Text format tab - symbol group grayed out?

[wayfaringrob]

I tend to use the panes more for editing my layout graphics but I realized that some of these settings are, in fact, on the ribbon, but grayed out. Looks like there's even a gallery for setting the border & background, which I might like to add presets to. Is there something I need to enable to activate this, or am I misunderstanding what the Symbol group is for? It lights up for things like legends (technically a different tab), but not text boxes or other layout graphics.

I just added this text box, have it selected, and it's grayed out. Same for straight text.

[AubriKinghorn]

Hi, those symbols light up when they can be applied to that element. Text elements only support text symbols. If you want to go further you need to select the border or background piece of the element and then that gallery will light up and you can apply it. 

Cheers,

Aubri

[wayfaringrob]

@AubriKinghorn  let me get this straight - the tab shows options for text, background, and border simultaneously, but I have to manually switch back and forth between which I'm trying to edit? Who does that make sense to?

[AubriKinghorn]

I see how that seems confusing at first, but there is a reason for it. Backgrounds and shadows are both polygon symbols, so that gallery would show the same thing. Borders are linear symbols so the gallery would need to show something different. The software doesn't know which one you want automatically, it could only make a guess that would be wrong as often as it was right.  That's why we also provide the pane experience, so you can edit things there without having to switch the dropdown.

[wayfaringrob]

It appears there there are two stroke settings, too - one when you have background selected, and one when you have border selected...I feel like there's a better way to organize all this. Thanks for the clarification.

[wayfaringrob]

@AubriKinghorn  so, with this logic, with a map graphic, I would have to switch between different elements of the graphic to modify the text or background properties (even though all toggles are visible on the ribbon at all times...). However, the selector doesn't even give me those options, it just says graphic layer. The symbol group is permanently grayed out, sitting there useless, even though I have my graphic selected - I still have to go to the pane to modify the fill & stroke. What gives? This is the worst, most complicated UI imaginable for graphic design. It shouldn't take a million clicks to get simple things done.