docs-desktop/dotnet-desktop-guide/framework/winforms/advanced/how-to-use-a-pen-to-draw-lines.md

title, ms.date, dev_langs, helpviewer_keywords, ms.assetid

title	ms.date	dev_langs	helpviewer_keywords	ms.assetid
How to: Use a Pen to Draw Lines	03/30/2017	csharp vb	lines [Windows Forms], drawing pens [Windows Forms], drawing lines	0828c331-a438-4bdd-a4d6-3ef1e59e8795

How to: Use a Pen to Draw Lines

To draw lines, you need a xref:System.Drawing.Graphics object and a xref:System.Drawing.Pen object. The xref:System.Drawing.Graphics object provides the xref:System.Drawing.Graphics.DrawLine%2A method, and the xref:System.Drawing.Pen object stores features of the line, such as color and width.

Example

The following example draws a line from (20, 10) to (300, 100). The first statement uses the xref:System.Drawing.Pen.%23ctor%2A class constructor to create a black pen. The one argument passed to the xref:System.Drawing.Pen.%23ctor%2A constructor is a xref:System.Drawing.Color object created with the xref:System.Drawing.Color.FromArgb%2A method. The values used to create the xref:System.Drawing.Color object — (255, 0, 0, 0) — correspond to the alpha, red, green, and blue components of the color. These values define an opaque black pen.

[!code-csharpSystem.Drawing.UsingAPen#11] [!code-vbSystem.Drawing.UsingAPen#11]

Compiling the Code

The preceding example is designed for use with Windows Forms, and it requires xref:System.Windows.Forms.PaintEventArgs e, which is a parameter of the xref:System.Windows.Forms.Control.Paint event handler.

See also

• xref:System.Drawing.Pen
• Using a Pen to Draw Lines and Shapes
• Pens, Lines, and Rectangles in GDI+