Deprecate protections from config

docs/hyperopt.md

@@ -469,6 +469,10 @@ You can then run hyperopt as follows:
     The protection space is not part of the default space, and is only available with the Parameters Hyperopt interface, not with the legacy hyperopt interface (which required separate hyperopt files).
     Freqtrade will also automatically change the "--enable-protections" flag if the protection space is selected.
 
+!!! Warning
+    If protections are defined as property, entries from the configuration will be ignored.
+    It is therefore recommended to not define protections in the configuration.
+
 ### Migrating from previous property setups
 
 A migration from a previous setup is pretty simple, and can be accomplished by converting the protections entry to a property.

docs/includes/protections.md

@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@ All protection end times are rounded up to the next candle to avoid sudden, unex
 !!! Note "Backtesting"
     Protections are supported by backtesting and hyperopt, but must be explicitly enabled by using the `--enable-protections` flag.
 
+!!! Warning "Setting protections from the configuration"
+    Setting protections from the configuration via `"protections": [],` key should be considered deprecated and will be removed in a future version.
+    It is also no longer guaranteed that your protections apply to the strategy in cases where the strategy defines [protections as property](hyperopt.md#optimizing-protections).
+
 ### Available Protections
 
 * [`StoplossGuard`](#stoploss-guard) Stop trading if a certain amount of stoploss occurred within a certain time window.
@@ -47,7 +51,9 @@ This applies across all pairs, unless `only_per_pair` is set to true, which will
 The below example stops trading for all pairs for 4 candles after the last trade if the bot hit stoploss 4 times within the last 24 candles.
 
 ``` python
-protections = [
+@property
+def protections(self):
+    return [
         {
             "method": "StoplossGuard",
             "lookback_period_candles": 24,
@@ -69,7 +75,9 @@ protections = [
 The below sample stops trading for 12 candles if max-drawdown is > 20% considering all pairs - with a minimum of `trade_limit` trades - within the last 48 candles. If desired, `lookback_period` and/or `stop_duration` can be used.
 
 ``` python
-protections = [
+@property
+def protections(self):
+    return  [
         {
             "method": "MaxDrawdown",
             "lookback_period_candles": 48,
@@ -88,7 +96,9 @@ If that ratio is below `required_profit`, that pair will be locked for `stop_dur
 The below example will stop trading a pair for 60 minutes if the pair does not have a required profit of 2% (and a minimum of 2 trades) within the last 6 candles.
 
 ``` python
-protections = [
+@property
+def protections(self):
+    return [
         {
             "method": "LowProfitPairs",
             "lookback_period_candles": 6,
@@ -106,7 +116,9 @@ protections = [
 The below example will stop trading a pair for 2 candles after closing a trade, allowing this pair to "cool down".
 
 ``` python
-protections = [
+@property
+def protections(self):
+    return  [
         {
             "method": "CooldownPeriod",
             "stop_duration_candles": 2
@@ -136,7 +148,10 @@ from freqtrade.strategy import IStrategy
 
 class AwesomeStrategy(IStrategy)
     timeframe = '1h'
-    protections = [
+    
+    @property
+    def protections(self):
+        return [
             {
                 "method": "CooldownPeriod",
                 "stop_duration_candles": 5

freqtrade/configuration/deprecated_settings.py

@@ -110,3 +110,6 @@ def process_temporary_deprecated_settings(config: Dict[str, Any]) -> None:
                 "Please remove 'ticker_interval' from your configuration to continue operating."
                 )
         config['timeframe'] = config['ticker_interval']
+
+    if 'protections' in config:
+        logger.warning("DEPRECATED: Setting 'protections' in the configuration is deprecated.")

tests/test_configuration.py

@@ -1330,7 +1330,7 @@ def test_process_removed_setting(mocker, default_conf, caplog):
                                 'sectionB', 'somesetting')
 
 
-def test_process_deprecated_ticker_interval(mocker, default_conf, caplog):
+def test_process_deprecated_ticker_interval(default_conf, caplog):
     message = "DEPRECATED: Please use 'timeframe' instead of 'ticker_interval."
     config = deepcopy(default_conf)
     process_temporary_deprecated_settings(config)
@@ -1352,6 +1352,17 @@ def test_process_deprecated_ticker_interval(mocker, default_conf, caplog):
         process_temporary_deprecated_settings(config)
 
 
+def test_process_deprecated_protections(default_conf, caplog):
+    message = "DEPRECATED: Setting 'protections' in the configuration is deprecated."
+    config = deepcopy(default_conf)
+    process_temporary_deprecated_settings(config)
+    assert not log_has(message, caplog)
+
+    config['protections'] = []
+    process_temporary_deprecated_settings(config)
+    assert log_has(message, caplog)
+
+
 def test_flat_vars_to_nested_dict(caplog):
 
     test_args = {