stevengharms.com

    /* dashboard.js
      AUTHOR:  Steven G. Harms (stharms@cisco.com)
      CREATION:  8/28/2006
      A script that is used with an XML file to use the DOM to create a Web2.0 /
      DHTML-y web site
    */

    // Global variables, used sparingly
    var xmlDoc;

    // Function Declaration Area
    function add_a_footer(entered_text){
     var dom = document.domain;
     var myText = document.createTextNode("hello, " + dom);
     document.getElementById("footer").appendChild(myText);


     var childEl=document.createElement("div");
     childEl.className='navigation_block';
     childEl.appendChild(myText);
     document.getElementById("footer").appendChild(childEl);
    }

    function addAnEvent(anObject, eventType, callback, capture){
      if (window.XMLHttpRequest){ // it's a mozilla-like thing!
        anObject.addEventListener(eventType, callback, capture);
        return anObject
      }else{
        anObject.attachEvent('on' + eventType ,callback);
        return anObject
      }
    }

    function appendTitleBlock(anObject, myTitle){
      //alert('cunning '+aTitle);
      if ( myTitle == "" ){
         aTitle="ERROR!";
      }
      var appendTitle = document.createTextNode(myTitle);
      var title = document.createElement('p');
      title.appendChild(appendTitle);
      anObject.appendChild(title);
      return anObject;
    }

    function browser_mutate(){
      // Some tricks to help IE render properly
      var browser = navigator.appName;
      if (browser.match(new RegExp("Microsoft", "i"))){
        // Line up the box model
        var navbar = document.getElementById('navigation_bar');
        navbar.style.marginTop='8px';

        //Make sure our submenus are properly whited-out
        for ( var divvie in  document.getElementsByTagName("div")){
          if (divvie.match(new RegExp("submenu","i"))){
            var node = document.getElementById(divvie);
            node.style.backgroundColor="#FFF"
          }
        }
      }else{
        var navbar = document.getElementById('navigation_bar');
        navbar.style.marginTop='10px';
      }
    }

    function buildSubmenuFor (aBlock, manipulationClosure){
      //alert(aBlock.getAttribute('name'));
      //alert(aBlock.childNodes.length);
      var childItem;
      var theDiv = document.createElement('div');
      for (var i=0; i<=aBlock.childNodes.length; i++){
        //alert(aBlock.childNodes.item(i));
        if (
            ( aBlock.childNodes.item(i) != null ) &&
        ( aBlock.childNodes.item(i).nodeName == "name")
           ){
              childItem = aBlock.childNodes.item(i);
          //alert ( aBlock.childNodes.item(i));
              //alert(childItem.getAttribute('href'));
              var theURL = childItem.getAttribute('href');
              //alert(childItem.firstChild.nodeValue)
          var theTarget= childItem.firstChild.nodeValue
          //Create a link item and put it in a paragraph
          var linkPara=document.createElement('p');
              linkPara.className='submenu_element';
          var link = document.createElement('a')
          link.setAttribute('href', theURL)
          link.setAttribute('class','submenu_element' )
              var textual_data = document.createTextNode(theTarget);
              link.appendChild(textual_data);
              linkPara.appendChild(link);
              theDiv.appendChild(linkPara);
        }
      }//end For
      if (manipulationClosure == null ){
         return theDiv;
      }else{
         return manipulationClosure(theDiv)
      }
    }

    /*
      This function receives a Javascript "Element" object
    */
    function createNavBlock(aBlock){
      // This might seem obvious, but this is an HTMLDivElement in
      // the API references
      var constructedBlock = document.createElement('div');
      constructedBlock.className="navigation_block";
      constructedBlock.id=aBlock.getAttribute('name');
      constructedBlock.setAttribute('id',aBlock.getAttribute('name'));

      if ( false ){
        alert('Constructed Block Object: ' + constructedBlock + "\n" +
          'Class Name: ' + constructedBlock.className + "\n" +
          'ID: ' + constructedBlock.id);
      }
      return constructedBlock;
    }

    /*
      This function creates the main navigational blocks to the left of the
      screen.

      It also seeds them with the callback function that is used to extract
      the fuller drop-down
    */
    function createNavMenu(){
      var array_of_blocks = xmlDoc.getElementsByTagName('block');
      var nav_section = document.getElementById('navigation_bar');
      for (var i=0; i&lt;array_of_blocks.length; i++){
        var navBlock = createNavBlock(array_of_blocks[i]);

        if ( false ){
          alert('Constructed Block Object: ' + navBlock + "\n" +
            'Class Name: ' + navBlock.className + "\n" +
            'ID: ' + navBlock.id);
        } //end if

        navBlock = addAnEvent(navBlock, 'dblclick', eventHandler, 'false');
        navBlock = appendTitleBlock(navBlock, array_of_blocks[i].getAttribute('displaytitle'));
        nav_section.appendChild( navBlock );
      }// end for
    }



    function eventHandler(anEvent){
      var myEvent = anEvent ? anEvent : window.event;
      var thisName = this.id ? this.id : window.event.srcElement.id;


      /* Due to a bug in IE's rendering of CSS, it's possible that someone could click
         on the title of a box ( even though they're clicking outside of the title )
         and thus a 'null' value for thisName will be, quite legally, derived.  To
         catch this we send return, the user will assume they didn't dblclick properly
      */

      if (thisName == ""){
        return
      }

      if (false){
        alert ('howdy '+anEvent
            + "\n and..." + this
            + "\n and..." + thisName);
      }//end debugging truefalse


      if ( thisName == null ){
        return
      }

      var screenBlock = document.getElementById(thisName);
      if ( isExpanded(screenBlock) ){
         //alert('expanded');
         //alert(screenBlock.getElementsByTagName('div')[0])
         screenBlock.removeChild(screenBlock.getElementsByTagName('div')[0])

      }else{
        //alert('not expanded');
        var informationBlock = findBlockWithName(thisName);
        buildSubmenuFor(informationBlock);
        screenBlock.appendChild(buildSubmenuFor(informationBlock, function (aDiv)
          {
        aDiv.className="navigation_block_submenu";
        aDiv.setAttribute('id',thisName + '_submenu');
            return aDiv
          }));
      }
    }

    function findBlockWithName(aName){
      //alert(aName);
      var array_of_blocks = xmlDoc.getElementsByTagName('block');
      for (var i=0; i&lt;array_of_blocks.length; i++){
        // alert('! ' + array_of_blocks[i].getAttribute('name'));
        if (array_of_blocks[i].getAttribute('name')==aName){
          return array_of_blocks[i];
        }
      }
    }

    function importXML(){
      if (document.implementation && document.implementation.createDocument) {
          xmlDoc = document.implementation.createDocument("", "", null);
          xmlDoc.onload = createNavMenu ;
      }else if (window.ActiveXObject){
          xmlDoc = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLDOM");
          xmlDoc.onreadystatechange = function () {
              if (xmlDoc.readyState == 4) createNavMenu ()
          };
      }else{
          return;
      }
      xmlDoc.load("navigation.xml");
    }

    function isExpanded (blockToExamine){
      //alert (blockToExamine);
      var cNodes =blockToExamine.childNodes;
      for (var i=0; i&lt;cNodes.length; i++){
        if (cNodes.item(i).tagName == 'DIV'){
          return true;
        }
      }
      return false;
    }

    function pageLoad(){
      browser_mutate();
      importXML();
    }

 <blocks>
  <block name="aggregator_block" displaytitle="Aggregator Sites">
      <name href="http://www.reddit.com">Reddit</name>
      <name href="http://www.digg.com">Digg</name>
  </block>
  <block name="timewaster_block" displaytitle="Timewasters">
      <name href="http://www.youtube.com">Youtube</name>
      <name href="http://www.socialitelife.com">Socialite's Life</name>
  </block>
 </blocks>