Most indicators are a collection of functions connected by +, -, *, and /. The Functions Dialog contains a list of all of Investigator's functions, along with their parameters. If a parameter can only be certain values, the Function dialog box shows those values. For example, let’s say we want the close of a bar 2 bars ago. The Functions dialog box shows the bar function:
bar(Area, Num Bars Ago) Area = o (Open), h (High), l (Low), c (Close)
To get the bar's close, we see that the Area parameter would be c. The Num Bars Ago value is the Number of Bars ago that we want. If this parameter is present, this will always be the last parameter in a function. For two bars ago, the value would be 2:
bar(c, 2)
In most cases you will want the current bar. If so, you can ignore the Num Bars Ago parameter. (This is the only parameter in any function that you can ignore.) For example, the following two functions state the same thing:
bar(c)
bar(c, 0)
Investigator can provide you with even more help. You can highlight a function and press the Info button. A window will appear with a detailed explanation of the function and its parameters.