text in callout

[Diplodocus]

I can’t make both the callout shape and its text visible.   This is what I have done:–

1 Selected Callout Rounded Rectangle Tool.
2 In the context bar, set stroke colour and size.
3 Drew the callout and it appeared on its own layer with nodes, the layer's icon showing the shape.
4 Changed the fill to transparent.
5 Selected the Frame Text Tool (not Artistic Text Tool).
6 Clicked in the shape.  The cursor appeared and the name of the layer changed to Shape Text.
7 In the context bar, set font colour and size.
8 While entering text, the shape disappeared, the layer's icon changed to that of the text tool.
9 On moving the cursor, the outline of the shape reappeared with nodes (not the shape itself).
10 On clicking out of the shape, the text remained visible, the shape remained invisible, the outline of the shape disappeared.  If I make the layer invisible and then visible again, its name becomes the text I have entered.

I was hoping the text AND the shape would be visible, the text within the shape.

Reselecting the shape shows its outline with nodes and the context bar refers to the text not the shape.

Is this a bug?  Or have I missed something blindingly obvious?  Or is it a bug that is selective of its victims?  Or what?  Please help!

NB I have achieved success with a work-around: entering artistic text on one layer and the shape on another, then aligning them – I can’t find this described in the Help pages.

[MEB]

Hi @Diplodocus,
Welcome to Affinity Forums
In Affinity Photo and Designer the shape you used as the base for the text frame loose it attributes (fill/stroke colour) when you convert it to a text frame. There's no options in the interface to control the fill and stroke colors of the (converted) text frame. Only Publisher can do it through the Text Frame panel (not available in Photo nor Designer) going to menu View > Studio > Text Frame. Duplicating the original shape (before converting it to a text frame) and converting the duplicate to a text frame lets you use the base shape to control the fill and stroke colours of the shape, and the converted text frame to control de colour of the text. You can group both to keep them together. This is by design.

[Diplodocus]

Thank you, MEB, for your clear and lucid explanation.   Having searched for hours through the help pages, the official website and third party tutorials, I have at last discovered (thanks to you) what to do to contain text within a callout!   THANK YOU.   (I shall sleep better tonight!)   In other software I have become accustomed to entering text into shapes without changing the properties of the shape so, obviously, I had thwarted expectations.   However, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a callout to retain its special shape when it is used for the purpose it is designed – which is to contain text.   I wish your few succinct sentences had been contained within the Help pages.   I needed the callout to contain the words of Father Christmas in a card I am making for my grandson, so I send YOU the greeting too – "Happy Christmas"🎅

[DMcC]

The above is obviously a workaround solution. However, in the Youtube video below, at 10min 20secs he demonstrates that it is (or was) possible in his version: 

 

[walt.farrell]

13 minutes ago, DMcC said:

However, in the Youtube video below, at 10min 20secs he demonstrates that it is (or was) possible in his version: 

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums.

He also says, at about 10:50, that you need to get the background color you want set right before converting to a Text Frame because there's no way to adjust it after the conversion.

Possibly there was a bug at that time, in whatever release he was using, that maintained the stroke and fill, and the bug was fixed?

At this point only Publisher maintains the stroke and fill of a Shape Text object, because only Publisher has the Text Frame studio panel allowing those aspects to be manipulated.

[DMcC]

Thank you for your welcome.

Yes, what you say is true. However it seems a pity that the possibility that did exist in his version has now disappeared and a workaround is required.