//alert("get_elem_function.js");
  function get_elem(form, name) {
      // whoa.  this doesn't do very well if one element is called "length"...
      //alert("get_elem: " + name + "  len: " + form.elements.length);
      for (var i=0; i<form.elements.length; i++) {
          var elem = form.elements[i];
          //if (form.elements[i].name == name)
          if (elem.name == name)
	      return elem;
      }
      //alert("get_elem: not found");
      //return form.elements[0];
      return null;
  }

  function get_elem_num(form, name, num) {
      // whoa.  this doesn't do very well if one element is called "length"...
      //alert("get_elem: " + name + "  len: " + form.elements.length);
      for (var i=0; i<form.elements.length; i++) {
          var elem = form.elements[i];
          //if (form.elements[i].name == name)
          if (elem.name == name) {
	      if (num==0)
	          return elem;
              num--;
          }
      }
      //alert("get_elem_num: not found");
      //return form.elements[0];
      return null;
  }