HOWTO: Use the FillColor vs. BackColor Properties of a Shape

SUMMARY

The FillColor and BackColor properties provide control over the colors of an object. The FillColor property controls the pen color that fills an object and works in conjunction with the FillStyle property. Because the FillStyle property is transparent by default, the effects of changing the FillColor property may not appear immediately. By changing the FillStyle property to Solid or to another fill pattern, the effects of the FillColor property become apparent.

The BackColor property colors areas of the shape that the FillColor property leaves unchanged. For example, if the FillColor property is set to blue and the FillStyle property is set to 3 - Vertical Lines, the BackColor property fills in areas between the vertical blue lines. However, if the BackStyle property is set to Transparent, the BackColor property is ignored.