//  "Internal" function to return the decoded value of a cookie
    function getCookieVal (offset) {
      var endstr = document.cookie.indexOf (";", offset);
      if (endstr == -1)
        endstr = document.cookie.length;
      return unescape(document.cookie.substring(offset, endstr));
    }
    
    
    //  Function to return the value of the cookie specified by "name".
    //    name -    String object containing the cookie name.
    //    returns - String object containing the cookie value,
    //              or null if the cookie does not exist.
    //
    function GetCookie (name) {
      var arg = name + "=";
      var alen = arg.length;
      var clen = document.cookie.length;
      var i = 0;
      while (i < clen) {
        var j = i + alen;
        if (document.cookie.substring(i, j) == arg)
          return getCookieVal (j);
    	i = document.cookie.indexOf(" ", i) + 1;
        if (i == 0) break; 
      }
      return null;
    }
    
    
    //  Function to create or update a cookie.
    //    name - String object containing the cookie name.
    //    value - String object containing the cookie value.  May contain
    //         any valid string characters.
    //    [expires] - Date object containing the expiration data of the cookie.  If
    //         omitted or null, expires the cookie at the end of the current session.
    //    [path] - String object indicating the path for which the cookie is valid.
    //         If omitted or null, uses the path of the calling document.
    //    [domain] - String object indicating the domain for which the cookie is
    //         valid. If omitted or null, uses the domain of the calling document.
    //    [secure] - Boolean (true/false) value indicating whether cookie
    //         transmission requires a secure channel (HTTPS).  
    //
    //  The first two parameters are required.  The others, if supplied, must
    //  be passed in the order listed above.  To omit an unused optional field,
    //  use null as a place holder.  For example, to call SetCookie using name,
    //  value and path, you would code:
    //
    //      SetCookie ("myCookieName", "myCookieValue", null, "/");
    //
    //  Note that trailing omitted parameters do not require a placeholder.
    //
    //  To set a secure cookie for path "/myPath", that expires after the
    //  current session, you might code:
    //
    //      SetCookie (myCookieVar, cookieValueVar, null, "/myPath", null, true);
    //
    function SetCookie (name,value,expires,path,domain,secure) {
      document.cookie = name + "=" + escape (value) +
        ((expires) ? "; expires=" + expires.toGMTString() : "") +
        ((path) ? "; path=" + path : "") +
        ((domain) ? "; domain=" + domain : "") +
        ((secure) ? "; secure" : "");
    }