DevExpress Presentation API: Chart Axes

• May 21, 2026
• 12 minutes to read

Charts API automatically creates chart axis objects once you add a series to the chart Series collection.

Most charts have two primary axes: the argument axis (X-axis), usually displayed horizontally at the bottom of the plot area, and the value axis (Y-axis), usually displayed vertically on the left side of the plot area. You can also add secondary axes. Secondary axes are useful when series data ranges differ significantly.

3D charts also include a depth axis, also called the series axis, that displays series names. Some chart types, such as pie and doughnut charts, do not have axes.

To access the chart axes, use the following properties:

• Chart.ArgumentAxis
• Chart.SecondaryArgumentAxis
• Chart.ValueAxis
• Chart.SecondaryValueAxis
• Chart.SeriesAxis

If you add series before axes, the first series in the collection determines the axis type. For example, if the first series is a Bar series, the API creates a CategoryAxis object for the ArgumentAxis property. If the first series is a Scatter series, the API creates a ValueAxis object for the ArgumentAxis property.

The following table outlines the compatibility between series types and axis types:

Series type	ArgumentAxis type	ValueAxis type	SeriesAxis
Bar, Line, Area, Column	CategoryAxis or DateAxis	ValueAxis	–
Scatter, Bubble	ValueAxis	ValueAxis	–
Surface, Bar3D	CategoryAxis or DateAxis	ValueAxis	SeriesAxis
Pie, Doughnut, Pie3D	–	–	–

If you add axes before series, ensure that the series types and axis types are compatible. Otherwise, adding a series to the chart throws an InvalidOperationException.

Manage Axis Scale

Use the Axis.Scaling property to configure axis scale parameters. This property returns an AxisScaling object that provides the following scale options:

LogBase

Specifies the logarithmic base for the axis scale. This property is ignored if the LogScale property is set to false.

Min | Max

Specifies minimum and maximum values for the axis scale. Use point indexes starting with 1 for category axes and actual values for value axes.

Orientation

Specifies the orientation of the axis scale. Possible values: MinMax, MaxMin.

The following code snippet specifies the minimum and maximum values for the argument axis:

C#

using DevExpress.Docs.Presentation;
using DevExpress.Docs.Office;
//...
    CategoryAxis? axis = chart.ArgumentAxis as CategoryAxis;
    if (axis != null) {
        axis.Scaling = new AxisScaling { Min = 1, Max = 3 };
    }

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Presentation
Imports DevExpress.Docs.Office
'...
    Dim axis As CategoryAxis = TryCast(chart.ArgumentAxis, CategoryAxis)
    If axis IsNot Nothing Then
        axis.Scaling = New AxisScaling With {.Min = 1, .Max = 3}
    End If

Specify Tick Mark Frequency

Use CategoryAxis.TickMarkSkip/SeriesAxis.TickMarkSkip to change the interval between axis tick marks. To display a tick mark for every second or third category (or data series), set TickMarkSkip to 2 or 3, respectively. If TickMarkSkip is set to 1, the axis displays tick marks for all categories or data series.

C#

xAxis.TickMarkSkip = 2;

VB.NET

xAxis.TickMarkSkip = 2

Add Secondary Axes

If series data ranges differ significantly, you can add secondary axes to the chart and assign series to them.

Use the series AxisGroup property to assign a series to the primary or secondary axes. This property accepts values from the ChartAxisGroupType enumeration: Primary and Secondary. Multiple series of the same type in the same axis group share a single view. The Chart API creates an additional view for series assigned to the secondary axes.

The following code snippet adds two line series to the primary axes and one line series to the secondary axes:

C#

using DevExpress.Docs.Office;
using DevExpress.Docs.Presentation;

namespace PresentationApiSample;

public class Program {
    public static async Task Main(string[] _) {

        Presentation presentation = new Presentation();

        presentation.Slides.Clear();

        Slide slide = new Slide(SlideLayoutType.Blank);
        presentation.Slides.Add(slide);

        Chart chart = new Chart();
        slide.Shapes.Add(chart);

        chart.Width = presentation.SlideSize.Width;
        chart.Height = presentation.SlideSize.Height;

        // Specify data for the chart.
        chart.ChartData[0, "A1"].NumericValue = 120;
        chart.ChartData[0, "A2"].NumericValue = 95;
        chart.ChartData[0, "A3"].NumericValue = 140;
        chart.ChartData[0, "A4"].NumericValue = 100;
        chart.ChartData[0, "A5"].NumericValue = 80;
        chart.ChartData[0, "B1"].NumericValue = 10;
        chart.ChartData[0, "B2"].NumericValue = 20;
        chart.ChartData[0, "B3"].NumericValue = 30;
        chart.ChartData[0, "B4"].NumericValue = 40;
        chart.ChartData[0, "B5"].NumericValue = 50;

        chart.ChartData[0, "C1"].NumericValue = 6000;
        chart.ChartData[0, "C2"].NumericValue = 10500;
        chart.ChartData[0, "C3"].NumericValue = 10000;
        chart.ChartData[0, "C4"].NumericValue = 7000;
        chart.ChartData[0, "C5"].NumericValue = 9500;

        chart.ChartData[0, "D1"].NumericValue = 180;
        chart.ChartData[0, "D2"].NumericValue = 95;
        chart.ChartData[0, "D3"].NumericValue = 120;
        chart.ChartData[0, "D4"].NumericValue = 80;
        chart.ChartData[0, "D5"].NumericValue = 130;

        // Add the first series to the chart.
        LineSeries series1 = new LineSeries();
        series1.Values = new ChartDataReference(sheetIndex: 0, fromCellReference: "A1", toCellReference: "A5");
        series1.Arguments = new ChartDataReference(sheetIndex: 0, fromCellReference: "B1", toCellReference: "B5");
        chart.Series.Add(series1);

        // Add the second series to the chart.
        LineSeries series2 = new LineSeries();
        series2.Values = new ChartDataReference(sheetIndex: 0, fromCellReference: "D1", toCellReference: "D5");
        series2.Arguments = new ChartDataReference(sheetIndex: 0, fromCellReference: "B1", toCellReference: "B5");
        chart.Series.Add(series2);

        // Add the third series to the chart and assign it to the secondary axes.
        LineSeries series3 = new LineSeries();
        series3.Values = new ChartDataReference(sheetIndex: 0, fromCellReference: "C1", toCellReference: "C5");
        series3.Arguments = new ChartDataReference(sheetIndex: 0, fromCellReference: "B1", toCellReference: "B5");
        series3.AxisGroup = ChartAxisGroupType.Secondary;
        chart.Series.Add(series3);

        // Remove the legend.
        chart.Legend = null;

        // Customize the primary argument axis.
        CategoryAxis? xAxis = chart.ArgumentAxis as CategoryAxis;
        if (xAxis != null) {
            xAxis.MajorTickMark = AxisTickMarkType.Cross;
            xAxis.MinorTickMark = AxisTickMarkType.Inside;

            xAxis.TextProperties = new TextProperties { FontSize = 30 };
        }
        // Customize the primary value axis.
        ValueAxis? yAxis = chart.ValueAxis;
        if (yAxis != null) {
            yAxis.CrossPositionType = AxisCrossPositionType.OnTickMarks;
            yAxis.TextProperties = new TextProperties { FontSize = 30 };
        }
        // Hide the secondary argument axis.
        chart.SecondaryArgumentAxis.Visible = false;

        // Customize the secondary value axis.
        ValueAxis? secYAxis = chart.SecondaryValueAxis;
        if (secYAxis != null) {
            secYAxis.Position = AxisPositionType.Right;
            secYAxis.TextProperties = new TextProperties { FontSize = 30 };

        }
        // Customize data labels for the first two series.
        LineChartView lineView1 = (LineChartView)chart.Views[0];
        lineView1.DataLabels = new LineDataLabels { ShowCategoryName = true, ShowValue = true };

        // Customize data labels for the third series.
        LineChartView lineView2 = (LineChartView)chart.Views[1];
        lineView2.DataLabels = new LineDataLabels { ShowValue = true };

    }
}

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Office
Imports DevExpress.Docs.Presentation

Namespace PresentationApiSample

Public Class Program
    Public Shared Async Function Main(ByVal _ As String()) As Task

        Dim presentation As New Presentation()

        presentation.Slides.Clear()

        Dim slide As New Slide(SlideLayoutType.Blank)
        presentation.Slides.Add(slide)

        Dim chart As New Chart()
        slide.Shapes.Add(chart)

        chart.Width = presentation.SlideSize.Width
        chart.Height = presentation.SlideSize.Height

        ' Specify data for the chart.
        chart.ChartData(0, "A1").NumericValue = 120
        chart.ChartData(0, "A2").NumericValue = 95
        chart.ChartData(0, "A3").NumericValue = 140
        chart.ChartData(0, "A4").NumericValue = 100
        chart.ChartData(0, "A5").NumericValue = 80
        chart.ChartData(0, "B1").NumericValue = 10
        chart.ChartData(0, "B2").NumericValue = 20
        chart.ChartData(0, "B3").NumericValue = 30
        chart.ChartData(0, "B4").NumericValue = 40
        chart.ChartData(0, "B5").NumericValue = 50

        chart.ChartData(0, "C1").NumericValue = 6000
        chart.ChartData(0, "C2").NumericValue = 10500
        chart.ChartData(0, "C3").NumericValue = 10000
        chart.ChartData(0, "C4").NumericValue = 7000
        chart.ChartData(0, "C5").NumericValue = 9500

        chart.ChartData(0, "D1").NumericValue = 180
        chart.ChartData(0, "D2").NumericValue = 95
        chart.ChartData(0, "D3").NumericValue = 120
        chart.ChartData(0, "D4").NumericValue = 80
        chart.ChartData(0, "D5").NumericValue = 130

        ' Add the first series to the chart.
        Dim series1 As New LineSeries()
        series1.Values = New ChartDataReference(sheetIndex:=0, fromCellReference:="A1", toCellReference:="A5")
        series1.Arguments = New ChartDataReference(sheetIndex:=0, fromCellReference:="B1", toCellReference:="B5")
        chart.Series.Add(series1)

        ' Add the second series to the chart.
        Dim series2 As New LineSeries()
        series2.Values = New ChartDataReference(sheetIndex:=0, fromCellReference:="D1", toCellReference:="D5")
        series2.Arguments = New ChartDataReference(sheetIndex:=0, fromCellReference:="B1", toCellReference:="B5")
        chart.Series.Add(series2)

        ' Add the third series to the chart and assign it to the secondary axes.
        Dim series3 As New LineSeries()
        series3.Values = New ChartDataReference(sheetIndex:=0, fromCellReference:="C1", toCellReference:="C5")
        series3.Arguments = New ChartDataReference(sheetIndex:=0, fromCellReference:="B1", toCellReference:="B5")
        series3.AxisGroup = ChartAxisGroupType.Secondary
        chart.Series.Add(series3)

        ' Remove the legend.
        chart.Legend = Nothing

        ' Customize the primary argument axis.
        Dim xAxis As CategoryAxis = TryCast(chart.ArgumentAxis, CategoryAxis)
        If xAxis IsNot Nothing Then
            xAxis.MajorTickMark = AxisTickMarkType.Cross
            xAxis.MinorTickMark = AxisTickMarkType.Inside

            xAxis.TextProperties = New TextProperties With {.FontSize = 30}
        End If

        ' Customize the primary value axis.
        Dim yAxis As ValueAxis = chart.ValueAxis
        If yAxis IsNot Nothing Then
            yAxis.CrossPositionType = AxisCrossPositionType.OnTickMarks
            yAxis.TextProperties = New TextProperties With {.FontSize = 30}
        End If

        ' Hide the secondary argument axis.
        chart.SecondaryArgumentAxis.Visible = False

        ' Customize the secondary value axis.
        Dim secYAxis As ValueAxis = chart.SecondaryValueAxis
        If secYAxis IsNot Nothing Then
            secYAxis.Position = AxisPositionType.Right
            secYAxis.TextProperties = New TextProperties With {.FontSize = 30}
        End If

        ' Customize data labels for the first two series.
        Dim lineView1 As LineChartView = CType(chart.Views(0), LineChartView)
        lineView1.DataLabels = New LineDataLabels With {
            .ShowCategoryName = True,
            .ShowValue = True
        }

        ' Customize data labels for the third series.
        Dim lineView2 As LineChartView = CType(chart.Views(1), LineChartView)
        lineView2.DataLabels = New LineDataLabels With {.ShowValue = True}

    End Function
End Class
End Namespace

Customize Axis Labels

Use the axis TextProperties property to customize the appearance of axis label text. To specify label background, use the axis Fill property.

To format axis labels, initialize the axis NumberFormat property with a NumberFormatOptions object and specify the required formatting options:

• If you want to keep formatting of the source data, set NumberFormatOptions.IsSourceLinked to true. In this case, the API uses cell format set via CellValue.NumberFormat property in the underlying spreadsheet.

• If you want to specify a custom format, set the NumberFormatOptions.FormatCode property to a format code string. For example, use the "$0" format code to display values as currency without decimal places.

The following code snippet formats value axis labels as currency, sets the font color to green, and changes the font size:

C#

using DevExpress.Docs.Office;
using System.Drawing;

    ValueAxis? yAxis = chart.ValueAxis;
    if (yAxis != null) {
        //...
        yAxis.TextProperties = new TextProperties { FontSize = 24, Fill = new SolidFill(Color.DarkGreen), Bold = true };
        yAxis.Fill = new SolidFill(Color.Wheat);
        yAxis.NumberFormat = new NumberFormatOptions { FormatCode = "$0" };
    }

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Office
Imports System.Drawing

    Dim yAxis As ValueAxis = chart.ValueAxis
    If yAxis IsNot Nothing Then
        '...
        yAxis.TextProperties = New TextProperties With {.FontSize = 24, .Fill = New SolidFill(Color.DarkGreen), .Bold = True}
        yAxis.NumberFormat = New NumberFormatOptions With {.FormatCode = "$0"}
    End If

Add and Customize Axis Titles

Use the Axis.Title property to specify the axis title. This property returns a ChartTitleOptions object that contains options to customize the title appearance:

C#

using DevExpress.Docs.Presentation;
using DevExpress.Docs.Office;
//...
    chart.ChartData["A1"].TextValue = "Arguments";

    CategoryAxis? axis = chart.ArgumentAxis as CategoryAxis;
    if (axis != null) {

        axis.Title = new ChartTitleOptions(new TextArea("Arguments") { Level1ParagraphProperties = new TextParagraphProperties { TextProperties = new TextProperties { Fill = new SolidFill(Color.Magenta) } } });

        // For presentation viewers other than PowerPoint,
        // you might need to specify ParagraphProperties to customize text.
        axis.Title = new ChartTitleOptions(new TextArea("Arguments") { ParagraphProperties = new TextParagraphProperties { TextProperties = new TextProperties { Fill = new SolidFill(Color.Magenta) } } });

        // If you get text from an underlying spreadsheet, use TextProperies to customize text appearance.
        axis.Title = new ChartTitleOptions(new ChartDataReference("A1")) { TextProperties = new TextProperties { Fill = new SolidFill(Color.Magenta) } };
    }

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Presentation
Imports DevExpress.Docs.Office
'...
    chart.ChartData("A1").TextValue = "Arguments"

    Dim axis As CategoryAxis = TryCast(chart.ArgumentAxis, CategoryAxis)
    If axis IsNot Nothing Then
        axis.Title = New ChartTitleOptions(New TextArea("Arguments") With {
            .Level1ParagraphProperties = New TextParagraphProperties With {
                .TextProperties = New TextProperties With {
                    .Fill = New SolidFill(Color.Magenta)
                }
            }
        })
        ' For presentation viewers other than PowerPoint,
        ' you might need to specify ParagraphProperties to customize text.
        axis.Title = New ChartTitleOptions(New TextArea("Arguments") With {
            .ParagraphProperties = New TextParagraphProperties With {
                .TextProperties = New TextProperties With {
                    .Fill = New SolidFill(Color.Magenta)
                }
            }
        })

        ' If you get text from an underlying spreadsheet, use TextProperies to customize text appearance.
        axis.Title = New ChartTitleOptions(New ChartDataReference("A1")) With {
            .TextProperties = New TextProperties With {
                .Fill = New SolidFill(Color.Magenta)
            }
        }
    End If

Configure Axis Position

Specify the Axis.Position property to set how the axis is aligned relative to the chart. Use AxisPositionType‘s Top and Bottom values to position horizontal axes and Left and Right values to position vertical axes.

C#

chart.ArgumentAxis.Position = AxisPositionType.Top;

VB.NET

chart.ArgumentAxis.Position = AxisPositionType.Top

Set Custom Axis Position

Set the Axis.CrossType property to Custom and use the Axis.CrossesAt property to specify the crossing point on the axis perpendicular to the current axis:

C#

using DevExpress.Docs.Office;

    CategoryAxis? axis = chart.ArgumentAxis as CategoryAxis;
    if (axis != null) {
        axis.CrossType = AxisCrossType.Custom;
        axis.CrossesAt = 8;
    }

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Office

    Dim axis As CategoryAxis = TryCast(chart.ArgumentAxis, CategoryAxis)
    If axis IsNot Nothing Then
        axis.CrossType = AxisCrossType.Custom
        axis.CrossesAt = 8
    End If

Customize Tick Marks

Use the Axis.MajorTickMark and Axis.MinorTickMark properties to specify the tick mark type for major and minor ticks. Possible values are None, Inside, Outside, and Cross:

C#

using DevExpress.Docs.Office;

    CategoryAxis? xAxis = chart.ArgumentAxis as CategoryAxis;
    if (xAxis != null) {
        xAxis.MajorTickMark = AxisTickMarkType.Cross;
        xAxis.MinorTickMark = AxisTickMarkType.Inside;
    }

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Office

    Dim xAxis As CategoryAxis = TryCast(chart.ArgumentAxis, CategoryAxis)
    If xAxis IsNot Nothing Then
        xAxis.MajorTickMark = AxisTickMarkType.Cross
        xAxis.MinorTickMark = AxisTickMarkType.Inside
    End If

Customize Gridlines

Use an axis MajorGridlines and MinorGridlines properties to customize the appearance of major and minor gridlines:

C#

using DevExpress.Docs.Presentation;
using DevExpress.Docs.Office;

    ValueAxis? yAxis = chart.ValueAxis;
    if (yAxis != null) {
        yAxis.MajorGridlines = new ChartLineOptions { OutlineStyle = new OutlineStyle { Fill = new SolidFill(Color.DarkMagenta) } };
        yAxis.MinorGridlines = new ChartLineOptions { OutlineStyle = new OutlineStyle { Fill = new SolidFill(Color.Magenta) } };
    }

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Presentation
Imports DevExpress.Docs.Office

    Dim yAxis As ValueAxis = chart.ValueAxis
    If yAxis IsNot Nothing Then
        yAxis.MajorGridlines = New ChartLineOptions With { .OutlineStyle = New OutlineStyle With { .Fill = New SolidFill(Color.DarkMagenta) } }
        yAxis.MinorGridlines = New ChartLineOptions With { .OutlineStyle = New OutlineStyle With { .Fill = New SolidFill(Color.Magenta) } }
    End If

Customize Axis Style

Use the axis OutlineStyle property to customize the appearance of axis lines:

C#

using DevExpress.Docs.Office;
using System.Drawing;

    CategoryAxis? xAxis = chart.ArgumentAxis as CategoryAxis;
    if (xAxis != null) {
        xAxis.OutlineStyle = new OutlineStyle() { Fill = new SolidFill(Color.Orange), Width = 10, DashType = LineDashType.DashDot };
    }

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Office
Imports System.Drawing

    Dim xAxis As CategoryAxis = TryCast(chart.ArgumentAxis, CategoryAxis)
    If xAxis IsNot Nothing Then
        xAxis.OutlineStyle = New OutlineStyle() With {.Fill = New SolidFill(Color.Orange), .Width = 10, .DashType = LineDashType.DashDot}
    End If