> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.nexttick.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quick-Log: Record Any Trade in Under Ten Seconds Flat

> Use NextTick's quick-log row to record a trade in under ten seconds — enter symbol, direction, entry, and exit, then press Enter to save.

The quick-log row sits pinned at the top of the Trade Log page. It is designed for speed: enter the minimum required information, press Enter, and the trade is saved immediately. You can always open the trade afterward to add grades, tags, notes, or screenshots. Nothing about the logging flow requires you to leave the keyboard.

## Required fields

The only fields you must fill in to save a trade are **symbol**, **direction**, **entry price**, and **exit price**. Everything else is optional.

## Logging a trade

<Steps>
  <Step title="Enter the symbol">
    Type the ticker or instrument in the first field (e.g., `AAPL`, `NQ`, `TSLA`, `EURUSD`). NextTick accepts equities, futures, forex, and crypto symbols.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select direction">
    Choose **Long** or **Short** from the direction toggle. Long means you bought to open; short means you sold to open.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter your entry price">
    Type the price at which your position was opened. Use the exact fill price, not a rounded estimate.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter your exit price">
    Type the price at which the position was closed. NextTick calculates P\&L and R-multiple automatically once both prices and position size are known.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add optional detail">
    Expand the optional fields to record any of the following before saving:

    * **Position size** — number of shares, contracts, or units
    * **Stop loss** — your planned stop price (used to compute `risk_amount` and `r_multiple`)
    * **Timeframe** — the chart timeframe you traded on: `1min`, `5min`, `15min`, `1hr`, `4hr`, or `daily`
    * **Setup tag** — a label for the trade type (see below)
    * **Grade** — your self-assessed execution quality (see below)
    * **Notes** — any free-form observations about the trade
    * **Emotional tags** — psychological state tags (see below)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Press Enter">
    Press **Enter** (or click the save button) to write the trade to your log. It appears immediately in the table below.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Grade system

Grading is a self-assessment of how well you executed the trade — not whether it was profitable. A losing trade can earn an A+ if you followed your rules precisely. A winning trade can earn an F if you sized up recklessly or held past your plan.

| Grade | Meaning                                                                                         |
| ----- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `A+`  | Textbook execution. Followed every rule, sized correctly, managed the trade exactly as planned. |
| `A`   | Excellent execution with only minor deviation from the plan.                                    |
| `B+`  | Good execution. Small mistakes that did not meaningfully affect the outcome.                    |
| `B`   | Acceptable execution. Noticeable deviation but still within reasonable bounds.                  |
| `C+`  | Below-average execution. Rule-bending that could have caused real damage.                       |
| `C`   | Poor execution. Significant deviation from the plan.                                            |
| `D`   | Bad trade. Broke multiple rules or took the trade without a clear plan.                         |
| `F`   | Should not have been taken. Against the rules, size way off, or a clear emotional trade.        |

Grades feed directly into the Analytics dashboard. Filtering by grade lets you compare your A+ and A trades against your C and below trades to see whether better execution correlates with better outcomes in your specific setups.

## Setup tags

The `setup_tag` field is a free-text label you assign to categorize the type of trade you took. Common examples include `ORB` (opening range breakout), `VWAP reclaim`, `breakout`, `pullback`, `reversal`, `gap fill`, and `earnings fade`. You define the tags; NextTick does not enforce a fixed vocabulary.

<Tip>
  Use consistent, exact setup tag names every time. If you sometimes type `ORB` and sometimes `orb open range`, Analytics will treat them as two separate setups. Settling on a short, consistent vocabulary early means your performance data by setup type will be accurate from day one.
</Tip>

## Emotional tags

The `emotional_tags` field accepts one or more free-text labels that describe your psychological state when you took the trade. Examples include `focused`, `calm`, `rushed`, `revenge`, `fear of missing out`, `overconfident`, and `distracted`. Over time, these tags help you identify whether your worst trades cluster around specific emotional states — a pattern that is invisible without the data.