var DHTML = (document.getElementById || document.all || document.layers);

if(!DHTML)
  alert("please use a different browser, like a newish version of Mozilla.");

function getObj(name)
{
  if (document.getElementById)
  {
  	this.obj				= document.getElementById(name);
	this.style				= document.getElementById(name).style;
  }
  else if (document.all)
  {
	this.obj = document.all[name];
	this.style = document.all[name].style;
  }
  else if (document.layers)
  {
   	this.obj = document.layers[name];
   	this.style = document.layers[name];
  }
}

function toggleElementVisibility(element_id, visibility_int)
{
  var theObj = new getObj(element_id);
  theObj.style.visibility = (visibility_int) ? "visible" : "hidden";
  theObj.height= (visibility_int) ? "200px" : "0px";
}

function getHttpRequest()
{
	var request;
	try {
		if (window.XMLHttpRequest) { // Mozilla, Safari, ...
			request = new XMLHttpRequest();
			if (request.overrideMimeType) {
				request.overrideMimeType('text/xml');
			}
		} else if (window.ActiveXObject) { // IE
			try {
				request = new ActiveXObject("Msxml2.XMLHTTP");
			} catch (e) {
				try {
					request = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");
				} catch (e) {
					// do nothing
				}
			}
		}
	} catch(e) {
		if (!request) {
			alert('Giving up :( Cannot create an XMLHTTP instance');
			return false;
		}
	}
	return request;
}       

// from quirksmode
function findPosX(obj)
{
	var curleft = 0;
	if (obj.offsetParent)
	{
		while (obj.offsetParent)
		{
			curleft += obj.offsetLeft
			obj = obj.offsetParent;
		}
	}
	else if (obj.x)
		curleft += obj.x;
	return curleft;
}
// from quirksmode
function findPosY(obj)
{
	var curtop = 0;
	if (obj.offsetParent)
	{
		while (obj.offsetParent)
		{
			curtop += obj.offsetTop
			obj = obj.offsetParent;
		}
	}
	else if (obj.y)
		curtop += obj.y;
	return curtop;
}