Add a Whats_new entry, and augment docstrings

efiring · efiring · commit ee35e584a67a · 2018-01-07T16:52:51.000-10:00
diff --git a/doc/users/next_whats_new/2018_01_07_tick_params_gridlines.rst b/doc/users/next_whats_new/2018_01_07_tick_params_gridlines.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+`Axes.tick_params` can set gridline properties
+----------------------------------------------
+
+`Tick` objects hold gridlines as well as the tick mark and its label.
+`Axis.set_tick_params`, `Axes.tick_params` and `pyplot.tick_params`
+now have keyword arguments 'grid_color', 'grid_alpha', 'grid_linewidth',
+and 'grid_linestyle' for overriding the defaults in `rcParams`:
+'grid.color', etc.
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/axes/_base.py b/lib/matplotlib/axes/_base.py
@@ -2790,7 +2790,7 @@ def locator_params(self, axis='both', tight=None, **kwargs):
         self.autoscale_view(tight=tight, scalex=_x, scaley=_y)
 
     def tick_params(self, axis='both', **kwargs):
-        """Change the appearance of ticks and tick labels.
+        """Change the appearance of ticks, tick labels, and gridlines.
 
         Parameters
         ----------
@@ -2848,16 +2848,29 @@ def tick_params(self, axis='both', **kwargs):
         labelrotation : float
             Tick label rotation
 
+        grid_color : color
+            Changes the gridline color to the given mpl color spec.
+
+        grid_alpha : float
+            Transparency of gridlines: 0 (transparent) to 1 (opaque).
+
+        grid_linewidth : float
+            Width of gridlines in points.
+
+        grid_linestyle : string
+            Any valid :class:`~matplotlib.lines.Line2D` line style spec.
+
         Examples
         --------
 
         Usage ::
 
-            ax.tick_params(direction='out', length=6, width=2, colors='r')
+            ax.tick_params(direction='out', length=6, width=2, colors='r',
+                           grid_color='r', grid_alpha=0.5)
 
         This will make all major ticks be red, pointing out of the box,
         and with dimensions 6 points by 2 points.  Tick labels will
-        also be red.
+        also be red.  Gridlines will be red and translucent.
 
         """
         if axis in ['x', 'both']:
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/axis.py b/lib/matplotlib/axis.py
@@ -813,7 +813,7 @@ def reset_ticks(self):
 
     def set_tick_params(self, which='major', reset=False, **kw):
         """
-        Set appearance parameters for ticks and ticklabels.
+        Set appearance parameters for ticks, ticklabels, and gridlines.
 
         For documentation of keyword arguments, see
         :meth:`matplotlib.axes.Axes.tick_params`.
