var CurrMenu = ""  // current menu 
   
 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 //// show dropdown menu //////////////////////////////
 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////  
   
   
 function ShowDropdownMenu(ThisMenu) 
 {  
    if (document.getElementById) // for newer versions of Netscape & IE
	{ 
	  if (CurrMenu) //  if there is a current drop-down menu visible
	  { 
	        // hide current menu
	        document.getElementById(CurrMenu).style.visibility = "hidden" 
	  }
	   
	  // make new menu visible
	  document.getElementById(ThisMenu).style.visibility = "visible" 
	     
	  // make this menu current menu
      CurrMenu = ThisMenu  
	}
		
	else if (document.layers) // for Netscape older versions
	{
	  if (CurrMenu) //  if there is a current drop-down menu visible
	  {
	        // hide current menu
		    document.layers[CurrMenu].visibility = "hidden" 
	  }
	  
	  // make new menu visible
	  document.layers[ThisMenu].visibility = "visible" 
		 
	  // make this menu current menu
	  CurrMenu = ThisMenu  
	}  
			 
	else if (document.all) // for IE 
	{
	    if (CurrMenu) //  if there is a current drop-down menu visible
		{
		    // hide current menu
		    document.all[CurrMenu].style.visibility = "hidden" 
    	} 
    	
    	// make new menu visible
     	document.all[ThisMenu].style.visibility = "visible" 
     	
     	// make this menu current menu
        CurrMenu = ThisMenu  
	}      
 } 
 
 
 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 //// hide dropdown menu //////////////////////////////
 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////  	
 
 
  function HideDropdownMenu(ThisMenu) // if you move off dropdown menu
  {   
     if (document.getElementById) // for newer versions of Netscape & IE
	 { 
	    // hide current menu
	    document.getElementById(ThisMenu).style.visibility = "hidden" 
	 }
	   
     else if (document.layers) // for Netscape
	 {
	    // hide current menu
	    document.layers[ThisMenu].visibility = "hidden" 
	 }
  
     else if (document.all)
	 {
	    // hide current menu
	    document.all[ThisMenu].style.visibility = "hidden" 
     }
	
  }  
  
  
 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 /////// new window for viewing external links ////////
 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////


 var newWindow
 var posX  // posX and posY used to locate the window 
 var posY

 function OpenWindow(document) 
 {
    newWindow = window.open(document, "", "width=600,height=400,scrollbars,toolbar,resizable") // No spaces between width and height
 }
 
 
 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 /////// count characters in message box //////////////
 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////


 function CountCharacters(Field, CountField, MaxLimit)
 {
    // output variable
    var Output = document.getElementById(CountField)
    
    // check for null value
    if (Output == null)
    {
      return
    }
    
    // check value
    if (Field.value.length > MaxLimit)
    {
       Field.value.substring(0, MaxLimit)
    }
    
    else
    {
       // get output value
       Output.value = MaxLimit - Field.value.length
    }
 }