diff --git a/include/class.dynamic_forms.php b/include/class.dynamic_forms.php
index 9705d54d4cd2666ff6e1084ef8e81e8a33a56291..924ad0140d720ab181a5ccb62a6c55a18750d8a3 100644
--- a/include/class.dynamic_forms.php
+++ b/include/class.dynamic_forms.php
@@ -926,7 +926,13 @@ class SelectionField extends FormField {
                 'id'=>1, 'label'=>'Widget', 'required'=>false,
                 'default'=>false,
                 'choices'=>array(false=>'Drop Down', true=>'Typeahead'),
-                'hint'=>'Typeahead will work better for large lists')),
+                'hint'=>'Typeahead will work better for large lists'
+            )),
+            'prompt' => new TextboxField(array(
+                'id'=>2, 'label'=>'Prompt', 'required'=>false, 'default'=>'',
+                'hint'=>'Leading text shown before a value is selected',
+                'configuration'=>array('size'=>40, 'length'=>40),
+            )),
         );
     }
 
@@ -941,7 +947,7 @@ class SelectionField extends FormField {
 }
 
 class SelectionWidget extends ChoicesWidget {
-    function render() {
+    function render($mode=false) {
         $config = $this->field->getConfiguration();
         $value = false;
         if ($this->value instanceof DynamicListItem) {
@@ -953,9 +959,9 @@ class SelectionWidget extends ChoicesWidget {
             $value = $this->value;
             $name = $this->getEnteredValue();
         }
-        if (!$config['typeahead']) {
+        if (!$config['typeahead'] || $mode=='search') {
             $this->value = $value;
-            return parent::render();
+            return parent::render($mode);
         }
 
         $source = array();
@@ -968,7 +974,8 @@ class SelectionWidget extends ChoicesWidget {
         <span style="display:inline-block">
         <input type="text" size="30" name="<?php echo $this->name; ?>"
             id="<?php echo $this->name; ?>" value="<?php echo $name; ?>"
-            autocomplete="off" />
+            placeholder="<?php echo $config['prompt'];
+            ?>" autocomplete="off" />
         <input type="hidden" name="<?php echo $this->name;
             ?>_id" id="<?php echo $this->name; ?>_id" value="<?php echo $value; ?>"/>
         <script type="text/javascript">
diff --git a/include/class.forms.php b/include/class.forms.php
index 07860b9966159f3a5cff38fcf13c915583a41076..ca4cf44a7a38e31eea60365ffc23139e68603275 100644
--- a/include/class.forms.php
+++ b/include/class.forms.php
@@ -493,6 +493,11 @@ class TextboxField extends FormField {
                 'id'=>4, 'label'=>'Validation Error', 'default'=>'',
                 'configuration'=>array('size'=>40, 'length'=>60),
                 'hint'=>'Message shown to user if the input does not match the validator')),
+            'placeholder' => new TextboxField(array(
+                'id'=>5, 'label'=>'Placeholder', 'required'=>false, 'default'=>'',
+                'hint'=>'Text shown in before any input from the user',
+                'configuration'=>array('size'=>40, 'length'=>40),
+            )),
         );
     }
 
@@ -540,6 +545,11 @@ class TextareaField extends FormField {
             'html' => new BooleanField(array(
                 'id'=>4, 'label'=>'HTML', 'required'=>false, 'default'=>true,
                 'configuration'=>array('desc'=>'Allow HTML input in this box'))),
+            'placeholder' => new TextboxField(array(
+                'id'=>5, 'label'=>'Placeholder', 'required'=>false, 'default'=>'',
+                'hint'=>'Text shown in before any input from the user',
+                'configuration'=>array('size'=>40, 'length'=>40),
+            )),
         );
     }
 
@@ -660,7 +670,7 @@ class ChoiceField extends FormField {
             )),
             'prompt' => new TextboxField(array(
                 'id'=>2, 'label'=>'Prompt', 'required'=>false, 'default'=>'',
-                'hint'=>'Text shown in the drop-down select before a value is selected',
+                'hint'=>'Leading text shown before a value is selected',
                 'configuration'=>array('size'=>40, 'length'=>40),
             )),
         );
@@ -858,7 +868,13 @@ class PriorityField extends ChoiceField {
     }
 
     function getConfigurationOptions() {
-        return array();
+        return array(
+            'prompt' => new TextboxField(array(
+                'id'=>2, 'label'=>'Prompt', 'required'=>false, 'default'=>'',
+                'hint'=>'Leading text shown before a value is selected',
+                'configuration'=>array('size'=>40, 'length'=>40),
+            )),
+        );
     }
 }
 FormField::addFieldTypes('Built-in Lists', function() {
@@ -907,8 +923,9 @@ class TextboxWidget extends Widget {
         ?>
         <span style="display:inline-block">
         <input type="text" id="<?php echo $this->name; ?>"
-            <?php echo $size . " " . $maxlength; ?>
-            <?php echo $classes.' '.$autocomplete; ?>
+            <?php echo $size . " " . $maxlength
+                .' '.$classes.' '.$autocomplete
+                .' placeholder="'.$config['placeholder'].'"'; ?>
             name="<?php echo $this->name; ?>"
             value="<?php echo Format::htmlchars($this->value); ?>"/>
         </span>
@@ -930,7 +947,8 @@ class TextareaWidget extends Widget {
             $class = 'class="richtext no-bar small"';
         ?>
         <span style="display:inline-block;width:100%">
-        <textarea <?php echo $rows." ".$cols." ".$maxlength." ".$class; ?>
+        <textarea <?php echo $rows." ".$cols." ".$maxlength." ".$class
+                .' placeholder="'.$config['placeholder'].'"'; ?>
             name="<?php echo $this->name; ?>"><?php
                 echo Format::htmlchars($this->value);
             ?></textarea>
@@ -967,20 +985,27 @@ class PhoneNumberWidget extends Widget {
 }
 
 class ChoicesWidget extends Widget {
-    function render() {
+    function render($mode=false) {
         $config = $this->field->getConfiguration();
         // Determine the value for the default (the one listed if nothing is
         // selected)
         $choices = $this->field->getChoices();
-        $def_key = $this->field->get('default');
-        if (!$def_key && $config['default'])
-            $def_key = $config['default'];
-        $have_def = isset($choices[$def_key]);
-        if (!$have_def)
+        // We don't consider the 'default' when rendering in 'search' mode
+        $have_def = false;
+        if ($mode != 'search') {
+            $def_key = $this->field->get('default');
+            if (!$def_key && $config['default'])
+                $def_key = $config['default'];
+            $have_def = isset($choices[$def_key]);
+            if (!$have_def)
+                $def_val = ($config['prompt'])
+                   ? $config['prompt'] : 'Select';
+            else
+                $def_val = $choices[$def_key];
+        } else {
             $def_val = ($config['prompt'])
-               ? $config['prompt'] : 'Select';
-        else
-            $def_val = $choices[$def_key];
+                ? $config['prompt'] : 'Select';
+        }
         $value = $this->value;
         if ($value === null && $have_def)
             $value = $def_key;
diff --git a/include/staff/tickets.inc.php b/include/staff/tickets.inc.php
index 6435451b923da826c41c7ea93f7f97893eb09cad..a48f1525651f17f1ead5f58cdca255cba23de13e 100644
--- a/include/staff/tickets.inc.php
+++ b/include/staff/tickets.inc.php
@@ -617,7 +617,8 @@ if ($results) {
             elseif (!$f->hasData())
                 continue;
             ?><label><?php echo $f->getLabel(); ?>:</label>
-                <div style="display:inline-block;width: 12.5em;"><?php $f->render(); ?></div>
+                <div style="display:inline-block;width: 12.5em;"><?php
+                     $f->render('search'); ?></div>
         <?php } ?>
         </fieldset>
         <p>