thinkscript scan debugging

While the first value of sum1 is no longer corrupted, which is an improvement, subsequent values are 0, so no assignment occurs with sum1 = GetValue(sum1, 1), and no computation occurs with sum1 = GetValue(sum1, 1) + 1. Nothing works.

You are successfully using the test method, the plot statement as provided. You are using it to verify different code to solve a problem that isn't really the problem. Sure you have solved that trivial problem. But I think we have a misunderstanding. The CompoundValue() function is applicable of course in this simple test case. However it works only with a single result. Like the if() function works only with a single result. Therefore we have the if statement for more complex scenarios. It is like saying we no longer are allowed to use the if statement, we should always use the if() function because the if statement has a bug as I showed. In other words, there should always be an if statement equivalent of the CompoundValue() function.

I will admit that I never run across this issue in my coding. Perhaps because I am used to applying the tools in a way that avoids this and other so-called bugs. In this example I applied the same exact nested if statement as you have done. So we are not limited to a single if statement when we apply the CompoundValue() statement. Given that I found a way to make this work using CompoundValue(), I believe the problem you are experiencing is that your recursion is failing to initialize properly. Therefore it is creating a N/A result instead of a numerical value. Perhaps you can find a way to restructure your nested if statement to ensure the recursive variables are properly initialized? That's about all I have to say on the topic. I do tons and tons of custom projects and never run into this.

I am glad that you confirm this is actually an issue. You provide a workaround that works with a specific coding style which I cannot use in my application. I need the ”if” statement not the ”if()” function, and I cannot replace that ”if” statement with the CompoundValue() function except in this trivial case which is a test case not an actual application problem. That is because, with my coding style, I need multiple statements in the if(){}else{} construct. I also need to initialize multiple variables in the first branch. CompoundValue() as a function is limited to a single output value. I cannot split my code up into multiple CompoundValue() root nodes – one for each variable to initialize – just for the sake of using this type of initialization. In other words, CoupoundValue() does NOT solve all initialization problems. It sounds convincing what you say that thinkscript fails to initialize with my approach. I have seen this problem pop up in so many scenarios it is not funny. The above may explain why this issue is not present in most basic scenarios. Another reason is that a scan as opposed to a chart study always uses the full amount of data so there is no data beyond the left edge to pre-fetch. But my code is not pre-fetching. I am not asking for a solution here because I think it is too hard and frustrating. Thanks for your advice though. I am just highlighting the issue here so others using this style may find it easier to go back to Ameritrade and ask for a bug fix. Apart from that, I think to see this problem unfold, to see that this unthinkable result is even possible in any programming language, is very interesting and intriguing. Also, the facts should be reason enough for Ameritrade to at least document this effect in a documentation page. And this example code is the most basic code I could produce to show that defect.

The code implements a counter. The 2nd value at offset = 1 should be 2. It is 0. So far, nothing on this page works. It really pays to check the results.