function getXMLValue(xmlNode)
{
	return xmlNode.firstChild.nodeValue;
}

function parseXML(xmlnode, number){
	var itemList = xmlnode.getElementsByTagName('item');
	if(number == null)
	{
		number = itemList.length;	
	}
	//var to = note[0].getElementsByTagName('to');
	//alert(getXMLValue(to[0]));
	var newsContainer = $('news_wrapper');
	newsContainer.innerHTML = '';
	for(var i=0; i<number; i++)
	{

		var newsItem = document.createElement('div');
		newsItem.className = 'homepage_item';
		
		var newsTitle = document.createElement('div');
		newsTitle.className = 'homepage_item_title';
		var newsTitleLink = document.createElement('a');
		newsTitleLink.innerHTML = getXMLValue(itemList[i].getElementsByTagName('title')[0]);
		newsTitleLink.setAttribute('href',getXMLValue(itemList[i].getElementsByTagName('link')[0]));
		
		newsTitle.appendChild(newsTitleLink);
		
		newsItem.appendChild(newsTitle);
		
		var description = document.createElement('div');
		description.innerHTML = '<p>' + getXMLValue(itemList[i].getElementsByTagName('description')[0]) + '</p>';
		
		newsItem.appendChild(description);
		
		var moreLink = document.createElement('div');
		moreLink.style.textAlign = 'right';
		
		var theLink = document.createElement('a');
		theLink.innerHTML =  'More > >';
		theLink.style.cursor = 'pointer';
		theLink.id = 'morelink';
		theLink.setAttribute('href',getXMLValue(itemList[i].getElementsByTagName('link')[0]));
		moreLink.appendChild(theLink);

		
		newsItem.appendChild(moreLink);
		
		newsContainer.appendChild(newsItem);
	}
}


function getNews(url, maxnumber)
{
	var maxnumber = maxnumber || null;
	var source = '/njit-edc/uicomponents/xml_php.php?file=' + encodeURIComponent(url);
	new Ajax.Request(source, 
		{   
			method: 'get',   
			onSuccess: function(response) 
			{          
				//alert(response.responseText);
				parseXML(Try.these(
					function() { return new DOMParser().parseFromString(response.responseText, "text/xml"); },
					function() { var xmldom = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLDOM"); xmldom.loadXML(response.responseText); return xmldom; }
					), maxnumber);
				},

			onFailure: function()
				{ 
					alert('Something went wrong...') 
				}   
		});

}