How to change text color in Xara Web Designer (Premium) 9

I feel like an idiot, but I can't figure out how to change the text color in Xara Web Designer 9. Every other HTML/text editor in the world has a color button on the text toolbar, but not Xara. I have searched the help file, but I don't see it. This should be trivial to do. I don't want any special effects, I just want red text instead of black text. Am I missing something obvious? Can someone explain the trick to changing font color?



Thanks,
Phil.

With the Select tool, click on the text line or block.
Click a colour on the colour line or open the Colour editor and play around with the Local fill colour.

It is the same for text or any shape, so the method is consistent.

Acorn

In text mode, highlight a section or text and do the same as my #2 post.
Acorn

Welcome to TalkGraphics Phillip

Web Designer 9 is not an HTML Text Editor.

it is a bit depressing sometimes how many assume that it is... and then come unstuck....

Thanks for the explanation.

I understand that Web Designer is not an HTML editor, however, it provides text editing controls like Bold, Italic, Font, Size, etc. just like every word processor and HTML editor on the planet -- except for changing color. That is different, hidden, and undocumented.

I appreciate your help!

Phil.

forgive us

for myself [who does not do website building] I look on the main designer pro program as a drawing program that happens to have an annoying HTML export filter - annoying because of the changes to workflow that were necessitated in order to implement these changes those features

and whilst I see what you are saying, web designer is just a subset of Designer pro and therefore it shares the same UI... if you know where it comes from you will understand why it is so.. also many of these word processor features are latecomers, they were never originally there in said UI... and it is not a actual word processor any more than it is an HTML editor...

let yourself get used to it and you will find it is just as quick and easy - the colours are just at the bottom, not the top ;)

edit:

Quote:

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That is different, hidden, and undocumented.

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nothing wrong with being different especially as it's not hidden it's in plain view [at the bottom] - and it is documented in the help [inc movies] - text is just another vector object at the end of the day...

Phil - All kidding aside, Xara products began life as vector drawing applications and over the years added features to enable photo editing, text editing, and website design.

The original user interface, including the much copied interactive Infobar, have remained more or less the same over the years. Early users have always known that you apply a fill color by clicking a color with the left mouse button and apply a line color by right clicking on a color (or as Steve pointed out, using the Color Editor Ctrl + e).

Every graphics application has its own way of accomplishing things which is and often is not the same way that a similar application works. It is a matter of becoming conversant in a new application and getting into the flow and rhythm that is important. And once you do this, things seem a lot more logical.

I didn't know the history of the app; that's helpful. I fully expected (and continue to expect) to do some learning when starting with a new program. Overall, I've been pretty happy with the app. This was one case, though, of a feature that seemed fundamental but I couldn't find. The real failing for Xara here is that the help file doesn't say anything about how to change color. I have noticed that the help file tends to be a description of their UI without treating scenarios. There is a whole chapter on Text Handling, but there is nothing in there at all about text color because it isn't on their text toolbar. I tried dragging colors from the color bar and dropping on text (as the tip of the day suggested for objects), and that didn't work at all...

Thanks again!

dragging colour on to text should work for the fill, I have a feeling it may not for outlines [the cursor will change to a square for fill]

well the help suffers from the same history as the UI - yes it has been updated to new features, but it still tends to assume the reader approaches the basics from the point of view of a vector graphics designer, and a vector graphics designer is likely to see text as just another vector object

it is a vector design app that exports HTML - not an HTML app that has drawing tools - but we've been there already :D

good luck with the learning, you'll soon wonder what all the fuss was for....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by phillipgarding

I didn't know the history of the app; that's helpful. I fully expected (and continue to expect) to do some learning when starting with a new program. Overall, I've been pretty happy with the app. This was one case, though, of a feature that seemed fundamental but I couldn't find. The real failing for Xara here is that the help file doesn't say anything about how to change color. I have noticed that the help file tends to be a description of their UI without treating scenarios. There is a whole chapter on Text Handling, but there is nothing in there at all about text color because it isn't on their text toolbar. I tried dragging colors from the color bar and dropping on text (as the tip of the day suggested for objects), and that didn't work at all...

Thanks again!

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Aside from the fact that most all drawing applications do not bear any resemblance to a word processor—which is about the only application I can think of that does have a color function on the main tool bar in the text properties area—it would be really difficult to miss the color bar at the bottom of an Xara application's window...

BTW, the first hit in the help file (for XDP anyway), if one searches for the phrase "change color," is for an entire explanation of the color bar, its various parts and how to use them. A couple hits further down is specifically on the color editor. And, of course, there are links to the color editor in that first hit.

As for dragging and dropping color onto text, that's one way and I have zero idea why it is not evidently working for you. As you drag a color to a non-selected object, you should see a change in the cursor once you are actually over the object. But with a selected object, you can just left click on a color as well. And if the colors in the color line are not appropriate (I make up my own color lines and save them in my templates), ctrl + e will bring up the color editor. As will clicking on the multi-colored icon to the left of the color line.

what mike says about the 'colour change' in the help brings me back to what I was saying about text being a vector object - text is not specifically mentioned, but from a vector design point as I said earlier, text is just another vector object - same with the help movies as I recall

This may seem silly but silly things happen sometimes.
I assume you have actually selected the text first before trying to change it's color. If not then select the text first then try bu clicking on the color bar or using the color editor and pay attention at the top of the color editor to what it is set to change, line, or fill. Left click for the fill and right click for the line.

EDIT: For instance someone brought a lamp to my father-in-law to fix because it had stopped working. It turned out that the bulb and burned out.

I would swear that I used all the right words, in the right order, to explain what to do at Posts #2 & #3.
There has to be an assumption that when one says "select" then the object is selected and the program interface changes to show that selection.
If the object is locked, it cannot be selected and all bets are off.

If my explanations are being too terse or wrong, I would appreciate a nod.

Acorn