mt5.positions_total() in MetaTrader5 Python: count open positions

Returns how many positions are open on the account right now. Returns an integer. Use positions_get() to read them.

Signature

mt5.positions_total()

What it does

positions_total() is a quick count of open positions. On a netting account there is at most one position per symbol; on a hedging account there can be many.

What it returns

An integer: the number of open positions.

Example

import MetaTrader5 as mt5

if not mt5.initialize():
    raise SystemExit(mt5.last_error())

if mt5.positions_total() >= 5:
    print("five positions open, not adding more")
mt5.shutdown()

Common mistakes

Right after a restart the count can read 0 until the terminal has loaded the account. Do not open new trades on that 0 alone.

The same with Tickwire on Linux

The package needs a Windows terminal on the same machine. Tickwire runs the terminal for you and gives you a REST API, so the code below runs on Linux, macOS or a server.

Tickwire's positions route returns the open positions as a JSON array. Its length is the count.

GET /users/current/accounts/{account_id}/positions

import os, requests

API = "https://api.tickwire.io"
h = {"auth-token": os.environ["TW_KEY"]}      # your Tickwire key
base = f"{API}/users/current/accounts/{os.environ['TW_ACCOUNT']}"

positions = requests.get(f"{base}/positions", headers=h).json()
print(len(positions), "open positions")

Related error codes

All MetaTrader5 Python functions

MT5 from Python, on any machine

One REST API for MT4 and MT5, with idempotent orders and an audit log. Read the MT5 Python API page or the quickstart.

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