function fadeIn(objId, opacity)
{
    if (document.getElementById)
    {
        obj = document.getElementById(objId);

        var current_opacity = opacity; 

        if (current_opacity < 100)
        {
            var increment = 10.;
            if((current_opacity + increment) > 100)
                current_opacity = 100;
            else
                current_opacity += increment;
            
            setOpacity(obj, current_opacity);
            window.setTimeout(" fadeIn('"+objId+"', "+current_opacity+") ", 50);
        }
    }
}

function fadeOut(objId, opacity, limit)
{
    if (document.getElementById)
    {
        obj = document.getElementById(objId);
        
        var current_opacity = opacity; 
        
        if (current_opacity > limit)
        {
            var decrement = 10.;
            if((current_opacity - decrement) < limit)
                current_opacity = limit;
            else
                current_opacity -= decrement;
            
            setOpacity(obj, current_opacity);
            window.setTimeout("fadeOut('"+objId+"', "+current_opacity+", "+limit+")", 50);
        }
    }
}

function setOpacity(obj, opacity)
{
	opacity = (opacity == 100) ? 99 : opacity; //.999
	// IE/Win
	obj.style.filter = "alpha(opacity:"+opacity+")";
	// Safari<1.2, Konqueror
	obj.style.KHTMLOpacity = opacity/100;
	// Older Mozilla and Firefox
	obj.style.MozOpacity = opacity/100;
	// Safari 1.2, newer Firefox and Mozilla, CSS3
	obj.style.opacity = opacity/100;
}

function getOpacity(obj)
{
    if (obj.style.filter)
    {
        var filterString = obj.style.filter;
        var derivedVal = filterString.substring(filterString.indexOf(':')+1,filterString.indexOf(')'));
        return derivedVal;// / 100;
    } 
    else
    {
        return obj.style.opacity * 100;
    }
}