//trim a string
if (!String.prototype.trim)
{
    String.prototype.trim = function() 
    {
        return this.replace(/^\s*/, "").replace(/\s*$/, "");
    }
}

//get index of an element within an array
if (!Array.prototype.indexOf)
{  
    Array.prototype.indexOf = function(elt /*, from*/)  {    var len = this.length;    var from = Number(arguments[1]) || 0;    from = (from < 0)         ? Math.ceil(from)         : Math.floor(from);    if (from < 0)      from += len;    for (; from < len; from++)    {      if (from in this &&          this[from] === elt)        return from;    }    return -1;  };
}