// CONSTANTS
	var separator = ","; 
	var decpoint = ".";  
	var percent = "%";
	var currency = "$";  

	function formatNumber(number, format) 
	{  
		if (number - 0 != number) return null;  

		var useSeparator = format.indexOf(separator) != -1;  // use separators in number
		var usePercent = format.indexOf(percent) != -1;  // convert output to percentage
		var useCurrency = format.indexOf(currency) != -1;  // use currency format
		var isNegative = (number < 0);

		number = Math.abs (number);

		if (usePercent) number *= 100;

		format = strip(format, separator + percent + currency);  // remove key characters
		number = "" + number;  // convert number input to string

		 // split input value into LHS and RHS using decpoint as divider
		var dec = number.indexOf(decpoint) != -1;
		var nleftEnd = (dec) ? number.substring(0, number.indexOf(".")) : number;
		var nrightEnd = (dec) ? number.substring(number.indexOf(".") + 1) : "";

		 // split format string into LHS and RHS using decpoint as divider
		dec = format.indexOf(decpoint) != -1;
		var sleftEnd = (dec) ? format.substring(0, format.indexOf(".")) : format;
		var srightEnd = (dec) ? format.substring(format.indexOf(".") + 1) : "";

		 // adjust decimal places by cropping or adding zeros to LHS of number
		if (srightEnd.length < nrightEnd.length) 
		{
			var nextChar = nrightEnd.charAt(srightEnd.length) - 0;
			nrightEnd = nrightEnd.substring(0, srightEnd.length);

			if (nextChar >= 5) nrightEnd = "" + ((nrightEnd - 0) + 1);  // round up

			// patch provided by Patti Marcoux 1999/08/06
			while (srightEnd.length > nrightEnd.length) 
			{
				nrightEnd = "0" + nrightEnd;
			}

			if (srightEnd.length < nrightEnd.length) 
			{
				nrightEnd = nrightEnd.substring(1);
				nleftEnd = (nleftEnd - 0) + 1;
			}
		} 
		else 
		{
			for (var i=nrightEnd.length; srightEnd.length > nrightEnd.length; i++) 
			{
				if (srightEnd.charAt(i) == "0") 
					nrightEnd += "0";  // append zero to RHS of number
				else 
					break;
			}
		}

		 // adjust leading zeros
		sleftEnd = strip(sleftEnd, "#");  // remove hashes from LHS of format

		while (sleftEnd.length > nleftEnd.length) 
		{
		  nleftEnd = "0" + nleftEnd;  // prepend zero to LHS of number
		}

		if (useSeparator) nleftEnd = separate(nleftEnd, separator);  // add separator

		var output = nleftEnd + ((nrightEnd != "") ? "." + nrightEnd : "");  // combine parts
		output = ((useCurrency) ? currency : "") + output + ((usePercent) ? percent : "");

		if (isNegative) 
		{
		  // patch suggested by Tom Denn 25/4/2001
		  output = (useCurrency) ? "(" + output + ")" : "-" + output;
		}

		return output;
	}

	function strip(input, chars) // strip all characters in 'chars' from input
	{  
		var output = "";  // initialise output string
		
		for (var i=0; i < input.length; i++)
		{
		  if (chars.indexOf(input.charAt(i)) == -1)
			output += input.charAt(i);
		}
		
		return output;
	}

	function separate(input, separator) // format input using 'separator' to mark 000's
	{  
		input = "" + input;
		var output = "";  // initialise output string
		
		for (var i=0; i < input.length; i++) 
		{
		  if (i != 0 && (input.length - i) % 3 == 0) output += separator;
		  output += input.charAt(i);
		}

		return output;
	}