function opacity(id, opacStart, opacEnd, millisec)
{
setTimeout("xxx("+id+ ","+ opacStart+","+ opacEnd+","+ millisec+")",2000);
}

function opacity(id, opacStart, opacEnd, millisec) {
	//speed for each frame
	
	var speed = Math.round(millisec / 100);
	var timer = 0;

	//determine the direction for the blending, if start and end are the same nothing happens
	if(opacStart > opacEnd) {
		for(i = opacStart; i >= opacEnd; i--) {
			setTimeout("changeOpac(" + i + ",'" + id + "')",(timer * speed));
			timer++;
		}
	} else if(opacStart < opacEnd) {
		for(i = opacStart; i <= opacEnd; i++)
			{
			setTimeout("changeOpac(" + i + ",'" + id + "')",(timer * speed));
			timer++;
		}
	}
}

function pausecomp(millis) 
{
var date = new Date();
var curDate = null;

do { curDate = new Date(); } 
while(curDate-date < millis);
} 

function doNothing()
{

}
//change the opacity for different browsers
function changeOpac(opacity, id) {
	var object = document.getElementById(id).style; 
	object.opacity = (opacity / 100);
	object.MozOpacity = (opacity / 100);
	object.KhtmlOpacity = (opacity / 100);
	object.filter = "alpha(opacity=" + opacity + ")";
}

function shiftOpacity(id, millisec) {
	//if an element is invisible, make it visible, else make it ivisible
	if(document.getElementById(id).style.opacity == 100) {
		opacity(id, 100, 0, millisec);
	} else {
		opacity(id, 0, 100, millisec);
	}
}