// GET ELEMENT BY ID
function getElement(id) {
	return document.getElementById(id);
}

// ADD STARTSWITH TO STRING METHODS
String.prototype.startsWith = function(sStart) {
    return (this.substr(0,sStart.length)==sStart);
}

// ADD ENDSWITH TO STRING METHODS
String.prototype.endsWith = function(sEnd) {
    return (this.substr(this.length-sEnd.length)==sEnd);
}

// ADD TRIM TO STRING METHODS
String.prototype.trim = function() {
	return (this.replace(/^\s*|\s*$/g,""));
}

// XML-NODE FUN
function getNodeValue(parentNode, childNodeName) {
	var node = getChildNode(parentNode, childNodeName);
	return getValueOfNode(node);
}

function getChildNode(parentNode, childNodeName) {
	var nodes = parentNode.getElementsByTagName(childNodeName);
	if(nodes.length > 0) {
		return nodes[0];
	}
}

function getValueOfNode(node) {
	if(node && node.hasChildNodes()) {
		for(var i=0; i < node.childNodes.length; i++) {
			if(node.childNodes.length > i && node.childNodes[i] && node.childNodes[i].nodeValue) {
				return node.childNodes[i].nodeValue.trim();
			}
		}
	}
}

// DO AJAX GET/POST
function doAjax(url, action, data, async) {

	if(url) { // only URL is required

		if(!data) {
			data = '';
			methodType = 'GET';
		} else {
			methodType = 'POST';
		}

		if(!action) {
			jsFunction = function() {};
		} else { // wrap our action method with a readyState and status check
			jsFunction = function(AJAX) {
				if(AJAX.readyState == 4 && AJAX.status == 200) {
					action(AJAX);
				};
			}
		}

		return new AJAXRequest(methodType, url, data, jsFunction, async);

	}
}


// AJAX REQUEST METHOD
function AJAXRequest(method, url, data, process, async, dosend) {
	var _ms_XMLHttpRequest_ActiveX = "";
    var self = this;
    if(window.XMLHttpRequest) {
        self.AJAX = new XMLHttpRequest();
    } else if(window.ActiveXObject) {
        if(_ms_XMLHttpRequest_ActiveX) {
            self.AJAX = new ActiveXObject(_ms_XMLHttpRequest_ActiveX);
        } else {
	    	var versions = ["Msxml2.XMLHTTP.7.0", "Msxml2.XMLHTTP.6.0", "Msxml2.XMLHTTP.5.0", "Msxml2.XMLHTTP.4.0", "MSXML2.XMLHTTP.3.0", "MSXML2.XMLHTTP", "Microsoft.XMLHTTP"];
            for(var i=0; i < versions.length; i++) {
                try {
                    self.AJAX = new ActiveXObject(versions[i]);
                    if(self.AJAX) {
                        _ms_XMLHttpRequest_ActiveX = versions[i];
                        break;
                    }
                }
                catch (objException) {};
            };
        }
    }
    self.process = process;
    self.AJAX.onreadystatechange = function() {
        self.process(self.AJAX);
    }
    if(!method) {
        method = "POST";
    }
    method = method.toUpperCase();
    if(typeof async == 'undefined' || async == null) {
        async = true;
    }
    self.AJAX.open(method, url, async);
    if(method == "POST") {
        self.AJAX.setRequestHeader("Connection", "close");
        self.AJAX.setRequestHeader("Content-Type", "application/x-www-form-urlencoded");
        self.AJAX.setRequestHeader("Method", "POST");
    }
    if( dosend || typeof dosend == 'undefined' ) {
	    self.AJAX.send(data);
    }
    return self.AJAX;
}