function setCookie(name, value, expires)
{

	// no expiration date specified? use this date and it will just be deleted soon.

        if (!expires) {
        	expires = new Date(); 
        	expires.setTime(expires.getTime() +  (24 * 60 * 60 * 1000 * 365)); 
        }

	document.cookie = name + "=" + escape(value) + "; expires=" + expires.toGMTString() + "; path=/";
}

function getCookie(name)
{
	var cookies = document.cookie;

	if (cookies.indexOf(name) != -1)

	{

		var startpos = cookies.indexOf(name)+name.length+1;

		var endpos = cookies.indexOf(";",startpos)-1;

		if (endpos == -2) endpos = cookies.length;

		return unescape(cookies.substring(startpos,endpos));

	}

	else

	{

		return false; // the cookie couldn't be found! it was never set before, or it expired.

	}
}