how do I change background fill on text box?

[jennifer]

Hi - I'm new to Affinity (from Illustrator and Photoshop) but I'm having trouble finding info on how to do the basics - old habits from the CS software I guess

 

How do I change the background fill on a text box??

 

I can change the fill on a shape no problem,

but all that shows up on the menu when I'm working on a text box is a fill color for the text itself - what am I missing?

 

 

thanks

 

 

[justwilliam]

You could create another shape below the 'text box' and fill it as you wish.

[jennifer]

yep - thanks that's what I've done, but it seems clumsy for such an elegantly designed program -

 

guess I'm really waiting for Publisher since I mostly do page layout

 

Jennifer

[MEB]

Hi Jennifer,

Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

I know it's not exactly the same but you can also define a background colour for the text in the Character panel (menu Text ▹ Show Character, Background box).

[justwilliam]

MEB,

 

I just tried that suggestion; as the Show Character didn't have an arrow indicating any sub menu and I have not needed Show Character yet, I had no idea this was there!

 

I still do not know where I might have a use for this that an additional shape with a fill would not work better/easier but it is definitely going into the toolbag for when the day comes that I do want it.

 

Thanks!

[MEB]

Hi justwilliam,

It's not supposed to be an alternative solution. I agree with you, it's not of much use other than maybe highlight some text.

What you suggested is the best way to solve it. That's why i said it wasn't the same thing.

Currently there's no way to set a fill colour for the text box and even if there was, there no space around the text inside it so it would look too tight.

Maybe if there was an option to set a padding value or something... but that's probably going to far for this  :P

[HouseCaldwell]

Well, this was exactly what I was looking for, so thank you for that tip!  I'd have never found that Show Background box.  Thanks!

[meribor]

That's not true, MEB, as the text box could have basic padding and alignment attributes. That was even a basic attribute of tables in Microsoft Word in the 90s.

Affinity Designer doesn't have that feature, and, okay, fine, but what you therefore claimed is not true.

It would be a very useful feature because then I could modify the shape, content, or style of the text box without then having to modify the box beneath it.

Still, this program is a steal for just $50 to own when the other product is $60 per month to rent.

Edited May 1, 2019 by meribor
clarification

[Fixx]

That feature is available in Publisher. Would make sense to have it in Designer too but it is not yet in Designer beta.

[walt.farrell]

12 hours ago, bandass said:

Use the Appearance Panel to add a new Fill to your text object by using the "new Fill" icon at the bottom of the panel. Next, highlight this new fill when it appears in the Appearance panel and use the Effect called "Convert to Shape".

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums, @bandass.

Thanks for the suggestion. Note that the Appearance panel is new in the 1.7 beta for Designer. Also, I cannot get your instructions to work for a text object. Clicking on the "New Fill" button doesn't do anything for me. I'm using Windows, in case that matters.

[Aristocrates]

On 5/2/2019 at 9:59 AM, Fixx said:

That feature is available in Publisher. Would make sense to have it in Designer too but it is not yet in Designer beta.

If it's available in Publisher, can you say where it is?  In neither Designer nor Publisher have I been able to change the background colour of a text box.  I did manage to create a text box with a background colour, but only by drawing the shape first, and then converting it to a textbox by clicking on it with the text frame tool. Any help gratefully received.

[MEB]

Hi Aristocrates,
Welcome to Affinity Forums
Go to menu View > Studio > Text Frame and check the options on top in the General section.

[3joern]

I also wait a long time for a feature that allow me to fill the Textbox with a background color. In any Interfaceprojekt I use this to reduce the Layers for Buttons. A clear understandable structure is the key, that many people can work on one project. That include less layers as possible. I remember sketch also have this option, don't understand why Affinity Designer don't 

[CowboyPhil]

Create a shape box and set the fill and stroke as you see fit.  Then right click the box using the pointer icon and convert to text frame.  It converts it to shape text.  A bit cumbersome but it works

[3joern]

I know, but after the convert to Textframe, you can't change the color.

[walt.farrell]

16 minutes ago, 3joern said:

I know, but after the convert to Textframe, you can't change the color.

In Publisher you can, using the Text Frame studio panel. In Designer and Photo, which don't have that panel, you can't.

[PeteMc]

Just curious if this has been resolved yet.  Filling a text box is a pretty common/basic thing.

What should have been a 5 minute mock-up by combining some images and cover/changing some designations as a favor has just wasted a few hours.

Thx

 

[loukash]

On 10/29/2020 at 2:15 PM, walt.farrell said:

In Designer and Photo, which don't have that panel, you can't.

Unless you know the secret handshake.

1 hour ago, PeteMc said:

Just curious if this has been resolved yet.

It's not the "official" way, more of an easter egg; but yes, you can:

1. create a random temporary vector object, shape, it doesn't matter
2. select the Artistic Text tool
3. click on the shape's stroke to convert that object to a Text Path
4. on the right-hand side of the context toolbar, you'll see the Text Frame button
5. click it to open the Text Frame panel
6. put it wherever you like and go to View > Studio Presets > Add Preset to save it, so that you don't have to repeat steps 1 to 5 each time you want to open it
7. voilà

[walt.farrell]

48 minutes ago, loukash said:

It's not the "official" way, more of an easter egg; but yes, you can:

Yes, until that bug is fixed...

[PeteMc]

So basically the answer is no.  Wow, makes me wonder when something that simple is overlooked.....

 

[loukash]

10 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

Yes, until that bug is fixed...

*speaks in a distorted megaphone voice*

This is the Central Affinitizer. It is my responsibility to enforce that all panels that haven't been approved for your application yet will remain non-functional. It is also my responsibility to alert each and every one of you to the potential consequences of various ordinary application activities you might be performing which could eventually lead to The Kernel Panic (or affect your partners’ credit rating).

(A bonus "like" to the first user who can precisely identify where this paraphrase is coming from. )

8 hours ago, PeteMc said:

So basically the answer is no.

No, basically the answer was actually "yes, you can".

8 hours ago, PeteMc said:

something that simple is overlooked

I don't think it's "overlooked", I'd assume it's literally "by design". (Apart from the "bug", that is.)

Designer is primarily a vector drawing app. If you need more typographical functionality, you can extend Designer by buying Publisher. Then you can simply switch back and forth on the fly via File > Edit In Publisher and File > Edit In Designer (and Photo, if you have it as well). Or open any Affinity document in Publisher and switch seamlessly between its three "Studio Link" personae.

In other words, this is Serif's business model.

In other other words, therein lies the true power of the Affinity suite and its universal document file format.

[R C-R]

16 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

Yes, until that bug is fixed...

Or they decide that AD (& maybe AP as well) should have a Text Frame panel that can be displayed in the normal way from the View > Studio menu, & the bug is that it is not there?

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, R C-R said:

Or they decide that AD (& maybe AP as well) should have a Text Frame panel that can be displayed in the normal way from the View > Studio menu, & the bug is that it is not there?

Possibly. But so far they have only said that the Text Frame icon should not be present in the Context Toolbar in Designer or Photo, and logged that it is incorrectly present and should be removed (as I remember and understand that thread). No one knows what the Developers will decide to do, of course

[R C-R]

12 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

No one knows what the Developers will decide to do, of course

True, but I think that if a lot of users have learned to exploit the bug the devs risk angering them if it is fixed.

[walt.farrell]

19 hours ago, loukash said:

• on the right-hand side of the context toolbar, you'll see the Text Frame button
• click it to open the Text Frame panel

By the way, that doesn't seem to work on Windows:

• In Photo, the Text Frame button does not appear.
• In Designer, the Text Frame button appears but does nothing when pushed.