Affinity Photo Cannot Add Background to Text Box

[forness]

There seems no simple way to add a background color to a textbox from within Affinity Photo. Am I missing something?

I've enclosed an image below to display what I am trying to do but seem unable. Thank you for your assistance. Doug

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[jmwellborn]

Welcome to the Forums @forness😊  Is this what you are trying to do?  

 

[forness]

Hi jmwellborn, Yes, this is it exactly. Thank you so much for your reply.  I've just replicated it with grouped layers as per your image. I could even adjust the background opacity to a little less than 100%. Once I grouped the two layers, the text and the rectangle, I could move them around and resize them. Thank you for your super fast response and instructional image. I guess there is no way to just make a line of text with an automatic background fill without having to place it over a filled rectangle, but at least this solves my problem in only three steps. Draw a filled rectangle. Draw a text box over the rectangle and type. Size them and  group them to move them in tandem. Done. Thanks again. Doug

[GaryLearnTech]

There are stylistic alternatives.  They don't provide quite the same solution but I thought I'd throw them in the ring…  Neither one requires an additional background object - they each use just the text frame.

The first one applies Character background.  It doesn't give you the full background rectangle.  Might be more suitable if you have just a single line of text.

 

The second method provides a more complete background fill, though it's still not the rectangular example you showed initially.  Simply add the Outline layer effect.

[jmwellborn]

@forness  you are very welcome.  @GaryLearnTech has two more excellent solutions above for future reference.  Glad you are on your way!

[forness]

Hi @GaryLearnTech, Thank you for your further help on this issue. these are both very helpful. This gives me two more ways to accomplish something similar to what I wanted. I like the bubble effect of the outline layer effect around the text and may use it for some of the photo labeling I'm doing. I'm impressed with this forum. Simple and clear answers, quickly, for problems or in my case, a lack of knowledge and experience in Affinity programs. Thanks again! Doug.