I'm pretty new with inkscape (just started yesterday).....I've got an object (a rectangle) with some different things inside. Now, I've changed the fill for this object several times....from different colors to gradients, etc. Suddenly, now when I click on the object / select it...then go over to the fill/stroke menu, and click a different fill color, nothing happens. I've tried everything I can think of....but nothing does a thing in the world to the background color. Sorry if this is a pretty basic error, as I said, I'm "new".

Thanks!

Hi.

Chances are: you locked the layer by clicking on the eye icon at the bottom of the screen, where the indicator bar is at.
If yo, you cannot even select objects.
Open the layers panel to see more then just the indicator bar says (Shift+Ctrl+L).

Or you made a clone of an object, and you want to change the clone's style attribute.
Then change the parent's, or, release clone link (Shift+Alt+D).

Less likely but you may locked the object itself. You can change that back at the object menu.