Grid Lines
GridLines are vertical and horizontal lines added in conjunction with the tick marks on the x-axis (XAxis) and tick marks on the y-axis (YAxis), respectively. Adding grid lines makes chart data easier to read and interpret. There are two types of grid lines: XAxisGridLines and YAxisGridLines, both of which are inherited from the GridLines class.
GridLines
The GridLines class is the parent of XAxisGridLines and YAxisGridLines and has the following properties for customizing a gridline's appearance.
Properties
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Color | Gets or sets the Color object to use for the color of the grid lines. |
| Interval | Gets or sets the interval of the grid lines. |
| LineStyle | Gets or sets the LineStyle enumeration that specifies the line style of the grid lines. |
| Visible | Gets or sets the visible status of the grid lines on the plot area. By default it is True. |
| Width | Gets or sets the width of the grid lines. |
Customizing a gridline's appearance, such as thickness or color, requires customizing the axis tick marks if you wish for a consistent appearance.
XAxisGridLines
Add XAxisGridLines vertically to a plot area setting either the MajorGridLines or MinorGridLines property in XAxis. The major gridlines are placed at the same intervals as the x-axis major tick marks, and the minor gridlines are placed at the same intervals as the x-axis minor tick marks.
The following code illustrates adding XAxisGridLines.
Chart chart = new Chart(0, 0, 300, 200);
PlotArea plotArea = chart.PrimaryPlotArea;
plotArea.XAxes.DefaultNumericXAxis.MajorGridLines = new XAxisGridLines();
plotArea.XAxes.DefaultNumericXAxis.MinorGridLines = new XAxisGridLines();
Dim MyChart As Chart = New Chart(0, 0, 300, 200)
Dim MyPlotArea = MyChart.PrimaryPlotArea
MyPlotArea.XAxes.DefaultNumericXAxis.MajorGridLines = New XAxisGridLines()
MyPlotArea.XAxes.DefaultNumericXAxis.MinorGridLines = New XAxisGridLines()
Refer to the XAxisGridLines API documentation for a complete example.
YAxisGridLines
Add YAxisGridLines horizontally to a plot area setting either the MajorGridLines or MinorGridLines property in YAxis. Major gridlines are placed at the same intervals as the y-axis major tick marks, and the minor gridlines are placed at the same intervals as the y-axis minor tick marks.
The following code illustrates adding YAxisGridLines.
Chart chart = new Chart(0, 0, 300, 200);
PlotArea plotArea = chart.PrimaryPlotArea;
plotArea.YAxes.DefaultNumericYAxis.MajorGridLines = new YAxisGridLines();
plotArea.YAxes.DefaultNumericYAxis.MinorGridLines = new YAxisGridLines();
Dim MyChart As Chart = New Chart(0, 0, 300, 200)
Dim MyPlotArea = MyChart.PrimaryPlotArea
MyPlotArea.YAxes.DefaultNumericYAxis.MajorGridLines = New YAxisGridLines()
MyPlotArea.YAxes.DefaultNumericYAxis.MinorGridLines = New YAxisGridLines()
Refer to the YAxisGridLines API documentation for a complete example.