Plotting Functions#

Pine Script provides various functions for drawing visual elements on charts. This chapter covers the most commonly used: plot, hline, fill, and background color functions.

plot — Line Chart#

plot() is the most basic drawing function, rendering a series of values as a line:

plot(series, title, color, linewidth, style, display)

Basic usage:

//@version=6
indicator("plot Demo", overlay=true)

ma5  = ta.sma(close, 5)
ma20 = ta.sma(close, 20)

plot(ma5,  "MA5",  color=color.blue,   linewidth=1)
plot(ma20, "MA20", color=color.orange, linewidth=2)

Line Styles#

The style parameter controls the line’s appearance:

//@version=6
indicator("MACD Histogram")

[macdLine, signalLine, hist] = ta.macd(close, 12, 26, 9)

plot(hist, "Histogram", style=plot.style_histogram,
     color=hist >= 0 ? color.green : color.red)
plot(macdLine,   "MACD",   color=color.blue)
plot(signalLine, "Signal", color=color.orange)

Dynamic Colors#

The color parameter can be a conditional expression, allowing the line color to change based on value:

//@version=6
indicator("Dynamic Color", overlay=true)

ma = ta.sma(close, 20)

// Green when close is above MA, red when below
lineColor = close > ma ? color.green : color.red
plot(ma, "MA", color=lineColor, linewidth=2)

color.new — Color Transparency#

color.new(baseColor, transparency) creates a color with a transparency level. The range is 0 (opaque) to 100 (fully transparent):

plot(close, color=color.new(color.blue, 50))  // 50% transparent blue

hline — Horizontal Line#

hline() draws a horizontal line at a fixed price level, commonly used for RSI overbought/oversold levels:

//@version=6
indicator("RSI + Horizontal Lines")

rsiValue = ta.rsi(close, 14)
plot(rsiValue, "RSI", color=color.purple)

hline(70, "Overbought", color=color.red,   linestyle=hline.style_dashed)
hline(50, "Midline",    color=color.gray,  linestyle=hline.style_dotted)
hline(30, "Oversold",   color=color.green, linestyle=hline.style_dashed)

linestyle options:

fill — Fill Between Two Lines#

fill() fills the color between two plot or hline objects, commonly used to display channels or indicator ranges:

//@version=6
indicator("Bollinger Band Fill", overlay=true)

[middle, upper, lower] = ta.bb(close, 20, 2)

upperPlot = plot(upper, "Upper", color=color.blue)
lowerPlot = plot(lower, "Lower", color=color.blue)
plot(middle, "Middle", color=color.orange)

// Fill between upper and lower bands
fill(upperPlot, lowerPlot, color=color.new(color.blue, 90))

Filling between hline objects also works:

//@version=6
indicator("RSI Band Fill")

rsiValue = ta.rsi(close, 14)
plot(rsiValue, "RSI", color=color.purple)

h70 = hline(70, "Overbought", color=color.red)
h30 = hline(30, "Oversold",   color=color.green)

// Fill between 30 and 70
fill(h70, h30, color=color.new(color.gray, 85))

bgcolor — Bar Background Color#

bgcolor() colors the bar background under specific conditions, useful for marking special sessions or signals:

//@version=6
indicator("Background Color Demo", overlay=true)

rsiValue = ta.rsi(close, 14)

// Red background when RSI is overbought, green when oversold
bgcolor(rsiValue > 70 ? color.new(color.red,   85) : na)
bgcolor(rsiValue < 30 ? color.new(color.green, 85) : na)

barcolor — Candle Color#

barcolor() changes the color of the candle itself (body and wicks):

//@version=6
indicator("Candle Color", overlay=true)

ma = ta.sma(close, 20)

// Show blue candles when close is above MA, otherwise keep default
barcolor(close > ma ? color.blue : na)

Passing na keeps the default color unchanged.

Practical Example: Multiple Moving Averages Indicator#

//@version=6
indicator("Multiple MAs", overlay=true)

ma5   = ta.sma(close, 5)
ma10  = ta.sma(close, 10)
ma20  = ta.sma(close, 20)
ma60  = ta.sma(close, 60)
ma120 = ta.sma(close, 120)

plot(ma5,   "MA5",   color=color.new(color.red,    0), linewidth=1)
plot(ma10,  "MA10",  color=color.new(color.orange, 0), linewidth=1)
plot(ma20,  "MA20",  color=color.new(color.yellow, 0), linewidth=2)
plot(ma60,  "MA60",  color=color.new(color.green,  0), linewidth=2)
plot(ma120, "MA120", color=color.new(color.blue,   0), linewidth=3)

// Light green background when MAs are in bullish alignment
bullish = ma5 > ma10 and ma10 > ma20 and ma20 > ma60
bgcolor(bullish ? color.new(color.green, 92) : na)

Reference#

• plot() — Pine Script Official Docs
• Fills — Pine Script Official Docs
• Colors — Pine Script Official Docs