pattern=grid, how to simple increase grid steps

Question

i have the following mwe:

\documentclass[tikz, margin=3]{standalone}
\usetikzlibrary{patterns}

\begin{document}
    \begin{tikzpicture}[pattern color=gray!50]
\node (s)   [draw=gray!50, thick,
             preaction={pattern=grid},
             minimum width=30mm, minimum height=20mm,
             below right]  {some content};
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

does exist simple way to increase grid steps for grid pattern? for example that distances between lines are 5mm and lines are very thin? or should i define new grid pattern? if this is only solution, please can someone show me how to do this? i look to changing-density-of-pattern, but i'm not able to accommodate this solution to grids.

score 3 · Answer 1 · 2019-02-10T02:23:38.377

From your comments I understand that you want a grid that moves with the node or some other path. This can be easily obtained with a path picture.

\documentclass[tikz,border=3.14mm]{standalone}
\usetikzlibrary{calc}
\pgfkeys{/Zarko/.cd,
grid/.style={draw=gray!50,thin},
x distance/.initial=8mm,
y distance/.initial=8mm,
distance/.code={\pgfkeys{/Zarko/x distance=#1,/Zarko/y distance=#1}}
}
\tikzset{Zarko grid/.style={/utils/exec=\pgfkeys{/Zarko/.cd,#1},
path picture={
\path[/Zarko/grid] let \p1=($(path picture bounding box.north east)-(path picture bounding
box.south west)$),\n1={int(\x1/\pgfkeysvalueof{/Zarko/x distance})},
\n2={int(\y1/\pgfkeysvalueof{/Zarko/y distance})} in 
foreach \XX in {1,...,\n1}
{ 
([xshift=\XX*\pgfkeysvalueof{/Zarko/x distance}]path picture bounding box.south west)
--
([xshift=\XX*\pgfkeysvalueof{/Zarko/x distance}]path picture bounding box.north west)
}
foreach \YY in {1,...,\n2} {
([yshift=\YY*\pgfkeysvalueof{/Zarko/y distance}]path picture bounding box.south west)
--
([yshift=\YY*\pgfkeysvalueof{/Zarko/y distance}]path picture bounding box.south east)
};
}}}
\begin{document}
    \begin{tikzpicture}
\node (s)   [Zarko grid,draw=gray!50, thick,         
             minimum width=30mm, minimum height=20mm]  {some content};

\node (s')   [Zarko grid={distance=3mm},draw=gray!50, thick,         
             minimum width=30mm, minimum height=24mm]  at (0,-4) {some content};
\draw[blue,Zarko grid={x distance=4mm,y distance=2mm,grid/.style={draw=red}}] (4,0) --(6,3) -- (5,-2) -- cycle;           
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

One could make it more flexible by adding some x offset and y offset but I guess you will be able to do that when needed.

As for "honest-to-god" grids: I copied my old answer and it seems to work. (I only had to add the color to the options of the grid, no idea why I didn't do that in the original answer.) EDIT: I cleaned my code, when I wrote the answer I didn't know, for instance, that the calc package (not library) redefines \setlength etc. So I hope to have made my code a bit less dangerous.

\documentclass[tikz,border=3.14mm]{standalone}
\usetikzlibrary{patterns}
\makeatletter
\newlength{\flex@pattern@density}
\newlength{\flex@pattern@linewidth}
\newlength{\flex@pattern@auxlength}
\newlength{\flex@pattern@auxlengthtwo}
\tikzset{/tikz/.cd,
    pattern density/.code={\flex@pattern@density=#1
    \flex@pattern@auxlength=1.1\flex@pattern@density
    \flex@pattern@auxlengthtwo=\flex@pattern@density
    \advance\flex@pattern@auxlengthtwo by 0.1pt
    %\typeout{\the\flex@pattern@density,\the\flex@pattern@auxlength}
    },
    pattern density=3pt,
    pattern line width/.code={\flex@pattern@linewidth=#1},
    pattern line width=0.4pt,
}


\pgfdeclarepatternformonly[\flex@pattern@density,\flex@pattern@linewidth,\tikz@pattern@color]{flexible horizontal lines}{\pgfpointorigin}{\pgfqpoint{100pt}{1pt}}{\pgfqpoint{100pt}{\flex@pattern@density}}%
{
  \pgfsetlinewidth{\flex@pattern@linewidth}
  \pgfsetcolor{\tikz@pattern@color}
  \pgfpathmoveto{\pgfqpoint{0pt}{0.5pt}}
  \pgfpathlineto{\pgfqpoint{100pt}{0.5pt}}
  \pgfusepath{stroke}
}

\pgfdeclarepatternformonly[\flex@pattern@density,\flex@pattern@linewidth,\tikz@pattern@color]{flexible vertical lines}{\pgfpointorigin}{\pgfqpoint{1pt}{100pt}}{\pgfqpoint{\flex@pattern@density}{100pt}}%
{
  \pgfsetlinewidth{\flex@pattern@linewidth}
  \pgfsetcolor{\tikz@pattern@color}
  \pgfpathmoveto{\pgfqpoint{0.5pt}{0pt}}
  \pgfpathlineto{\pgfqpoint{0.5pt}{100pt}}
  \pgfusepath{stroke}
}

\pgfdeclarepatternformonly[\flex@pattern@auxlengthtwo,\flex@pattern@density,\flex@pattern@linewidth,\flex@pattern@auxlength,\tikz@pattern@color]{flexible north east lines}{\pgfqpoint{-1pt}{-1pt}}{\pgfqpoint{\flex@pattern@auxlength}{\flex@pattern@auxlength}}{\pgfqpoint{\flex@pattern@density}{\flex@pattern@density}}%
{
  \pgfsetlinewidth{\flex@pattern@linewidth}
  \pgfsetcolor{\tikz@pattern@color}
  \pgfpathmoveto{\pgfqpoint{0pt}{0pt}}
  \pgfpathlineto{\pgfqpoint{\flex@pattern@auxlengthtwo}{\flex@pattern@auxlengthtwo}}
  \pgfusepath{stroke}
}

\pgfdeclarepatternformonly[\flex@pattern@auxlengthtwo,\flex@pattern@density,\flex@pattern@linewidth,\flex@pattern@auxlength,\tikz@pattern@color]{flexible north west lines}{\pgfqpoint{-1pt}{-1pt}}{\pgfqpoint{\flex@pattern@auxlength}{\flex@pattern@auxlength}}{\pgfqpoint{\flex@pattern@density}{\flex@pattern@density}}%
{
  \pgfsetlinewidth{\flex@pattern@linewidth}
  \pgfsetcolor{\tikz@pattern@color}
  \pgfpathmoveto{\pgfqpoint{\flex@pattern@auxlengthtwo}{0pt}}
  \pgfpathlineto{\pgfqpoint{0pt}{\flex@pattern@auxlengthtwo}}
  \pgfusepath{stroke}
}


% Crossed lines in different directions

\pgfdeclarepatternformonly[\flex@pattern@density,\flex@pattern@linewidth,\flex@pattern@auxlength,\tikz@pattern@color]{flexible grid}{\pgfqpoint{-1pt}{-1pt}}{\pgfqpoint{\flex@pattern@auxlength}{\flex@pattern@auxlength}}{\pgfqpoint{\flex@pattern@density}{\flex@pattern@density}}%
{
  \pgfsetlinewidth{\flex@pattern@linewidth}
  \pgfsetcolor{\tikz@pattern@color}
  \pgfpathmoveto{\pgfqpoint{0pt}{0pt}}
  \pgfpathlineto{\pgfqpoint{0pt}{\flex@pattern@density}}
  \pgfpathmoveto{\pgfqpoint{0pt}{0pt}}
  \pgfpathlineto{\pgfqpoint{\flex@pattern@density}{0pt}}
  \pgfusepath{stroke}
}

\pgfdeclarepatternformonly[\flex@pattern@density,\flex@pattern@linewidth,\flex@pattern@auxlength,\tikz@pattern@color]{flexible crosshatch}{\pgfqpoint{-1pt}{-1pt}}{\pgfqpoint{\flex@pattern@auxlength}{\flex@pattern@auxlength}}{\pgfqpoint{3pt}{3pt}}%
{
  \pgfsetlinewidth{\flex@pattern@linewidth}
  \pgfsetcolor{\tikz@pattern@color}
  \pgfpathmoveto{\pgfqpoint{\flex@pattern@density}{0pt}}
  \pgfpathlineto{\pgfqpoint{0pt}{\flex@pattern@density}}
  \pgfpathmoveto{\pgfqpoint{0pt}{0pt}}
  \pgfpathlineto{\pgfqpoint{\flex@pattern@density}{\flex@pattern@density}}
  \pgfusepath{stroke}
}


% Dotted regions

\pgfdeclarepatternformonly[\flex@pattern@density,\flex@pattern@linewidth,\tikz@pattern@color]{flexible dots}{\pgfqpoint{-1pt}{-1pt}}{\pgfqpoint{1pt}{1pt}}{\pgfqpoint{\flex@pattern@density}{\flex@pattern@density}}%
{
  \pgfsetcolor{\tikz@pattern@color}
  \pgfpathcircle{\pgfqpoint{0pt}{0pt}}{\flex@pattern@linewidth}
  \pgfusepath{fill}
}

\pgfdeclarepatternformonly[\flex@pattern@density,\flex@pattern@linewidth,\tikz@pattern@color]{flexible crosshatch dots}{\pgfqpoint{-1pt}{-1pt}}{\pgfqpoint{2.5pt}{2.5pt}}{\pgfqpoint{\flex@pattern@density}{\flex@pattern@density}}%
{
  \pgfsetcolor{\tikz@pattern@color}
  \pgfpathcircle{\pgfqpoint{0pt}{0pt}}{\flex@pattern@linewidth}
  \pgfpathcircle{\pgfqpoint{1.5pt}{1.5pt}}{\flex@pattern@linewidth}
  \pgfusepath{fill}
}

\makeatother


\begin{document}
 \begin{tikzpicture}[>=stealth,every node/.style={font=\tiny}]
  \draw[very thick,
   pattern=flexible grid,pattern line
   width=0.4pt,pattern color=blue,
   pattern density=5mm] (0,5) -- (0,0) -- (5,0) -- (5,5);
  \begin{scope}[pattern density=5mm,pattern line
   width=0.4pt]
    \node (s)  [draw=gray!50, thick,pattern color=gray!50,
             preaction={pattern=flexible grid},
             minimum width=30mm, minimum height=20mm,
             below right] at (7,0)  {some content};
  \end{scope}               
 \end{tikzpicture}

\end{document}

ADDENDUM: If I use the same preamble for

\begin{document}
\foreach \X in {2,2.033,...,4,3.967,...,2}
{\begin{tikzpicture}[>=stealth,every node/.style={font=\tiny}]
  \draw (0,-3) rectangle (8,5);
  \begin{scope}[pattern density=5mm,pattern line
   width=0.4pt]
    \node (s)  [draw=gray!50, thick,pattern color=gray!50,
             preaction={pattern=flexible grid},
             minimum width=30mm, minimum height=20mm,
             below right] at (\X,{sin(\X*90)})  {some content};
    \node (s')  [draw=gray!50, thick,pattern color=gray!50,
             preaction={pattern=grid},
             minimum width=30mm, minimum height=20mm,
             below right] at (\X,{3+sin(\X*90)})  {some content};
  \end{scope}               
\end{tikzpicture}}
\end{document}

I get this "beautiful" animation:

It shows that the patterns are, in principle, equally in hitting the boundary of the node, it is only that the finer pattern has statistically a better chance of doing so, but other than that the patterns are on the same footing.

huh, as i afraid, it seems that for my problem is not simpler solution :-( . thank you very much (+1, for accepting I'll wait a while). — Zarko, Feb 10 '19 at 00:17
so far i stick with drawing grid over node starting in one corner and end in diagonal opposite one. however, it almost newer start with line but as you show in the example. interestingly, if i use standard grid pattern, it always start with (border) line, but with your definition this is lost. thank editing of your answer. — Zarko, Feb 10 '19 at 00:38
@Zarko I added an animation. And I believe that you only have a statistical effect: the finer pattern has a better chance of coinciding with the boundary of the node, but there is no difference in principle. — , Feb 10 '19 at 01:07
thank you very much for animation :-). meanwhile i try to learn how your code works. i made some progress but not sufficient, that i was able to introduce more parameters to Zarko grid={...}. for example, i like to add grid color (change default choice here) and thickness of lines (also possible change default value). — Zarko, Feb 11 '19 at 10:16
@Zarko In the examples, these things are all done. \draw[blue,Zarko grid={x distance=4mm,y distance=2mm,grid/.style={draw=red}}] (4,0) --(6,3) -- (5,-2) -- cycle; You can add your thickness to grid/.style. — , Feb 11 '19 at 14:40

pattern=grid, how to simple increase grid steps

1 Answers1