docs-desktop/dotnet-desktop-guide/framework/winforms/advanced/how-to-draw-a-custom-dashed-line.md

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title	ms.date	dev_langs	helpviewer_keywords	ms.assetid
How to: Draw a Custom Dashed Line	03/30/2017	csharp vb	lines [Windows Forms], custom lines [Windows Forms], drawing lines [Windows Forms], dashed	cd0ed96a-cce4-47b9-b58a-3bae2e3d1bee

How to: Draw a Custom Dashed Line

GDI+ provides several dash styles that are listed in the xref:System.Drawing.Drawing2D.DashStyle enumeration. If those standard dash styles do not suit your needs, you can create a custom dash pattern.

Example

To draw a custom dashed line, put the lengths of the dashes and spaces in an array and assign the array as the value of the xref:System.Drawing.Pen.DashPattern%2A property of a xref:System.Drawing.Pen object. The following example draws a custom dashed line based on the array {5, 2, 15, 4}. If you multiply the elements of the array by the pen width of 5, you get {25, 10, 75, 20}. The displayed dashes alternate in length between 25 and 75, and the spaces alternate in length between 10 and 20.

The following illustration shows the resulting dashed line. Note that the final dash has to be shorter than 25 units so that the line can end at (405, 5).

[!code-csharpSystem.Drawing.UsingAPen#51] [!code-vbSystem.Drawing.UsingAPen#51]

Compiling the Code

Create a Windows Form and handle the form's xref:System.Windows.Forms.Control.Paint event. Paste the preceding code into the xref:System.Windows.Forms.Control.Paint event handler.

See also

• Using a Pen to Draw Lines and Shapes