Understanding the Main Layout
The chart page is where you'll spend most of your time on TradingView. Understanding each area of the interface will dramatically improve your workflow. Let's break down every section of the main chart layout.
The Chart Area (Center)
The largest portion of the screen is dedicated to the chart itself. This is where price action is displayed. You can interact with the chart by clicking, dragging to pan, scrolling to zoom, and right-clicking for a context menu with additional options.
Top Toolbar
The toolbar at the top of the chart contains the most frequently used controls. From left to right, you'll typically find: the symbol search box, timeframe selector, chart type selector, indicator button, strategy tester, alert button, replay button, and layout options.
Left Sidebar — Drawing Tools
The left side of the chart contains all drawing tools organized by category. You'll find trend lines, horizontal lines, Fibonacci tools, geometric shapes, annotation tools, measurement tools, and more. Each category expands to show related tools. The most recently used tool from each category is displayed by default.
Right Sidebar — Data Panels
The right sidebar can be toggled to show different panels: Watchlist, Details (shows OHLC data), Alerts, Data Window (shows indicator values), Hotlists, and Calendar. You can have multiple panels open simultaneously or collapse the sidebar entirely for more chart space.
Bottom Panel
The bottom of the chart is home to several powerful features. The Trading Panel lets you place orders if connected to a broker. The Pine Script Editor is where you write custom indicators. The Strategy Tester shows backtesting results. The Stock Screener runs directly below your chart.
Price Axis (Right Edge)
The vertical axis on the right side of the chart shows price levels. You can right-click it to toggle between regular and logarithmic scales, auto-scale, or lock the scale. You can also drag it to manually zoom the price axis.
Time Axis (Bottom Edge)
The horizontal axis at the bottom shows time. You can drag it to zoom the time axis independently. Right-clicking offers options like "Go to date" and timezone settings.
Pro Tip
Press Shift + Click on the time axis to quickly jump to a specific date. This is incredibly useful when you want to review historical price action.
Note
You can customize which panels appear in the right sidebar by clicking the panel icons. Start with just the Watchlist panel to keep things simple, then add more as you get comfortable.
Key Takeaways
- The chart area is the central workspace for price analysis
- The top toolbar provides quick access to symbols, timeframes, and indicators
- Drawing tools live in the left sidebar, organized by category
- The right sidebar shows watchlists, alerts, and data panels
- The bottom panel houses Pine Script editor, strategy tester, and screener
- Both the price axis and time axis are interactive and customizable