# Values, units and types

> Percent, pips, R and money are real types, not bare numbers.

Source: https://algobarsx.com/docs/values-and-units/

Most mistakes in trading code are unit mistakes. AlgoBarsX makes the unit part of the value, and the compiler checks it.

```algobarsx
stop_distance = 20 pips
tick_buffer = 5 points
risk_now = 1%
cash_risk = $200
wait = 30m
opens_at = 08:00
level = high + 2 pips
two_percent = 2% of account.balance
```

| You write | It means |
| --- | --- |
| `1%`, `0.5%` | A percent. No space before the sign. Use `2% of account.balance` to say what it is a percent of. Where the base is unclear the compiler asks: *“1% of what?”* ([AS0305](https://algobarsx.com/docs/diag-units-and-risk/#AS0305)) |
| `20 pips`, `5 points` | A distance, converted with each market's own pip and point size. |
| `2R`, `1.5R` | A multiple of the trade's initial stop distance. Valid only where a trade has a stop. |
| `$200` | Money in the account currency. |
| `1 lot`, `0.3 lots` | Position size. |
| `10 bars` | A count of bars. |
| `30s 15m 4h 1d 1w 1M` | A length of time. The same words are bar sizes. |
| `08:00`, `2026-01-15` | A time of day and a date. |
| `#22c55e`, `green.fade(80)` | A colour. Named colours can fade and blend. |
| `1_000_000` | A number. Underscores are allowed between digits. |
| `na` | No value. Test with [`is_na`](https://algobarsx.com/docs/ref-fn-missing-values/#ref-is-na), replace with [`nz`](https://algobarsx.com/docs/ref-fn-missing-values/#ref-nz). |

A stop written as a bare number is caught before anything runs: *“stop 25 has no unit. Did you mean 25 pips?”* ([AS0302](https://algobarsx.com/docs/diag-units-and-risk/#AS0302)). A price level and a distance are different things, and the compiler knows which one an option expects.

## Text with live values

Text in double quotes can include any expression in braces, with an optional format after a colon. Write `{{` for a literal brace.

```algobarsx
on bar close:
    log "RSI {rsi(close, 14):0.0} on {market.symbol}"
```

## Units follow the value, not the text

The engine works a unit out from the code. It does not look for the word “pips” in what you typed.

- A price with a distance taken off it is still a price. `stop: lowest(low, 10) - 3 pips` is a level on the chart.
- One price taken from another is a distance.
- A distance stays a distance when you scale it, as in `atr(14) * 2`.
- A unit held in an input travels with it. After `input risk = 1%`, the order `risk: risk` risks one percent, exactly as if you had written `1%`.

All eight units are listed under [Units](https://algobarsx.com/docs/ref-units/).