How can I add a hint text to WPF textbox?

Question

You can accomplish this much more easily with a VisualBrush and some triggers in a Style:

<TextBox>
    <TextBox.Style>
        <Style TargetType="TextBox" xmlns:sys="clr-namespace:System;assembly=mscorlib">
            <Style.Resources>
                <VisualBrush x:Key="CueBannerBrush" AlignmentX="Left" AlignmentY="Center" Stretch="None">
                    <VisualBrush.Visual>
                        <Label Content="Search" Foreground="LightGray" />
                    </VisualBrush.Visual>
                </VisualBrush>
            </Style.Resources>
            <Style.Triggers>
                <Trigger Property="Text" Value="{x:Static sys:String.Empty}">
                    <Setter Property="Background" Value="{StaticResource CueBannerBrush}" />
                </Trigger>
                <Trigger Property="Text" Value="{x:Null}">
                    <Setter Property="Background" Value="{StaticResource CueBannerBrush}" />
                </Trigger>
                <Trigger Property="IsKeyboardFocused" Value="True">
                    <Setter Property="Background" Value="White" />
                </Trigger>
            </Style.Triggers>
        </Style>
    </TextBox.Style>
</TextBox>

To increase the re-usability of this Style, you can also create a set of attached properties to control the actual cue banner text, color, orientation etc.

This is my simple solution, adapted from Microsoft (https://code.msdn.microsoft.com/windowsapps/How-to-add-a-hint-text-to-ed66a3c6)

    <Grid Background="White" HorizontalAlignment="Right" VerticalAlignment="Top"  >
        <!-- overlay with hint text -->
        <TextBlock Margin="5,2" MinWidth="50" Text="Suche..." 
                   Foreground="LightSteelBlue" Visibility="{Binding ElementName=txtSearchBox, Path=Text.IsEmpty, Converter={StaticResource MyBoolToVisibilityConverter}}" IsHitTestVisible="False"/>
        <!-- enter term here -->
        <TextBox MinWidth="50" Name="txtSearchBox" Background="Transparent" />
    </Grid>

what about using materialDesign HintAssist ? i'm using this which also you can add floating hint too :

<TextBox Width="150" Height="40" Text="hello" materialDesign:HintAssist.Hint="address"  materialDesign:HintAssist.IsFloating="True"></TextBox>

i installed Material Design with Nuget Package there is installation guide in documentation link

Do it in the code-behind by setting the text color initially to gray and adding event handlers for gaining and losing keyboard focus.

TextBox tb = new TextBox();
tb.Foreground = Brushes.Gray;
tb.Text = "Text";
tb.GotKeyboardFocus += new KeyboardFocusChangedEventHandler(tb_GotKeyboardFocus);
tb.LostKeyboardFocus += new KeyboardFocusChangedEventHandler(tb_LostKeyboardFocus);

Then the event handlers:

private void tb_GotKeyboardFocus(object sender, KeyboardFocusChangedEventArgs e)
{
    if(sender is TextBox)
    {
        //If nothing has been entered yet.
        if(((TextBox)sender).Foreground == Brushes.Gray)
        {
            ((TextBox)sender).Text = "";
            ((TextBox)sender).Foreground = Brushes.Black;
        }
    }
}


private void tb_LostKeyboardFocus(object sender, KeyboardFocusChangedEventArgs e)
{
    //Make sure sender is the correct Control.
    if(sender is TextBox)
    {
        //If nothing was entered, reset default text.
        if(((TextBox)sender).Text.Trim().Equals(""))
        {
            ((TextBox)sender).Foreground = Brushes.Gray;
            ((TextBox)sender).Text = "Text";
        }
    }
}

You have to create a custom control by inheriting the textbox. Below link has an excellent example about the search textbox sample. Please have a look at this

http://davidowens.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/wpf-search-text-box/

You can do in a very simple way. The idea is to place a Label in the same place as your textbox. Your Label will be visible if textbox has no text and hasn't the focus.

 <Label Name="PalceHolder"  HorizontalAlignment="Left" HorizontalContentAlignment="Center" VerticalContentAlignment="Center" Height="40" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="239" FontStyle="Italic"  Foreground="BurlyWood">PlaceHolder Text Here
  <Label.Style>
    <Style TargetType="{x:Type Label}">
      <Setter Property="Visibility" Value="Hidden"/>
      <Style.Triggers>
        <MultiDataTrigger>
          <MultiDataTrigger.Conditions>
            <Condition Binding ="{Binding ElementName=PalceHolder, Path=Text.Length}" Value="0"/>
            <Condition Binding ="{Binding ElementName=PalceHolder, Path=IsFocused}" Value="False"/>
          </MultiDataTrigger.Conditions>
          <Setter Property="Visibility" Value="Visible"/>
        </MultiDataTrigger>
      </Style.Triggers>
    </Style>
  </Label.Style>
</Label>
<TextBox  Background="Transparent" Name="TextBox1" HorizontalAlignment="Left" HorizontalContentAlignment="Center" VerticalContentAlignment="Center" Height="40"TextWrapping="Wrap" Text="{Binding InputText,Mode=TwoWay}" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="239" />

Bonus:If you want to have default value for your textBox, be sure after to set it when submitting data (for example:"InputText"="PlaceHolder Text Here" if empty).