Mapping one underlying to another
Contract mapping lets a follower trade a different underlying from the leader. The common case is a leader trading NIFTY options and a follower taking SENSEX.
The rule in one line: the follower gets the same kind of contract on the other index — the same expiry position, the same CE or PE, and the same number of strikes from ATM.
| What | How it is matched |
|---|---|
| Expiry | By position, not date. The leader's nearest expiry maps to the follower index's nearest; next to next. NIFTY Tuesday maps to SENSEX Thursday. |
| CE / PE | Always the same type. |
| Strike | The same number of strikes from ATM, counted in each index's own strike step. ATM on each chain is the strike where CE and PE prices are closest, read when the leader's order fills. |
| Futures | The follower index's future at the same expiry position. |
The answer is remembered for that leader contract: later adds and exits trade the same follower contract, never a fresh ATM. Pending leader orders are copied only once they fill, since a NIFTY price means nothing on SENSEX, and the follower order is priced from the mapped contract's own live price.
A worked example
Hypothetical: NIFTY ATM 22,600 (50-point steps), SENSEX ATM 72,500 (100-point steps), both current week. The leader buys the 22,700 CE — two strikes above ATM. The follower buys the SENSEX 72,700 CE, two strikes above its ATM. A short 22,800 CE + 22,400 PE strangle, four strikes out each side, becomes 72,900 CE + 72,100 PE.
Size: follower lots = leader lots × the follower's sizing × the lot factor. Lot sizes differ between indices, so one NIFTY lot and one SENSEX lot are different quantities; raise the lot factor if you want more follower lots per leader lot. Same-commodity mappings work too: CRUDEOIL to CRUDEOILM with a lot factor of 10 turns one lot into ten minis. If the follower index has no expiry at that position, no chain, no matching strike or no live price, the copy is skipped with the reason.
Symbol inclusion and exclusion
Inclusion copies only the symbols listed. NIFTY on the list copies every NIFTY future and option; an exact trading symbol includes just that contract. An empty list means everything. Exclusion never copies the listed symbols. A symbol can be on one list only.
Filters work alongside: exchanges (NSE, BSE, NFO, BFO, MCX) and instrument types (futures, options, stocks, ETFs); none selected means all. The exchanges selected also decide when the leader is read at all — only while one of them is open. Max order age skips a leader order first seen more than that many seconds after it was placed; 0 turns it off.
Lists and filters stop new entries only. Exits of positions the group already copied still follow the leader, when "Always copy exits" is on.
Pending orders, modify and cancel
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Copy pending LIMIT / SL orders | Followers hold the leader's resting orders too. Off: they act only when the leader's order fills. |
| Follow modify & cancel | When the leader moves or cancels a pending order, the followers' copies do the same. |
| Always copy exits | Exits of copied positions go through even when a list, timing or cut-off would block an entry. |
| News filter | Skips new entries inside the event windows on News & Holidays. |
Each follower can also choose pending orders As resting or On fill only, overriding the group.
Retries without double orders
A failed follower order can be retried 0–5 times. The delay before the first retry is yours to set (500 ms if left below 100 ms) and grows 1.5× each attempt: 500 ms, then 750 ms, then 1,125 ms.
The dangerous failure is a timeout, where the broker may have accepted the order without answering. Trade Copy never blindly retries one: it first looks in the follower's order book, and if a matching order was accepted, it adopts that order instead of sending another. A logged-out broker is never retried.
Where to find it
- Open Copy Settings and select the group.
- What to copy and Filters set pending orders, modify and cancel, exits, the news filter, exchanges, instrument types and max order age.
- Execution sets retries and the delay.
- Symbol inclusion, Symbol exclusion and Contract mapping take symbols and mappings with a lot factor.
Common questions
Can I copy NIFTY option trades into SENSEX options?
Yes. Add a NIFTY to SENSEX mapping. The follower gets the same expiry position, the same CE or PE, and the same number of strikes from ATM on SENSEX.
How is ATM decided for contract mapping?
On each index's option chain, ATM is the strike where the CE and PE prices are closest, read at the moment the leader's order fills.
Will a retry ever place the same order twice?
A timeout is not retried blindly. The follower's order book is checked first, and an order the broker already accepted is adopted instead of resent.
Do symbol filters block exits?
Not with Always copy exits on: exits of positions the group copied still follow the leader.
More on Trade Copier
More in Trade Copier · App: Trade Copy · Definitions: glossary · All: every article