function show_hide_text(elem_id, show_text) {
	
	text_element = document.getElementById(elem_id);
	if (show_text) {
		text_element.style.display = "block";
	} else {
		text_element.style.display = "none";
	}
	
}

function trim(str, chars) {
    return ltrim(rtrim(str, chars), chars);
}

function ltrim(str, chars) {
    chars = chars || "\\s";
    return str.replace(new RegExp("^[" + chars + "]+", "g"), "");
}

function rtrim(str, chars) {
    chars = chars || "\\s";
    return str.replace(new RegExp("[" + chars + "]+$", "g"), "");
}