function getElt() {
  if (document.all) { // IE4+
    var elt = eval('document.all[\'' + getElt.arguments[getElt.arguments.length - 1] + '\']');
    // Extra code to skip the LAYER for Netscape 4 with the same name which causes elt to be an array
    if (elt.length) {
      return elt[0];
    } else {
      return elt;
    }
  } else if (document.layers) { //NS4
    var currentLayer = document.layers[getElt.arguments[0]];

    for (var i = 1; i < getElt.arguments.length && currentLayer; i++) {
       currentLayer = currentLayer.document.layers[getElt.arguments[i]];
    }

    return currentLayer;
  } else if (document.getElementById) { // NS6
    return document.getElementById(getElt.arguments[getElt.arguments.length - 1]);
  }
}

function setBg(id, color) {
  var linkid = id+'_a';
  if (document.all) { // IE4+
    getElt(id).style.backgroundColor = color;
    getElt(linkid).style.backgroundColor = color;
  } else if (document.getElementById) { // NS6
    getElt(id).style.backgroundColor = color;
    getElt(linkid).style.backgroundColor = color;
  }
}