stride3d/stride · error · ArgumentException

Step cannot be zero or negative.

Error message

Step cannot be zero or negative.

What it means

AxisBase.CreateTickValues generates tick positions for an axis between 'from' and 'to'. A non-positive step would cause an infinite loop or divide-by-zero in tick computation, so the method eagerly rejects it with ArgumentException. Step must be strictly greater than zero; direction is handled internally by negating the step when to <= from.

Solutions

  1. Ensure the axis Step property is set to a positive value before generating ticks
  2. Clamp/guard the step: if (step <= 0) step = defaultStep before calling
  3. If step comes from UI input, validate > 0 in the view model before binding
  4. Wrap in try/catch when step originates from untrusted input

Example fix

// before
axis.Step = userStep; // may be 0
var ticks = axis.GetTickValues();
// after
axis.Step = userStep > 0 ? userStep : DefaultStep;
var ticks = axis.GetTickValues();
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

if (step <= 0) throw new ArgumentException("step must be > 0", nameof(step));
var ticks = AxisBase.CreateTickValues(from, to, step);

Type guard

bool IsValidStep(double step) => step > 0;

Try / catch

try { ticks = AxisBase.CreateTickValues(from, to, step); }
catch (ArgumentException) { ticks = Array.Empty<double>(); }

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Calling CreateTickValues(from, to, 0), a negative step, or GetTickValues on an axis whose Step property was set to 0 or a negative value (e.g. from data binding or a deserialized default).

Common situations: Setting Step before other axis initialization leaves it at 0; user-editable step fields bound to the axis allow 0 or negative input; unit tests constructing an AxisBase without setting Step.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of stride3d/stride@96fad776d2 (2026-09-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/d33b1609805d061c. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at sources/editor/Stride.Assets.Presentation/CurveEditor/Axes/AxisBase.cs:381

        /// <summary>
        /// Occurs when the transform changed (size or axis range was changed).
        /// </summary>
        public event EventHandler TransformChanged;

        /// <summary>
        /// Creates tick values at the specified interval.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="from">The start value.</param>
        /// <param name="to">The end value.</param>
        /// <param name="step">The interval.</param>
        /// <param name="maxTicks">The maximum number of ticks (optional). The default value is 1000.</param>
        /// <returns>A sequence of values.</returns>
        /// <exception cref="System.ArgumentException">Step cannot be zero or negative.;step</exception>
        public static IList<double> CreateTickValues(double from, double to, double step, int maxTicks = 1000)
        {
            if (step <= 0)
            {
                throw new ArgumentException("Step cannot be zero or negative.", nameof(step));
            }

            if (to <= from && step > 0)
            {
                step *= -1;
            }

            var startValue = Math.Round(from / step) * step;
            var numberOfValues = Math.Max((int)((to - from) / step), 1);
            var epsilon = step * 1e-3 * Math.Sign(step);
            var values = new List<double>(numberOfValues);

            for (var k = 0; k < maxTicks; k++)
            {
                var lastValue = startValue + (step * k);

                // If we hit the maximum value before reaching the max number of ticks, exit
                if (lastValue > to + epsilon)

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