This is not working since blog upgrade, looking into it

**update** deprecated. On how to create a tooltip class, read this

Seems that Apple really inspire design… After having done largerBox: a mootools apple-style modal lightbox effect, I thought I’d also do some animated tooltip effects similar to the ones on their site. So, I finally got around to it and just drafted an element method for the fragged tooltips (called, slidingTips or slidingTips) into my dci_core.js collection.

Not much more to say, here it is in action:

The code? First, the Element.implement bits, 2 functions:

Element.implement({
    slidingTip: function(what, options) {
        // apple style tooltip
        var _this = this, coords = _this.getCoordinates(), options = $merge({
            eventEnd: "mouseleave",
            eventEndTrigger: _this,     // parent element or self
            topOffset: 90,             // offset when in full view
            topStartOffset: 100,        // offset for animation start
            opacity: .8,                // target opacity in full view
            className: "tooltip",       // linked to css
            morphOptions: {
                duration: 300,
                transition: Fx.Transitions.Sine.easeOut,
            },
            delay: 0,                    // can dispose on a timer, in seconds
            id: "tid" + $random(100, 1000)
        }, options);
        
        // we only need one tip instance per parent element.
        if ($type(this.tip) != "element") {
            this.tip = new Element("div", {
                "class": options.className,
                id: options.id,
            });
        }
        
        // if it's an existing one, with an implicit id, pick it up
        if ($(options.id))
            this.tip = $(options.id);
        
        // set initial options and html
        this.tip.set({
            opacity: 0,
            html: "<div style='padding:20px'>" + what + "</div>",
            styles: {
                left: coords.left + coords.width / 2
            }
        }).inject(document.body).removeEvents();
        
        // show it. cancel any previous animation instances for tip 
        if ($type(this.morph) == "object")
           this.morph.cancel();
        else
            this.morph = new Fx.Morph(this.tip, options.morphOptions);
        
        // show it. really.
        this.morph.start({
            opacity: options.opacity, 
            top: [coords.top - _this.tip.getSize().y - options.topStartOffset, coords.top - options.topOffset]
        }).chain(function() {
            // once done, decide how to exit
            if (options.delay == 0) {
                // based on an event. 
                options.eventEndTrigger.addEvent(options.eventEnd, function() {
                    _this.morph.cancel();
                    _this.slidingTipaway();
                });
            }
            else {
                // based on a timed delay
                (function() {
                    _this.slidingTipaway();
                }).delay(options.delay);
            }
        });
        
        // define the tooltip close animation morph object
        var closeAnimation = {
            opacity: 0, 
            top: coords.top - _this.tip.getSize().y - options.topStartOffset
        }
        
        // ... and save it within the parent element 
        this.store("closeAnimation", closeAnimation);
        
        return this;
    },
    slidingTipaway: function() {
        // animate an slidingTip, opposite on in method.
        if (this.tip) {
            this.morph.start(this.retrieve("closeAnimation"));
        }
        
        return this;
    }
});

There is some CSS to this:

<
div.tooltip {
    background:transparent url(/images/tooltip-ie.gif) no-repeat scroll 50% 50%;
    height:90px;
    left:50%;
    margin-left:-151px;
    position:absolute;
    text-align:center;
    top:0;
    width:299px;
    z-index:1010000000;
    color: #327bb2;
    font-weight: bold;
}

And finally, the demo code:

window.addEvent("domready", function() {
    $("demofocus").addEvent("focus", function() {
        this.slidingTip("Please enter your first name and your surname", {
            eventEnd: "blur", // on blur, remove tip
            topOffset: 82 // tuck in more (heigh is 90 usually)
        });
    });

    $("demosubmit").addEvent("click", function(e) {
        e.preventDefault(); // stop submit from happening
        this.slidingTip("Sorry, you are required to complete all fields before you can submit", {
            delay: 5 * 1000, // remove tooltip after 5 seconds
            topOffset: 82
        });
    });

    // find all .demo_mouse class elements and tooltip them to show data-tip values
    $$(".demo_mouse").each(function(el, i) {
        el.addEvents({
            mouseenter: function() {
                this.slidingTip(this.get("data-tip"), {
                    id: "demoid"+i, // can assign implicit ids to shadows for scripting 
                    morphOptions: {
                        duration: 600
                    }
                });
            },
            click: function(e) {
                // prevent the submit from working....
                e.preventDefault();
            }
        });
    });

});

Now, the fragged apple slidingTips currently uses this image:

This is a .GIF so it will be IE friendly (as opposed to a .PNG with transparency). Alpha blending/anti aliasing is not perfect but will work on a light background (hence the white around the demo code).

This one:

... way nicer. But, on IE7 even (which allegedly supports transparency in PNG), there is a nasty bug and alpha bleeding near the pointy arrow. You can try using it by changing the .tooltip css class.