Change text box background color

[acajohn29]

I’ve searched and searched and cannot find instructions for changing the background color of a text frame in AFP2. It seems like something that would be easy but I need help. 

Thank you for your help,

John

[walt.farrell]

Which application do you mean by AFP2?

[acajohn29]

Sorry, Affinity Publisher 2.

[Brian_J]

Background color can be set in the Text Frame panel. 

[acajohn29]

Thanks Brian J, but I’ve tried extensively there. I need more specifics, please.

[Brian_J]

25 minutes ago, acajohn29 said:

I’ve tried extensively there. I need more specifics, please.

Click the Fill color swatch… it’s located at the top of the General section.

[acajohn29]

I feel pretty dumb, but I can't find the text frame options box you posted. How do I bring that up?

This is the closest I find and when I change the background color and create a new text frame the background is the same as always. Sorry to be so dense. I appreciate your help very much.

John

[Brian_J]

3 minutes ago, acajohn29 said:

I can't find the text frame options box you posted. How do I bring that up?

 

In the menu: Window > Text > Text Frame. The panel will open in the Right Studio where all your other panels are most likely located.

It takes time to get acquainted with everything… we’ve all been where you are. Ain’t no such thing as a dumb question… ask ‘em when you get stuck. 🙂

[walt.farrell]

7 hours ago, Brian_J said:

The panel will open in the Right Studio

Its default location is the Left Studio, in my experience. 

 

[acajohn29]

Got it! Thank you so much, Brian J. And I appreciate the encouragement, too.

And fyi it just popped up in the middle of my screen, possibly because I wasn't actually working with a text frame at the moment.(?)

[walt.farrell]

24 minutes ago, acajohn29 said:

And fyi it just popped up in the middle of my screen, possibly because I wasn't actually working with a text frame at the moment.(?)

Possibly it's default is "detached" and neither of us remembered that

[pbrowntv]

BLARG- Never mind. Somehow I accidentally opened my doc in DESIGNER instead of PUBLISHER. Check which app you're running peeps!

 

OK, I'm feeling crazy. Following this thread and I don't have access to a "Text Frame" option Under Window/Text. I really need to change the color of my text frame!

This is APub2 opening an orignally APub1 doc. But I've tried a fresh doc and still can't find the menu!

Edited August 2, 2023 by pbrowntv

[Komatös]

47 minutes ago, pbrowntv said:

BLARG- Never mind. Somehow I accidentally opened my doc in DESIGNER instead of PUBLISHER. Check which app you're running peeps!

 

OK, I'm feeling crazy. Following this thread and I don't have access to a "Text Frame" option Under Window/Text. I really need to change the color of my text frame!

This is APub2 opening an orignally APub1 doc. But I've tried a fresh doc and still can't find the menu!

 

Which version do you use? 2.0.3 I guess.

[timboclarke]

This is just one of several things I've come across in Affiniti Publisher that is SO much harder to do than it was in Serif PagePlus. I wish I had never bought Affinit Publisher as I never use it! PagePlus is FAR, FAR easier to use. Why have they got rid of so many of the useful options on the right-click?

[AlanPC]

I have to agree, it's crazy that I've spent over an hour trying to change a text box's background color, I still don't know, still can't find the menus mentioned here.

Windows- menu - just gives the option to float or float all, dock or dock all, I see NOTHING about text.

This should be such a ridiculously simple thing to do, and somehow I'm spending my afternoon on it, it's crazy.

I'm trying to create a page that mentions colors to be used, so I have a template for such things. The template has some text boxes with colors, I need to change those colors to the ones my clients uses, and for the life of me I cannot change them. The instructions above don't seem to work.

I'm using Affinity Publisher 1.XXXX (it won't let me copy the long number)

Can someone please help?

[AlanPC]

I managed to find the answer on Youtube.

 

[bbrother]

31 minutes ago, AlanPC said:

I have to agree, it's crazy that I've spent over an hour trying to change a text box's background color, I still don't know, still can't find the menus mentioned here.

@AlanPC The button that opens the "Text Frame" panel is located on the contextual toolbar, but in your case you can't see it because the screen resolution is too narrow in size and not all options visually fit.

Click the right double quotation mark [»] at the end of the context toolbar to open a pop-up with the rest of the options that didn't fit, including the button that brings up the "Text frame" panel where you can change the background of the selected text frame.

This works the same for V1 and V2.

Please see the video↓

 

 

[AlanPC]

Thanks, I hate it

Knowing my 43" monitor at 4k isn't enough and the bit I needed was hidden makes me feel a bit less dumb... Just a bit.

[R C-R]

11 hours ago, AlanPC said:

Windows- menu - just gives the option to float or float all, dock or dock all, I see NOTHING about text.
{...}
I'm using Affinity Publisher 1.XXXX (it won't let me copy the long number)

In version 1 of APub, the menu item to show the Text Frame panel is in the View > Studio submenu.

BTW, the version number should be something like 1.10.7 if you have installed the most current V1 version. Including the build number is not necessary, but it is always a good idea to mention which version you are running, or at least if it is the V1 or more recent V2 app.

[bbrother]

2 hours ago, R C-R said:

Including the build number is not necessary, but it is always a good idea to mention which version you are running, or at least if it is the V1 or more recent V2 app.

It's not hard to guess by looking at the UI in the screenshot he shared. V1 uses shadows and an embossed effect, while in V2 everything is flat.
Additionally, the colors of some icons have changed in V2. I don't know about you, but I had no problems distinguishing between V1 and V2.

[R C-R]

11 minutes ago, bbrother said:

It's not hard to guess by looking at the UI in the screenshot he shared. V1 uses shadows and an embossed effect, while in V2 everything is flat.
Additionally, the colors of some icons have changed in V2. I don't know about you, but I had no problems distinguishing between V1 and V2.

The differences are far from obvious to me, but regardless I think it is better for users to mention upfront which version they are using so no one has to guess about it.

[bbrother]

10 hours ago, R C-R said:

The differences are far from obvious to me..

If you know the tool you use every day well, the differences are very obvious and visible at first glance.

 

-----------------
EDIT: In the future, try to read more carefully because the author clearly wrote in his post that he is using version V1. 

On 5/1/2024 at 8:40 AM, AlanPC said:

I'm using Affinity Publisher 1.XXXX ..

And  @R C-R don't react sadly to the posts of someone who points you out that it is clearly visible what version was used. Because to me it looks like sheer malice.

[Alfred]

12 hours ago, R C-R said:

BTW, the version number should be something like 1.10.7 if you have installed the most current V1 version. Including the build number is not necessary, but it is always a good idea to mention which version you are running, or at least if it is the V1 or more recent V2 app.

You quoted this from the post to which you were replying:

On 5/1/2024 at 7:40 AM, AlanPC said:

Windows- menu - just gives the option to float or float all, dock or dock all, I see NOTHING about text.
{…}
I'm using Affinity Publisher 1.XXXX (it won't let me copy the long number)

So version 1 has been mentioned, just not the point release or build number.

[Alfred]

55 minutes ago, bbrother said:

And  @R C-R don't react sadly to the posts of someone who points you out that it is clearly visible what version was used. Because to me it looks like sheer malice.

Perhaps it’s just me, but a ‘Sad’ reaction (or, indeed, a ‘Confused’ reaction) never comes across as malicious.

[bbrother]

12 minutes ago, Alfred said:

Perhaps it’s just me, but a ‘Sad’ reaction (or, indeed, a ‘Confused’ reaction) never comes across as malicious.

Such a reaction negatively affects your reputation score on the forum, so it's not entirely what you think.

But don't get me wrong, Alfred, I don't care about collecting praise and reputation points to get the highest score. What I meant was the overall reaction to drawing attention, not any points.