Cfrgtkky

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.

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=1.1flex@pattern@density

    flex@pattern@auxlengthtwo=flex@pattern@density

    advanceflex@pattern@auxlengthtwo by 0.1pt

    %typeout{theflex@pattern@density,theflex@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.