Index: binaries/data/mods/mod/gui/gui.rnc
===================================================================
--- binaries/data/mods/mod/gui/gui.rnc
+++ binaries/data/mods/mod/gui/gui.rnc
@@ -71,6 +71,8 @@
   attribute maxwidth { xsd:decimal }? &
   attribute multiline { bool }?&
   attribute offset { pos }?&
+  attribute placeholder_text { text }?&
+  attribute placeholder_color { ccolor }?&
   attribute readonly { bool }?&
   attribute scrollbar { bool }?&
   attribute scrollbar_style { text }?&
Index: binaries/data/mods/mod/gui/gui.rng
===================================================================
--- binaries/data/mods/mod/gui/gui.rng
+++ binaries/data/mods/mod/gui/gui.rng
@@ -435,6 +435,14 @@
         </attribute>
       </optional>
       <optional>
+        <attribute name="placeholder_text"/>
+      </optional>
+      <optional>
+        <attribute name="placeholder_color">
+          <ref name="ccolor"/>
+        </attribute>
+      </optional>
+      <optional>
         <attribute name="text_align">
           <ref name="align"/>
         </attribute>
Index: binaries/data/mods/mod/gui/modmod/modmod.js
===================================================================
--- binaries/data/mods/mod/gui/modmod/modmod.js
+++ binaries/data/mods/mod/gui/modmod/modmod.js
@@ -104,8 +104,6 @@
 function initGUIFilters()
 {
 	Engine.GetGUIObjectByName("negateFilter").checked = false;
-	Engine.GetGUIObjectByName("modGenericFilter").caption = translate("Filter");
-
 	displayModLists();
 }
 
@@ -251,7 +249,6 @@
 	let searchText = Engine.GetGUIObjectByName("modGenericFilter").caption;
 
 	if (searchText &&
-	    searchText != translate("Filter") &&
 	    folder.indexOf(searchText) == -1 &&
 	    mod.name.indexOf(searchText) == -1 &&
 	    mod.label.indexOf(searchText) == -1 &&
Index: binaries/data/mods/mod/gui/modmod/modmod.xml
===================================================================
--- binaries/data/mods/mod/gui/modmod/modmod.xml
+++ binaries/data/mods/mod/gui/modmod/modmod.xml
@@ -18,9 +18,11 @@
 				type="input"
 				style="ModernInput"
 				size="16 0 176 100%"
+				placeholder_color="gray"
 			>
 				<action on="Press">applyFilters();</action>
 				<action on="TextEdit">applyFilters();</action>
+				<translatableAttribute id="placeholder_text">Filter</translatableAttribute>
 			</object>
 
 			<!-- Checkboxes -->
Index: source/gui/ObjectTypes/CInput.h
===================================================================
--- source/gui/ObjectTypes/CInput.h
+++ source/gui/ObjectTypes/CInput.h
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* Copyright (C) 2019 Wildfire Games.
+/* Copyright (C) 2020 Wildfire Games.
  * This file is part of 0 A.D.
  *
  * 0 A.D. is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@
 
 #include "gui/CGUISprite.h"
 #include "gui/ObjectBases/IGUIScrollBarOwner.h"
+#include "gui/ObjectBases/IGUITextOwner.h"
+#include "gui/SettingTypes/CGUIString.h"
 #include "lib/external_libraries/libsdl.h"
 
 #include <vector>
@@ -31,7 +33,7 @@
  * any other features than word-wrapping, and we need to be
  * able to rapidly change the string.
  */
-class CInput : public IGUIObject, public IGUIScrollBarOwner
+class CInput : public IGUIObject, public IGUIScrollBarOwner, public IGUITextOwner
 {
 	GUI_OBJECT(CInput)
 
@@ -56,6 +58,8 @@
 	int GetXTextPosition(const std::list<SRow>::const_iterator& c, const float& x, float& wanted) const;
 
 protected:
+	void SetupText();
+
 	/**
 	 * @see IGUIObject#HandleMessage()
 	 */
@@ -198,6 +202,7 @@
 	i32 m_BufferPosition;
 	float m_BufferZone;
 	CStrW m_Caption;
+	CGUIString m_PlaceholderText;
 	i32 m_CellID;
 	CStrW m_Font;
 	CStrW m_MaskChar;
@@ -211,6 +216,7 @@
 	CGUISpriteInstance m_SpriteSelectArea;
 	CGUIColor m_TextColor;
 	CGUIColor m_TextColorSelected;
+	CGUIColor m_PlaceholderColor;
 };
 
 #endif // INCLUDED_CINPUT
Index: source/gui/ObjectTypes/CInput.cpp
===================================================================
--- source/gui/ObjectTypes/CInput.cpp
+++ source/gui/ObjectTypes/CInput.cpp
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* Copyright (C) 2019 Wildfire Games.
+/* Copyright (C) 2020 Wildfire Games.
  * This file is part of 0 A.D.
  *
  * 0 A.D. is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 #include "graphics/TextRenderer.h"
 #include "gui/CGUI.h"
 #include "gui/CGUIScrollBarVertical.h"
+#include "gui/CGUIText.h"
 #include "lib/sysdep/clipboard.h"
 #include "lib/timer.h"
 #include "lib/utf8.h"
@@ -45,6 +46,7 @@
 	:
 	IGUIObject(pGUI),
 	IGUIScrollBarOwner(*static_cast<IGUIObject*>(this)),
+	IGUITextOwner(*static_cast<IGUIObject*>(this)),
 	m_iBufferPos(-1),
 	m_iBufferPos_Tail(-1),
 	m_SelectingText(),
@@ -89,12 +91,16 @@
 	RegisterSetting("sprite_selectarea", m_SpriteSelectArea);
 	RegisterSetting("textcolor", m_TextColor);
 	RegisterSetting("textcolor_selected", m_TextColorSelected);
+	RegisterSetting("placeholder_text", m_PlaceholderText);
+	RegisterSetting("placeholder_color", m_PlaceholderColor);
 
 	CFG_GET_VAL("gui.cursorblinkrate", m_CursorBlinkRate);
 
 	CGUIScrollBarVertical* bar = new CGUIScrollBarVertical(pGUI);
 	bar->SetRightAligned(true);
 	AddScrollBar(bar);
+
+	AddText();
 }
 
 CInput::~CInput()
@@ -115,6 +121,14 @@
 	m_iComposedPos = 0;
 }
 
+void CInput::SetupText()
+{
+	ENSURE(m_GeneratedTexts.size() == 1);
+	CStrIntern font_name(m_Font.ToUTF8());
+	CFontMetrics font(font_name);
+	m_GeneratedTexts[0] = CGUIText(m_pGUI, m_PlaceholderText, m_Font, font.GetHeight(), m_BufferZone, this);
+}
+
 InReaction CInput::ManuallyHandleEvent(const SDL_Event_* ev)
 {
 	ENSURE(m_iBufferPos != -1);
@@ -905,6 +919,15 @@
 			UpdateText();
 		}
 
+		if (Message.value == "placeholder_text" ||
+			Message.value == "size" ||
+			Message.value == "placeholder_text" ||
+			Message.value == "text_valign" ||
+			Message.value == "placeholder_color")
+		{
+			m_GeneratedTextsValid = false;
+		}
+
 		UpdateAutoScroll();
 
 		break;
@@ -1132,6 +1155,7 @@
 	// update our scrollbar positions
 
 	IGUIObject::UpdateCachedSize();
+	IGUITextOwner::UpdateCachedSize();
 
 	if (m_ScrollBar)
 	{
@@ -1484,6 +1508,10 @@
 		glDisable(GL_SCISSOR_TEST);
 
 	tech->EndPass();
+
+	if (m_Caption.empty() && !m_PlaceholderText.GetRawString().empty())
+		DrawText(0, m_PlaceholderColor, m_CachedActualSize.TopLeft(), bz);
+
 }
 
 void CInput::UpdateText(int from, int to_before, int to_after)