fill the background of a text box in illustrator

[talma_9336]

Hello,

I'm using the latest version of illustrator, and I can't find how to add a background color to a text box (not the text itself, but it's background). In previous versions there was a menubar at the top with all the possibilities and here i can't see anything like it.

I would appreciate your help. 

Thank you

[Ton Frederiks]

Deselect the text box.

Use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to select the edge of the text box and give it a fill.

[talma_9336]

thank you very much for your answer! it is realy hard though to select exactly the frame as I can't see it before selecting, is there a way to see it when hovering? 

in some of the text boxes I can't select it. 

[Ton Frederiks]

Smart Guides help identifying the path. And it is visible in Outline View.

[Kurt Gold]

You can also just drag across the type boxes with the Lasso tool to select only their paths and then fill them.

[_scott__]

...just click-drag across where you know a text box corner is.  Or swtich to Outline Mode (Command/Ctrl+y) and select the box then switch back to Preview (Command/Ctrl+y again).

[talma_9336]

Thank you all for your relpies.  It helps a bit.

Though I must say this feature is really bad. it takes a lot of time to select only the box. I very much prefer the older version regarding this issue.

[Kurt Gold]

In previous versions there was a menubar at the top with all the possibilities and here i can't see anything like it.

You probably mean the Control panel (which can be turned on in the Window menu),  but in that panel there have never been controls for applying colours to only the paths of area type objects.

You are probably confusing it with InDesign.

[talma_9336]

Thank you Kurt. I guess you are right and that I should be doing this specific thing in InDesign.