function showhide(obj) {
	var el = document.getElementById(obj);
	if(el){
		if ( el.style.display!= 'none' ) {
			el.style.display = 'none';
		} else {
				el.style.display = '';
		}
	}
}

//http://www.itnewb.com/v/Cross-Browser-CSS-Opacity-and-the-JavaScript-Fade-Fading-Effect/page2
function setOpacity(eID, opacityLevel) {
  var eStyle = document.getElementById(eID).style;
  eStyle.opacity = opacityLevel / 100;
  eStyle.filter = 'alpha(opacity='+opacityLevel+')';
}

function fade(eID, startOpacity, stopOpacity, duration) {
  var speed = Math.round(duration / 100);
  var timer = 0;
  if (startOpacity < stopOpacity){ // fade in
	  for (var i=startOpacity; i<=stopOpacity; i++) {
		  setTimeout("setOpacity('"+eID+"',"+i+")", timer * speed);
		  timer++;
	  } return;
  }
  for (var i=startOpacity; i>=stopOpacity; i--) { // fade out
	  setTimeout("setOpacity('"+eID+"',"+i+")", timer * speed);
	  timer++;
  }

}

function show(eID) {
    document.getElementById(eID).style.display='';
}

function hide(eID) {
    document.getElementById(eID).style.display='none';
}

function runSlideshow(slidecount, pausevalue){
	var fadespeed = 1000;
	for(i = 2; i <= slidecount; i++){
		setOpacity('slide'+i, 0);
		setOpacity('slide'+i, 0);
	}

	if(document.getElementById('slide1').style.display=='none'){
		show('slide1');
		fade('slide1', 0, 100, fadespeed);
	}
	setTimeout("fade('slide1', 100, 0, "+fadespeed+");", pausevalue);
	setTimeout("hide('slide1')", pausevalue + fadespeed);

	for(i = 2; i <= slidecount; i++){
		setTimeout("show('slide"+i+"'); fade('slide"+i+"', 0, 100, "+fadespeed+");", (pausevalue + fadespeed) * (i-1));
		setTimeout("fade('slide"+i+"', 100, 0, "+fadespeed+")", (pausevalue * i) + (fadespeed * (i-1)));
		setTimeout("hide('slide"+i+"')", (pausevalue * i) + (fadespeed * i ));
	}
	
	//do it again !!!
	setTimeout("runSlideshow("+slidecount+","+pausevalue+")", (pausevalue * slidecount) + (fadespeed * slidecount));

}	



// --------------
//  other stuff
// --------------

function checklengthofmsg(f){
	if(f.id_message.value.length>7000){
		alert("Sorry, message can be a maximum of 7000 characters");
		return false;
	};
}