Setting the Background Color for Text

You can set a background color for text. This can be done through styles or by using local formatting. Using styles is usually recommended because the setting is automatically applied to any content using that style throughout the project, whereas local formatting affects only the particular content that you are working on.

How to Use a Style to Set the Background Color for Text

1. From the Content Explorer, open the stylesheet that you want to modify.

2. Complete one of the following sets of steps, depending on whether you want to use the Simplified view or Advanced view in the Stylesheet Editor.

   • Simplified The Simplified view displays styles in a grid view and is often best for brand new users.

     This view provides an easy way to apply properties to styles, with format options available from a toolbar and dialogs (similar to the way one would use an interface such as Microsoft Word). In some cases, only the most common property options are available in the Simplified view (e.g., font, letter/word spacing, paragraph alignment/indentation, autonumbering format, borders, background). One advantage of the Simplified view is that you can apply a property to multiple styles at the same time. You can also click a check box to hide the properties in the editor, allowing you to see only the styles.

   • Advanced The Advanced view displays styles in a tree structure, and despite the name, is user friendly for authors of all levels.

     For the properties, you can toggle between a grouped display and an alphabetical display. The Advanced view of the Stylesheet Editor lets you edit more settings than are available in the Simplified view. In addition, the Advanced view lets you see and apply settings to multiple mediums and media queries at the same time.

   Warning Mediums can be used if you want to use one group of settings for online output types and another group of settings for print-based output types. For example, you might use the default medium for your online outputs and the print medium for your print outputs.  From the Medium drop-down in the Stylesheet Editor, make sure the proper medium is selected before you begin. In the Advanced view, you can open multiple mediums at once; you just need to look at the title at the top of the medium pane and make sure you are working in the correct one. If you are not using stylesheet mediums for your different outputs or if you want all mediums to have the same settings, just leave the medium set to default and continue. Please note that Flare remembers the last medium that you used when working in the stylesheet, so it may or may not be the one that you want to use the next time around. See Mediums and Media Queries.

   If Using Simplified View

   1. In the local toolbar, make sure the first button displays (which means that the Simplified view is currently shown in the editor). If the button displays instead, then click it.
   2. In the upper-left of the editor, make sure the drop-down field is set to .
   3. Select a style (e.g., character, heading, paragraph).
   4. Do one of the following:

      • In the local toolbar of the Stylesheet Editor, click and select a color.

        OR

      • In the local toolbar of the editor, click . The Properties dialog opens. Select the Font tab. From the Colors/Background field, click and select a color. In the Properties dialog, click OK.

   If Using Advanced View

   1. In the local toolbar, make sure the first button displays . If the button displays instead, then click it.
   2. In the upper-left of the editor, make sure the drop-down field is set to .
   3. Select a style (e.g., character, heading, paragraph).
   4. From the Show drop-down list on the upper-right side of the editor, select .
   5. (Optional) You can use the toggle button in the local toolbar to show properties below in a group view or an alphabetical view .
   6. If you are using the grouped view, expand the Background group.
   7. To the right of background-color, click , and select a color. For advanced color options, click and use the fields in the Color Picker dialog, or click to select a color already used elsewhere on your screen. You can use the Color Picker to select a CSS variable.
3. Click to save your work.

How to Use Local Formatting to Set the Background Color for Text

1. Open the content file.

2. Highlight the text that you want to modify.

3. Do one of the following, depending on the part of the user interface you are using:

   • Ribbon Select Home > to select a color.

   • Keyboard Shortcut Press CTRL+SHIFT+B. The Font Properties dialog opens. Select the Font tab. From the Colors/Background field, click and select a color. In the Properties dialog, click OK.
   • Right-Click Right-click on the selected text and from the context menu choose Font. The Font Properties dialog opens. Select the Font tab. From the Colors/Background field, click and select a color. In the Properties dialog, click OK.
4. Click to save your work.

What’s Next?

After editing a style, you can apply it to content in a topic or snippet. See Applying Styles to Content.