Configure Chart Legend in DevExpress Presentation API

• Jun 09, 2026
• 2 minutes to read

A legend allows you to identify series by their color. The DevExpress Presentation API allows you to show, hide, and customize a chart legend.

Access a Chart Legend

Charts API creates a legend once you create a chart. Note that the legend is visible only if a chart has at least one series.

Use the Chart.Legend (or ChartEx.Legend) property to access a Legend object (a LegendEx object for ChartEx) for further customization:

C#

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

Legend legend = chart.Legend;

VB.NET

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

Dim legend As Legend = chart.Legend

To remove the legend from the chart, set the Chart.Legend property to null (Nothing in VB.NET).

Set Legend Position and Appearance

Use the following properties to configure legend placement and appearance:

LegendBase.Position

Specifies the legend position. Available values include Bottom, Top, Left, Right, and TopRight.

LegendBase.AllowOverlapChart

Specifies whether the legend can overlap the chart plot area.

LegendBase.TextProperties

Specifies legend text formatting.

The following code snippet positions the legend, formats legend text, and customizes the legend frame:

C#

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

legend.Position = LegendPositionType.TopRight;
legend.AllowOverlapChart = true;

legend.TextProperties = new TextProperties {
    FontSize = 16,
    Bold = true
};

legend.Fill = new SolidFill(Color.AliceBlue);
legend.OutlineStyle = new OutlineStyle {
    Fill = new SolidFill(Color.SlateGray),
    Width = 2
};

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Office
Imports DevExpress.Docs.Presentation
Imports System.Drawing

legend.Position = LegendPositionType.TopRight
legend.AllowOverlapChart = True

legend.TextProperties = New TextProperties() With {
    .FontSize = 16,
    .Bold = True
}

legend.Fill = New SolidFill(Color.AliceBlue)
legend.OutlineStyle = New OutlineStyle() With {
    .Fill = New SolidFill(Color.SlateGray),
    .Width = 2
}

Customize Individual Legend Entries

The Legend.CustomEntries property allows you to access a collection of legend entries you can customize. Note that custom entries are only available in the Chart.

Use the LegendEntry.TextProperties and LegendEntry.Hidden properties to customize text and visibility of individual legend entries.

The following code snippet customizes the first legend entry that corresponds to the first series in the chart:

C#

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

legend.CustomEntries.Add(0, new LegendEntry { TextProperties = new TextProperties { Fill = new SolidFill(Color.Red) } });

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Office
Imports DevExpress.Docs.Presentation
Imports System.Drawing

legend.CustomEntries.Add(0, New LegendEntry() With {
    .TextProperties = New TextProperties() With {
        .Fill = New SolidFill(Color.Red)
    }
})