//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
// NAME:    getXmlHttpObject
// PURPOSE: Create a XMLHttpRequest object to send an HTTP request directly to a web server 
//          and load the server response data directly back into the scripting language.
// PARAM:   none 
// RESULT:  new XMLHttpRequest object  
//----------------------------------------------------------------------------

//Generic function to create and obtain a XMLHttpRequest object
function getXmlHttpObject(){
var xmlHttp=null;
try{
  // Firefox, Opera 8.0+, Safari
  xmlHttp=new XMLHttpRequest();
  }catch (e){// Internet Explorer
  try{
    xmlHttp=new ActiveXObject("Msxml2.XMLHTTP");
    }catch (e){
    try{
       xmlHttp=new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");
      }catch (e){
      //alert("Your browser does not support AJAX!");
      return false;
      }
    }
  }
return xmlHttp;
}