Is there any way to background fill a text box without having to create a square, place it behind the text box, and re-size it every time you change the text?
Did you know you can create a shape (Square) select your text tool and click on it's border and type within the shape? This might get you where you need to be.
Create your shape. Move your Text Tool I-beam over the border of the shape. When the cursor turns into an I Beam with a small box to the lower right with the letters 'ab' inside, Click. You now have a shape with a Paragraph Text imbedded within. You can resize it change its aspect ratio, color, outline whatever. If you construct with shapes and put the text inside by this method it would give you what you need.
Rikk Flohr Fleeting Glimpse Images All things Digital Imaging Blog
Holy Crop! the blog dedicated to Cropping
In Corel DESIGNER X4 there's a text feature to do exactly that:
The 2 icons "Text box background" (that's what you're searching for) and "Character background are located in the dynamic Properties bar whenever you select the text tool or a text object.
And by the way - this works with text wrapped around an object (curve, whatever) as well:
Does CorelDraw do this similar function?
lzappaco: Does CorelDraw do this similar function?
No - this is a unique Corel DESIGNER feature. We have seen that requirement for labels in technical documentation mainly, that's why you find that functionality in the technical illustration tool Corel DESIGNER.
You can do something similar by using an ouline with big widht and choosing "behind fill" in the outline window (F12)
Ariel Garaza Díaz
arielgaraza.com