//..... ..... ..... .....

  function _setCookie(_k, _v)
  {
    var _d=new Date;
    _d.setFullYear(_d.getFullYear()+1); //set a long cookie, expires in a year's time

    document.cookie=_k+"="+_v+";expires="+_d.toUTCString()+";path=/";
    return;
  };

  function _setTransientCookie(_k, _v)
  {
    document.cookie=_k+"="+_v+";path=/";
    return;
  };

  function _getCookie(_k)
  {
    var _s=_k+"=";
    var _v="";
    if (0<document.cookie.length) 
    {
      var _start=document.cookie.indexOf(_s); var _end;
      if (_start!= -1)
      { 
        _start+=_s.length; //step past key to index beginning of value
        _end=document.cookie.indexOf(";", _start); //index end of value
        if (_end== -1) {_end=document.cookie.length;};
        _v=unescape(document.cookie.substring(_start, _end));
      };
    };
    return _v;
  };

  function _clearCookie(_k)
  {
    var _d=new Date;
    _d.setFullYear(_d.getFullYear()-1); //expire the cookie

    document.cookie=_k+"=default;expires="+_d.toUTCString();
    return;
  };

  //..... ..... ..... .....//