Futures and forex trading contains substantial risk and is not for every investor. An investor could potentially lose all or more than the initial investment. Risk capital is money that can be lost without jeopardizing one’s financial security or lifestyle. Only risk capital should be used for trading and only those with sufficient risk capital should consider trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.
Hypothetical performance results have many inherent limitations, some of which are described below. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those shown; in fact, there are frequently sharp differences between hypothetical performance results and the actual results subsequently achieved by any particular trading program. One of the limitations of hypothetical performance results is that they are generally prepared with the benefit of hindsight. In addition, hypothetical trading does not involve financial risk, and no hypothetical trading record can completely account for the impact of financial risk of actual trading. for example, the ability to withstand losses or to adhere to a particular trading program despite trading losses are material points that can also adversely affect actual trading results. There are numerous other factors related to the markets in general or to the implementation of any specific trading program that cannot be fully accounted for in the preparation of hypothetical performance results and all which can adversely affect trading results.
Setups turns a trade label into something you can use. Define the pattern, keep the rules and playbook nearby, then see how it performs across live, missed, and backtest opportunities.
The setup name is the link
Journalit uses the existing setup field on a trade. When a trade
has a setup label, that label connects it to the matching Setup record.
The overview is the starting point for deciding which setups deserve more attention.
Rank setups by the results that matter to you, with cumulative P&L or R-multiple views.
Use cumulative charts to see whether a setup's results are steady, lumpy, or deteriorating.
Filter cards, charts, pairs, and comparison choices by setup tags, direction, or both.
Spot setup records that are missing a playbook, rules, trade evidence, or other useful context.
Setup metrics and charts follow Journalit's privacy display rules.
Ranking bars open the corresponding Setup Details page, while individual trade bars open their trade notes. Aggregate comparison charts without a single setup or trade destination stay non interactive.
Use the Filter button in the Setup overview to narrow the cards, chart, Pairs, and comparison choices by tag or direction. Choose Untagged to find setups without tags.
Multiple selected tags use OR logic, so a setup can match any selected tag. The same applies to direction. When you select both a tag and a direction, a setup must match one selection from each group. Journalit saves the filter choices for the next time you open Setups. Use Reset filters at the top of the menu to clear the tag and direction selections together.
Give the setup a name, status, direction, and optional colour. Status can be Testing, Active, or Archived.
Add optional labels for grouping and filtering related setups without changing their setup names.
Record the sessions, timeframes, and tickers where the setup is intended to be used.
Write the playbook inside the Setup file or link a vault note with examples and reference material.
Record grouped rules and structured checks for the conditions that make the setup valid.
See the live, missed, and backtest trades that use the setup label.
Setup definitions live in your Journalit Setups folder as markdown
files. Existing trade setup labels and custom setup options can become Setup
records, so you do not need to rebuild a working taxonomy by hand.
Open Setups from the navigation sidebar, Home View quick links, or the command palette. Setup markdown files also open in the Setup view by default. Open the file as normal markdown when you want to edit the underlying note directly.
Use the name you want to select on trades. Keep it specific enough that you can tell it apart from a related variation later.
Open the setup after creating it, then write the conditions that make it valid. Use the Playbook section for the longer explanation, or link a vault note when it already contains your charts and examples.
Use the optional Preferred fields in the create or edit modal to record the sessions, timeframes, and tickers that fit the setup. Session choices come from your configured Session Mode windows, while timeframes and tickers support the values you use in your own process.
These fields appear in the setup profile, giving you a quick reference before you read the full playbook.
Tags are optional labels for grouping related setups, such as Momentum,
Breakout, or Morning. Select existing tags or create a
new one in the Setup create or edit modal. Setup tags use the same reusable tag
library as trades, and Journalit stores the selected tags in the Setup note's
frontmatter.
Select the setup in the existing trade setup field. Journalit uses that label to associate the trade with the Setup record across manual entry, imports, and sync.
Use the colour control in the Setup create or edit modal when a setup needs to stand out. Journalit applies the selected colour to the setup label in expanded Trade Log rows and trade-note metadata. Reset the control to return to the default label styling.
Rename with care
Renaming a setup updates affected trade notes and the setup autocomplete options. Choose the name you want traders to use before building a large history around it.
Pairs ranks combinations of two setup labels. It compares the results recorded when both labels appear together with the results for each label on its own.
Rank setup combinations by a selected metric such as total P&L, then open the evidence for the pair you want to inspect.
See the combination result alongside each setup's individual result and the calculated combined edge.
Use the cumulative line and trade count as context before deciding a combination is worth pursuing.
Open a setup to review the evidence behind its results rather than treating the label as a number in a table.
The Execution Gap tab separates the setup's potential from what happened in live execution. Compare live P&L with the backtest benchmark to see whether the setup holds up in real trading or whether execution is giving away the edge. A large gap is a reason to inspect entries, exits, sizing, timing, and rule adherence before writing off the setup.
It also makes missed trades visible. Missed Edge and Live + Missed show how much recorded missed opportunities could have changed the result. Use that context to decide whether missed setups are occasional noise or a process problem worth working on.
Review results and drawdown for the setup itself.
Compare live execution with backtest results and missed opportunities to see where the setup's potential is being lost.
Keep supporting vault notes and compact screenshot evidence beside the setup.
Open the playbook from the setup, then keep the rules that define the setup visible beside it.
See whether the setup has the playbook, rules, screenshots, and trade history needed for a useful review.
The Linked Notes panel can hold supporting markdown notes from anywhere in your vault. Use it for market research, examples, trade recaps, or anything else that helps explain the setup. The Setup page shows the linked-note count and lets you open the list when you need the source material.
The Playbook panel can display content written inside the Setup file or a linked markdown note from anywhere in the vault. That linked note renders directly in as a markdown note works here too, which makes it practical for drawing out a setup visually. Use the open action in the panel to jump to the original note when you want to edit it.
The Rules panel is the checklist for this specific setup. Use the edit action to add rules, organise them into groups, write descriptions, choose a category, and put them in the order you want to review. The panel keeps those rules visible in performance data.
Setup comparison reports put two setups beside each other. Use them when two patterns look similar in the trade log but behave differently in practice.
Choose the measures you want to compare rather than relying on one headline result.
Compare the shape of each setup's performance over time.
Break the comparison down by instrument, weekday, and direction.
Use the available sample and results as context before deciding one setup is genuinely stronger.
Choose an existing setup while logging a trade, or create one as part of the trade workflow.
Setup metadata stays with the trade note, so the reason for the trade is visible beside the outcome.
Filter and analyse trade performance by setup when you need to inspect a pattern outside the Setups workspace.
Use setup performance in review layouts when it helps answer what actually worked during a period.
Related pages
Use Manual Entry to apply setups to trades, Trade Notes to review setup context beside a trade, and Layout Builder to add setup performance to review workflows.
