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++; 
        } 
    } 
} 

//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 checkMouseEnter (element, evt) {
if (element.contains && evt.fromElement) {
return !element.contains(evt.fromElement);
}
else if (evt.relatedTarget) {
return !containsDOM(element, evt.relatedTarget);
}
}

function checkMouseLeave (element, evt) {
if (element.contains && evt.toElement) {
return !element.contains(evt.toElement);
}
else if (evt.relatedTarget) {
return !containsDOM(element, evt.relatedTarget);
}
}

function containsDOM (container, containee) {
var isParent = false;
do {
if ((isParent = container == containee))
break;
containee = containee.parentNode;
}
while (containee != null);
return isParent;
}


function mouseOut(element, evt)
{
  if(checkMouseLeave(element, evt) == true)
  {
    opacity('recentForumPosts', 100, 0, 150);
    MM_showHideLayers('recentForumPosts','','hide')
    //document.getElementById('recentForumPosts').style.display = 'none';
  }
}

function mouseOver(element, evt)
{
  if(checkMouseEnter(element, evt) == true)
  {
    P7_autoLayers(0,'recentForumPosts')
    //document.getElementById('recentForumPosts').style.display = 'block';
    opacity('recentForumPosts', 0, 100, 150);
  }
  
}

var intervalId='';
var uniqueTitleCount;

function loadForumPosts()
{

  if(intervalId != '')
    clearInterval(intervalID);
  
  var postsContainer = document.getElementById('recentForumPosts');
  var posts = postsContainer.getElementsByTagName('span');
  var length = Math.floor(posts.length/3);
  uniqueTitleCount = 0;
  titles = new Array(length);

  var lastTime = '';

  for(i=0; i<length; i++)
  {
    if(posts[(i*3)].getElementsByTagName('a')[0].innerHTML != lastTime)
    {
      titles[uniqueTitleCount] = posts[(i*3)].innerHTML;
      lastTime = posts[(i*3)].getElementsByTagName('a')[0].innerHTML;
      uniqueTitleCount++;
    }
  }

  rotateForumPosts();
  if(uniqueTitleCount > 1)
    intervalId = setInterval(rotateForumPosts,3000);
}

function fadeInPost()
{
  document.getElementById('postrotator').innerHTML = titles[num];    
  opacity('postrotator', 0, 100, 100);
  num = (num > uniqueTitleCount - 2) ? 0 : num + 1;
}

function rotateForumPosts()
{
  opacity('postrotator', 100, 0, 100);
  setTimeout(fadeInPost,150);
}

var titles;
var num = 0;