# Overview (/platform/charts/introduction)
Vela, our next-generation charting platform, gives you state-of-the-art charts for every market. Each chart shows one market. Change the symbol, timeframe, and style from the topbar, or type directly on the chart. Click the chart first so it has keyboard focus, then a **letter** opens symbol search and a **digit** starts a timeframe change.
Charts live in a [workspace](/platform/workspaces), which also holds your [panels](/platform/workspaces/panels), including the [watchlist](/platform/workspaces/watchlist). Open them at [vela.luxalgo.com](https://vela.luxalgo.com/chart).
This page covers the chart itself. [Replay Mode](/platform/charts/replay), [Drawings](/platform/charts/drawings), [Indicators](/platform/charts/indicators), [Pine editor](/platform/charts/pine-editor), [Screenshots](/platform/charts/screenshots), and [Order Flow](/platform/charts/order-flow/introduction) each have their own page, and every keyboard and mouse shortcut is collected in [Shortcuts](/platform/charts/shortcuts).
## Layouts [#layouts]
The topbar **Layout** control sets how many charts share the workspace:
| Layout | Arrangement |
| -------------- | ------------------- |
| Single | One chart (default) |
| 2 side by side | Two columns |
| 2 stacked | Two rows |
| 4 grid | 2×2 |
| 8 grid | 4×2 |
The layout picker also lets you preview a custom grid before applying it. Drag the splitters between cells to resize them; double-click a splitter to even the split.
### The active cell [#the-active-cell]
In a multi-chart layout, exactly one chart is **active**: the one you last clicked. Everything that targets "the chart" targets this cell: symbol changes, timeframe changes, drawings, indicators, and scripts from [Quant](/platform/quant/introduction). If an action seems to land on the wrong chart, check which cell is active first.
Every plan, including Free, supports up to **16 charts per tab**. Sign in to use multi-chart layouts.
### Sync charts together [#sync-charts-together]
In the layout picker, **Sync** links properties across charts. Each can be toggled independently:
* **Symbol**: changing the ticker on one chart updates every linked chart. Useful for watching the same market on several timeframes at once.
* **Interval**: changing the timeframe updates every linked chart. Useful for comparing several markets on the same timeframe.
* **Crosshair**: the cursor lines up across charts, so you can read the same moment in time on every cell.
**Sync drawings on all charts** is separate: it lives on the [drawing toolbar](/platform/charts/drawings) and copies your drawings across cells.
## Change the symbol [#change-the-symbol]
Click the symbol in the topbar, or type a **letter** on the chart, to open **Symbol Search**.
The search is organized in tabs: **All**, **Stocks**, **ETFs**, **Crypto**, **Futures**, **Forex**, **Commodities**. By default a symbol resolves to its primary venue; to pin a specific venue, use the `PROVIDER:SYMBOL` format, for example `binance:BTCUSDT` for Binance spot rather than an aggregate. Which venues exist per market, which plans can open them, and which of them provide order-flow data, is covered in [Data](/platform/charts/data).
Use the arrow keys to move through results and **Tab** / **Shift+Tab** to switch market tabs. A side panel shows details for the highlighted symbol, including the other venues it trades on under **Also trades as**. Searching a pair without a separator, such as `BTCUSD`, also finds venues that write it as `BTC-USD` or `BTC/USD`.
## Change the timeframe [#change-the-timeframe]
Click the timeframe caret in the topbar. It opens a field where you can type any interval, for example `22m`, `3h`, or `2D`:
* **Enter** charts the first match, and **↑** / **↓** move through the matches.
* **Shift+Enter** charts it and also pins it to the topbar as a one-click chip.
* With the field empty, it lists the presets (1m, 5m, 15m, 30m, 1h, 4h, 1D, 1W, 1M) and a **Recent** list of the last four custom intervals you used.
Presets are available on every plan. Custom intervals need a paid plan; on Free they are marked **Upgrade**.
Faster: type a **digit** on the chart to open the same field with that digit already entered, then finish typing it:
| You type | You get |
| -------- | ------------------------------------- |
| `15` | 15 minutes (a bare number is minutes) |
| `4h` | 4 hours |
| `D` | 1 day |
| `3M` | 3 months |
Star the timeframes you use often in the list. Starred intervals show as one-click chips.
Where the symbol has trading sessions (US equities, futures-style calendars), the bottom bar can switch between **RTH** (regular trading hours: only the main session) and **ETH** (extended trading hours, including pre- and post-market).
## Chart types [#chart-types]
Open the chart style control in the topbar:
* **Candles** (default), **Bars**, **Line**, **Area**, **Baseline**, **Heikin Ashi**: standard price representations, all built from OHLC data.
* **Footprint**: replaces each bar with a per-price breakdown of bid vs ask volume. This is order-flow data, so it needs a symbol that provides it.
* **TPO**: Time Price Opportunity session profiles, showing how much time price spent at each level.
Footprint and TPO are full chart types with their own settings and their own documentation. See [Order Flow](/platform/charts/order-flow/introduction).
## Replay Mode [#replay-mode]
Use **Replay** in the chart controls to study historical price action one candle at a time. Choose a start date or a candle with the history slider, set the update speed, and begin playback. The toolbar can float or be docked/pinned, and replay supports multi-chart layouts.
Replay Mode is free with a signed-in account and runs in your browser. See [Replay Mode](/platform/charts/replay) for the full walkthrough.
## Settings [#settings]
Open **Chart settings** from the gear, or right-click the chart and choose **Settings…**. The dialog has these tabs:
| Tab | What it controls |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Symbol** | Chart type, candle/bar/line colors, animation, time zone, trading session, watermark |
| **Status line** | Symbol name, market status, OHLC and bar change values, indicator titles and values |
| **Scales and lines** | Price scale mode, invert scale, last price line, countdown to bar close, crosshair |
| **Canvas** | Background, grid, text size (8 to 14 px), color theme (**Dark** / **Light**) |
| **Events** | News, earnings, dividends, splits, and economic releases shown on the chart |
| **Advanced** | Number of bars to fetch |
When Footprint or TPO is the active style, the dialog gains additional tabs for that chart type's own options.
### Price scale modes [#price-scale-modes]
Under **Scales and lines** (or by right-clicking the price axis):
* **Regular**: linear price.
* **Percent**: moves shown as % change from the left edge of the visible range. Good for comparing magnitude across assets with different prices.
* **Indexed to 100**: like percent, but rebased so the first visible bar equals 100.
* **Logarithmic**: equal vertical distances are equal *percentage* moves, not equal dollar moves. The usual choice for long histories and for assets that have grown by multiples.
**Invert scale** flips the axis upside down.
### Live price animation [#live-price-animation]
Open **Chart settings → Symbol → Animation** to control movement on the chart:
| Setting | Effect |
| ------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Animate zoom** | Glides between zoom levels. |
| **Pan momentum** | Lets a finger flick on a touch screen glide to a stop, and eases navigation pans such as scrolling to the latest bar. A mouse drag always stops where you release it. |
| **Animate price scale** | Glides the scale to its new range while zooming or panning. |
| **Animate price changes** | Glides the live bar to each new price instead of snapping. |
| **Reveal on load** | Animates candles when a chart first loads; takes effect on the next load. |
Turn off an animation if you prefer immediate visual transitions. These controls change how chart movement is displayed.
### Faster paths [#faster-paths]
* Right-click the **price axis**: scale mode, including log and invert.
* Right-click the **time axis**: time zone.
* Press `0` with the chart focused to fit content to the viewport.
Control **Symbol watermark** and **Replay watermark** in the Symbol settings.
### Inspect what's on the chart [#inspect-whats-on-the-chart]
The right-hand [panel rail](/platform/workspaces/panels) opens two inspection panels:
* **Object tree**: every drawing and indicator on the chart as a list: show/hide, lock, reorder, or remove each one. This is the fastest way to clean up a crowded chart.
* **Data window**: the exact values of every plot under the crosshair, useful when several indicators overlap.
## Market events [#market-events]
Event markers along the chart's bottom edge put news, company events, and economic releases beside price action. You can review historical events and look ahead to upcoming events where data is available.
### Choose which events appear [#choose-which-events-appear]
1. Open **Chart settings** using the gear at the bottom-right of the chart.
2. Select **Events**.
3. Use the **News & company events** and **Economic releases** groups to turn the categories you want to see on or off:
| Control | What to select |
| --------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **News** | Use the **Latest news** and **All news** options to choose the news shown. |
| **Earnings** | Show company earnings events. |
| **Dividends** | Show dividend events. |
| **Splits** | Show stock split events. |
| **Economic releases** | Choose **High impact**, **Medium impact**, and **Low impact** releases. |
Close settings to return to the chart. Pan along the time axis to inspect the dates you want to review, including earlier events and upcoming dates. The available events depend on the selected symbol and event data.
Choose news, company events, and economic releases in Chart settings → Events.
### Event display [#event-display]
The **Event display** group in **Chart settings → Events** has two controls:
* **Show future event lines** adds connector lines for upcoming events.
* **Highlight the move on hover** controls the price-move highlight when hovering an event.
[](/images/charts/event-display-settings.png)
The **Events preview** uses sample data. Choose **Stocks** or **Forex** in the preview to inspect the example event display; use the actual chart to review events for your selected market.
### Read an event [#read-an-event]
Click a marker at the bottom of the chart to open its details. The information depends on the event type and available data:
* **News** shows a linked headline, its source, and publication time.
* **Earnings** can show the event date, EPS and revenue alongside estimates, and a result such as **EPS beat**.
* **Dividends** can show the ex-dividend date, amount, record date, payment date, declaration date, and payment frequency.
* **Splits** show the split ratio and effective date.
* **Economic releases** show the release name, time, country, and **Actual**, **Estimate**, and **Previous** values where available. One marker can open several releases.
Upcoming earnings are labeled **Earnings (scheduled)** and can show EPS and revenue estimates. Check the event date when distinguishing past from upcoming events: an economic entry can still display **Scheduled** when numeric figures are absent, even after its listed date.
Read each date label carefully: a dividend's ex-dividend date and payment date describe different parts of the same event.
For a searchable headline feed across the symbols in your watchlist, use [Watchlist → Advanced view → News](/platform/workspaces/watchlist/advanced#price-financials-and-news). That feed is separate from the event markers on the chart.
## Screenshots [#screenshots]
Open the camera icon on the right-hand rail to **Copy to clipboard**, or capture the full chart or a selected portion for a PNG export. In the preview, choose **Chart** or **Styled**, control whether to include indicators and a frame, and download the image. See [Screenshots](/platform/charts/screenshots) for the full workflow and how it differs from sending a chart image to Quant.
## Alerts [#alerts]
How many alerts you can run depends on your plan: **Free** 5, **Essential** 50, **Premium** 100, **Ultimate** 200, **AI Ultra** 500. Webhook alerts are available on **Premium**, **Ultimate**, and **AI Ultra**.
## Next steps [#next-steps]
The drawing toolbar, magnet snapping, and the radial wheel.
Built-in, order-flow, and LuxAlgo Library studies.
Footprint, TPO, volume profiles, and delta tools.
Every keyboard and mouse shortcut in one place.