// opacity functions;

			var TimeToFade = 150.0;

			function show(topic){
				var element = document.getElementById(topic);				
				if(element == null)
					return;
				if(element.style.opacity == 1 || element.style.filter == 'alpha(opacity = 100)')
					return;
 
				element.style.display = "block";

				element.FadeTimeLeft = TimeToFade;
		 		setTimeout("animateShow(" + new Date().getTime() + ",'" + topic + "')", 25);
			}
			
			function animateShow(lastTick, eid){ 
			
				var curTick = new Date().getTime();
			  	var elapsedTicks = curTick - lastTick;
			 
				var element = document.getElementById(eid);
				
				if(element.style.display != "block"){
					element.style.display = 'block';
				}				
								
				if(element.FadeTimeLeft <= elapsedTicks){
			    	element.style.opacity = '1';
			    	element.style.filter = 'alpha(opacity = 100)';
					element.FadeTimeLeft = null;
			    	return;
			    }	

			  	element.FadeTimeLeft -= elapsedTicks;
			 	var newOpVal = element.FadeTimeLeft/TimeToFade;
		    	newOpVal = 1 - newOpVal;
			
			  	element.style.opacity = newOpVal;
			  	element.style.filter = 'alpha(opacity = ' + (newOpVal*100) + ')';
			 
			  	setTimeout("animateShow(" + curTick + ",'" + eid + "')", 25);
			}
			
			function hide(topic){
				var element = document.getElementById(topic);				
											
				if(element == null)
					return;
								
				element.HideTimeLeft = TimeToFade;
		 		setTimeout("animateHide(" + new Date().getTime() + ",'" + topic + "')", 25);
				
			}
			function animateHide(lastTick, eid){ 
			
				var curTick = new Date().getTime();
			  	var elapsedTicks = curTick - lastTick;
			 
				var element = document.getElementById(eid);
								
				if(element.HideTimeLeft <= elapsedTicks){
			    	element.style.opacity = '0';
			    	element.style.filter = 'alpha(opacity = 0)';
					element.HideTimeLeft = null;
					element.style.display = "none";
			    	return;
			    }	

			  	element.HideTimeLeft -= elapsedTicks;
			 	var newOpVal = element.HideTimeLeft/TimeToFade;
			
			  	element.style.opacity = newOpVal;
			  	element.style.filter = 'alpha(opacity = ' + (newOpVal*100) + ')';
			 
			  	setTimeout("animateHide(" + curTick + ",'" + eid + "')", 25);
			}
			
			function hideShow(toHideId, toShowId){
			
				var h =	document.getElementById(toHideId);
				var s = document.getElementById(toShowId);
				
				if(h == null || s == null)
					return;
										
				h.HideTimeLeft = TimeToFade;
				s.FadeTimeLeft = TimeToFade;
				
		 		setTimeout("animateHide(" + new Date().getTime() + ",'" + toHideId + "')", 25);
		 		setTimeout("animateShow(" + new Date().getTime() + ",'" + toShowId + "')", 25);
					
			}
			
			function hideLoginValue(input){
				if(input == "username" && document.forms[0].username.value == "username"){
					if(document.forms[0].password.value == ""){
						document.forms[0].password.value = "********"; 
					}
					document.forms[0].username.value = "";
				}			
				if(input == "password" && document.forms[0].password.value == "********"){
					if(document.forms[0].username.value == ""){
						document.forms[0].username.value = "username"; 
					}
					document.forms[0].password.value = "";
				}
			}