Navigating the Interface: Chart, Screener, Ideas & Community

The first time you log in to TradingView, you might feel a bit overwhelmed. There are charts, tools, tickers, indicators, menus and somehow, everyone seems to know exactly where to click.

Relax. You don’t need to learn everything on Day 1. But you do need to know what matters most.

Let’s simplify it. TradingView’s interface is built around 4 key sections:

1. Chart
2. Screener
3. Ideas
4. Community

Think of them as different “rooms” in the same house. Let’s walk through each.

1. Chart – Your Trading Canvas

This is the heart of TradingView. It’s where:

• You plot stocks or indices.
• Add indicators.
• Draw trendlines or patterns.
• Analyse timeframes
• Build your entire trading plan

The chart window is customisable with desirable colours and themes to spacing and candle types. On the left side, you'll see drawing tools (trendlines, Fibonacci, text, etc). On the top, you’ve got symbol search, timeframes, indicators, alerts, and layout options.

Tip: You can save your layout once you’ve customised your chart, so you don’t have to set it up again every time.

2. Screener – Your Stock Discovery Engine

Below the chart (or in a separate tab on mobile), you’ll find the Screener.

This lets you:

• Filter stocks by technical or fundamental conditions
• Sort by volume, RSI, MACD, price change, etc.
• Create custom screens (e.g., “Stocks above 50 EMA + RSI above 60”)

There are 3 versions:

• Stock Screener
• Crypto Screener
• Forex Screener

You can switch between markets using the dropdown.

Tip: This is your best friend when you don’t know what to trade. Set filters, shortlist stocks, and jump straight to their charts.

3. Ideas – What Other Traders Are Thinking

This is where the community spends time together.
People share:

• Chart setups
• Strategy insights
• Market opinions (bullish, bearish, neutral)

Each idea comes with a chart, notes, and tags. You can follow traders whose analysis matches your style or learn from contrasting views.

Use case: New to patterns? Type “Head and Shoulders” in the Ideas tab and see how others mark it.

This space is great for observation, but treat it like a reference, not a recommendation.

4. Community – Leaderboards, Scripts & Streams

TradingView isn’t just a tool, it’s a network.

• Leaderboards show top contributors (by number of views/likes)
• Public Scripts are Pine Scripts™ tools shared by the community

Want a custom indicator you don’t know how to build? Search here, chances are someone’s already made it.

Use with caution: Not every script or idea is high quality. Always backtest and validate before you follow.

Bonus: Tabs You’ll Also See

• News: Market headlines integrated into the platform
• Calendar: Upcoming earnings, economic events, etc.
• Notifications: Alerts you've set, comments, etc.
• Watchlist: Your own curated list of stocks/indices

Wrap-Up

TradingView’s interface is dense, but it’s built smartly.

Start with the chart. Then layer in the screener. Add ideas and community when you want a second opinion or inspiration.

You don’t need to master all four tabs at once.
Instead:

• Use Chart to study.
• Use Screener to find trades.
• Use Ideas to expand your thinking.
• Use Community to experiment and learn.

In the next chapter, we’ll explore how TradingView works differently on mobile vs desktop, and which one suits your trading style best.