<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript">
<!--// Copyright 1996 - Tomer and Yehuda Shiran
// This example will appear in our forthcoming book on JavaScript.
// Feel free to "steal" this code provided that you leave this notice as is.
// Additional examples from the book can be found at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/9000/
// For more information contact Tomer or Yehuda Shiran <yshiran@iil.intel.com>

// set speed of banner (pause in milliseconds between addition of new character)
var speed = 10  

// decrease value to increase speed (must be positive)
// set pause between completion of message and beginning of following message
var pause = 1500  

// increase value to increase pause
// set initial values
var timerID = null
var bannerRunning = false

// create array
var ar = new Array()

// assign the strings to the array's elements
ar[0] = "Welcome to my JavaScript page"
ar[1] = "I hope you enjoy the R-Banner script"
ar[2] = "It is designed to be more stable than regular banners"
ar[3] = "Don't forget to check out the other scripts!"

// assign index of current message
var message = 0

// empty string initialization
var state = ""

// no value is currently being displayed
clearState()

// stop the banner if it is currently running
function stopBanner() {  
  // if banner is currently running  
  if (bannerRunning)   
  // stop the banner   
  clearTimeout(timerID)  
  // timer is now stopped  
  timerRunning = false
}

// start the banner
function startBanner() {  
  // make sure the banner is stopped  
  stopBanner()  
  // start the banner from the current position  
  showBanner()
}

// assign state a string of "0" characters of the length of the current message
function clearState() {  
  // initialize to empty string  
  state = ""  
  // create string of same length containing 0 digits  
  for (var i = 0; i < ar[message].length; ++i) {   
   state += "0"  
  }
}

// display the current message
function showBanner() {  
  // if the current message is done  
  if (getString()) {   
   // increment message   
   message++   
   // if new message is out of range wrap around to first message   
  if (ar.length <= message)    
   message = 0   
   // new message is first displayed as empty string   
   clearState()   
   // display next character after pause milliseconds   
   timerID = setTimeout("showBanner()", pause)  
  }  
  else {   
   // initialize to empty string   
   var str = ""   
   // built string to be displayed (only character selected thus far are displayed)   
  for (var j = 0; j < state.length; ++j) {    
   str += (state.charAt(j) == "1") ? ar[message].charAt(j) : "     "   
  }   
  // partial string is placed in status bar   
  window.status = str   
  // add another character after speed milliseconds   
  timerID = setTimeout("showBanner()", speed)  
  }
}

function getString() {  
  // set variable to true (it will stay true unless proven otherwise)  
  var full = true  
  // set variable to false if a free space is found in string (a not-displayed char)  
  for (var j = 0; j < state.length; ++j) {   
   // if character at index j of current message has not been placed in displayed string   
   if (state.charAt(j) == 0)    
   full = false  
  }  
  // return true immediately if no space found (avoid infinitive loop later)  
  if (full) return true  
  // search for random until free space found (braoken up via break statement)  
  while (1) {   
   // a random number (between 0 and state.length - 1 == message.length - 1)   
   var num = getRandom(ar[message].length)   
   // if free space found break infinitive loop   
  if (state.charAt(num) == "0")    
   break  
  }  
  // replace the 0 character with 1 character at place found  
  state = state.substring(0, num) + "1" + state.substring(num + 1, state.length)  
  // return false because the string was not full (free space was found)  
  return false
}

function getRandom(max) {  
  // create instance of current date  
  var now = new Date()   
  // create a random number (good generator)  
  var num = now.getTime() * now.getSeconds() * Math.random()  
  // cut random number to value between 0 and max - 1, inclusive  
  return num % max
}
startBanner()
// -->
</SCRIPT>