RadControls for ASP.NET AJAX By default, all of the RadInput controls except RadMaskedTextBox display a blank input area when the value has not been set:
RadMaskedTextBox displays its prompt character for each position the user should fill and any literal characters from the mask:
You can change this default appearance when the input control does not have focus to display any string you like. Set the string you want to display as the value of the EmptyMessage property. When the input control does not have focus, it displays the string you have set:
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The empty message does not need to be a valid value for the input control. For example, you can use a string of text as the EmptyMessage property of a RadNumericTextBox, RadDateInput, or RadMaskedTextBox control. |
 Caution |
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RadMaskedTextBox does not display the value of its EmptyMessage property unless the HideOnBlur property is set to True. |
| Caution |
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When EnableSingleInputRendering="false" the RadTextBox is unable to show a readable EmptyMessage with TextMode="Password". It is recommended to use a Label instead of an EmptyMessage in this case. |
Once you have set the EmptyMessage property to a non-empty string, you can use the EmptyMessageStyle property to change the display properties of the input control when the empty message is showing: