---
url: /indicators/zig-zag.md
description: >-
  Zig Zag is a financial market price chart overlay that simplifies the up and
  down movements and transitions based on a percent change smoothing threshold.
package: FacioQuo.Stock.Indicators
docs_version: v3
canonical: https://dotnet.stockindicators.dev/indicators/zig-zag
generated: 2026-09-30T04:41:06.055Z
commit: ae1f432eaa0b03ae9f39e032c69434b557efa4a2
---

# Zig Zag

[Zig Zag](https://www.google.com/search?q=Zig+Zag+\(ZIGZAG\)+indicator) is a price chart overlay that simplifies the up and down movements and transitions based on a percent change smoothing threshold. [\[Discuss\] 💬](https://github.com/facioquo/stock-indicators-dotnet/discussions/226 "Community discussion about this indicator")

```csharp
// C# usage syntax
IReadOnlyList<ZigZagResult> results =
  bars.ToZigZag(endType, percentChange);
```

## Parameters

| param | type | description |
| ----- | ---- | ----------- |
| `endType` | *`EndType`* | Determines whether `Close` or `High/Low` are used for percent change threshold. Default is `EndType.Close`. |
| `percentChange` | *`decimal`* | Percent change required to establish a line endpoint.  **Example: 3.5% would be entered as 3.5 (not 0.035)**.  Must be greater than 0.  Typical values range from 3 to 10.  Default is 5. |

> [!TIP]
> **✨ Tip: adjust `percentChange` for bar interval sizes**
>
> Use a percent change threshold that is appropriate for your price bar interval size. For example, `5%` works well for `Day`-sized price bar aggregates, but `Hourly` or `Minute`-sized bars typically need smaller values (e.g., `1%` or `0.1%`), depending on the asset class and typical price volatility.

### Historical price bars requirements

You must have at least two periods of `bars` to cover the warmup periods, but notably more is needed to be useful.

`bars` is a collection of generic `TBar` historical price bars.  It should have a consistent frequency (day, hour, minute, etc).  See [the Guide](/guide/getting-started.md#historical-bars) for more information.

### `EndType` enum options

| enum | `int` | description |
| :--- | :---: | :---------- |
| `EndType.Close`    | 0 | Threshold measured from bar `Close` price           |
| `EndType.HighLow`  | 1 | Threshold measured from bar `High` and `Low` price  |

## Response

```csharp
IReadOnlyList<ZigZagResult>
```

* This method returns a time series of all available indicator values for the `bars` provided.
* It always returns the same number of elements as there are in the historical price bars.
* It does not return a single incremental indicator value.
* If you do not supply enough points to cover the percent change, there will be no Zig Zag points or lines.
* The first line segment starts after the first confirmed point; ZigZag values before the first confirmed point will be `null`.
* The last line segment is an approximation as the direction is indeterminate.

> [!WARNING]
> **🚩**
>
> depending on the specified `endType`, the indicator cannot be initialized if the first `Bar` in `bars` has a `High`,`Low`, or `Close` value of 0 (zero).

> [!WARNING]
> **️🖌️ Repaint warning**
>
> The last line segment will always be redrawn back to the last known pivot.  Do not attempt to calculate incremental values since previous values may change based on newer bars.

### `ZigZagResult`

| property | type | description |
| -------- | ---- | ----------- |
| `Timestamp` | *`DateTime`* | Date from evaluated `TBar` |
| `ZigZag` | *`decimal`* | Zig Zag line for `percentChange` |
| `PointType` | *`string`* | Zig Zag endpoint type (`H` for high point, `L` for low point) |
| `RetraceHigh` | *`decimal`* | Retrace line for high points |
| `RetraceLow` | *`decimal`* | Retrace line for low points |

### Utilities

* [.Condense()](/utilities/results.md#condense)
* [.Find(lookupDate)](/utilities/results.md#find-by-date)
* [.RemoveWarmupPeriods(removePeriods)](/utilities/results.md#remove-warmup-periods)

See [Utilities and helpers](/utilities.md) for more information.

## Chaining

Results can be further processed on `ZigZag` with additional chain-enabled indicators.

```csharp
// example
var results = bars
    .ToZigZag(..)
    .ToSlope(..);
```

This indicator must be generated from `bars` and **cannot** be generated from results of another chain-enabled indicator or method.

See [Chaining indicators](/guide/chaining.md) for more.

## Streaming

Streaming is not supported for this indicator. This indicator requires lookahead to confirm reversal points; output repaints as new data arrives, making incremental results undefined. Use the Series (batch) implementation with periodic recalculation instead.