# How to add an extra tick without adding a new line to the grid

I need to add an extra tick to the x-axis without adding a new grid line at the new x value, the problem is that I'm using extra ticks to get a complete grid (it is one solution that was given to me in this post) wich lines start and end at integer boundaries of the x and y-axis.

\documentclass[border=3mm]{standalone}
\usepackage{pgfplots}
\pgfplotsset{compat=1.12}
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
\begin{axis}[
axis lines=center,
grid=major,
grid style={dotted, cyan},
anchor=origin,
xlabel = $x$, ylabel =$y$,  % Set the labels
xmin= -4, xmax= 4,
ymin=-4, ymax=4,
xtick={-3,-2,...,3},
ytick={-3,-2,...,3},
extra x ticks={-4,3.14, 4},
extra y ticks={-4, 4},
extra tick style={grid=major, grid style={dotted, cyan}},
extra x tick labels={,\hspace{.4em}$\pi$,},
extra y tick labels={},
color=cyan
]
\end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}


• I need to do the inverse thing: Keep all grid lines and erase the vertical line which passes through the pi abscissa. Sep 24, 2015 at 23:39

To add extra tick in the x axis, you can use

extra x tick style={grid=none},


in the options:

\documentclass[border=3mm]{standalone}
\usepackage{pgfplots}
\pgfplotsset{compat=1.12}
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
\begin{axis}[
axis lines=center,
grid=major,
grid style={dotted, cyan},
anchor=origin,
xlabel = $x$, ylabel =$y$,  % Set the labels
xmin= -4, xmax= 4,
ymin=-4, ymax=4,
xtick={-3,-2,...,3},
ytick={-3,-2,...,3},
extra x ticks={-4,3.14, 4},
extra y ticks={-4, 4},
extra tick style={grid=major, grid style={dotted, cyan}},
extra x tick labels={,\hspace{.4em}$\pi$,},
extra y tick labels={},
extra x tick style={grid=none}, %% <<-----
color=cyan
]
\end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}


This will make the last grid lines on either side of x axis to disapper which can be drawn using

\draw[dotted,cyan] (4,-4) -- (4,4)
(-4,-4) -- (-4,4);
\end{axis}


Here is the manually drawing option mentioned by Gonzalo:

\documentclass[border=3mm]{standalone}
\usepackage{pgfplots}
\pgfplotsset{compat=1.12}
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
\begin{axis}[
axis lines=center,
grid=major,
grid style={dotted, cyan},
anchor=origin,
xlabel = $x$, ylabel =$y$,  % Set the labels
xmin= -4, xmax= 4,
ymin=-4, ymax=4,
xtick={-3,-2,...,3},
ytick={-3,-2,...,3},
extra x ticks={-4, 4},
extra y ticks={-4, 4},
extra tick style={grid=major, grid style={dotted, cyan}},
extra x tick labels={},%,\hspace{.4em}$\pi$,},
extra y tick labels={},
%extra x tick style={grid=none}, %% <<-----
color=cyan
]
\draw[very thin,gray] (3.14,0.1) -- (3.14,-0.1)node[anchor=north west,inner xsep=0pt,text=cyan] {$\pi$};
\end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}


• Isn't it simpler to add the tick manually? Sep 24, 2015 at 23:42
• Yes, I will add that option too in some time. It is jogging time now. :)
– user11232
Sep 24, 2015 at 23:49
• Changing the thickness or the line type to densely dotted or heavy dashed may lead to some difference between lines. Sep 25, 2015 at 0:06