Confirm Net Position Size in Tradovate
Confirm your real net long or short contract size using the Positions module Qty column, and reconcile it against your charts before you flatten a trade.
You scaled into a trade, added a contract here, trimmed one there, and now you're not certain whether you're net long two or net long one. Or the chart shows three entry arrows stacked on top of each other and you can't tell what you're actually holding. The Positions module settles it. Its Qty column is the one number that tells you exactly how many contracts you hold and which direction you're leaning. Chart arrows, order history, and the TradingView order panel are all secondary. Read the Qty column and you know your true net exposure.
What the Positions Module Shows You
The Positions module lists one row for every open position across your accounts. The columns you'll lean on:
| Column | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Instrument / Contract | The market and contract month you're in, like ESZ5. |
| Qty | Your net position size. Positive is long, negative is short, zero is flat. |
| Avg Price | Your volume-weighted average entry, recalculated automatically as you add or trim. |
| P/L Open | Unrealized profit or loss at the current price, updating tick by tick. |
| P/L Day | Your total profit or loss for the session, including trades you've already closed. |
| Account | Which account holds that position. |
Tradovate nets your fills, so you won't see a separate long line and short line fighting each other on the same contract in one account. Buy three, sell one, and the row simply reads +2. That single netted number is what your margin, your risk limits, and any prop-firm position cap are measured against, which is exactly why it's the figure worth trusting.
Steps to Confirm Your Net Position Size
Open the Positions Module
From the left sidebar, open the module that lists your open positions. It's the same panel you'd use to watch live P/L, so if you already keep it docked, you're a click away.
Find Your Contract Row
Scan for the row that matches the contract you're trading, and glance at the Account column on that row. If you run several accounts, it's easy to read the wrong line, so confirm both the instrument and the account before you act on the number.
Read the Qty Column
The sign in the Qty column is your answer. A positive value means you're net long that many contracts; a negative value means you're net short; zero means you're flat and holding nothing. No math on your part, no counting arrows.
Cross-Check the Average Price, Then Flatten If the Size Is Wrong
Glance at Avg Price to confirm the netted size lines up with the entries you meant to take. If the quantity isn't what you intended, close the row right there. Depending on your platform version the button reads Flatten or Close, and it shuts the whole position while canceling the working orders tied to it.
Reading Long vs Short at a Glance
| Qty value | What you're holding |
|---|---|
| +3 | Net long 3 contracts |
| -2 | Net short 2 contracts |
| 0 | Flat, no open exposure |
Why the Number Changes as You Scale
Every fill updates the row live. Add a contract and the Qty climbs while the Avg Price shifts to the blended entry. Trim a contract and the Qty drops, but the average holds at the level set by your remaining size. That's the point of confirming here rather than eyeballing the chart: after a few partial fills, the Positions module is the only place showing your consolidated size and blended entry in one clean line instead of a scatter of markers.
When the Qty Column Looks Wrong
A few things trip people up. You may be looking at the wrong account in a multi-account setup, so re-check the Account column. Your position might be on a different contract month than the chart you're staring at. Working bracket or stop orders can also look like a position when they haven't filled yet, so separate resting orders from actual fills. And if the TradingView panel and Tradovate disagree, trust the Tradovate Positions module, since that's where the broker's netted truth lives.
If you're regularly ending up with more contracts than you meant to hold, put a hard ceiling on it. The maximum contracts you're allowed to carry varies by firm and account size, so check your firm's current rules, then set a max position limit so the platform blocks anything larger. To reconcile a full day of scaling against realized results, pull your account and performance reports after the close.
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Start Your Free 5-Day TrialThis guide is for educational and informational purposes only and is not financial, investment, or trading advice. Trading futures and other leveraged products carries a substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor. PickMyTrade is an independent third-party automation platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Tradovate, Inc. "Tradovate" and all related names, logos, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Platform features and steps change over time, so always confirm the current process in the official Tradovate platform and documentation before acting.