a:fill (Shape Fill Properties)

Container element for shape fill properties in DrawingML, allowing specification of solid, gradient, pattern, picture, or group fills.

Parent elements

Child elements

Description

a:fill is a container element that specifies the fill properties for a DrawingML shape, text body, or group. It is defined in ECMA-376 Part 1 §20.1.2.3 and serves as the parent element for various fill type options.

A shape’s fill defines how its interior surface is colored or patterned. Office Open XML provides several fill options:

Solid fill (a:solidFill): Uniform color across the shape
Gradient fill (a:gradFill): Smooth color transition
Pattern fill (a:pattFill): Predefined pattern with foreground/background colors
Picture/Blip fill (a:blipFill): Image-based fill
Group fill (a:grpFill): Inherits fill from parent group
No fill (a:noFill): Transparent/unfilled shape

Exactly one child element must be present to specify the fill type.

Attributes

Attribute	Type	Possible Values	Description
(none)	—	—	`a:fill` has no attributes; the fill type is determined by its child element.

Examples

Shape with Solid Fill

<a:spPr>
  <a:xfrm>
    <a:off x="0" y="0"/>
    <a:ext cx="914400" cy="914400"/>
  </a:xfrm>
  <a:prstGeom prst="rect">
    <a:avLst/>
  </a:prstGeom>
  <a:fill>
    <a:solidFill>
      <a:srgbClr val="00AAFF"/>
    </a:solidFill>
  </a:fill>
</a:spPr>

using DocumentFormat.OpenXml.Drawing;

var shapeProperties = new ShapeProperties();
shapeProperties.Append(new Transform2D());
shapeProperties.Append(new PresetGeometry { Preset = PresetGeometryValues.Rectangle });
shapeProperties.Append(new SolidFill(
    new RgbColorModelHex { Val = "00AAFF" }
));

Shape with No Fill (Transparent)

<a:fill>
  <a:noFill/>
</a:fill>

var fill = new NoFill();

Shape with Gradient Fill

<a:fill>
  <a:gradFill>
    <a:gsLst>
      <a:gs pos="0">
        <a:srgbClr val="FF0000"/>
      </a:gs>
      <a:gs pos="100000">
        <a:srgbClr val="0000FF"/>
      </a:gs>
    </a:gsLst>
    <a:lin ang="2700000" scaled="1"/>
  </a:gradFill>
</a:fill>

var gradFill = new GradientFill();
var gsLst = new GradientStopList();
gsLst.Append(new GradientStop { Position = 0 }
    { Children = new[] { new RgbColorModelHex { Val = "FF0000" } } });
gsLst.Append(new GradientStop { Position = 100000 }
    { Children = new[] { new RgbColorModelHex { Val = "0000FF" } } });
gradFill.Append(gsLst);
gradFill.Append(new LinearGradientFill { Angle = 2700000, Scaled = true });

Notes

Exactly one child fill element must be present (solid, gradient, pattern, blip, group, or no-fill).
If multiple fill elements are specified, only the first valid one is applied by consumer applications.
Shape fills are inherited by child elements in grouped shapes unless explicitly overridden.
Use a:noFill for transparent shapes that show content behind them.