it, the **ORDERS & POSITIONS** panel has a **Positions** tab (open position over closed trades, with fees and R) and an **Orders** tab, plus a **NET P&L** for the desk's symbol.

Everything on the order bar has a hotkey ([guide 4.3](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/hotkeys)), and most traders end up using the keys. The bar is still worth knowing: its size lines tell you what a key will buy before you press it, and its steppers are the fastest way to change an offset or the Risk (Cents) stop mid-session.

## The order bar, control by control

*Screenshot: The order bar with a position open. (1) Method dropdown, (2) buy buttons with their size lines, (3) buy Offset, (4) sell buttons, (5) B/E, Trail and Cancel, (6) sell Offset. Demo data.*

| Control | What it does | Key |
|---|---|---|
| **Method dropdown** | Shows the first preset's sizing kind; picking a kind switches all four presets to it ([guide 4.1](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/sizing-presets)) | |
| **Buy buttons** | Buy with preset 1 to 4. The label is the preset: **100 sh**, **$2500**, **Risk $50** | `Shift`+`1` to `4` |
| **Size line** (above each buy) | The dollar size that press would put on at the current ask: **$571**, **$1.9k**. A dash means no ask yet or zero shares | |
| **Stop** stepper | Only with Risk (Cents) as the method. The cents stop the risk buttons size against, 5c a click, never under 1c. It changes the saved setting for every desk ([guide 4.2](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/trade-fixed-dollar-risk)) | |
| **Offset** (buy row) | How far above the ask a buy may fill, 10c a click, never under 0 | |
| **Full**, **1/2**, **1/4** | Sell all, half or a quarter at the bid minus the sell offset | `Ctrl`+`Z`, `X`, `C` |
| **1/2 Ask**, **1/2 Mid** | Offer half at the ask or the midpoint | `Ctrl`+`A`, `S` |
| **B/E** | Move the working stop up to your entry (a stop already above it stays put) | `B` |
| **Trail** | Turn trailing on or off; the button is lit while trailing | `Shift`+`T` |
| **Cancel** | Cancel working orders on this symbol; only shown while you hold a position | `Ctrl`+`Q` |
| **Offset** (sell row) | How far under the bid a bid exit may fill, 10c a click | |

Clicking any button also focuses that desk, so the next hotkey goes to it.

## When buttons are grey

- **No symbol** on the desk: everything is grey.
- **No position**: the Sell row, **B/E** and **Trail** are grey and **Cancel** is hidden.
- **Stock halted**: the buy buttons are grey until the halt lifts ([guide 4.4](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/entries-and-fills)).
- **Market closed** (before 04:00 or after 20:00 ET, weekends and holidays): every button is grey. The `B`, `Shift`+`T` and `Ctrl`+`Q` keys and the header's **Flatten All** still work. See [guide 13.13](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/fix-order-bar-greyed-out).

To hide the bar, open the chart pane's settings (the gear on **CHART**) and untick **Quick-order buttons**. The hotkeys keep working without it.

**Careful.**

The steppers are not per-trade or per-desk. Every **Offset** and **Stop** click changes the saved value, for every desk, until you change it again, the same as editing **Settings > Trading** or **Settings > Stops**.

## The orders and positions panel

Each desk's **ORDERS & POSITIONS** panel shows only that desk's symbol, in the mode you are in (SIM and LIVE keep separate positions, orders and history). Two tabs:

### Positions

**OPEN** (your position) above **CLOSED** (finished trades on this symbol, newest first).

| Column | Open row | Closed row |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | **SYMBOL** | **TIME** the trade closed |
| 2 | **QTY** shares | **QTY** shares |
| 3 | **AVG** entry price | **ENTRY** price |
| 4 | **NOTIONAL**: shares x last price | **EXIT** price |
| 5 | **FEE**: commission so far | **FEE**: entry and exit commissions |
| 6 | **UNREAL (R)**: open P&L and R | **NET (R)**: P&L after fees, and R |

The open row is washed green or red, stronger the more R it is up or down. **NET P&L** at the top right adds this symbol's closed trades in the list to the open P&L.

*Screenshot: The Positions tab: 400 ABCD open at +1.7R, a +1.0R winner and a -1.2R loser closed. Demo data.*

To read returns as a percent of entry instead of R, set **Settings > Appearance > Stops / TP returns** to **Percent (%)**; the headings change to **UNREAL (%)** and **NET (%)** ([guide 5.4](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/r-multiples)).

### Orders

Every order on the symbol, newest first: **TIME**, **QTY**, **SIDE** (**BUY** green, **SELL** red), **FILL** (the average fill price), **FEE** and **STATUS**: **Pending**, **Working**, **Partial**, **Filled**, **Cancelling**, **Cancelled** or **Rejected**. **Filled** reads in plain text, **Rejected** in red, and every other status in amber.

*Screenshot: The Orders tab with a buy still working as Partial. Demo data.*

The **TIME** columns are New York time, the same clock as the header, so 09:41 is eleven minutes after the open whatever time zone your computer is in.

A fee of **-** means none has been booked yet. In LIVE the commission is the broker's real figure and can arrive a moment after the fill; in SIM it is the estimate for your commission plan ([guide 6.3](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/commissions)). The full history and stats are in Analytics ([guide 6.4](https://scalpeltrade.com/guides/analytics)).

## Questions

**What does the number above each buy button mean?**

The dollar size that press would buy at the current ask, worked out exactly as the order will be. $1.9k over Risk $100 means about $1,900 of stock.

**Why is the order bar greyed out?**

There is no symbol on the desk, the market is closed (outside 04:00 to 20:00 ET or a weekend or holiday), the stock is halted (buys only), or, for the sell row, you hold no position.

**Where do I see my fees?**

In the FEE column of the Positions and Orders tabs. Closed trades show the entry and exit commissions together, and NET is after fees.

**Why does the Cancel button disappear?**

It only shows while you hold a position on that desk. Ctrl+Q cancels working orders whether or not it is showing.

**Can I hide the order bar?**

Yes: untick Quick-order buttons in the chart pane's settings. The hotkeys still work.