Trying to create tooltips in Flash CS4

Hi.
why are you using holder:MovieClip?
is there a reason?

then you can't holder = tooltip;
where holder is a movieclip and tooltip is a tooltip even if it extends a movieclip.

what i recommend.
take the tooltip off the stage.
change the class (linkage) to ToolTip //just to distinguish it from the instance

just add the tooltip instead of using the holder.
check the code snippet below

you're probably going to want to add multiple tooltips, so just use one function for the MouseOverHandler, use a switch  / case and e.currentTarget to determine which button triggered it and change the text accordingly.



 

//step one create a variable to hold our tooltip
var tooltip:ToolTip = new ToolTip();
//step two add the event listeners to our button
chapel_hill.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_OVER, mouseOverHandler);
chapel_hill.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_OUT, mouseOutHandler);
chapel_hill.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_MOVE, mouseMoveHandler);

function mouseOverHandler(e:MouseEvent):void{
	//create a new tooltip instance
	
	//tell the holder to hold our tooltip
	//add text to the tooltip
	tooltip.tiptext.text = "completed projects";
	//positioning the tooltip on the stage
	tooltip.x = stage.mouseX;
	tooltip..y = stage.mouseY - 15;
	//add the tooltip to the stage
	addChild(tooltip);
}

function mouseOutHandler(e:MouseEvent):void{
	//remove the holder when the cursor is outside our button
	removeChild(tooltip);
}

// this function will move the tooltip everytime the cursor is moved
function mouseMoveHandler(e:MouseEvent):void{
	holder.x = stage.mouseX;
	holder.y = stage.mouseY - 15;
}

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Would you be willing to tweak the file I uploaded and submit it with one functioning tooltip? I am really new to flash and a working example would really help me to learn. If that's not possible I understand.

if you copy and paste that code i posted, remove the tooltip from the stage(not the library)
right click in the library and change the linkage from tooltip to ToolTip it will work.

New error.

Description: 1087: Syntax error: extra characters found after end of program.
Source: on (release){

I had action script elsewhere in the document that I had to remove. Here is the new error

1120: Access of undefined property holder: holder.x = stage.mouseX;

1120: Access of undefined property holder: holder.y = stage.mouseY - 15;

At some point I saw this warning message. A definition for this class could not be found in the classpath, so one will be automatically generated in the SWF file upon export.

okay first of all, the warning message is fine.
you can create an actual class for the ToolTip but in your case you don't need to , so allowing one to be generated automatically is fine.

then in terms of the error about holder.
if you look at the code snippet about, I have commented out or removed all references to holder.
you literally should be replacing ALL you existing code with the code snippet above.

also this code needs to be in the frame not on a movieclip
on (release) syntax is Actionscript 2 - don't know where / how you're getting that.

I've done what you've recommended and the tooltip does not appear when I mouseover chapel_hill.

upload your file again - the one that you've implemented the changes on.

Here it is
tooltips.fla

and did it work?