Axes are important components of chart areas, and are used to plot data inside of a chart area.

Axis Features

Axis Types

Charts are plotted using X and Y axes. Y axes are always value axes. X axes are normally categorical, such as months of the year, but can be value axes as well, like in a scatter-type plot.

There are also primary and secondary axis types. Primary axes are located at the bottom and left border of the chart area. The secondary axes are located at the right and top border of the chart area (see the figure below).

Primary and Secondary Axis Types

Axis Scale

The scale of an axis determines its minimum, maximum and interval properties. The interval effects how often points are plotted along that axis.

An axis scale is automatically set by the Chart control by default, and is based on the data that is plotted along that axis. However, this behavior can be overridden by explicitly setting various scale-related properties, such as interval, offset, interval type, and so on.

Axis Labels

Default axis labels are automatically generated for all axes using either the axis scale or data point values. The scale is used if data points do not provide label values. These labels can optionally be offset (see the figure below). 

In addition, custom labels can be specified, and these custom labels are displayed using label rows (see the figure below). 

Label Rows and Offsets

Viewing, Scrolling and Zooming

Data views allow chart readers to view only a subset of the data in the chart. When a view is displayed, the scroll bar is enabled by default, which allows chart readers to scroll through the data points. Range selection and zooming allows a chart reader to select a subset of the chart to view. The figure below shows a view with the scroll bar, range selection, and zooming enabled.

Zooming, Scrolling and Dataviews

Strip Lines

Strip lines are horizontal or vertical lines that are used to highlight specific areas within a chart area.

Strip lines can be:

Strip Lines