a:noFill (No Fill)

Specifies that a shape has no fill; used to override inherited fill properties.

Parent elements

Description

\:noFill\ is the DrawingML element that explicitly sets a shape to have no fill. It is defined in ECMA-376 Part 1 §20.1.8.26.

No-fill shapes display only their outline/border (if \:ln\ is present) or appear transparent/hollow. This is commonly used for:

Creating outlined shapes without background
Allowing background content to show through shapes
Overriding inherited fill properties from master slides or themes
Creating wireframe/sketch-like designs
Container shapes that should be invisible

No fill differs from:

Solid fill (\:solidFill) — Fills with a single color
Gradient fill (\:gradFill) — Fills with color gradient
Pattern fill (\:pattFill) — Fills with pattern
Picture fill (\:blipFill) — Fills with image

Attributes

Attribute	Type	Values	Description
(none)	-	-	\:noFill\ has no attributes or child elements. It is a self-contained element.

Content Model

\:noFill\ has no child elements. It is a simple, empty element:

xml <a:noFill/>

This element structure indicates “no fill” when present in shape properties.

Examples

Simple Shape with No Fill (Outline Only)

<a:spPr>
  <a:xfrm>
    <a:off x="1000000" y="1000000"/>
    <a:ext cx="3000000" cy="2000000"/>
  </a:xfrm>
  <a:noFill/>
  <a:ln w="25400">
    <a:solidFill><a:srgbClr val="000000"/></a:solidFill>
  </a:ln>
</a:spPr>

using DocumentFormat.OpenXml.Drawing;

var shapeProperties = new ShapeProperties();
var transform = new Transform2D();
transform.Append(new Offset { X = 1000000, Y = 1000000 });
transform.Append(new Extents { Cx = 3000000, Cy = 2000000 });
shapeProperties.Append(transform);

shapeProperties.Append(new NoFill());  // No fill

var line = new Outline { Width = 25400 };  // Black outline
var solidFill = new SolidFill();
var rgbColor = new RgbColorModelHex { Val = "000000" };
solidFill.Append(rgbColor);
line.Append(solidFill);
shapeProperties.Append(line);

Transparent Container Shape

<a:sp>
  <a:nvSpPr>
    <a:cNvPr id="2" name="Transparent Box"/>
    <a:cNvSpPr/>
    <a:nvPr/>
  </a:nvSpPr>
  <a:spPr>
    <a:xfrm>
      <a:off x="0" y="0"/>
      <a:ext cx="9144000" cy="6858000"/>
    </a:xfrm>
    <a:noFill/>
  </a:spPr>
  <a:txBody>
    <a:bodyPr/>
    <a:lstStyle/>
    <a:p>
      <a:r>
        <a:t>Content shows through</a:t>
      </a:r>
    </a:p>
  </a:txBody>
</a:sp>

var shape = new Shape();

// Shape properties
var shapeProperties = new ShapeProperties();
var transform = new Transform2D();
transform.Append(new Offset { X = 0, Y = 0 });
transform.Append(new Extents { Cx = 9144000, Cy = 6858000 });
shapeProperties.Append(transform);
shapeProperties.Append(new NoFill());  // Transparent

shape.Append(shapeProperties);

// Text body
var textBody = new TextBody();
textBody.Append(new BodyProperties());
textBody.Append(new ListStyle());

var paragraph = new Paragraph();
var run = new Run();
run.Append(new Text("Content shows through"));
paragraph.Append(run);
textBody.Append(paragraph);

shape.Append(textBody);

Overriding Inherited Fill

<a:spPr>
  <a:xfrm>
    <a:off x="2000000" y="2000000"/>
    <a:ext cx="4000000" cy="3000000"/>
  </a:xfrm>
  <!-- Override any inherited fill from master/theme -->
  <a:noFill/>
  <a:ln w="12700">
    <a:solidFill><a:srgbClr val="4472C4"/></a:solidFill>
  </a:ln>
  <a:effectLst/>
</a:spPr>

var shapeProperties = new ShapeProperties();

// Transform
var transform = new Transform2D();
transform.Append(new Offset { X = 2000000, Y = 2000000 });
transform.Append(new Extents { Cx = 4000000, Cy = 3000000 });
shapeProperties.Append(transform);

// No fill — overrides any inherited fill
shapeProperties.Append(new NoFill());

// Blue outline
var line = new Outline { Width = 12700 };
var solidFill = new SolidFill();
solidFill.Append(new RgbColorModelHex { Val = "4472C4" });
line.Append(solidFill);
shapeProperties.Append(line);

// Empty effect list
shapeProperties.Append(new EffectList());

Wireframe Diagram (No Fill, Colored Outline)

<a:spPr>
  <a:xfrm>
    <a:off x="1000000" y="1000000"/>
    <a:ext cx="5000000" cy="3000000"/>
  </a:xfrm>
  <a:noFill/>
  <a:ln w="19050">
    <a:solidFill><a:srgbClr val="ED7D31"/></a:solidFill>
    <a:prstDash val="dash"/>
  </a:ln>
</a:spPr>

var shapeProperties = new ShapeProperties();

var transform = new Transform2D();
transform.Append(new Offset { X = 1000000, Y = 1000000 });
transform.Append(new Extents { Cx = 5000000, Cy = 3000000 });
shapeProperties.Append(transform);

shapeProperties.Append(new NoFill());

// Orange dashed outline
var line = new Outline { Width = 19050 };
var solidFill = new SolidFill();
solidFill.Append(new RgbColorModelHex { Val = "ED7D31" });
line.Append(solidFill);
line.Append(new PresetDash { Val = PresetDashValues.Dash });
shapeProperties.Append(line);

Nested Container (Grouped Shapes)

<a:grpSpPr>
  <a:xfrm>
    <a:off x="0" y="0"/>
    <a:ext cx="10000000" cy="8000000"/>
    <a:chOff x="0" y="0"/>
    <a:chExt cx="10000000" cy="8000000"/>
  </a:xfrm>
  <a:noFill/>
  <a:ln>
    <a:noFill/>
  </a:ln>
</a:grpSpPr>

var groupShapeProperties = new GroupShapeProperties();

var transform = new Transform2D();
transform.Append(new Offset { X = 0, Y = 0 });
transform.Append(new Extents { Cx = 10000000, Cy = 8000000 });
transform.Append(new ChildOffset { X = 0, Y = 0 });
transform.Append(new ChildExtents { Cx = 10000000, Cy = 8000000 });
groupShapeProperties.Append(transform);

groupShapeProperties.Append(new NoFill());

var line = new Outline();
line.Append(new NoFill());
groupShapeProperties.Append(line);

Fill Priority and Inheritance

When fill is specified in shape properties:

Element	Meaning	Precedence
\:solidFill\	Solid color fill	1st (explicit)
\:gradFill\	Gradient fill	1st (explicit)
\:pattFill\	Pattern fill	1st (explicit)
\:blipFill\	Picture fill	1st (explicit)
\:grpFill\	Use fill from group	Fallback
\:noFill\	No fill (transparent)	Overrides all

Key point: \:noFill\ explicitly overrides any inherited fill from:

Master slide
Slide theme
Parent group shape

Common Scenarios

When to Use No Fill

Scenario	Reason
Outlined text boxes	Show only text + border, not background
Wireframe/sketch mode	Transparent shapes for diagramming
Overlay/container shapes	Let background content show through
Icons with borders	Minimize visual weight
Flowchart connectors	Focus on line, not fill
Diagram backgrounds	Transparent group containers

Fill Strategy

Before using a:noFill, consider:

Is outline (\:ln) present? (otherwise shape may be invisible)
Is text present? (ensures readability without background)
Are you overriding inherited fill? (noFill takes precedence)
Will transparency work on target medium? (e.g., PowerPoint vs. web)

Notes

Element Characteristics

Empty element: No child elements, no content
Mutually exclusive: Cannot combine with other fill types (\:solidFill\, \:gradFill\, etc.)
Override behavior: Explicitly cancels inherited fill from master/theme
Outline dependent: Most useful when outline (\:ln) is present
Text compatible: Allows text to be visible without background fill

Rendering

Word: Shows shape outline only; no fill color
PowerPoint: Transparent; background visible through shape
Excel: Transparent cell fill; shows cell background
Publisher: Transparent; used for overlay shapes

Best Practices

Always pair with \:ln\ (outline) to make shape visible
Useful for creating container shapes that group other content
Prefer explicit \:noFill\ over omitting fill element (more explicit)
Use for accessibility — transparent shapes don’t obscure content
Common in flowcharts, diagrams, and wireframe designs

Performance

No additional rendering overhead
Minimal file size impact (empty element)
Fast rendering — no fill calculations needed

Compatibility

Supported in Office 2007 and later
Consistent rendering across applications
No special handling required for older clients