ggplot2-Style Axis by mbostock

These axes are styled in the manner of ggplot2, a plotting system for R. Two d3.svg.axis instances are used: one for the gray grid lines, and one for the black ticks and labels below the bottom of the chart area. The exit selection of a data-join is used to customize the appearance of minor ticks.

index.html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<style>

body {
  font: 10px sans-serif;
  shape-rendering: crispEdges;
}

.grid-background {
  fill: #ddd;
}

.grid line {
  stroke: #fff;
}

.grid .minor line {
  stroke-opacity: .5;
}

.grid text {
  display: none;
}

.axis line {
  stroke: #000;
}

.axis path,
.grid path {
  display: none;
}

</style>
<body>
<script src="//d3js.org/d3.v3.min.js"></script>
<script>

var margin = {top: 200, right: 10, bottom: 200, left: 10},
    width = 960 - margin.right - margin.left,
    height = 500 - margin.top - margin.bottom;

var x = d3.scale.linear()
    .domain([.05, .95])
    .range([0, width]);

var y = d3.scale.linear()
    .range([0, height]);

var svg = d3.select("body").append("svg")
    .attr("width", width + margin.right + margin.left)
    .attr("height", height + margin.top + margin.bottom)
  .append("g")
    .attr("transform", "translate(" + margin.left + "," + margin.top + ")");

svg.append("rect")
    .attr("class", "grid-background")
    .attr("width", width)
    .attr("height", height);

svg.append("g")
    .attr("class", "grid")
    .attr("transform", "translate(0," + height + ")")
    .call(d3.svg.axis().scale(x).ticks(20).tickSize(-height))
  .selectAll(".tick")
    .data(x.ticks(10), function(d) { return d; })
  .exit()
    .classed("minor", true);

svg.append("g")
    .attr("class", "axis")
    .attr("transform", "translate(0," + height + ")")
    .call(d3.svg.axis().scale(x).ticks(10));

</script>