function showLayer(id) {
  var lyr = getElemRefs(id);
  if (lyr && lyr.css) lyr.css.visibility = "visible";
}
function hideLayer(id) {
  var lyr = getElemRefs(id);
  if (lyr && lyr.css) lyr.css.visibility = "hidden";
}
function getElemRefs(id) {
	var el = (document.getElementById)? document.getElementById(id): (document.all)? document.all[id]: (document.layers)? document.layers[id]: null;
	if (el) el.css = (el.style)? el.style: el;
	return el;
}
function trim(str){
	return str.replace(/^\s*|\s*$/g,"");
}

function $() {
	var elements = new Array();
	for (var i = 0; i < arguments.length; i++) {
		var element = arguments[i];
		if (typeof element == 'string')
			element = document.getElementById(element);
		if (arguments.length == 1)
			return element;
		elements.push(element);
	}
	return elements;
}
function toggle(obj) {
	var el = $(obj);
	el.style.display = (el.style.display != 'none' ? 'none' : '' );
}

function $$(p_DivID,p_htmlstr){
	if (document.getElementById) {
		if(document.getElementById(p_DivID).innerHTML !=p_htmlstr)
			document.getElementById(p_DivID).innerHTML= p_htmlstr;
	}
	else {
	     with (document.layers[p_DivID].document) {
		     open();
		     write(p_htmlstr);
		     close();
	     }
	}
}

//gets the selected text within a page

function getSelectedTextInPage()
{
	var txt = '';
	if (window.getSelection)
		txt = window.getSelection();
	else if (document.getSelection)
		txt = document.getSelection();
	else if (document.selection)
		txt = document.selection.createRange().text;
	else return;
	return txt;
}
RegExp.escape = function(text) {
  if (!arguments.callee.sRE) {
    var specials = [
      '/', '.', '*', '+', '?', '|',
      '(', ')', '[', ']', '{', '}', '\\'
    ];
    arguments.callee.sRE = new RegExp(
      '(\\' + specials.join('|\\') + ')', 'g'
    );
  }
  return text.replace(arguments.callee.sRE, '\\$1');
}