function opacity(id, opacStart, opacEnd, millisec, nextstep) {
	//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--) {
			if(i == opacEnd){
				setTimeout("changeOpacWithCallBack(" + i + ",'" + id + "',"+nextstep+")",(timer * speed)+slideShowPause);
			//alert("done fade" );
			}else{
				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 changeOpacWithCallBack(opacity, id, callBack) {
        document.getElementById(id).style.display = "none";
	changeOpac(opacity, id);
	eval(callBack);
}

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

function blendimage(divid, imageid, imagefile, millisec) {
	var speed = Math.round(millisec / 100);
	var timer = 0;
	
	//set the current image as background
	document.getElementById(divid).style.backgroundImage = "url(" + document.getElementById(imageid).src + ")";
	
	//make image transparent
	changeOpac(0, imageid);
	
	//make new image
	document.getElementById(imageid).src = imagefile;

	//fade in image
	for(i = 0; i <= 100; i++) {
		setTimeout("changeOpac(" + i + ",'" + imageid + "')",(timer * speed));
		timer++;
	}
}

function currentOpac(id, opacEnd, millisec) {
	//standard opacity is 100
	var currentOpac = 100;
	
	//if the element has an opacity set, get it
	if(document.getElementById(id).style.opacity < 100) {
		currentOpac = document.getElementById(id).style.opacity * 100;
	}

	//call for the function that changes the opacity
	opacity(id, currentOpac, opacEnd, millisec)
}

function switchImage(){
        currSlideImage++;
        if(currSlideImage == countImages){
                currSlideImage = 0;
        }
        divToHide = currVisibleDiv;
        currVisibleDiv = 1^currVisibleDiv;
        //loadImage
        document.images['homeimg_'+currVisibleDiv]. src = allSlideImages[currSlideImage];
        //fade out curr
        opacity('slideshow_image_'+divToHide, 100, 0, fadeSpeed, 'fadeInNext()');			
}

function fadeInNext(){
        //set text
  
        document.getElementById('slideshow_image_'+divToHide).style.display="none";
        changeOpac(0, 'slideshow_image_'+currVisibleDiv);
        document.getElementById('slideshow_image_'+currVisibleDiv).style.display="block";
        opacity('slideshow_image_'+currVisibleDiv, 0, 100, fadeSpeed);			
        window.setTimeout('switchImage()', switchSpeed+fadeSpeed);

}