var first_slide = true;
var img_current = 0;

function opacity(id, opacStart, opacEnd, millisec) {
    //speed for each frame
    var speed = Math.round(millisec / 100);
    var timer = 0;
	var i;

    //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 NewsObject(id, img, text) {
	this.id = id;
	this.leadinThumbnailedImagePath = img;
	this.leadinText = text;
}

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 + ")";
  for(i = 0; i <= 100; i++) {
      setTimeout("",(timer*20));
      timer++;
  }
  
  //make image transparent
  changeOpac(0, imageid);
  
  //make new image
  document.getElementById(imageid).src = imagefile.src;

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

function slideShow(divid, imgid, millisec, slideSpeed) {
  if (img_current == img_array.length)
    img_current = 0;
  
  blendimage(divid, imgid, img_array[img_current], millisec);
  var f = function() { slideShow(divid, imgid, millisec, slideSpeed); };
  
  setTimeout(f, slideSpeed);
  img_current++;
}