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

# Pivots

> ta.pivothigh and ta.pivotlow detect swing highs and lows - but the result is lagged by rightBars bars.

## Functions

### `ta.pivothigh(source, leftBars, rightBars)`

Returns the pivot high value if the bar at `rightBars` ago is higher than all `leftBars` bars before it and all `rightBars` bars after it. Returns `NaN` otherwise.

### `ta.pivotlow(source, leftBars, rightBars)`

Returns the pivot low value under the same symmetric condition.

## The lag

<Warning>
  Pivot functions look `rightBars` into the future relative to the candidate bar. This means the result at the current bar corresponds to the pivot candidate at `rightBars` bars in the past. You cannot detect a pivot on the bar it forms - you only know after `rightBars` additional bars have closed.
</Warning>

```js theme={null}
onBar(() => {
  const ph = ta.pivothigh(ctx.high, 5, 5);
  // If ph is not NaN, the pivot HIGH occurred at bar ctx.i() - 5
  if (!na(ph)) {
    const pivotBar = ctx.i() - 5;
    Line(`ph_${pivotBar}`, {
      x1: pivotBar, y1: ph,
      x2: ctx.i(), y2: ph,
      color: "#ef4444FF",
      style: "arrow.right",
    });
  }
});
```

## Parameters

<ParamField path="source" type="(offset?) => number | null" required>
  Source function. Typically `ctx.high` for pivot highs, `ctx.low` for pivot lows.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="leftBars" type="number" required>
  Number of bars to the left that must be lower (for pivothigh) or higher (for pivotlow).
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="rightBars" type="number" required>
  Number of bars to the right that must be lower/higher. This is also the lag: the pivot result is known `rightBars` after the candidate bar.
</ParamField>

## Basic example

```js theme={null}
// overlay = true
onBar(() => {
  const ph = ta.pivothigh(ctx.high, 5, 5);
  const pl = ta.pivotlow(ctx.low, 5, 5);

  if (!na(ph)) {
    Marker(`ph_${ctx.i()}`, {
      x: ctx.i() - 5,
      y: ph,
      shape: "triangle_down",
      color: "#ef4444FF",
      size: 8,
    });
  }

  if (!na(pl)) {
    Marker(`pl_${ctx.i()}`, {
      x: ctx.i() - 5,
      y: pl,
      shape: "triangle_up",
      color: "#22c55eFF",
      size: 8,
    });
  }
});
```

## Choosing left/right bars

| `leftBars` = `rightBars` | Effect                             |
| ------------------------ | ---------------------------------- |
| 2-3                      | Very sensitive, many pivots, noisy |
| 5                        | Standard - good balance            |
| 10+                      | Few pivots, only major swings      |

Asymmetric values are allowed (`pivothigh(ctx.high, 3, 8)`) but less common.

## Related pages

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Support/resistance example" href="/examples/support-resistance">
    Full indicator using pivothigh/pivotlow + Line entities.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Aggregators" href="/ta/aggregators">
    ta.highest/lowest for simpler range detection.
  </Card>

  <Card title="NaN handling" href="/essentials/nan-handling">
    na() check before using pivot results.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>