function returnObjById(id) { 
  if (document.getElementById) {
    var returnVar = document.getElementById(id); 
  }
  else if (document.all) {
    var returnVar = document.all[id]; 
  }
  else if (document.layers) {
    var returnVar = document.layers[id]; 
  }
  return returnVar; 
}

function __getIEVersion() {  
    var rv = -1; // Return value assumes failure.  
    if (navigator.appName == 'Microsoft Internet Explorer') {  
        var ua = navigator.userAgent;  
        var re = new RegExp("MSIE ([0-9]{1,}[\.0-9]{0,})");  
        if (re.exec(ua) != null)  
            rv = parseFloat(RegExp.$1);  
    }  
    return rv;  
}  
  
function __getOperaVersion() {  
    var rv = 0; // Default value  
    if (window.opera) {  
        var sver = window.opera.version();  
        rv = parseFloat(sver);  
    }  
    return rv;  
}  
  
var __userAgent = navigator.userAgent;  
var __isIE =  navigator.appVersion.match(/MSIE/) != null;  
var __IEVersion = __getIEVersion();  
var __isIENew = __isIE && __IEVersion >= 8;  
var __isIEOld = __isIE && !__isIENew;  
  
var __isFireFox = __userAgent.match(/firefox/i) != null;  
var __isFireFoxOld = __isFireFox && ((__userAgent.match(/firefox\/2./i) != null) || (__userAgent.match(/firefox\/1./i) != null));  
var __isFireFoxNew = __isFireFox && !__isFireFoxOld;  
  
var __isWebKit =  navigator.appVersion.match(/WebKit/) != null;  
var __isChrome =  navigator.appVersion.match(/Chrome/) != null;  
var __isOpera =  window.opera != null;  
var __operaVersion = __getOperaVersion();  
var __isOperaOld = __isOpera && (__operaVersion < 10);  
  
function __parseBorderWidth(width) {  
    var res = 0;  
    if (typeof(width) == "string" && width != null && width != "" ) {  
        var p = width.indexOf("px");  
        if (p >= 0) {  
            res = parseInt(width.substring(0, p));  
        }  
        else {  
            //do not know how to calculate other values (such as 0.5em or 0.1cm) correctly now  
            //so just set the width to 1 pixel  
            res = 1;   
        }  
    }  
    return res;  
}  
    
//returns border width for some element  
function __getBorderWidth(element) {  
    var res = new Object();  
    res.left = 0; res.top = 0; res.right = 0; res.bottom = 0;  
    if (window.getComputedStyle) {  
        //for Firefox  
        var elStyle = window.getComputedStyle(element, null);  
        res.left = parseInt(elStyle.borderLeftWidth.slice(0, -2));    
        res.top = parseInt(elStyle.borderTopWidth.slice(0, -2));    
        res.right = parseInt(elStyle.borderRightWidth.slice(0, -2));    
        res.bottom = parseInt(elStyle.borderBottomWidth.slice(0, -2));    
    }  
    else {  
        //for other browsers  
        res.left = __parseBorderWidth(element.style.borderLeftWidth);  
        res.top = __parseBorderWidth(element.style.borderTopWidth);  
        res.right = __parseBorderWidth(element.style.borderRightWidth);  
        res.bottom = __parseBorderWidth(element.style.borderBottomWidth);  
    }  
     
    return res;  
}  
  
function getElementLayoutInfo(elemID) {
    var element;
    var x = 0, y = 0;
    
	if (typeof(elemID) == "string") {  
        element = document.getElementById(elemID);  
    }  
    else {  
        element = elemID;  
    }  
  
	while (element != null) {
	    if (x != undefined) {
	        x = element.offsetLeft;  
	    }
		else {
		    x = 0;
		}
		
		if (y != undefined) {
            y = element.offsetTop;
        }
        else {
		    y = 0;
        }		
    
	    alert(element.id + "," + element.toString() + " - " + x + "," + y + " - " + element.offsetWidth + "," + element.offsetHeight);
		
        element = element.parentNode;
    }
}  
  
//returns the absolute position of some element within document  
function getElementAbsolutePos(elemID) {  
    var element;  
    if (typeof(elemID) == "string") {  
        element = document.getElementById(elemID);  
    }  
    else {  
        element = elemID;  
    }  
	 
    var res = new Object();  
    res.x = 0; res.y = 0;  
    if (element !== null) {  
 
        if (__isIENew) {  
            res.x = element.scrollLeft;  
            res.y = element.scrollTop;  
        }  
        else {  
            res.x = element.offsetLeft;  
            res.y = element.offsetTop;  
        }  

    	alert(element.id + "," + element.toString() + " - " + res.x + "," + res.y + " - " + element.offsetWidth + "," + element.offsetHeight);
          
        var offsetParent = element.offsetParent;  
        var parentNode = element.parentNode;  
        var borderWidth = null;  
  
        while (offsetParent != null) {  
            res.x += offsetParent.offsetLeft;  
            res.y += offsetParent.offsetTop;  
              
            var parentTagName = offsetParent.tagName.toLowerCase();   
  
            if ((__isIEOld && parentTagName != "table") || (__isFireFoxNew && parentTagName == "td")) {           
                borderWidth = __getBorderWidth(offsetParent);  
                res.x += borderWidth.left;  
                res.y += borderWidth.top;  
            }  
              
            if (offsetParent != document.body && offsetParent != document.documentElement) {  
                res.x -= offsetParent.scrollLeft;  
                res.y -= offsetParent.scrollTop;  
            }  
  
            //next lines are necessary to support FireFox problem with offsetParent  
            if (!__isIE && !__isOperaOld || __isIENew) {  
                while (offsetParent != parentNode && parentNode !== null) {  
                    res.x -= parentNode.scrollLeft;  
                    res.y -= parentNode.scrollTop;  
                    if (__isFireFoxOld && __isWebKit) {  
                        borderWidth = __getBorderWidth(parentNode);  
                        res.x += borderWidth.left;  
                        res.y += borderWidth.top;  
                    }  
                    parentNode = parentNode.parentNode;  
                }      
            }  
			
			alert(offsetParent.id + "," + offsetParent.toString() + " - " + res.x + "," + res.y + " - " + offsetParent.offsetWidth + "," + offsetParent.offsetHeight);
  
            parentNode = offsetParent.parentNode;  
            offsetParent = offsetParent.offsetParent;
        }  
    }  
    return res;  
}